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Accelerating Defence Tech: Inside NATO DIANA with Maj. Gen. Paul Payton | MASS 2025

Join Alan Dale from Gale Force Wins at the Maritime Arctic Safety and Security (MASS) 2025 conference as he sits down with Major General Paul Payton, the Military Deputy Director for NATO DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic).

In this insightful interview, Maj. Gen. Payton breaks down how NATO is completely revolutionizing its approach to defence procurement. Learn how DIANA is bridging the gap between brilliant tech innovators and the military, helping startups and SMEs fast-track their dual-use technologies directly into the hands of warfighters without the traditional red tape.

📌 Chapters

• 0:00 - Welcome to MASS 2025 & Intro to the Ship Stop Here Initiative
• 0:42 - Meet Major General Paul Payton
• 1:12 - What is NATO DIANA? Solving military gaps with commercial tech
• 2:24 - Inside the 6-month accelerator program & expert mentorship
• 3:36 - DIANA's rapid global growth (London, Halifax, and Tallinn)
• 4:24 - Maj. Gen. Payton’s journey from the Armored Corps to tech innovation
• 5:58 - What Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is DIANA looking for?
• 7:11 - NATO's bold shift toward rapid innovation and industry collaboration
• 12:04 - The Rapid Adoption Service Regulation: Bypassing traditional procurement hurdles
• 14:32 - Reflections on the MASS 2025 Conference & moving forward

🚀 About NATO DIANA

The Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic is a groundbreaking NATO initiative designed to find and accelerate dual-use technological solutions for modern military operations. By aggregating demand signals from allied nations and pushing problem statements to industry, DIANA matchmakes national defense requirements with small-to-medium enterprises. Innovators accepted into the program receive funding, world-class mentorship, and access to a streamlined procurement pathway across 32 allied nations.

Learn more about the Defence Companies operating in Canada by following Gale Force Wins on Youtube, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. We are looking to tell more Defence related stories reach out to allan@galeforcewins.com or gerry@galeforcewins.com

Gale Force Wins started out simply as an inspirational podcast releasing episodes wherever you get your podcasts every Tuesday evening. We continue to do that every Tuesday but have expanded into custom content for clients. We also have perfected a conference and trade show offering where you can receive over 20 videos edited and posted to social media at the same time the event is unfolding.

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