Forging the digital battlespace: Five Eyes allies fast-track Project Arcadia at the Combined Digital Leadership Summit

The Department of War said Friday it has concluded the biannual Combined Digital Leadership Summit (CDLS 26.1), advancing joint digital warfighting efforts and accelerating the operationalization of Project Arcadia among the Five Eyes nations: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

The summit’s aims were framed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s focus on allied technological and operational unity. “The United States is committed to achieving peace through strength,” Secretary Hegseth previously declared.

Kirsten Davies, the Department’s Chief Information Officer, closed the multi-day gathering by urging the coalition to pursue “peace through technical strength” and praised the delegation’s “fierce dedication” and “unequivocal consensus.”

“The spirit of the Combined Digital Leadership Summit (CDLS 26.1) has affirmed a fundamental truth that will define our future success: we can only achieve our goals when we walk together, not independently,” said the Hon. Davies during her closing address. “The strategic imperative that has galvanized this remarkable unity is Project Arcadia. It is not merely an IT project, but the operational imperative for our time—the digital backbone that will empower our warfighters with the information dominance they need to win.”

By bringing together the Defence Chief Information Officer Forum, the Defence Chief Data Officer Forum, and the Combined Communications Electronics Board, the Five Eyes partners committed to using the Arcadia platform as core infrastructure to operationalize artificial intelligence and streamline command-and-control data flows, with the goal of producing a unified Common Operating Picture at speeds beyond legacy, hardware-bound networks.

A closing ceremony marked the transition of hosting duties from the United States to Australia. Davies passed a ceremonial taonga—Māui’s hook—to Australia’s Defence CIO, Chris Crozier, symbolizing the handover for the next CDLS cycle.

As host nation and in recognition of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence, Davies also presented the Australian delegation with a sculpted Eagle. “The American flag in its talons is a reminder that wherever this mission flies next, the United States will be right there with you,” she noted.

Joint development on Project Arcadia and rapid-prototyping initiatives will continue at a sprint pace as Australia prepares to host the next summit in Sydney in November 2026. Combined Digital Leadership Summit participants gathered in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2026.