This should be an encouragement to those of us who value privacy and security.
“Apple is known for its laser-focus on privacy. That’s just been given a unique accolade: Apple has achieved a landmark security milestone, as NATO officially approved the iPhone and iPad to handle classified information”
Although this is for the A19 and M5 chip and is not a standard config. No third party apps allowed, no icloud, always on vpn, and god mode forced supervision.
Edit
It is important to note that this approval only covers NATO Restricted data—the lowest level of classification. For “Secret” or “Top Secret” communications, they still use highly specialized, non-commercial hardware that you won’t find at an Apple Store (Gemini)
Except that in the UK the Advanced encryption level (I forget the name) is not available due to Government policy.
Looking forward to seeing how Apple spins this to the general public. 
Look no further:
“26 February 2026
UPDATE
iPhone and iPad approved to handle classified NATO information
Today, Apple announced iPhone and iPad are the first and only consumer devices in compliance with the information assurance requirements of NATO nations. This enables iPhone and iPad to be used with classified information up to the NATO restricted level without requiring special software or settings — a level of government certification no other consumer mobile device has met.
Apple designs security into all of its products from the start, ensuring the most sophisticated protections are built in across hardware, software, and Apple silicon. This unique approach allows Apple users to benefit from industry-leading security protections such as best-in-class encryption, biometric authentication with Face ID, and groundbreaking features like Memory Integrity Enforcement. These same protections are now recognised as meeting stringent government and international security requirements, even for restricted data.
iPhone and iPad previously received approval to handle classified German government data on devices using native iOS and iPadOS security measures, following an extensive evaluation by the Federal Office for Information Security (Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik, or BSI). Now, iPhone and iPad running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 are certified for such use in all NATO nations.
As part of this effort, BSI conducted exhaustive technical assessments, comprehensive testing, and deep security analysis, ensuring Apple’s built-in platform security capabilities met NATO nations’ exacting operational and assurance requirements.
“Secure digital transformation is only successful if information security is considered from the beginning in the development of mobile products,” said Claudia Plattner, BSI’s president. “Expanding on BSI’s rigorous audit of iOS and iPadOS platform and device security for use in classified German information environments, we are pleased to confirm the compliance under NATO nations’ assurance requirements.”
The approval marks a defining moment for Apple’s mobile platforms, as iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 are now listed on the NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue in recognition of their built-in security capabilities.
“This achievement recognises that Apple has transformed how security is traditionally delivered. Prior to iPhone, secure devices were only available to sophisticated government and enterprise organisations after a massive investment in bespoke security solutions,” said Ivan Krstić, Apple’s vice president of Security Engineering and Architecture. “Instead, Apple has built the most secure devices in the world for all its users, and those same protections are now uniquely certified under assurance requirements for NATO nations — unlike any other device in the industry.”
Apple works tirelessly to keep consumers, enterprises, and governments safe, and to maintain the highest level of security across all of its devices. More details about Apple’s security protections are available in the Apple Platform Security guide.”