NATO
HANDBOOK
1995
NATO OFFICE OF INFORMATION AND PRESS
BRUSSELS
NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANISATION
(NATO)
The North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington on 4 April
1949, created an Alliance for collective defence as defined
in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. The Alliance
links 14 European countries with the United States and
Canada.
MEMBER COUNTRIES
Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland,
Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal,
Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The
NATO Emblem, which appears on the cover of this book, was
adopted as the symbol of the Atlantic Alliance by the North
Atlantic Council in October 1953. The circle is the symbol
of unity and cooperation and the compass rose suggests the
common road to peace taken by the 16 member countries of
the Atlantic Alliance.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
1 What is NATO?
2 The Fundamental Tasks of the Alliance
3 Origins of the Alliance
4 NATO Today
PART I -- THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE
ALLIANCE
5 The Foundations of Europe's New Security Environment
6 Security Architecture -- A Broad Approach
7 The Alliance's Strategic Concept
8 The North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC)
9 Partnership for Peace
10 NATO's Role in Peacekeeping
11 Alliance Interaction with the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)(Formerly
CSCE.)
12 The European Security and Defence Identity
13 Arms Control
14 The Challenge of Proliferation
15 The Mediterranean
PART II -- HOW NATO WORKS
16 The Machinery of NATO
17 The Machinery of Cooperation
18 Fundamental Operating Principles
19 Joint Decision-Making
20 Political Consultation
21 Crisis Management
22 The Defence Dimension
23 Nuclear Policy
24 Economic Cooperation
25 Public Information
26 The Common Infrastructure Programme
27 Logistic Support
28 Armaments Cooperation
29 Armaments Planning
30 Standardization
31 Communications and Information Systems
32 Air Defence
33 Civil Emergency Planning
34 Civil and Military Coordination of Air Traffic
Management
35 Scientific Cooperation and Environmental Challenges
PA RT III -- ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURES
36 NATO Headquarters
37 Permanent Representatives and National Delegations
38 The International Staff
39 The Secretary General
40 Private Office
41 Office of the Secretary General
42 Executive Secretariat
43 Office of Information and Press
44 NATO Office of Security
45 Division of Political Affairs
46 Political Directorate
47 Economics Directorate
48 Division of Defence Planning and Policy
49 Force Planning Directorate
50 Nuclear Planning Directorate
51 Division of Defence Support
52 Policy and Coordination Staff
53 Directorate of Armaments Planning, Programmes and
Research
54 Directorate of Command, Control and Communications
55 Directorate of Air Defence Systems
56 Division of Infrastructure, Logistics and Civil
Emergency Planning
57 Infrastructure Directorate
58 Logistics Directorate
59 Civil Emergency Planning Directorate
60 Division of Scientific and Environmental Affairs
61 Office of Management
62 Office of Financial Control
63 Office of the Chairman of the Budget Committees
64 International Board of Auditors
65 New Structures
66 Production and Logistics Organisations
67 National Military Representatives
68 The Military Committee
69 International Military Staff
70 Organisation of the International Military Staff
71 The Role of Allied Military Forces
72 New Force Structures
73 Force Reductions
74 Characteristics of Military Forces under the New Force
Structure
75 of Forces
76 Availability and Readiness of Forces
77 NATO's Integrated Command Structure
78 The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)
79 Allied Command Europe (ACE)
80 ACE Reaction Forces Planning Staff (ARFPS)
81 The Reaction Forces Air Staff (RFAS)
82 NATO Airborne Early Warning Force (NAEWF)
83 The ACE Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC)
84 Immediate Reaction Forces (Maritime)
85 The ACE Mobile Force (AMF)
86 The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT)
87 Allied Command Atlantic (ACLANT)
88 Canada--US Regional Planning Group
89 Military Agencies and Organisations
90 Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and
Development (AGARD)
91 Military Agency for Standardization (MAS)
92 NATO Electronic Warfare Advisory Committee (NEWAC)
93 NATO Training Group (NTG)
94 Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services
in NATO (COMEDS)
95 Military Committee Meteorological Group (MCMG)
96 Military Telecommunications and CIS Agencies
97 SHAPE Technical Centre (STC)
98 SACLANT Undersea Research Centre (SACLANTCEN)
99 NATO Defense College
100 The NATO (SHAPE) School
101 NATO Communications and Information Systems (CIS)
School
PART IV -- THE WIDER INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK
102 The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE)(Formerly CSCE.)
103 The European Union (EU)
104 The Western European Union (WEU)
105 The Council of Europe
PART V -- NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS
106 North Atlantic Assembly (NAA)
107 Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA)
108 Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers (CIOR)
APPENDICES
109 APPENDIX I Members of the North Atlantic Council
110 APPENDIX II Secretaries General of NATO
111 APPENDIX III Members of the Military Committee
112 APPENDIX IV Principal Officials of the NATO
International Staff
113 APPENDIX V Major NATO Commanders
114 APPENDIX VI Principal Officials of the NATO
International Military Staff
115 APPENDIX VII Principal NATO Agencies
116 APPENDIX VIII The North Atlantic Treaty
117 APPENDIX IX The Alliance's Strategic Concept
118 APPENDIX X NACC Work Plan for Dialogue,
Partnership and Cooperation (1994/
1995) 249
119 APPENDIX XI Partnership for Peace Invitation
Partnership for Peace Framework Document
120 APPENDIX XII Declaration of the Heads of State and
Government participating in the Meeting
of the North Atlantic Council held at
NATO Headquarters, Brussels, on 10-11
January 1994
121 APPENDIX XIII Key Arms Control Treaties and
Agreements (1963-1994)
122 APPENDIX XIV Abbreviations in Common Use
123 APPENDIX XV Chronology of Events (1945-1994)
124 APPENDIX XVI Financial and Economic Data Relating to
Defence
125 The NATO Integrated Data Service (NIDS)
PREFACE
In 1989 the world witnessed the beginning of a process of
fundamental political change in East-West relations
including the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, the
disappearance of one-party Communist states throughout
Central and Eastern Europe, the establishment of free and
independent states in the republics of the former Soviet
Union, and the end of the division of Europe. The role
played by the North Atlantic Alliance, from its
establishment in 1949 to the end of the Cold War four
decades later, was fundamental in bringing about the
conditions which made these developments possible. As the
instrument for guaranteeing the security, freedom and
independence of its members, maintaining a strategic
balance in Europe and promoting democratic values and the
emergence of European democratic institutions, the Alliance
created the stability which was the precondition for
bringing an end to the adversarial relationship between
East and West.
The advent of these momentous events and of the
transformation of the security environment has had a
profound impact on the North Atlantic Alliance. Marking the
end of the political, ideological and military
confrontation between East and West which characterised the
Cold War years, it has enabled the Alliance to reorient its
policies, maintaining its core function of ensuring the
security of its member states while pursuing its
long-standing political goal of establishing a just and
lasting peaceful order in Europe.
In addition to heralding a new era in international
relations of world-wide significance, the end of the Cold
War has enabled the Alliance to make major reductions in
the levels of its armed forces and in aspects of their
readiness and deployment. It has also resulted in a number
of new or much expanded tasks for the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation. These include establishing a process of
dialogue, cooperation and partnership with the states of
Central and Eastern Europe and with those states which
gained independence following the dissolution of the Soviet
Union, as well as with other countries belonging to the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE)1; developing a close working relationship with the
OSCE and with other international institutions, notably the
United Nations, the European Union and the Western European
Union; and introducing new military command and force
structures reflecting the changed strategic environment.
------------------
1. At the Budapest Summit Meeting in December 1994, CSCE
Heads of State and Government announced that with effect
from 1 January 1995, the CSCE would be known as the
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Further references to the CSCE in this NATO Handbook should
be considered as references to the OSCE.
------------------
In the follow-up to the July 1990 London Declaration on
a Transformed North Atlantic Alliance, the November 1991
Rome Declaration on Peace and Cooperation and the
publication of the Alliance's new Strategic Concept,
consultations among member countries of NATO continued to
focus on the future structure and organisation of the
Alliance in the light of major strategic change, decreasing
resources for defence and the need to address urgent new
tasks.
These consultations culminated in far-reaching decisions
taken by NATO Heads of State and Government at their
January 1994 Summit Meeting in Brussels. This was the
occasion for reaffirming the continuity of NATO and its
adherence to its fundamental tasks as well as introducing
further measures to transform Alliance structures and
policies to accord with new requirements. The 16 leaders
of NATO countries confirmed their commitment to the
maintenance of the transatlantic partnership through an
Alliance dedicated to the sharing of strategic interests
and to the pursuit of joint security based on stability,
freedom, independence and democratic principles. The
January Summit Meeting also provided the occasion for a
strong reaffirmation of the United States' commitment to
Europe by President Clinton.
Most prominent among all decisions taken at the Brussels
Summit was the invitation to states participating in the
North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) and other CSCE
states to join NATO countries in a Partnership for Peace.
This major new initiative engages NATO and participating
Partner countries in concrete cooperation activities
designed to increase confidence and cooperative efforts to
reinforce security. It enables participating states to
strengthen their relations with the Alliance in accordance
with their individual interests and capabilities.
The Summit Meeting also agreed on measures to make NATO
structures more flexible and more responsive to current
requirements, including the introduction of Combined Joint
Task Forces (CJTFs). This concept is designed to make
NATO's joint military assets available for wider
operations, for example in the context of the emerging
European Security and Defence Identity. It also seeks to
reinforce the Alliance's ability to respond to crisis
situations such as the conflict in former Yugoslavia,
where, since the summer of 1992, NATO has provided support
for efforts by the United Nations to bring the conflict to
an end. NATO's readiness to provide additional support in
this context was also reaffirmed.
Other important developments at the Summit Meeting
included the launching of new initiatives to prevent the
proliferation of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass
destruction and to provide protection against it; and
agreement to examine measures to promote dialogue,
understanding and confidence-building between the countries
in the Mediterranean region.
At meetings of NATO Defence Ministers and Foreign
Ministers in May and June 1994, and at the end-of-year
Ministerial meetings in December 1994, progress achieved
in implementing the decisions taken by Heads of State and
Government was reviewed and additional steps were taken to
maintain the momentum of the Alliance's con-tinuing
transformation and to enable it to combine its core
functions with new tasks. The impact of recent decisions
on the organisation and structure of NATO is reflected as
far as possible in this edition of the Handbook.
Editor
December 1994
The NATO Handbook is not a formally agreed NATO document
and does not therefore necessarily represent the official
opinions or positions of individual member governments on
all policy issues discussed.
ISBN 92--845--0083--4
1 WHAT IS NATO?
The North Atlantic Treaty of April 1949 brought into being
an Alliance of independent countries with a common interest
in maintaining peace and defending their freedom through
political solidarity and adequate military defence to deter
and, if necessary, repel all possible forms of aggression
against them. Created within the framework of Article 51
of the United Nations Charter, which reaffirms the inherent
right of individual or collective defence, the Alliance is
an association of free states united in their determination
to preserve their security through mutual guarantees and
stable relations with other countries.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) provides
the structure which enables the goals of the Alliance to
be implemented. It is an inter-governmental organisation
in which member countries retain their full sovereignty and
independence. The Organisation provides the forum in which
they consult together on any issues they may choose to
raise and take decisions on political and military matters
affecting their security. It provides the structures needed
to facilitate consultation and cooperation between them,
in political, military and economic as well as scientific
and other non-military fields.
NATO's essential purpose is to safeguard the freedom and
security of all its members by political and military means
in accordance with the principles of the United Nations
Charter. Based on common values of democracy, human rights
and the rule of law, the Alliance has worked since its
inception for the establishment of a just and lasting
peaceful order in Europe. This central Alliance objective
remains unchanged. NATO also embodies the transatlantic
link by which the security of North America is permanently
tied to the security of Europe. It is the practical
expression of effective collective effort among its members
in support of their common interests.
The fundamental operating principle of the Alliance is
that of common commitment and mutual cooperation among
sovereign states based on the indivisibility of the
security of its members. Solidarity within the Alliance,
given substance and effect by NATO's daily work in
political, military and other spheres, ensures that no
member country is forced to rely upon its own national
efforts alone in dealing with basic security challenges.
Without depriving member states of their right and duty to
assume their sovereign responsibilities in the field of
defence, the Alliance enables them to realise their
essential national security objectives through collective
effort.
The resulting sense of equal security among the members
of the Alliance, regardless of differences in their
circumstances or in their national military capabilities,
contributes to overall stability within Europe and to the
creation of conditions which favour increased cooperation
among Alliance members and between members of the Alliance
and other countries. It is on this basis that new
cooperative structures of security are being developed
which serve the interests of a Europe no longer subject to
divisions and free to pursue its political, economic,
social and cultural destiny.
2 THE FUNDAMENTAL TASKS OF THE ALLIANCE
The means by which the Alliance carries out its security
policies include the maintenance of a sufficient military
capability to prevent war and to provide for effective
defence; an overall capability to manage crises affecting
the security of its members; and active promotion of
dialogue with other nations and of a cooperative approach
to European security, including measures to bring about
further progress in the field of arms control and
disarmament.
To achieve its essential purpose, the Alliance performs
the following fundamental security tasks:
--- It provides an indispensable foundation for a stable
security environment in Europe based on the growth of
democratic institutions and commitment to the peaceful
resolution of disputes. It seeks to create an
environment in which no country would be able to
intimidate or coerce any European nation or to impose
hegemony through the threat or use of force.
--- In accordance with Article 4 of the North Atlantic
Treaty, it serves as a transatlantic forum for Allied
consultations on any issues affecting the vital
interests of its members, including developments which
might pose risks to their security. It facilitates
coordination of their efforts in fields of common
concern.
--- It provides deterrence and defence against any form of
aggression against the territory of any NATO member
state.
--- It preserves a strategic balance within Europe.
The structures created within NATO enable member
countries to coordinate their policies in order to fulfil
these complementary tasks. They provide for continuous
consultation and cooperation in political, economic and
other non-military fields as well as the formulation of
joint plans for the common defence; the establishment of
the infrastructure needed to enable military forces to
operate; and arrangements for joint training programmes and
exercises. Underpinning these activities is a complex
civilian and military structure involving administrative,
budgetary and planning staffs, as well as agencies which
have been established by the member countries of the
Alliance in order to coordinate work in specialised fields
-- for example, the communications needed to facilitate
political consultation and command and control of military
forces and the logistics support needed to sustain military
forces.
The following sections describe the origins of the
Alliance; the progress which has been made towards the
realisation of its goals; the steps being undertaken to
transform the Alliance in accordance with the dramatic
changes which have taken place in the political and
strategic environment; and the machinery of cooperation and
structural arrangements which enable NATO to fulfil its
tasks.
3 ORIGINS OF THE ALLIANCE
Between 1945 and 1949, faced with the pressing need for
economic reconstruction, Western European countries and
their North American allies viewed with concern the
expansionist policies and methods of the USSR. Having
fulfilled their own wartime undertakings to reduce their
defence establishments and to demobilise forces, Western
governments became increasingly alarmed as it became clear
that the Soviet leadership intended to maintain its own
military forces at full strength. Moreover, in view of the
declared ideological aims of the Soviet Communist Party,
it was evident that appeals for respect for the United
Nations Charter, and for the international settlements
reached at the end of the war, would not guarantee the
national sovereignty or independence of democratic states
faced with the threat of outside aggression or internal
subversion. The imposition of undemocratic forms of
government and the repression of effective opposition and
of basic human and civic rights and freedoms in many
Central and Eastern European countries as well as elsewhere
in the world, added to these fears.
Between 1947 and 1949 a series of dramatic political
events brought matters to a head. These included direct
threats to the sovereignty of Norway, Greece, Turkey and
other Western European countries, the June 1948 coup in
Czechoslovakia and the illegal blockade of Berlin which
began in April of the same year.
The signature of the Brussels Treaty of March 1948 marked
the determination of five Western European countries --
Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United
Kingdom -- to develop a common defence system and to
strengthen the ties between them in a manner which would
enable them to resist ideological, political and military
threats to their security. Negotiations with the United
States and Canada then followed on the creation of a single
North Atlantic Alliance based on security guarantees and
mutual commitments between Europe and North America.
Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Norway and Portugal were invited
by the Brussels Treaty powers to become participants in
this process. These negotiations culminated in the
signature of the Treaty of Washington in April 1949,
bringing into being a common security system based on a
partnership among these 12 countries. In 1952, Greece and
Turkey acceded to the Treaty. The Federal Republic of
Germany joined the Alliance in 1955 and, in 1982, Spain
also became a member of NATO.
The North Atlantic Alliance was thus founded on the basis
of a Treaty between member states entered into freely by
each of them after public debate and due parliamentary
process. The Treaty upholds their individual rights as well
as their international obligations in accordance with the
Charter of the United Nations. It commits each member
country to sharing the risks and responsibilities as well
as the benefits of collective security and requires of each
of them the undertaking not to enter into any other
international commitment which might conflict with the
Treaty.
4 NATO TODAY
The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the
unification of Germany in October 1990, the disintegration
of the Soviet Union in December 1991, and dramatic changes
elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe, marked the end of
the Cold War era. Since these events, which have
transformed the political situation in Europe, the security
requirements of the members of the Alliance have
fundamentally changed. However, as events have proved,
dangers to peace and threats to stability remain. Following
the decisions taken by the NATO Heads of State and
Government at their Summit Meetings in London in July 1990,
in Rome in November 1991, and in Brussels in January 1994,
the North Atlantic Alliance has therefore adapted its
overall strategy in the light of the changing strategic and
political environment. Attention has focused in particular
on the need to reinforce the political role of the Alliance
and the contribution it can make, in cooperation with other
institutions, in providing the security and stability on
which the future of Europe depends.
The Strategic Concept adopted by Heads of State and
Government in Rome in 1991 outlines a broad approach to
security based on dialogue, cooperation and the maintenance
of a collective defence capability. It integrates political
and military elements of NATO's security policy into a
coherent whole, establishing cooperation with new partners
in Central and Eastern Europe as an integral part of the
Alliance's strategy. The Concept provides for reduced
dependence on nuclear weapons and major changes in NATO's
integrated military forces, including substantial
reductions in their size and readiness, improvements in
their mobility, flexibility and adaptability to different
contingencies and greater use of multinational formations.
Measures have also been taken to streamline NATO's military
command structure and to adapt the Alliance's defence
planning arrangements and procedures in the light of the
changed circumstances concerning security in Europe as a
whole and future requirements for crisis management and
peacekeeping.
At the Rome Summit Meeting, NATO Heads of State and
Government also issued an important Declaration on Peace
and Cooperation. The Declaration set out the context for
the Alliance's Strategic Concept. It defined the future
tasks and policies of NATO in relation to the overall
institutional framework for Europe's future security and
in relation to the evolving partnership and cooperation
with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It
reaffirmed the Alliance's commitment to strengthening the
role of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in
Europe, making specific suggestions for achieving this, and
reaffirmed the consensus among the member countries of the
Alliance on the development of a European security and
defence identity. It underlined the Alliance's support for
the steps being taken in the countries of Central and
Eastern Europe towards reform; offered practical assistance
to help them to succeed in this difficult transition;
invited them to participate in appropriate Alliance forums;
and extended to them the Alliance's experience and
expertise in political, military, economic and scientific
consultation and cooperation. A North Atlantic Cooperation
Council (NACC) was established to oversee the future
development of this partnership. The Rome Declaration also
examined progress achieved and specific opportunities
available in the field of arms control and underlined the
Alliance's adherence to a global view of security taking
into account broader challenges which can affect security
interests.
Since the publication of the Rome Declaration, additional
measures have been taken at Ministerial Meetings of Foreign
and Defence Ministers and by the North Atlantic Council in
Permanent Session to further the process of adaptation and
transformation of the Alliance.
Three areas of activity merit particular mention, namely
the institutional political framework created to develop
the relationship between NATO and its Cooperation Partners
in Central and Eastern Europe; the development of
cooperation in the defence and military spheres; and NATO's
role in the field of crisis management and peacekeeping.
Firstly, in the institutional context, the most
significant event was the inaugural meeting of the North
Atlantic Cooperation Council which took place on 20
December 1991, with the participation of the Foreign
Ministers or representatives of NATO countries and of six
Central and Eastern European countries as well as the three
Baltic states. The role of the NACC is to facilitate
cooperation on security and related issues between the
participating countries at all levels and to oversee the
process of developing closer institutional ties as well as
informal links between them. The 11 states on the territory
of the former Soviet Union forming the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) became participants in this
process in March 1992. Georgia and Albania joined the
process in April and June 1992 respectively and, by 1993,
there were 22 NACC Cooperation Partners. NACC cooperation
has been implemented on the basis of Work Plans initially
established annually but encompassing two-year periods from
1995 onwards.
Subsequent consultations and cooperation in the NACC have
been wide-ranging but have focused in particular on
political and security-related matters; peacekeeping;
conceptual approaches to arms control and disarmament:
defence planning issues and military matters; democratic
concepts of civilian-military relations; the conversion of
defence production to civilian purposes; defence
expenditure and budgets; scientific cooperation and
defence-related environmental issues; dissemination of
information about NATO in the countries of Cooperation
Partners; policy planning consultations; and civil/military
air traffic management.
Secondly, in the defence and military spheres, NATO
Defence Ministers met with Cooperation Partners for the
first time on 1 April 1992 to consider ways of deepening
dialogue and promoting cooperation between them on issues
falling within their competence. The Military Committee
held its first meeting in cooperation session on 10 April
1992 and both forums now meet with Cooperation Partners on
a regular basis. In parallel, bilateral contacts and
cooperation are being developed between Ministries of
Defence and at the military level.
And thirdly, against the background of the crises in the
former Yugoslavia and elsewhere, attention was directed
increasingly towards NATO's potential role in the field of
crisis management and peacekeeping and particularly its
support for UN peacekeeping activities with regard to the
former Yugoslavia. The main initiatives undertaken by NATO
in this respect are described in Part I (NATO's Role in
Peacekeeping).
During 1992 and 1993, the initiatives taken by the
Alliance over the previous three years were consolidated
and developed by the member countries of NATO, often in
coordination with the members of the NACC and other states
with which dialogue and cooperation had been established.
In January 1994 a further Summit Meeting of NATO Heads
of State and Government took place in Brussels. Alliance
leaders confirmed the enduring validity and
indispensability of the North Atlantic Alliance and their
commitment to a strong transatlantic partnership between
North America and a Europe developing a Common Foreign and
Security Policy and taking on greater responsibility for
defence matters. They also reaffirmed the Alliance's
enduring core functions and gave their full support to the
development of a European Security and Defence identity.
A number of additional decisions of a far-reaching nature
were also taken. These included steps to adapt further the
Alliance's political and military structures to reflect
both the full spectrum of its roles and the development of
the emerging European Security and Defence Identity;
endorsement of the concept of Combined Joint Task Forces;
reaffirmation that the Alliance remains open to membership
of other European countries; the launching of the
Partnership for Peace (PFP) initiative; and measures to
intensify the Alliance's efforts against proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery;
and consideration of measures designed to promote security
in the Mediterranean region.
The implications of each of these developments and of
their subsequent implementation are described in the
following chapters.
At their meeting in Istanbul in June 1994, and again at
the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels on
1 December 1994, Foreign Ministers noted the progress
achieved in implementing the January 1994 Summit decisions
with regard to Partnership for Peace; support for the
development of the European Defence and Security Identity
and for the Western European Union; the development of the
Combined Joint Task Forces concept; NATO's approach to the
problem of proliferation; and the Mediterranean region.
They discussed the essential role which NATO continues
to play in reinforcing stability and security in Europe,
emphasising that NATO has always been a political community
of nations committed to promoting shared values and
defending common interests. Together with the defensive
capabilities of the Alliance, this provides the foundation
which makes it possible for the Alliance to contribute to
stability and cooperation in the whole of Europe. A strong
transatlantic partnership and a continued substantial
presence of United States forces in Europe are fundamental
not only to guarantee the Alliance's core functions but
also to enable it to contribute effectively to European
security. NATO member countries are committed to continuing
the process of adaptation of the Alliance in the context
of a broad approach to building political, military and
economic stability for all European countries. Foreign
PART I
THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE ALLIANCE
THE FOUNDATIONS OF EUROPE'S NEW SECURITY ENVIRONMENT
The fourth of April 1989, which marked the fortieth
anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty,
coincided with the beginning of a period of profound change
in the course of East-West and international relations and
a far-reaching transformation of the security environment.
The role of the North Atlantic Alliance has been
fundamental in bringing about the conditions for change
described in these pages. By providing the basis for the
collective defence and common security of its member
countries and preserving a strategic balance in Europe
throughout the Cold War period, the Alliance has
safeguarded their freedom and independence. It continues
to fulfil these core functions as well as assuming new
tasks and is building on the foundations it has created in
order to promote stability based on common democratic
values and respect for human rights and the rule of law
throughout Europe.
The origins and course of recent developments, the
progress achieved towards the realisation of many of the
long-standing goals of the Alliance, and the principal
issues of concern facing member countries and their
Cooperation Partners, as they adapt their policies and
shape their common institutions to meet new challenges, are
described below.
The roots of the changes which have transformed the
political map of Europe can be traced to a number of
developments during the 1960s and 1970s which were to have
far-reaching implications. While there were many aspects
to these developments, three events stand out in
particular, namely: the adoption by the Alliance, in
December 1967, of the Harmel doctrine based on the parallel
policies of maintaining adequate defence while seeking a
relaxation of tensions in East-West relations; the
introduction by the Government of the Federal Republic of
Germany in 1969 of Chancellor Willy Brandt's `Ostpolitik',
designed to bring about a more positive relationship with
Eastern European countries and the Soviet Union within the
constraints imposed by their governments' domestic policies
and actions abroad; and the adoption of the CSCE Helsinki
Final Act in August 1975, which established new standards
for the discussion of human rights issues and introduced
measures to increase mutual confidence between East and
West.
A series of similarly important events marked the course
of East-West relations during the 1980s. These included
NATO's deployment of Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces in
Europe following the December 1979 double-track decision
on nuclear modernisation and arms control; the subsequent
Washington Treaty signed in December 1987, which brought
about the elimination of US and Soviet land-based INF
missiles on a global basis; early signs of change in
Eastern Europe associated with the emergence and
recognition, despite later setbacks, of the independent
trade union movement `Solidarity' in Poland in August 1980;
the consequences of the December 1979 Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan and the ultimate withdrawal of Soviet forces
from Afghanistan in February 1989; and the March 1985
nomination of Mikhail Gorbachev as General Secretary of the
Soviet Communist Party.
In March 1989, in the framework of the CSCE, promising
new arms control negotiations opened in Vienna, between the
23 countries of NATO and the Warsaw Treaty Organisation on
reductions in conventional forces in Europe (CFE).
The NATO Summit Meeting held in Brussels at the end of
May 1989 against this background was of particular
significance. Two major statements of Alliance policy were
published, namely a declaration marking the fortieth
anniversary of the Alliance, setting out goals and policies
to guide the Allies during the fifth decade of their
cooperation; and a Comprehensive Concept of Arms Control
and Disarmament.
The 1989 Summit Declaration contained many extremely
important elements. It recognised the changes that were
underway in the Soviet Union as well as in other Eastern
European countries and outlined the Alliance's approach to
overcoming the division of Europe and the shaping of a just
and peaceful European order. It reiterated the continuing
need for credible and effective deterrent forces and an
adequate defence, and endorsed President Bush's arms
control initiative calling for an acceleration of the CFE
negotiations in Vienna and for significant reductions in
additional categories of conventional forces, as well as
in United States and Soviet military personnel stationed
outside their national territory. The Declaration set forth
a broad agenda for expanded East-West cooperation in other
areas, for action on significant global challenges and for
measures designed to meet the Alliance's long-term
objectives.
Developments of major significance for the entire
European continent and for international relations as a
whole continued as the year progressed. By the end of 1989
and during the early weeks of 1990, significant progress
had been made towards the reform of the political and
economic systems of Poland and Hungary; and in the German
Democratic Republic, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and, after
a bitter struggle, Romania, steps had been taken towards
freedom and democracy which went far beyond short-term
expectations.
The promise held out for over 40 years to bring an end
to the division of Europe and with it an end to the
division of Germany took on real meaning with the opening
of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. Beyond its fundamental
symbolism, the member countries of the Alliance saw this
event as part of a wider process leading to a Europe whole
and free. The process was as yet far from complete and
faced numerous obstacles and uncertainties, but rapid and
dramatic progress had nevertheless been achieved. Free
elections had taken place or were planned in most Central
and Eastern European countries, former divisions were being
overcome, repressive border installations were being
dismantled and, within less than a year, on 3 October 1990,
the unification of the two German states took place with
the backing of the international community and the assent
of the Soviet Government on the basis of an international
treaty and the democratic choice of the German people.
Both the fact and the prospect of reform brought about
major positive changes in the relationships of Central and
Eastern European countries with the international
community, opening up a new and enriched dialogue involving
East and West, which offered real hope in place of the fear
of confrontation, and practical proposals for cooperation
in place of polemics and the stagnation of Cold War
politics.
Such changes were not accomplished without difficulty
and, as events within the former Soviet Union and other
parts of Central and Eastern Europe confirmed, created new
concerns about stability and security. The bold course of
reforms within the Soviet Union itself led to new
challenges as well as severe internal problems. Moreover
the dire economic outlook and the major difficulties
experienced in many of the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe in managing the transition from authoritarian
government and a centrally planned economy to pluralist
democracy and a free market combined to make political
forecasting uncertain and subject to constant revision.
Throughout this period NATO continued to play a key role,
providing the framework for consultation and coordination
of policies among its member countries in order to diminish
the risk of crises which could impinge on common security
interests. The Alliance pursued its efforts to remove
military imbalances; to bring about greater openness in
military matters; and to build confidence through radical
but balanced and verifiable arms control agreements,
verification arrangements and increased contacts at all
levels.
At the Summit Meeting in London in July 1990, in the most
far-reaching Declaration issued since NATO was founded, the
Heads of State and Government announced major steps to
transform the Alliance in a manner commensurate with the
new security environment and to bring confrontation between
East and West to an end. They extended offers to the
governments of the Soviet Union and Central and Eastern
European countries to establish regular diplomatic liaison
with NATO and to work towards a new relationship based on
cooperation. The Declaration had been foreshadowed a month
earlier when NATO Foreign Ministers met in Scotland and
took the exceptional step of issuing a `Message from
Turnberry', extending an offer of friendship and
cooperation to the Soviet Union and all other European
countries. The announcement made by President Gorbachev in
July 1990, accepting the participation of the united
Germany in the North Atlantic Alliance, was explicitly
linked to the positive nature of this Message and to the
substantive proposals and commitments made by Alliance
governments in London.
The London Declaration included proposals to develop
cooperation in numerous different ways. Leaders and
representatives of Central and Eastern European countries
were invited to NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Many such
visits took place and arrangements for regular contacts at
the diplomatic level were made. The Secretary General of
NATO also visited Moscow immediately after the London
Summit Meeting to convey to the Soviet leadership the
proposals contained in the Declaration and the Alliance's
determination to make constructive use of the new political
opportunities opening up.
A joint declaration and commitment to non-aggression was
signed in Paris in November 1990 at the same time as the
Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe and the
publication, by all CSCE member states, of the `Charter of
Paris for a New Europe'. The Joint Declaration formally
brought adversarial relations to an end and reaffirmed the
intention of the signatories to refrain from the threat or
use of force against the territorial integrity or political
independence of any state, in accordance with the purposes
and principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final
Act. All other states participating in the CSCE were
invited to join this commitment. New military contacts were
established, including intensified discussions of military
forces and doctrines. Progress was made towards an `Open
Skies' agreement, permitting overflights of national
territory on a reciprocal basis in order to increase
confidence and transparency with respect to military
activities. Further talks were initiated to build on the
CFE Treaty on reductions of conventional forces from the
Atlantic to the Ural Mountains, including additional
measures to limit manpower in Europe. Agreement was reached
to intensify the CSCE process and to set new standards for
the establishment and preservation of free societies.
Measures were taken to enable the CSCE process, which had
been successful in enhancing mutual confidence, to be
further institutionalised in order to provide a forum for
wider political dialogue in a more united Europe.
Internally, NATO carried out a far-reaching review of its
strategy in order to adapt it to the new circumstances.
Despite the positive course of many of these
developments, new threats to stability can arise very
quickly and in unpredictable circumstances, as the 2 August
1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and subsequent developments
in the Gulf area demonstrated. NATO countries used the
Alliance forum intensively for political consultations from
the outbreak of this crisis. They played a prominent role
in support of United Nations efforts to achieve a
diplomatic solution and reiterated their collective defence
commitment under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty,
in the event of an external threat to Turkey's security
developing from the situation in the Gulf. Elements of
NATO's Allied Mobile Force were sent to Turkey in order to
demonstrate this commitment.
Significantly, the unity of purpose and determined
opposition by the international community to the actions
taken by Iraq offered positive evidence of the
transformation which had taken place in relations between
the Soviet Union and the West. The benefits resulting from
the establishment of better contacts and increased
cooperation between them were clearly apparent. The dangers
inherent in the Gulf crisis reinforced the Alliance's
determination to develop and enhance the level of its
cooperation with the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe as well as with other countries in accordance with
the goals set by Alliance Heads of State and Government in
the London Declaration.
This determination was further reinforced by the events
of 1991, including the repressive steps taken by the Soviet
Government with regard to the Baltic states prior to
conceding their right to establish their own independence;
the deteriorating situation and outbreak of hostilities in
Yugoslavia, leading to the break-up of the Yugoslav
Federation; and the attempted coup d'etat in the Soviet
Union itself which took place in August.
Against the background of these events, 1991 was marked
by an intensification of visits and diplomatic contacts
between NATO and the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe in accordance with the decisions taken by NATO Heads
of State and Government in London. With the publication of
the Rome Declaration in November 1991, the basis was laid
for placing their evolving relationship on a more
institutionalised footing. The establishment of the North
Atlantic Cooperation Council in December, bringing together
the member countries of NATO and, initially, nine Central
and Eastern European countries in a new consultative forum,
was a direct consequence of this decision. In March 1992,
participation in this forum was expanded to include all
members of the Commonwealth of Independent States and by
June 1992, Georgia and Albania had also become members.
The North Atlantic Cooperation Council is described in
more detail below. Its inaugural meeting took place on 20
December 1991, just as the Soviet Union was ceasing to
exist. Eleven former Soviet republics became members of the
new Commonwealth of Independent States, entering a period
of intense political and economic transformation. In
Nagorno-Karabakh, Moldova, Georgia and elsewhere, outbreaks
of violence occurred and serious inter-state tensions
developed.
The deteriorating situation, continuing use of force and
mounting loss of life in the territory of the former
Yugoslavia were major causes of concern which marred the
prospects for peaceful progress towards a new security
environment in Europe. Both the North Atlantic Council and
the North Atlantic Cooperation Council endeavoured to
support efforts undertaken in other forums to restore peace
and to bring their own influence to bear on the parties concerned.
During the same period, discussion of measures designed
to strengthen the role of the CSCE in promoting stability
and democracy in Europe, including proposals outlined in
the Rome Declaration issued by the Alliance, culminated in
the signature of the 1992 Helsinki Document (`The
Challenges of Change') at the CSCE Summit Meeting held in
July 1992. The document describes, inter alia, new
initiatives for the creation of a CSCE forum for security
cooperation and for CSCE peacekeeping activities, for which
both the North Atlantic Council and the North Atlantic
Cooperation Council expressed full support.
At the November 1991 Summit Meeting in Rome, the Alliance
also published its new Strategic Concept. This is based on
a broad approach to security and sets out the principles
and considerations which determine the future role of the
Alliance and the transformation of its structures needed
to enable it to fulfil its continuing tasks and to play its
full role, in cooperation with other international
institutions, in Europe's future security.
The key elements of the Rome Declaration and the
principal orientations of the Strategic Concept are
outlined in the following sections.
6 SECURITY ARCHITECTURE -- A BROAD APPROACH
The institutional basis for managing Europe's future
security set out in the Rome Declaration takes as its
starting point the fact that the challenges facing the new
Europe cannot be comprehensively addressed by one
institution alone. They require a framework of mutually
reinforcing institutions, tying together the countries of
Europe and North America in a system of inter-relating and
mutually supporting structures. The Alliance is therefore
working towards a new European security architecture which
seeks to achieve this objective by ensuring that the roles
of NATO, the CSCE, the European Union, the Western European
Union and the Council of Europe are complementary. Other
regional frameworks of cooperation can also play an
important part. Preventing the potential instability and
divisions which could result from causes such as economic
disparities and violent nationalism depends on effective
interaction between these various elements.
The North Atlantic Alliance and the steps taken by the
Alliance in the framework of the North Atlantic Cooperation
Council are fundamental to this process. The Alliance
itself is the essential forum for consultation among its
members and is the venue for reaching agreement on and
implementing policies with a bearing on their security and
defence commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty.
However, as the evolution of Europe's new security
architecture progresses, the Alliance is developing
practical arrangements, along with the other institutions
involved, to ensure the necessary transparency and
complementarity between them. This includes closer contacts
and exchanges of information and documentation between the
institutions themselves, as well as reciprocal arrangements
regarding participation and representation in appropriate
meetings.
The Strategic Concept adopted by the member countries of
NATO in November 1991, and subsequent policy statements
adopted by the Alliance thus reflect a broad approach to
security of which military capabilities are one among a
number of other significant elements. It also takes into
account relevant political, economic and other factors as
well as structural considerations.
The Alliance has in fact always sought to achieve its
over-riding objectives of safeguarding the security of its
members and establishing a just and lasting peaceful order
in Europe through both political and military means. This
comprehensive approach remains the basis of the Alliance's
security policy. However, in the new security situation,
the opportunities to achieve these objectives by political
means, as well as taking into account the economic, social
and environmental dimensions of security and stability, are
much improved. The Alliance's active pursuit of dialogue
and cooperation, underpinned by the commitment to an
effective collective defence capability and to building up
the institutional basis for crisis management and conflict
prevention, therefore seeks to reduce the risk of conflict
arising out of misunderstanding or design; to build
increased mutual understanding and confidence among all
European states; to help manage crises affecting the
security of the Allies; and to expand the opportunities for
a genuine partnership among all European countries in
dealing with common security problems.
7 THE ALLIANCE'S STRATEGIC CONCEPT(1)
------------------
(1) The full text of the Alliance's Strategic Concept is
reproduced in Appendix IX.
------------------
Europe's security has substantially improved. The threat
of massive military confrontation no longer hangs over it.
Nevertheless potential risks to security from instability
or tension still exist. Against this background, NATO's
Strategic Concept reaffirms the core functions of the
Alliance including the maintenance of the transatlantic
link and of an overall strategic balance in Europe. It
recognises that security is based on political, economic,
social and environmental considerations as well as defence.
It builds on the unprecedented opportunity to achieve the
Alliance's long-standing objectives by political means, in
keeping with the undertakings made in Articles 2 and 4 of
the North Atlantic Treaty.(2) The security policy of the
Alliance is therefore based on three mutually reinforcing
elements, namely: dialogue; cooperation; and the
maintenance of a collective defence capability. Each of
these elements is designed to ensure that crises affecting
European security can be prevented or resolved peacefully.
------------------
(2) For the text of the North Atlantic Treaty, see
Appendix VIII.
------------------
The military dimension of the Alliance remains an
essential factor if these goals are to be achieved. It
continues to reflect a number of fundamental principles:
--- The Alliance is purely defensive in purpose.
--- Security is indivisible. An attack on one member of
the Alliance is an attack upon all. The presence of
North American forces in and committed to Europe
remains vital to the security of Europe, which is
inseparably linked to that of North America.
--- NATO's security policy is based on collective
defence, including an integrated military structure
as well as relevant cooperation and coordination
agreements.
--- The maintenance of an appropriate mix of nuclear and
conventional forces based in Europe will be required
for the foreseeable future.
In the changed circumstances affecting Europe's security,
NATO forces are being adapted to the new strategic
environment and are becoming smaller and more flexible.
Conventional forces are being substantially reduced and in
many cases so is their level of readiness. They are also
being made more mobile, to enable them to react to a wider
range of contingencies; and they are being reorganised to
ensure that they have the flexibility to contribute to
crisis management and to enable them to be built up if
necessary for the purposes of defence. Multinational forces
play an increasingly important role within NATO's
integrated military structure.
Nuclear forces have also been greatly reduced. The
withdrawal of short-range land-based nuclear weapons from
Europe, announced in September 1991, was completed in July
1992. The overall NATO stockpile of substrategic nuclear
weapons in Europe has been reduced to about one-fifth of
the level of the 1990 stockpile. As far as strategic
nuclear forces are concerned, the START II Treaty, signed
by the US and Russian Presidents in January 1993, will
eliminate multiple warhead intercontinental ballistic
missiles and reduce strategic nuclear stockpiles by
two-thirds. The fundamental purpose of the Alliance's
remaining nuclear forces of either category will continue
to be political: to preserve peace and prevent war or any
kind of coercion.
The Strategic Concept underlines the need for Alliance
security to take account of the global context. It points
out risks of a wider nature, including proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction, disruption of the flow of
vital resources and acts of terrorism and sabotage which
can affect Alliance security interests. The Concept
therefore reaffirms the importance of arrangements existing
in the Alliance for consultation among the Allies under
Article 4 of the Washington Treaty and, where appropriate,
coordination of their efforts including their responses to
such risks. The Alliance will continue to address broader
challenges in its consultations and in the appropriate
multilateral forums in the widest possible cooperation with
other states.
8 THE NORTH ATLANTIC COOPERATION COUNCIL (NACC)
The development of dialogue and partnership with its new
Cooperation Partners forms an integral part of NATO's
Strategic Concept. The establishment of the North Atlantic
Cooperation Council at the end of 1991 thus marked a
further advance in the evolution of a new, positive
relationship based on constructive dialogue and
cooperation.
The creation of the NACC was the culmination of a number
of earlier steps taken by the members of the Alliance in
the light of the fundamental changes which were taking
place in Central and Eastern European countries. At the
July 1990 London Summit Meeting the Alliance extended its
hand of friendship to them and invited the governments of
the USSR, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and
Romania to establish regular diplomatic liaison with NATO.
In Paris, in November 1990, the Alliance members and their
new partners signed a Joint Declaration stating that they
no longer regarded each other as adversaries.
In June 1991, when Alliance Foreign Ministers met in
Copenhagen, further steps were taken to develop this
partnership. As a result of high level visits, exchanges
of views on security and other issues, intensified military
contacts and exchanges of expertise in many fields, a new
relationship was emerging. When NATO Heads of State and
Government met in Rome in November 1991, they decided to
broaden and intensify this dynamic process. In reaching
this decision they took account of the growth of democratic
institutions throughout Central and Eastern Europe, the
encouraging experience of cooperation acquired thus far and
the desire shown by their cooperation partners for closer
ties.
As a next step they therefore decided to develop the
institutional basis for consultation and cooperation on
political and security issues. Foreign Ministers of Central
and Eastern European governments were invited to attend a
meeting with their NATO counterparts to issue a joint
political declaration in order to enhance the concept of
partnership, and to work out how the process should be
further developed. Concrete proposals for periodic meetings
and contacts with the North Atlantic Council, the NATO
Military Committee and other NATO committees were put
forward, in addition to the creation of the NACC.
These steps were designed to enable the member countries
of the Alliance to respond effectively to the changed
situation in Europe and to contribute positively to the
efforts undertaken by their cooperation partners to fulfil
their commitments under the CSCE process and to make
democratic change irrevocable.
Consisting of Foreign Ministers or Representatives of the
16 NATO countries as well as the Central and Eastern
European and Baltic States with which NATO established
diplomatic liaison during 1990 and 1991, the NACC held its
inaugural meeting on 20 December 1991 with the
participation of 25 countries. Following the dissolution
of the Soviet Union which took place on the same day, and
the subsequent creation of the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS), participation in the NACC was expanded to
include all the member states of the CIS. Georgia and
Albania joined the process in April and June 1992
respectively. At the meeting of the NACC held in Oslo in
June 1992, Finland also attended as an observer.
The NACC holds at least one regular meeting per year and
others according to requirements.
Consultations and cooperation in the framework of the
NACC focus on political and security-related issues where
Alliance member countries can offer experience and
expertise. In addition to consultations on political and
security-related matters, such issues include defence
planning questions and military matters such as principles
and key aspects of strategy; force and command structures;
military exercises; democratic concepts of civilian-
military relations; civil/military coordination of air
traffic management; and the conversion of defence
production to civilian purposes. Participation in NATO's
scientific and environmental programmes has also been
enhanced as well as the dissemination of information about
NATO in the countries concerned. NATO governments undertook
to provide appropriate resources to support these various
activities, which were all included in the first Work Plan
for Dialogue, Partnership and Cooperation issued by the
NACC in March 1992.
The 1993 Work Plan identified a broad range of new topics
and activities, such as nuclear disarmament, regional
expert group meetings and, of particular importance, crisis
management and peacekeeping. To this latter end, the 1993
Work Plan provided for the establishment of an Ad Hoc Group
on Cooperation in Peacekeeping. The Ad Hoc Group started
work at the beginning of 1993, with the aim of developing
a common understanding on the political and operational
principles of peacekeeping. A `Report to Ministers on
Cooperation in Peacekeeping' was issued at the June 1993
meeting of the NACC in Athens. The report addressed
conceptual approaches to peacekeeping; criteria and
operational principles; joint training, education and
exercises; and logistical aspects of peacekeeping. It also
included a programme of practical cooperation activities
in preparation for participation in peacekeeping operations
under UN and CSCE mandates.
NACC Foreign Ministers met again in Brussels in December
1993 and published a second report by the NACC Ad Hoc Group
on Cooperation in Peacekeeping, as well as the 1994 NACC
Work Plan. This included new activities in areas such as
defence procurement, air defence and civil emergency
planning. When they next met, in Istanbul, in June 1994,
NACC Foreign Ministers were able to review progress in the
implementation of the Partnership for Peace (PFP)
inititiative launched by NATO Heads of State and Government
in January 1994 (see below). A third report on Cooperation
in Peacekeeping was also issued.
The NACC now consists of 38 member states. This includes
all 16 NATO member states (Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United
Kingdom, and the United States)3; and all former members
of the Warsaw Pact (dissolved in 1991), including all
states on the territory of the former USSR, i.e., Albania,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria(3), the Czech
Republic, Estonia(3), Georgia, Hungary(3), Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Latvia(3), Lithuania(3), Moldova, Poland(3),
Romania(3), Russia(3), Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Finland, Slovenia and Sweden have
observers status in the NACC. These three countries also
participate in Partnership for Peace (see below) and,
together with Austria(4) and Ireland, in the work of the
NACC Ad Hoc Group on Cooperation in Peacekeeping. This
group has now merged with the PFP Political-Military
Steering Committee to form the PMSC Ad Hoc Group, the role
of which is also described in more detail below. Apart from
the work of the Ad Hoc Group, activities in the framework
of the NACC focus on consultation and cooperation,
particularly in the following areas:
------------------
(3) NACC founding member states. (The Czech and Slovak
Federal Republic, also a founding member, became the Czech
Republic and the Republic of Slovakia on 1 January 1993.)
(4) Postscript: Austria joined Partnership for Peace on 10
February 1995, thus also becoming a NACC observer.
------------------
--- Political consultation
Regular consultations take place on political and
security-related issues of interest to member states,
including regional conflicts. The North Atlantic
Council meets with Ambassadors of NACC Cooperation
Partners and the NATO Political Committee meets with
Cooperation Partner counterparts at least every other
month. A number of other NATO committees subordinate
to the Council also meet regularly with Cooperation
Partner representatives.
--- Economic issues
The Economic Committee's work with Cooperation
Partners focuses on defence budgets and their
relationship with the economy, security aspects of
economic developments and defence conversion issues.
Expert meetings, seminars and workshops are held to
address these subjects. Databases and pilot projects
are being developed in the field of defence
conversion, for example to facilitate the
transformation of military production into resources
for civilian industrial output. The annual NATO
Colloquium on economic developments in NACC countries
also brings together experts for exchanges of views
PART II
HOW NATO WORKS
16 THE MACHINERY OF NATO
The basic machinery for cooperation among the 16 members
was established during the formative years of the Alliance.
It consists of the following fundamental elements:
(a) The North Atlantic Council (NAC) has effective
political authority and powers of decision and
consists of Permanent Representatives of all member
countries meeting together at least once a week. The
Council also meets at higher levels involving Foreign
Ministers or Heads of Government but it has the same
authority and powers of decision-making, and its
decisions have the same status and validity, at
whatever level it meets. The Council has an important
public profile and issues declarations and
communiques explaining its policies and decisions to
the general public and to governments of countries
which are not members of the Alliance.
The Council is the only body within the Alliance
which derives its authority explicitly from the North
Atlantic Treaty. The Council itself was given
responsibility under the Treaty for setting up
subsidiary bodies. Committees and planning groups
have since been created to support the work of the
Council or to assume responsibility in specific
fields such as defence planning, nuclear planning and
military matters.
The Council thus provides a unique forum for
wide-ranging consultation between member governments
on all issues affecting their security and is the
most important decision-making body in NATO. All 16
member countries of NATO have an equal right to
express their views round the Council table.
Decisions are the expression of the collective will
of member governments arrived at by common consent.
All member governments are party to the policies
formulated in the Council or under its authority and
to the consensus on which decisions are based.
Each government is represented on the Council by a
Permanent Representative with ambassadorial rank.
Each Permanent Representative is supported by a
political and military staff or delegation to NATO,
varying in size.
Twice each year, and sometimes more frequently,
the Council meets at Ministerial level, when each
nation is represented by its Minister of Foreign
Affairs. Summit Meetings, attended by Heads of State
or Government, are held whenever particularly
important issues have to be addressed.
While the permanent Council normally meets at least
once a week, it can be convened at short notice
whenever necessary. Its meetings are chaired by the
Secretary General of NATO or, in his absence, his
Deputy. At Ministerial Meetings, one of the Foreign
Ministers assumes the role of Honorary President. The
position rotates annually among the nations in the
order of the English alphabet.
Items discussed and decisions taken at meetings
of the Council cover all aspects of the
Organisation's activities and are frequently based on
reports and recommendations prepared by subordinate
committees at the Council's request. Equally,
subjects may be raised by any one of the national
representatives or by the Secretary General.
Permanent Representatives act on instructions from
their capitals, informing and explaining the views
and policy decisions of their governments to their
colleagues round the table. Conversely they report
back to their national authorities on the views
expressed and positions taken by other governments,
informing them of new developments and keeping them
abreast of movement towards consensus on important
issues or areas where national positions diverge.
When decisions have to be made, action is agreed
upon on the basis of unanimity and common accord.
There is no voting or decision by majority. Each
nation represented at the Council table or on any of
its subordinate committees retains complete
sovereignty and responsibility for its own decisions.
(b) The Defence Planning Committee (DPC) is normally
composed of Permanent Representatives but meets at
the level of Defence Ministers at least twice a year,
and deals with most defence matters and subjects
related to collective defence planning. With the
exception of France, all member countries are
represented in this forum. The Defence Planning
Committee provides guidance to NATO's military
authorities and within the area of its
responsibilities, has the same functions and
attributes and the same authority as the Council on
matters within its competence.
(c) The Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) is the principal
forum for consultation on all matters relating to the
role of nuclear forces in NATO's security and defence
policies. All member countries except France
participate. Iceland participates as an observer. It
normally meets twice a year at the level of Defence
Ministers, usually in conjunction with the DPC, and
at ambassadorial level as required.
(d) The Secretary General is a senior international
statesman nominated by the member nations both as
Chairman of the North Atlantic Council, Defence
Planning Committee, Nuclear Planning Group and of
other senior committees, and as Secretary General of
NATO. He also acts as principal spokesman of the
Organisation, both in its external relations and in
communications and contacts between member
governments. The role of the Secretary General is
described in more detail in Part III.
(e) The International Staff is drawn from the member
countries, serves the Council and the Committees and
Working Groups subordinate to it and works on a
continuous basis on a wide variety of issues relevant
to the Alliance. In addition there are a number of
civil agencies and organisations located in different
member countries, working in specific fields such as
communications and logistic support. The organisation
and structures of the International Staff and the
principal civil agencies established by NATO to
perform specific tasks are described in Part III.
(f) The Military Committee is responsible for
recommending to NATO's political authorities those
measures considered necessary for the common defence
of the NATO area and for providing guidance on
military matters to the Major NATO Commanders, whose
functions are described in Part III. At meetings of
the North Atlantic Council, Defence Planning
Committee and Nuclear Planning Group, the Military
Committee is represented by its Chairman or his
Deputy.
The Military Committee is the highest military
authority in the Alliance under the political
authority of the North Atlantic Council and Defence
Planning Committee, or, where nuclear matters are
concerned, the Nuclear Planning Group. It is composed
of the Chiefs of Staff of each member country except
France, which is represented by a military mission to
the Military Committee. Iceland has no military
forces but may be represented by a civilian. The
Chiefs of Staff meet at least twice a year. At other
times member countries are represented by national
Military Representatives appointed by the Chiefs of
Staff.
The Presidency of the Military Committee rotates
annually among the nations in the order of the
English alphabet. The Chairman of the Military
Committee represents the Committee in other forums
and is its spokesman, as well as directing its
day-to-day activities.
(g) The Integrated Military Structure remains under
political control and guidance at the highest level.
The role of the integrated military structure is to
provide the organisational framework for defending
the territory of the member countries against threats
to their security or stability. It includes a network
of major and subordinate military commands covering
the whole of the North Atlantic area. It provides the
basis for the joint exercising of military forces and
collaboration in fields such as communications and
information systems, air defence, logistic support
for military forces and the standardization or
interoperability of procedures and equipment.
The role of the Alliance's integrated military
forces is to guarantee the security and territorial
integrity of member states, contribute to the
maintenance of stability and balance in Europe and to
crisis management, and, ultimately, to provide the
defence of the strategic area covered by the NATO
Treaty.
The integrated military structure is being adapted
to take account of the changed strategic environment.
It is described in more detail in Part III.
(h) The International Military Staff supports the work of
NATO's Military Committee. There are also a number of
Military Agencies which oversee specific aspects of
the work of the Military Committee. The organisation
and structure of the International Military Staff and
Military Agencies are described in Part III.
The basic elements of Alliance consultation and decision-
making outlined above are supported by a committee
structure which ensures that each member nation is
represented at every level in all fields of NATO activity
in which it participates. The principal committees and
their roles are described in the following chapters.
Since the initiatives taken by NATO Heads of State and
Government in January 1994, the North Atlantic Council has
established a number of additional committees and groups
which form part of the machinery available to NATO for the
management of new tasks:
--- The Political-Military Steering Committee on
Partnership for Peace (PMSC) meets as the principal
working forum on Partnership for Peace in different
configurations, including meetings with individual
Partners and with all NACC/PFP countries (see Part I,
Partnership for Peace). The NACC Ad Hoc Group on
Cooperation in Peacekeeping has been merged with the
PMSC to form the PMSC/Ad Hoc Group on Cooperation in
Peacekeeping.
--- The Joint Committee on Proliferation (JCP)
consolidates the work of two additional groups,
namely the Senior Politico-Military Group on
Proliferation (SGP) and the Senior Defence Group on
Proliferation (DGP). The SGP is responsible for the
development of an overall policy framework on
proliferation and serves as a forum for consultations
on the political aspects of the proliferation
challenge. It meets under the Chairmanship of the
Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs.
The DGP focuses, as its name implies, on defence
aspects of proliferation and is co-chaired by a
senior North American and senior European
representative on a rotational basis. The JCP meets
under the chairmanship of the Deputy Secretary
General of NATO and reports to the North Atlantic
Council.
--- In May 1994, the Council also established a
Provisional Policy Coordination Group (PPCG). This
Group is charged, in conjunction with NATO's Military
Authorities, with assisting the Council in examining
how the Alliance's political and military structures
and procedures might be developed and adapted to
conduct more efficiently and flexibly, missions
undertaken by the Alliance including peacekeeping,
cooperation with the Western European Union (WEU),
and in that context, development of the Combined
Joint Task Forces (CJTF) concept. These missions are
described in Part I. The PPCG meets under the
chairmanship of the Assistant Secretary General for
Defence Planning and Policy.
The structure provided by the key components of the
Organisation described above is underpinned by procedures
for political and other forms of consultation and by a
system of common civil and military funding provided by
member nations on a cost-sharing basis. The principle of
common-funding applies equally to the provision of the
basic facilities needed by the defence forces of member
countries in order to fulfil their NATO commitments; and
to the budgetary requirements of the political headquarters
of the Alliance in Brussels and of NATO civil and military
agencies elsewhere. It is extended to every aspect of
cooperation within NATO.
NATO's financial resources are allocated on the basis of
separate civil and military budgets managed by Civil and
Military Budget Committees (CBC and MBC) in accordance with
agreed cost-sharing formulas and a self-critical screening
process. This embodies the principles of openness,
flexibility and fairness and ensures that maximum benefit
is obtained, both for the Organisation as a whole and for
its individual members, by seeking cost-effective solutions
to common problems. Political control and mutual
accountability, including the acceptance by each member
country of a rigorous, multilateral, budgetary screening
process, are fundamental elements. Fair competition among
national suppliers of equipment and services for contracts
relating to common-funded activities is an important
feature of the system.
In view of the financial and resource implications of the
Alliance's transformation and of new tasks decided upon by
NATO governments, a Senior Resource Board (SRB) has also
been established. Composed of senior national
representatives, the SRB currently meets under the
chairmanship of the Assistant Secretary General for
Infrastructure, Logistics and Civil Emergency Planning and
is tasked with military resource allocation matters and
identification of priorities. Representatives of the
Military Committee and Major NATO Commanders and the
Chairman of the Military Budget Committee, the
Infrastructure Committee and the NATO Defence Manpower
Committee also participate in its work.
The first Annual Report submitted by the SRB at the end
of 1994 examined the status of existing funding programmes
and the potential demands for common funding in the future.
Commenting on the Report, NATO Defence Ministers reaffirmed
their commitment to provide adequate funds to ensure that
the essential requirements of the Alliance's Military
Authorities, and new requirements stemming from the January
1994 Summit initiatives, continue to be met.
At the Ministerial Meeting of the Council in December
1994, Foreign Ministers directed the Council in Permanent
Session to engage in a wide-ranging examination of Alliance
budgetary management, structures and procedures to ensure
that the appropriate resources are directed towards the
programmes which will have the highest priority.
17 THE MACHINERY OF COOPERATION
In addition to the above elements, which constitute the
practical basis for cooperation and consultation among the
16 members of the North Atlantic Alliance, the North
Atlantic Cooperation Council or `NACC', was established in
December 1991 to oversee the further development of
dialogue, cooperation and consultation between NATO and its
Cooperation Partners in Central and Eastern Europe and on
the territory of the former Soviet Union. The development
and role of the NACC is described in Part I.
When it met for the second time in March 1992, the NACC
published a Work Plan for Dialogue, Partnership and
Cooperation, which set out the basis for initial steps to
develop the relationship between the participating
countries and detailed the principal topics and activities
on which the NACC would concentrate. This provided the
pattern for the subsequent work of the NACC. An agreed Work
Plan for Dialogue, Partnership and Cooperation is drawn up,
establishing topics to be addressed and activities to be
pursued in different fields (political and security related
matters; policy planning consultations, peacekeeping;
defence planning issues and military matters; economic
issues; defence and security related issues; science;
challenges of modern society; civil emergency planning;
humanitarian assistance; information; air traffic
management). The consensus rule which governs
decision-making throughout the Alliance applies equally to
the work of the NACC and other bodies which have been
established to further the process of cooperation between
NATO and its Partner countries. The NACC Work Plan is thus
based on common consent among all the participating
countries following consultation and discussion in the
appropriate forums.
In addition to meetings of the NACC itself, meetings with
representatives of Cooperation Partner countries also take
place on a regular basis under the auspices of the North
Atlantic Council in permanent session and of its
subordinate NATO bodies.
While the North Atlantic Council derives its authority
from the contractual relationship between NATO member
countries established on the basis of the North Atlantic
Treaty, the North Atlantic Cooperation Council is the forum
created for consultation and cooperation on political and
security issues between NATO and its Cooperation Partners,
proposed in the Rome Declaration of November 1991.
The introduction of the Partnership for Peace (PFP)
initiative, in January 1994, added a new dimension to NACC
cooperation, enabling practical military cooperation with
NATO to be developed in accordance with the different
interests and possibilities of PFP Partner countries. The
programme aims at enhancing respective peacekeeping
abilities and capabilities through joint planning, training
and exercises, and by so doing improving the
interoperability of the Partner country's military forces
with those of NATO. It also aims at facilitating
transparency in national defence planning and budgeting
processes and in the democratic control of defence forces.
The Partnership for Peace is described in more detail in
Part I.
The machinery for cooperation developed to manage the PFP
programme includes the provision of office space at NATO
Headquarters for liaison officers of Partner countries; a
Partnership Coordination Cell located at Mons, near SHAPE;
and a Political-Military Steering Committee on Partnership
for Peace (PMSC) which meets in different configurations,
both with individual Partners and with all NACC/PFP
countries.
18 FUNDAMENTAL OPERATING PRINCIPLES
The fundamental operating principles of the Alliance
involve both a common political commitment and a commitment
to practical cooperation among the member countries. Their
joint security is indivisible. No individual member country
therefore has to rely on its own national efforts and
economic resources alone to deal with basic security
challenges. However, no nation surrenders the right to
fulfil its national obligations towards its people and each
continues to assume sovereign responsibility for its own
defence. The Alliance enables member countries to enhance
their ability to realise essential national security
objectives through collective effort. The resulting sense
of equal security amongst them, regardless of differences
in their circumstances or in their relative national
military capabilities, contributes to their overall
stability.
The principles and working practices which have been
developed within the Alliance form the basis for
cooperation undertaken in the context of the North Atlantic
Cooperation Council (NACC) and for cooperation between the
members of the Alliance and countries participating in the
Partnership for Peace (PFP).
19 JOINT DECISION-MAKING
In making their joint decision-making process dependent on
consensus and common consent, the members of the Alliance
safeguard the role of each country's individual experience
and outlook while at the same time availing themselves of
the machinery and procedures which allow them jointly to
act rapidly and decisively if circumstances require them
to do so. The practice of exchanging information and
consulting together on a daily basis ensures that
governments can come together at short notice whenever
necessary, often with prior knowledge of their respective
preoccupations, in order to agree on common policies. If
need be, efforts to reconcile differences between them will
be made in order that joint actions may be backed by the
full force of decisions to which all the member governments
subscribe. Once taken, such decisions represent the common
determination of all the countries involved to implement
them in full. Decisions which may be politically difficult
or which face competing demands on resources thus acquire
added force and credibility.
All NATO member countries participate fully at the
political level of cooperation within the Alliance and are
equally committed to the terms of the North Atlantic
Treaty, not least to the reciprocal undertaking made in
Article 5 which symbolises the indivisibility of their
security -- namely to consider an attack against one or
more of them as an attack upon them all.
The manner in which the Alliance has evolved nevertheless
ensures that variations in the requirements and policies
of member countries can be taken into account in their
positions within the Alliance. This flexibility manifests
itself in a number of different ways. In some cases
differences may be largely procedural and are accommodated
without difficulty. Iceland for example, has no military
forces and is therefore represented in NATO military forums
by a civilian if it so wishes. In other cases the
distinctions may be of a substantive nature. France, which
remains a full member of the North Atlantic Alliance and
of its political structures, withdrew from the Alliance's
integrated military structure in 1966. It does not
participate in NATO's Defence Planning Committee, Nuclear
Planning Group or Military Committee. Regular contacts with
NATO's military structure take place through a French
Military Mission to the Military Committee and France
participates in a number of practical areas of cooperation
in the communications, armaments, logistics and
infrastructure spheres.
Spain, which joined the Alliance in 1982, participates
in NATO's Defence Planning Committee and Nuclear Planning
Group as well as in its Military Committee. In accordance
with the terms of a national referendum held in 1986, Spain
does not take part in NATO's integrated military structure
but does participate in collective defence planning.
Military coordination agreements enable Spanish forces to
cooperate with other allied forces in specific roles and
missions and to contribute to allied collective security
as a whole while remaining outside the integrated military
structure. All NATO countries participate fully in the
Political-Military Steering Group on Partnership for Peace
and other groups associated with the NACC and PFP
programme.
Distinctions between NATO member countries may also exist
as a result of their geographical, political, military or
constitutional situations. The participation of Norway and
Denmark in NATO's military dispositions, for example, must
comply with national legislation which does not allow
nuclear weapons or foreign forces to be stationed on their
national territory in peacetime. In another context,
military arrangements organised on a regional basis may
involve only the forces of those countries directly
concerned or equipped to participate in the specific area
in which the activity takes place. This applies, for
example, to the forces contributed by nations to the ACE
Mobile Force and to the standing naval forces described in
Part III.
20 POLITICAL CONSULTATION
Policy formulation and implementation in an Alliance of 16
independent sovereign countries depends on all member
governments being fully informed of each other's overall
policies and intentions and of the underlying
considerations which give rise to them. This calls for
regular political consultation, wherever possible during
the policy-making stage of deliberations before national
decisions have been taken.
Political consultation in NATO began as a systematic
exercise when the Council first met in September 1949,
shortly after the North Atlantic Treaty came into force.
Since that time it has been strengthened and adapted to
suit new developments. The principal forum for political
consultation remains the Council. Its meetings take place
with a minimum of formality and discussion is frank and
direct. The Secretary General, by virtue of his
Chairmanship, plays an essential part in its deliberations
and acts as its principal representative and spokesman both
in contacts with individual governments and in public
affairs.
Consultation also takes place on a regular basis in other
forums, all of which derive their authority from the
Council: the Political Committee at senior and other
levels, Regional Expert Groups, Ad Hoc Political Working
Groups, an Atlantic Policy Advisory Group and other special
committees all have a direct role to play in facilitating
political consultation between member governments. Like the
Council, they are assisted by an International Staff
responsible to the Secretary General of NATO and an
International Military Staff responsible to its Director,
and through him, responsible for supporting the activities
of the Military Committee.
Political consultation among the members of the Alliance
is not limited to events taking place within the NATO
Treaty area. Events outside the geographical area covered
by the Treaty may have implications for the Alliance and
consultations on such events therefore take place as a
matter of course. The consultative machinery of NATO is
readily available and extensively used by the member
nations in such circumstances.
In such situations, NATO as an Alliance may not be
directly involved. However the long practice of consulting
together and developing collective responses to political
events affecting their common interests enables member
countries to draw upon common procedures, cooperative
arrangements for defence and shared infrastructure, if they
need to do so. By consulting together they are able to
identify at an early stage areas where, in the interests
of security and stability, coordinated action may be taken.
The need for consultation is not limited to political
subjects. Wide-ranging consultation takes place in many
other fields. The process is continuous and takes place on
an informal as well as a formal basis with a minimum of
delay or inconvenience, as a result of the collocation of
national delegations to NATO within the same headquarters.
Where necessary, it enables intensive work to be carried
out at short notice on matters of particular importance or
urgency with the full participation of representatives from
all governments concerned.
Consultation within the Alliance takes many forms. At its
most basic level it involves simply the exchange of
information and opinions. At another level it covers the
communication of actions or decisions which governments
have already taken or may be about to take and which have
a direct or indirect bearing on the interests of their
allies. It may also involve providing advance warning of
actions or decisions to be taken by governments in the
future, in order to provide an opportunity for them to be
endorsed or commented upon by others. It can encompass
discussion with the aim of reaching a consensus on policies
to be adopted or actions to be taken in parallel. And
ultimately it is designed to enable member countries to
arrive at mutually acceptable agreements on collective
decisions or on action by the Alliance as a whole.
Regular consultations on political issues also take place
in the context of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council
(NACC) and in meetings of the North Atlantic Council and
political committees with Cooperation Partners. In
addition, the Partnership for Peace Invitation, signed by
NATO Heads of State and Government, and the Partnership for
Peace Framework Document, signed by states participating
in the PFP programme, make provision for NATO consultations
with any active participant in the Partnership, if that
Partner perceives a direct threat to its territorial
integrity, political independence, or security.
21 CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Consultation among NATO member countries naturally takes
on particular significance in times of tension and crisis.
In such circumstances, rapid decision-making based on
consensus on measures to be taken in the political,
military and civil emergency fields depends on immediate
and continuous consultation between member governments.
The principal NATO forums for the intensive consultation
required are the Council and the Defence Planning
Committee, supported by the Military Committee, the
political committees and other committees as may be needed.
The practices and procedures involved form the Alliance's
crisis management arrangements. Facilities, including
communications, in support of the process are provided by
the NATO Situation Centre, which operates on a permanent
24-hour basis. Exercises to test and develop crisis
management procedures are held at regular intervals in
conjunction with national capitals and Major NATO
Commanders. Crisis management arrangements, procedures and
facilities, as well as the preparation and conduct of
crisis management exercises, are coordinated by the Council
Operations and Exercise Committee.
Crisis management is also one of the agreed fields of
activity in the context of defence planning issues and
military matters addressed by the annual NACC Work Plan and
is likewise included in Individual Partnership Programmes
which are being elaborated by NATO and Partner countries
under the Partnership for Peace initiative. Activities in
this field include crisis management courses, workshops and
briefings as well as joint exercises.
22 THE DEFENCE DIMENSION
The framework for NATO's defence planning process is
provided by the underlying principles which are the basis
for collective security as a whole: political solidarity
among member countries; the promotion of collaboration and
strong ties between them in all fields where this serves
their common and individual interests; the sharing of roles
and responsibilities and recognition of mutual commitments;
and a joint undertaking to maintain adequate military
forces to support Alliance strategy.
In the new political and strategic environment in Europe,
the success of the Alliance's role in preserving peace and
preventing war depends even more than in the past on the
effectiveness of preventive diplomacy and successful
management of crises affecting security. The political,
economic, social and environmental elements of security and
stability are thus becoming increasingly important.
Nonetheless, the defence dimension remains indispensable.
The role of the military forces of the Alliance is
described in more detail in Part III. It includes
contributing to the maintenance of stability and balance
in Europe as well as to crisis management. The maintenance
of an adequate military capability and clear preparedness
to act collectively in the common defence therefore remain
central to the Alliance's security objectives. Ultimately
this capability, combined with political solidarity, is
designed to prevent any attempt at coercion or
intimidation, and to guarantee that military aggression
directed against the Alliance can never be perceived as an
option with any prospect of success, thus guaranteeing the
security and territorial integrity of member states.
In determining the size and nature of their contribution
to collective defence, member countries of NATO retain full
sovereignty and independence of action. Nevertheless, the
nature of NATO's defence structure requires that in
reaching their individual decisions, member countries take
into account the overall needs of the Alliance. They
therefore follow agreed defence planning procedures which
provide the methodology and machinery for determining the
PART III
ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURES
36 NATO Headquarters
The NATO Headquarters in Brussels is the political
headquarters of the Alliance and the permanent home of the
North Atlantic Council. It houses Permanent Representatives
and national delegations, the Secretary General and the
International Staff, national Military Representatives, the
Chairman of the Military Committee and the International
Military Staff, and a number of NATO agencies.
There are approximately 3,750 people employed at NATO
Headquarters on a full-time basis. Of these, some 2,150 are
members of national delegations and national military
representatives to NATO. There are approximately 1,180
civilian members of the International Staff
PART III
ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURES
50 The Nuclear Planning Directorate is responsible for
coordination of work on the development of NATO defence
policy in the nuclear field and the work of the Nuclear
Planning Group. The Director of Nuclear Planning is
Chairman of the NPG Staff Group. The Directorate also has
an important role in the crisis management activities of
the Alliance and is responsible for many aspects of the
work undertaken by NATO in the field of peacekeeping (see
Part I).
51 The Division of Defence Support, under the
responsibility of the Assistant Secretary General for
Defence Support, has the following tasks:
(a) advising the Secretary General, the North Atlantic
Council, the Defence Planning Committee and other
NATO bodies on all matters relating to armaments
research, development, production, procurement, and
materiel aspects of air defence and command, control
and communications systems;
(b) promoting the most efficient use of the resources of
the Alliance for the equipment of its forces.
The Division provides liaison with NATO production and
logistics organisations concerned with cooperative
equipment projects and liaison with NATO military
agencies
dealing with defence research and related issues. It
participates in all aspects of the NATO Defence Planning
process within its responsibility and competence. The
Assistant Secretary General for Defence Support serves as
the Permanent Chairman of the Conference of National
Armaments Directors (CNAD). The Division consists of a
policy and coordination staff, and three Directorates:
52 --- The Policy & Coordination Staff supports the
Assistant Secretary General in addressing broad
policy and programming issues related to defence
equipment procurement and Alliance armaments
cooperation. The staff coordinates Division
activities in support of NACC and Partnership for
Peace programmes; develops initiatives to remove
barriers to cross-border defence trade and
industrial collaboration; and maintains liaison
with external bodies such as the Western European
Union and the European Union. The staff also
directly supports the work of NATO groups dealing
with materiel and technical standardization,
acquisition practice and the industrial advice
available to further NATO armaments cooperation.
53 --- The Directorate of Armaments Planning, Programmes
and Research is responsible for the formulation of
policy initiatives in the armaments field designed
to help to orient CNAD activities towards the
accomplishment of the Alliance's new missions,
such
as consultations among Alliance member nations on
the defence equipment implications of peacekeeping
operations. It provides support to the Army, Navy
and Air Force Armaments Groups and the Defence
Research Group and their subordinate bodies. The
role of the latter is to facilitate the exchange
of
information and the harmonisation of materiel
concepts and operational requirements for future
Alliance land, maritime, air, research and
technological capabilities in order to achieve
cooperative programmes and a high level of
equipment standardization. The Directorate also
provides support to high-level multi-service
programmes such as current work being undertaken
to
develop an alliance Ground Surveillance capability
based on airborne sensors for the management of
the
Alliance's Conventional Armaments Planning System
(CAPS). In addition, it contributes expertise in
the armaments field related to cooperative
activities undertaken within the framework of
Partnership for Peace.
54 --- The Directorate of Command, Control and
Communications is primarily responsible for
promoting and coordinating cooperative programmes
and interoperability in communications and
electronics and for the development and
coordination of the overall policy and planning
aspects of NATO's civil and military
communications
and information system. It provides staff support
to the NATO Communications and Information Systems
Committee and the Tri-Service Group on
Communications and Electronic Equipment.
Appropriate support on communications and
information matters is also given to other
committees such as the Senior Civil Emergency
Planning Committee and the Council Operations and
Exercises Committee.
55 --- The Directorate of Air Defence Systems, in close
cooperation with the Military Authorities, is
responsible for promoting and coordinating efforts
to assure the continuing adequacy, effectiveness
and efficiency of NATO Air Defence Systems and
their extended application to provide air defence
against tactical missiles. It provides support to
the NATO Air Defence Committee, whose role is to
advise the Council and Defence Planning Committee
on all aspects of air defence programme
development. Within the framework of the North
Atlantic Cooperation Council, it also has
responsibility for contributing to the
consultation
process with Cooperation Partners. It provides
liaison with the agencies responsible for the
implementation of air defence related systems, the
NATO Airborne Early Warning Programme, the Air
Command and Control System Programme and the
improved HAWK Surface-to-Air Missile System. The
Directorate is, in addition, responsible for
providing support to the Committee for European
Airspace Coordination, whose role is to ensure the
coordination of civil and military airspace
requirements, including the improvement of air
traffic management with Cooperation Partners.
56 The Division of Infrastructure, Logistics and Civil
Emergency Planning comes under the responsibility of the
Assistant Secretary General for these matters. He is the
Chairman of the Senior Resource Board, the Senior Civil
Emergency Planning Committee in Plenary Session, and
Co-Chairman of the Senior NATO Logisticians' Conference.
He is also Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee. The
Division consists of three Directorates:
57 The Infrastructure Directorate comes under the
direction of the Controller for Infrastructure, who is
Deputy Assistant Secretary General and, together with the
Deputy Controller, permanent Chairman of the
Infrastructure
Committee. The Infrastructure Directorate is responsible
for supporting the Infrastructure Committee by:
(a) developing proposals on policy issues, on funding
issues related to the shape and size of the NATO
Infrastructure Programme, and on improved procedures
for its management;
(b) providing technical and financial supervision of the
NATO Infrastructure Programme;
(c) screening, from the technical, financial, economic
and political points of view, the Major NATO
Commanders' proposed activities, presented normally
in the form of capability packages and related cost
estimates; and
(d) screening, from a technical and financial point of
view, requests to the Infrastructure Committee for
authorisations of scope and funds.
58 The Logistics Directorate comes under the direction
of the Director of Logistics, who is the Chairman of the
NATO Pipeline Committee and Deputy Co-Chairman of the
Senior NATO Logisticians' Conference. The Directorate is
responsible for:
(a) the development and coordination of plans and
policies designed to achieve a coherent approach
within NATO on consumer logistics matters in order
to
increase the effectiveness of Alliance forces by
achieving greater logistical readiness and
sustainability;
(b) providing staff support to the Senior NATO
Logisticians' Conference and its subsidiary bodies;
(c) providing technical staff support to the NATO
Pipeline Committee;
(d) supporting, coordinating and maintaining liaison
with
NATO military authorities and with NATO and other
committees and bodies dealing with the planning and
implementation of consumer logistics matters; and
(e) maintaining liaison, on behalf of the Secretary
General, with the directing bodies of the Central
Europe Pipeline System and the NATO Maintenance and
Support Organisation.
59 The Civil Emergency Planning Directorate, under the
direction of the Director of Civil Emergency Planning who
is the Chairman of the Senior Civil Emergency Planning
Committee in permanent session, is responsible for:
(a) the coordination and guidance of planning aimed at
the rapid transition of peacetime economies of the
nations of the Alliance to an emergency footing;
(b) development of the arrangements for the use of civil
resources in support of Alliance defence and for the
protection of civil populations; and
(c) providing staff support to the Senior Civil
Emergency
Planning Committee and the nine civil emergency
planning boards and committees responsible for
developing crisis management arrangements in the
areas of civil sea, land and air transport; energy;
industry; food and agriculture; civil
communications;
medical care; and civil defence.
The Director of Civil Emergency Planning also oversees,
on
behalf of the Secretary General, the civil/military
coordination of humanitarian assistance for the republics
of the Commonwealth of Independent States in the fields
of
coordination of transport; logistical expertise and
communications support for distribution; and practical
assistance in addressing medical requirements. These
tasks
are being undertaken by the Alliance, which has a
subsidiary role in this field, in accordance with
principles agreed by member countries. NATO is providing
support in areas in which the Alliance has unique
experience or expertise, in close cooperation with NATO
nations, other international organisations and recipient
states.
60 The Scientific and Environmental Affairs Division
comes
under the responsibility of the Assistant Secretary
General
for Scientific and Environmental Affairs, who is Chairman
of the NATO Science Committee and Acting Chairman of the
Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society. He is
assisted by a Deputy Assistant Secretary General and has
the following responsibilities:
(a) advising the Secretary General on scientific and
technological matters of interest to NATO;
(b) implementing the decisions of the Science Committee;
directing the activities of the sub-committees
created by it and developing ways to strengthen
scientific and technological capabilities of
Alliance
countries;
(c) supervising the development of pilot projects
initiated by the Committee on the Challenges of
Modern Society;
(d) ensuring liaison in the scientific field with the
International Staff of NATO, with NATO agencies,
with
agencies in the member countries responsible for
implementation of science policies and with
international organisations engaged in scientific,
technological and environmental activities.
The Assistant Secretary General for Scientific and
Environmental Affairs also has responsibility for
overseeing activities designed to enhance the
participation
of scientists from NATO's Cooperation Partners in NATO
science programmes, and in projects of the Committee on
the
Challenges of Modern Society.
61 The Office of Management comes under the
responsibility
of the Director of Management who is responsible for all
matters pertaining to the organisation and structure of
the
International Staff, and for advising the Secretary
General
on civilian staff policy and emoluments throughout the
Organisation. He is charged with the preparation,
presentation and management of the International Staff
budget. He supervises a Coordination and Policy Section
(which addresses management matters relating to the
Organisation as a whole); a Budgets and Financial
Analysis
Section; and a Management Advisory Unit, which has
responsibility for advising the Secretary General on all
matters related to organisation, work methods, procedures
and manpower.
The Deputy Director of Management is responsible for
the
general administration of the International Staff
including
personnel services, the maintenance of the headquarters,
the provision of conference, interpretation and
translation
facilities and the production and distribution of
internal
documents.
62 Office of Financial Control
The Financial Controller is appointed by the Council and
is responsible for the call-up of funds and the control
of
expenditures within the framework of the Civil and
Military
Budgets and in accordance with NATO's financial
regulations. His Office consists of a Budget and Treasury
Service and an Internal Control Service.
63 Office of the Chairman of the Budget
Committees
The Chairman of the Budget Committees is provided by one
of the member countries. His position is nationally
funded
in order to maintain the independence of the Budget
Committees. He has a small staff provided by the
International Secretariat.
64 International Board of Auditors
The accounts of the various NATO bodies and those
relating
to expenditure under NATO's common-funded Infrastructure
programme are audited by an International Board of
Auditors. The Board is composed of government officials
from auditing bodies in member countries. They have
independent status and are selected and remunerated by
their respective countries. They are appointed by and are
responsible to the Council.
65 New Structures
The adaptation of the Alliance to its new roles and
missions in the post-Cold War era is an evolutionary
process calling for progressive changes in the structures
and functions of the International Staff and
International
Military Staff. These changes are being carried out in
conjunction with adjustments and a rationalisation of
committee structures and responsibilities, as well as the
formation of a number of new permanent or temporary
bodies
to oversee the implementation of decisions taken by the
North Atlantic Council in relation to the Alliance's new
tasks.
The process described above is a continuing one,
allowing
the Alliance to adapt to new circumstances as they arise.
The most significant elements of the modified structure
of
NATO are described below.
The North Atlantic Council has established a number of
new committees and groups. These are described in Part II
(The Machinery of NATO).
Modifications to practical arrangements at NATO
Headquarters, including the provision of on-site office
facilities for PFP Partner countries, are also being
undertaken. The offices, formally inaugurated in June
1994,
are located in a new building which has been named the
Manfred Woerner Wing, in honour of the late Secretary
General of NATO.
On the military side of NATO, a number of structural
changes in the organisation have also been made and
others
are under consideration. They include the following:
--- The establishment of a Military Cooperation Working
Group (MCWG) to coordinate cooperation activities
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