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NATO handbook00 uploaded March 25, 1993
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 poss-
ible 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 collec-
tive 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.
NATO is the Organisation which serves the Alliance. It
is an inter-governmental organisation in which member
countries retain their full sovereignty and independence.
The Organisation provides the forum in which they con-
sult 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 facili-
tate consultation and cooperation between them, not
only in political fields but also in many other areas where
policies can be coordinated in order to fulfil the goals of
the North Atlantic Treaty.
NATO's essential purpose is thus to safeguard the free-
dom 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 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 politi-
cal, 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 through collective effort to enhance
their ability to realise their essential national security
objectives.
The resulting sense of equal security amongst the mem-
bers of the Alliance, regardless of differences in their
circumstances or in their national military capabilities,
contributes to overall stability within Europe and thus to
the creation of conditions conducive to increased cooper-
ation both among Alliance members and with other coun-
tries. It is on this basis that members of the Alliance,
together with other states, are developing cooperative
structures of security serving the interests of a Europe
which is not subject to divisions and is 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 military capability
sufficient to prevent war and to provide for effective
defence; an overall capability to manage successfully
crises affecting the security of its members; and active
political efforts favouring dialogue with other nations
and a cooperative approach to European security, includ-
ing 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 one of the indispensable foundations for
stable security in Europe based on the growth of demo-
cratic 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 appropriate
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 the 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 mili-
tary forces and the logistics support needed to sustain
military forces.
The following sections describe the origins of the Alli-
ance; the progress which has been made towards the realis-
ation 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 struc-
tural arrangements which enable NATO to fulfill 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 settle-
ments 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 oppo-
sition 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 Nether-
lands 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 the
further use of such pressures. 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 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 twelve 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 parlia-
mentary process. The Treaty upholds their individual
rights as well as their international obligations in accord-
ance with the Charter of the United Nations. It commits
each member country to sharing the risks and responsibili-
ties 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 unifica-
tion 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
nature of the risks faced by the members of the Alliance
has 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 and in Rome in November 1991,
the North Atlantic Alliance has therefore been adapting
its overall strategy in the light of the changing strategic
and political environment. Attention has focussed in par-
ticular 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 which are the prerequisite for the process of
renewal in which Europe is engaged.
The Strategic Concept adopted by Heads of State and
Government in Rome outlines a broad approach to secu-
rity 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 part-
ners 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 form-
ations. Measures are also being 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.
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 secu-
rity and in relation to the evolving partnership and cooper-
ation 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 coun-
tries of the Alliance on the development of a European
security identity and defence role. It underlined the Alli-
ance'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 diffi-
cult 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 particularly significant step taken in this context was
the establishment of a North Atlantic Cooperation Coun-
cil (NACC) to oversee the future development of this
partnership. Subsequent consultations and cooperation
have been wide-ranging but have focussed in particular
on political and security-related matters; conceptual ap-
proaches to arms control and disarmament; defence plan-
ning issues and military matters; democratic concepts of
civilian-military relations; the conversion of defence pro-
duction to civilian purposes; economic issues, defence
expenditure and budgets; scientific cooperation and
defence-related environmental issues; dissemination of in-
formation about NATO in the countries of cooperation
partners; policy planning consultations; and civil/military
air traffic management.
The Rome Declaration also examined the 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, addi-
tional measures have been taken at Ministerial Meetings
of Foreign and Defence Ministers held in December 1991
and at subsequent meetings, to further the process of
adaptation and transformation on which the Alliance has
embarked. The inaugural meeting of the North Atlantic
Cooperation Council took place on 20 December 1991
with the participation of the Foreign Ministers or repre-
sentatives 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 coun-
tries at all levels and to oversee the process of developing
closer institutional ties as well as informal links between
them. The eleven states on the territory of the former
Soviet Union which now constitute 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. NATO is also
playing a role in the coordination of humanitarian aid to
these new states and is making available its unique expert-
ise and capabilities for this purpose.
NATO Defence Ministers met with cooperation part-
ners on 1 April 1992 to consider ways of deepening
dialogue and promoting cooperation between them on
issues falling within their competence. The Military Com-
mittee held its first meeting in cooperation session on
10 April 1992. These meetings advanced the process of co-
operation by offering practical advice and assistance and
preparing an initial cooperation programme on defence-
related matters. In parallel, contacts and cooperation are
being developed between Ministries of Defence and at
the military level. A Group on Defence Matters has been
set up to act as a clearing house for requests for defence-
related assistance from cooperation partners.
Dialogue, partnership and cooperation are described in
more detail in Part II.
Against the background of the crisis in the former
Yugoslavia and the violence taking place in Nagorno-
Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova
and elsewhere, attention has also been directed increas-
ingly towards possible NATO support for CSCE peace-
keeping activities and its contributions to UN, CSCE and
EC efforts with regard to Yugoslavia in particular. At the
meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Oslo in June
1992 agreement was reached on providing conditional
support for CSCE peace-keeping activities on a case-by-
case basis, including making available Alliance resources
and expertise. In July a NATO maritime operation was
mounted in the Adriatic, in coordination and cooperation
with operations undertaken by the WEU, to monitor com-
pliance with UN Security Council Resolutions imposing
sanctions on Serbia and Montenegro. Following the
London Conference on Yugoslavia at the end of August,
deliberations in the Alliance focussed on the protection
of humanitarian relief and support for UN monitoring of
heavy weapons. Decisions were taken to make Alliance
support available for these two tasks and to continue
contingency planning on other options.
NATO handbook01 uploaded March 25, 1993
PART I
HOW NATO WORKS
5. MACHINERY OF COOPERATION
The basic machinery of Alliance cooperation is as fol-
lows:
(a) The North Atlantic Council has effective political
authority and powers of decision and consists of
Permanent Representatives of all member countries meet-
ing 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. A large
number of 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 sixteen member coun-
tries 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 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 confront-
ing the whole Alliance have to be addressed.
While the permanent Council normally meets at least
once a week, it can be convened at short notice whenever
necessary. All its meetings are chaired by the Secretary
General of NATO or 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 recommend-
ations prepared by subordinate committees at the Coun-
cil'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 col-
leagues 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 move-
ment 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 repre-
sented at the Council table or on any of its subordinate
committees retains complete sovereignty and responsiblity
for its own decisions.
(b) The Defence Planning Committee is normally com-
posed 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.
(c) The Nuclear Planning Group meets at the same
level and with the same status as the Defence Planning
Committee. This is the principal forum for consultation
on all matters relating to the role of nuclear forces in
NATO's security policy. The Nuclear Planning Group fol-
lows a similar pattern of meetings at ambassadorial level
and at the level of Ministers of Defence and has the same
functions and authority for decisions on nuclear matters
as the Council and Defence Planning Committee have in
their own spheres. All member countries except France
participate. Iceland participates as an observer.
(d) The Secretary General is a senior international
statesman nominated by the member nations both as
Chairman of the North Atlantic Council, Defence Plan-
ning Committee, Nuclear Planning Group and of other
senior committees, and as Secretary General of NATO.
He also acts as principal spokesman of the Organis-
ation, both in its external relations and in communi-
cations 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 many 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 communica-
tions and logistic support. The organisation and struc-
tures 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 recom-
mending 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 Plan-
ning Group, the Military Committee is represented by its
Chairman or his Deputy.
The Military Committee is the highest military auth-
ority in the Alliance under the political authority of the
North Atlantic Council and Defence Planning Commit-
tee, 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 annu-
ally among the nations in the order of the English alpha-
bet. 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 standard-
ization 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 structure provided by these various components of
the Organisation is underpinned by procedures for politi-
cal 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 coun-
tries in order to fulfill 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.
The management of these financial resources is under-
taken through separate civil and military budgets estab-
lished on the basis of agreed cost-sharing formulae 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 accept-
ance 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 addition to the above elements, which constitute the
practical basis for cooperation and consultation among
the sixteen members of the North Atlantic Alliance, the
North Atlantic Cooperation Council or ``NACC'', was
established in December 1991 to oversee the further
development of the dialogue, cooperation and consult-
ation 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 II.
When it met in March 1992, the NACC published a
Work Plan for Dialogue, Partnership and Cooperation,
setting out the basis for initial steps to develop the
relationship between the participating countries and detail-
ing the principal topics and activities on which the NACC
has agreed to concentrate for the time being.
In addition to meetings of the NACC itself, meetings
with representatives of cooperation countries also take
place on a regular basis under the auspices of the North
Atlantic Council in permanent session and of its subordi-
nate 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 politi-
cal and security issues between NATO and its cooperation
partners, proposed in the Rome Declaration of November
1991.
6. FUNDAMENTAL OPERATING PRINCIPLES
The fundamental operating principles of the Alliance
involve both a common political commitment and a
commitment to practical cooperation among sovereign
states. The member countries consider their joint security to
be 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.
7. 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 inform-
ation 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 govern-
ments subscribe. Once taken, such decisions represent the
common determination of all the countries involved to
implement them in full. Decisions which may be politic-
ally difficult or which face competing demands on re-
sources thus acquire added force and credibility.
All 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 neverthe-
less ensures that variations in the requirements and poli-
cies of member countries can be taken into account in
their positions within the Alliance. This flexibility mani-
fests itself in a number of different ways. In some cases
differences may be largely procedural and are accommo-
dated 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 1984, Spain does not take part in NATO's integrated
military structure but does participate in collective de-
fence 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.
Other distinctions may also exist as a result of the
geographical, political, military or constitutional situa-
tions of member countries. The participation of Norway
and Denmark in NATO's military dispositions, for exam-
ple, must comply with national legislation which does not
allow nuclear weapons or foreign forces to be stationed
on their national territory in peace-time. In another con-
text, 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 exam-
ple, to the forces contributed by nations to the ACE
Mobile Force and to the standing naval forces described
in Part III.
8. POLITICAL CONSULTATION
Policy formulation and implementation in an Alliance of
sixteen 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 Chairman-
ship, 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 Work-
ing Groups, an Atlantic Policy Advisory Group and
other special committees all have a direct role to play in
facilitating political consultation between member govern-
ments. Like the Council, they are assisted by an Inter-
national 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 is not limited to events taking
place within the NATO Treaty area. Events outside the
geographical area covered by the Treaty may have implica-
tions for the Alliance and consultations on such events
therefore take place as a matter of course. The consult-
ative machinery of NATO is readily available and exten-
sively 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 head-
quarters. Where necessary, it enables intensive work to be
carried out at short notice on matters of particular import-
ance or urgency with the full participation of represent-
atives from all member 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 govern-
ments 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 warn-
ing 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.
9. CRISIS MANAGEMENT
Consultation 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 forums for the intensive consultation
required are the Council and the Defence Planning Com-
mittee, supported by the Military Committee, the Political
Committee and other civilian committees as may be
needed. The practices and procedures involved form the
Alliance crisis management arrangements. Facilities
including communications in support of the process are
provided by a 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.
10. 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 intimi-
dation, 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 deter-
mining the forces required to implement Alliance policies,
for coordinating national defence plans and for establish-
ing force planning goals which are in the interests of the
Alliance as a whole. The planning process takes many
quantitative and qualitative factors into account, includ-
ing changing political circumstances, assessments pro-
vided by NATO's Military Commanders of the forces they
require to fulfill their tasks, scientific advances, technol-
ogical developments, the importance of an equitable divi-
sion of roles, risks and responsibilities within the Alliance,
and the individual economic and financial capabilities of
member countries. The process thus ensures that all
relevant considerations are jointly examined to enable the
best use to be made of the national resources which are
available for defence.
Close coordination between international civil and mili-
tary staffs, NATO's military authorities, and NATO
governments is maintained through an annual exchange
of information on national plans. This exchange of inform-
ation enables each nation's intentions to be compared
with NATO's overall requirements and, if necessary, recon-
sidered in the light of new Ministerial political directives,
modernisation requirements and changes in the roles and
responsibilities of the forces themselves. All these aspects
are kept under continuous review and are scrutinised at
each stage of the defence planning cycle.
The starting point for defence planning is an agreed
Strategic Concept or ``strategy'' which sets out in broad
terms Alliance objectives and the means for achieving
them. More detailed guidance is given every two years by
Defence Ministers. Specific planning targets for the armed
forces of member nations are developed on the basis of
this guidance. These targets, known as ``Force Goals'',
generally cover a six-year period, but in certain cases
look further into the future. Like the guidance provided
by Defence Ministers, they are updated every two years.
The above steps culminate in the compilation of a
common NATO Force Plan which provides the basis for
NATO defence planning over a five-year time frame. In
addition, allied defence planning is reviewed annually
and given direction by Ministers of Defence. This annual
defence review is designed to assess the contribution of
member countries to the common defence in relation to
their respective capabilities and constraints and against
the Force Goals addressed to them.
NATO handbook02 uploaded March 25, 1993
11. CONSULTATIONS ON NUCLEAR ISSUES
The fundamental purpose of the nuclear forces of the
Allies is political: to preserve peace and prevent coercion
and any kind of war. They continue to fulfil an essential
role by ensuring uncertainty in the mind of any potential
aggressor about the nature of the Allies' response to
military aggression. They demonstrate that aggression of
any kind is not a rational option. The supreme guarantee
of the security of the Allies is provided by the strategic
nuclear forces of the Alliance, particularly those of the
United States; the independent nuclear forces of the
United Kingdom and France, which have a deterrent role
of their own, contribute to the overall deterrence and
security of the Allies.
A credible Alliance nuclear posture and the demonstra-
tion of Alliance solidarity and common commitment to
war prevention require widespread participation by the
European Allies involved in collective defence planning,
in nuclear roles, in peacetime basing of nuclear forces on
their territory and in command, control and consultation
arrangements. Nuclear forces based in Europe and com-
mitted to NATO provide an essential political and military
link between the European and the North American
members of the Alliance.
The Defence Ministers of member countries which
take part in NATO's Defence Planning Committee come
together at regular intervals each year in the Nuclear Plan-
ning Group which meets specifically to discuss policy
issues associated with nuclear forces. These discussions
cover policy and deployment issues, reductions in force
levels, nuclear arms control and wider questions of
common concern such as nuclear proliferation. The Alli-
ance's nuclear policy is kept under continuous review and
decisions are taken jointly to modify or adapt it in the
light of developments - for example, the decisions taken
in 1991 to eliminate whole categories of nuclear forces no
longer considered to be necessary and to make major
reductions in nuclear weapons in other categories.
While the issues involved in the formulation and
implementaton of NATO's policy with regard to nuclear
forces are discussed in the Nuclear Planning Group, in
the present circumstances the likelihood of the Alliance
being forced to contemplate the employment of nuclear
weapons for its defence is extremely remote. However,
in such circumstances, the ultimate decision on employ-
ment would lie with the nuclear powers owning the
weapons.
12. ECONOMIC COOPERATION
The basis for economic cooperation within the Alliance
stems from Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty which
states that the member countries ``will seek to eliminate
conflict in their international economic policies and will
encourage economic collaboration between any or all of
them''. NATO's Economics Committee, which was estab-
lished to promote cooperation in this field, is the only
Alliance forum concerned exclusively with consultations
on economic developments with a direct bearing on secu-
rity policy. Analyses and joint assessments of security-
related economic developments are key ingredients in the
coordination of defence planning within the Alliance.
They cover matters such as comparisons of military spend-
ing, developments within the defence industry, the avail-
ability of resources for the implementation of defence
plans, intra-Alliance trade in defence equipment and
economic cooperation and assistance between member
countries.
The premise on which economic cooperation within
the Alliance is founded is that political cooperation and
economic conflict are irreconcilable and that there must
therefore be a genuine desire among the members to
work together in the economic as well as in the political
field and a readiness to consult on questions of common
concern based on the recognition of common interests.
The member countries recognise that in many respects
the purposes and principles of Article 2 of the Treaty are
pursued and implemented by other organisations and
international forums specifically concerned with econ-
omic cooperation. NATO therefore avoids unnecessary du-
plication of work carried out elsewhere but reinforces
collaboration between its members whenever economic
issues of special interest to the Alliance are involved,
particularly those which have political or defence implica-
tions. The Alliance therefore acts as a forum in which
different and inter-related aspects of political, military
and economic questions can be examined. It also provides
the means whereby specific action in the economic field
can be initiated to safeguard common Alliance interests.
Recognising that Alliance security depends on the econ-
omic stability and well-being of all its members as well as
on political cohesion and military cooperation, studies
were therefore initiated in the 1970's, for example, on the
specific economic problems of Greece, Portugal and
Turkey. These resulted in special action by NATO govern-
ments to assist the less prosperous members of the Alli-
ance by means of major aid programmes implemented
largely through other organisations such as the Organisa-
tion for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD). The special economic problems and prospects
of these countries continue to be closely monitored.
In the context of the Alliance's overall security inter-
ests, a wide range of other economic issues may have a
bearing on collective security. This includes matters such
as the conversion of defence production to civilian pur-
poses, defence expenditures/budgets, industrial perform-
ance, consumer and agriculture problems, population
movements and external economic relations - particularly
with respect to the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe and the independent states on the territory of the
former Soviet Union. Analyses and joint studies of issues
such as these have contributed for many years to NATO's
assessment of the security environment affecting its coordi-
nated defence plans. Increasingly they form part of the
wider approach to security issues adopted by the Alliance
as a result of the fundamental changes which have taken
place in Europe. As one of the areas for increased cooper-
ation between the members of the Alliance and their cooper-
ation partners foreseen in the Declaration issued by
NATO Heads of State and Government in Rome in
November 1991, economic topics can be expected to be
the subject of broader exchanges of information and
assessments in the future. In accordance with the Work
Plan for Dialogue, Partnership and Cooperation issued
in March 1992, joint work with NATO's cooperation
partners is taking place, for example, on defence conver-
sion and the inter-relationship of defence expenditure
and budgets with the economy. Cooperation partners
were also represented in NATO's 1992 Economics Collo-
quium and Defence Economics Workshop.
13. PUBLIC INFORMATION
Public recognition of the achievements of the Alliance
and of its continuing role in the post-Cold War era is
fundamental to the continued success of the Alliance and
its ability to carry out its basic tasks, while expanding
and deepening its relations with former adversaries with
whom it has now established a new partnership based on
cooperation, dialogue and common security interests. The
responsibility for explaining national defence and security
policy and each member country's own role within the
Alliance rests with each individual government. The
choice of the methods to be adopted and the resources to
be devoted to the task of informing their publics about
the policies and objectives of the Alliance is also a matter
for each member nation to decide.
The role of NATO's Office of Information and Press is
therefore to complement the public information activities
undertaken within each country, providing whatever as-
sistance may be required, and to manage the Organisa-
tion's day-to-day relations with the media. In accordance
with the Work Plan for Dialogue, Partnership and Co-
operation issued in March 1992, it is also contributing to
the widespread dissemination of information about NATO
in the countries participating in the North Atlantic Co-
operation Council.
To meet these requirements the Office of Information
and Press produces information materials such as period-
ical and non-periodical publications, videos, photographs
and exhibitions. It also administers a major programme
of visits which brings over 20,000 people to NATO Head-
quarters each year, for briefings by and discussions with
experts from the International Staff, International Mili-
tary Staff and national Delegations, on all aspects of the
Alliance's work and policies. Conferences and seminars
on security-related themes are also organised both at
NATO and elsewhere, often involving security specialists,
parliamentarians, journalists, church leaders, trade union-
ists, academics, students or youth organisations.
The NATO Office of Information and Press also spon-
sors two types of Research Fellowship Programmes; the
first, which has existed since 1956, awards grants to post-
graduates and other qualified citizens of member coun-
tries to stimulate study and research into subjects of
relevance to the Alliance; the second, introduced in 1989,
makes awards to citizens of the countries of Central and
Eastern Europe for the study of Western democratic
institutions. An annual Atlantic Award is also organised
for outstanding service to the Alliance by private citizens
from member countries. This award is presented by the
Secretary General on the recommendation of an inde-
pendent jury.
The role of managing day-to-day relations with the
media is covered by the Press and Media Service, which
is responsible for channelling official policy statements
and announcements to journalists, arranging interviews
with the Secretary General and other senior officials of
the Organisation and dealing with enquiries and visits
from the media.
The Work Plan for developing the dialogue, partner-
ship and cooperation in the information field with Central
and Eastern European countries and other members of
the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, includes joint
meetings, dissemination of information through diplo-
matic liaison channels and NATO embassies, group visits
to NATO, sponsorship of seminar participation in Allied
countries, co-sponsorship of seminars in Central and
Eastern Europe, speakers' tours, a limited expansion of
the Democratic Institutions Fellowships Programme,
special publications and wider dissemination of NATO
documentation.
There are a number of non-governmental organisations
which support NATO and play an important role, often in
an educational capacity, in disseminating information
about Alliance goals and policies. The NATO Office of
Information and Press assists them in this work. These
organisations include national Atlantic Committees or
Associations in each member country, as well as a number
of other bodies such as the North Atlantic Assembly,
which brings together Parliamentarians from member
countries, and the Interallied Confederation of Reserve
Officers, in which twelve member countries are repre-
sented. Further information about these organisations is
given in Part V.
14. THE COMMON INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAMME
Installations of many different kinds are needed to enable
military forces to train effectively and to be ready to
operate efficiently if called upon to do so. The NATO
Common Infrastructure Programme enables the installa-
tions and facilities required by the Major NATO Com-
manders for the training and operational use of the forces
assigned to them to be financed collectively by the partici-
pating countries. Such funding takes place within agreed
limits and in accordance with agreed NATO procedures on
the basis of cost-sharing arrangements developed to dis-
tribute the burden and benefits as equitably as possible.
The programme provides for installations and facilities
such as airfields, communications and information sys-
tems, military headquarters, fuel pipelines and storage,
radar and navigational aids, port installations, missile
sites, forward storage and support facilities for reinforce-
ment, etc. Infrastructure used only by national forces, or
portions of installations which do not come within the
criteria for NATO common-funding, are financed by the
governments concerned. Contracts for installations desig-
nated as NATO Infrastructure are normally subject to
international competitive bidding procedures on the basis
of cost estimates, screened by the NATO Infrastructure
Payments and Progress Committee, to ensure compliance
with agreed specifications as well as maximum efficiency
and economy. Aspects of such contracts which can best
be undertaken locally are usually exempt from this pro-
cedure and are subject to national competitive bidding,
but the principle is maintained and exemption has to be
approved. Completed projects are subject to inspection
by teams consisting of experts from the country on whose
territory the installation is located, user countries, and
NATO International Staff and Military Authorities. The
programme is continuously monitored by the NATO
Infrastructure Committees and all financial operations
are audited by the NATO International Board of Audi-
tors under the authority of the North Atlantic Council.
The Infrastructure Programme is being adapted to meet
the requirements of the Alliance's new Strategic Concept
published in November 1991.
15. LOGISTIC SUPPORT
There are many spheres of civilian and military activity
which have a direct or indirect bearing on the common
security of the member countries of the Alliance. The
assistance available to defence forces to enable them to
fulfil their roles includes, for example, providing shared
access to the logistic support which they need if they are
to function effectively. Each member country is respons-
ible for ensuring, individually or through cooperative
arrangements, the continuous support of its own forces.
Coordinated logistics planning is therefore an essential
aspect of the efficient and economical use of resources.
Examples of cooperative arrangements include the
common funding of logistics facilities under the NATO
Infrastructure Programme, the coordination of civil
logistics resources under Civil Emergency Planning
arrangements and logistics aspects of armaments produc-
tion and procurement. It is through such arrangements
that the availability of the necessary installations, storage
and maintenance facilities, transport resources, vehicles,
weapons, ammunition, fuel supplies, and stocks of spare
parts can be coordinated.
Cooperation in these fields is coordinated through the
Senior NATO Logisticians' Conference. A number of pro-
duction and logistics organisations have also been estab-
lished to manage specific aspects of the support needed
by NATO forces on a permanent basis, including the
Central Europe Operating Agency responsible for the
operation and maintenance of the Central Europe Pipe-
line System; and the NATO Maintenance and Supply
Organisation which assists member countries primarily
through the common procurement and supply of spare
parts and the provision of maintenance and repair facili-
ties.
16. ARMAMENTS COOPERATION
Responsibility for equipping and maintaining military
forces rests with the member nations of NATO and in most
spheres research, development and production of equip-
ment are organised by each country in accordance with
its national requirements and its commitments to NATO.
Since the establishment of the Alliance, however, exten-
sive coordination and cooperation in the field of arma-
ments has taken place within NATO. Armaments cooper-
ation remains an important means of achieving the crucial
political, military and resource advantages of collective de-
fence.
NATO armaments cooperation is organised under a Con-
ference of National Armaments Directors which meets
on a regular basis to consider political, economic and
technical aspects of the development and procurement of
equipment for NATO forces. Army, navy and air force
armaments groups, a defence research group and a tri-
service group on communications and electronics, support
the work of the Conference and are responsible to it in
their respective fields. Assistance on industrial matters is
provided by a NATO Industrial Advisory Group which
enables the Conference of National Armaments Directors
to benefit from industry's advice on how to foster
government-to-industry and industry-to-industry cooper-
ation and assists the Conference in exploring opportuni-
ties for international collaboration. Other groups under
the Conference are active in fields such as defence procure-
ment policy and acquisition practices, codification, qual-
ity assurance, test and safety criteria, and materiel stand-
ardization.
Within the above structure project groups, panels, work-
ing and ad hoc groups are established to promote cooper-
ation in specific fields. The overall structure enables
member countries to select the equipment and research
projects in which they wish to participate and facilitates
exchange of information on operational concepts, na-
tional equipment programmes and technical and logistics
matters where cooperation can be of benefit to individual
nations and to NATO as a whole.
17. ARMAMENTS PLANNING
In order to give NATO armaments cooperation a new
impulse, in 1989 the North Atlantic Council approved
the establishment of a Conventional Armaments Planning
System (CAPS). The aims of this system are to provide
guidance to the CNAD and orientation to the nations on
how the military requirements of the Alliance can best be
met by armaments programmes, individually and collec-
tively; to harmonise longer-term defence procurement
plans; and to identify future opportunities for armaments
cooperation on an Alliance-wide basis. The outcome of
this planning process is a series of recommendations
issued every two years. These recommendations, which
are set out in the form of an armaments plan, are designed
to eliminate unnecessary duplication of effort, to provide
a framework for the exchange of information, and to
establish more rational and cost-effective methods of
armaments procurement. NATO's first Conventional Ar-
maments Plan was adopted in December 1991.
18. STANDARDIZATION
Standardization and interoperability between NATO forces
make a vital contribution to the combined operational
effectiveness of the military forces of the Alliance and
enable opportunities to be exploited for making better
use of economic resources. Extensive efforts are therefore
made in many different spheres to improve cooperation
and eliminate duplication in research, development, pro-
duction, procurement and support of defence systems.
NATO Standardization Agreements for procedures
and systems and equipment components, known as
STANAGS, are developed and promulgated by a NATO
Military Agency for Standardization in conjunction with
the Conference of National Armaments Directors and
other authorities concerned.
By formulating, agreeing, implementing and maintain-
ing standards for equipment and procedures used through-
out NATO, a significant contribution is made to the co-
hesion of the Alliance and the effectiveness of its defence
structure. While standardization is of relevance in many
different areas, the principal forum for standardization
policy issues is the NATO Standardization Group, which
acts as a coordinator for the various endeavours and aims
to incorporate standardization as an integral part of
Alliance planning.
NATO Handbook03 uploaded March 25, 1993
19. COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Rapid and reliable communications and information sys-
tems are required by national and NATO political and
military authorities for political consultation, crisis manage-
ment and for the command and control of assigned
forces. Modern technology and the integration of strat-
egic and tactical communications and information systems
into an overall NATO Communications and Information
System (CIS) has enabled these requirements to be met.
The rudimentary communications links available in the
early days of the Alliance were expanded in the late 1960s
to provide direct communications between capitals,
NATO Headquarters and Major NATO Commands.
When NATO moved to Brussels in 1967 a modern Com-
munications system was established as part of a range of
improvements in crisis management facilities. Satellite
communications and ground terminals were introduced
in 1970. The integration of the overall system was under-
taken by the NATO Communications and Information
Systems Agency (NACISA). The system is operated by
the NATO Integrated Communications System Central
Operating Authority (NICSCOA). Related policy matters
are coordinated by the NATO Communications and Infor-
mation Systems Committee (NACISC). The system is
financed jointly by member nations through the NATO
Common Infrastructure Programme. A Tri-Service
Group on Communications and Electronics, established
under the Conference of National Armaments Directors,
promotes cooperation among the NATO nations in the
development and procurement of communications and
electronic equipment with the aim of achieving the maxi-
mum degree of standardization or interoperability.
20. AIR DEFENCE
Air defence of the NATO European airspace is provided
by a complex system which enables aircraft and tactical
missiles to be detected, tracked and intercepted either by
ground-based weapons systems or by interceptor aircraft.
The command and control structure which facilitates air
defence, the NATO Air Defence Ground Environment
(NADGE), includes a number of sites stretching from
Northern Norway to Eastern Turkey equipped with
modern radars and data processing and display systems,
and linked by modern communications. Much of this
integrated air defence system has been commonly fi-
nanced through the NATO Infrastructure programme and
a significant part of its successor, the Air Command and
Control System, is expected to be similarly funded.
During the late 1980's, the early warning capability was
enhanced through the acquisition of a fleet of NATO E-3A
Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft. These
NATO-owned and operated aircraft, together with the
United Kingdom E3-D aircraft, comprise the NATO Air-
borne Early Warning Force, which is available to the
Major NATO Commanders. The French and United States
Air Forces operate E-3 aircraft, which can also inter-
operate with the NADGE.
As a consequence of the new security environment,
Alliance air defences are adapting to a more flexible force
concept, which can contribute effectively to crisis manage-
ment. To realise this concept, in-place systems, sensors
and weapons will need to be reinforced in times of crisis
by readily transportable elements so that air defence
forces can react as the occasion demands. Tactical ballis-
tic missiles are now part of the weapons inventory of
many countries, and the Alliance is therefore examining
possible improvements in defence against such systems.
The NATO Air Defence Committee (NADC) advises
the North Atlantic Council and Defence Planning Com-
mittee on all aspects of air defence, and enables member
countries to harmonise their national efforts with inter-
national planning related to air command and control
and air defence weapons. The air defence of Canada and
the United States is coordinated in the North American
Aerospace Command (NORAD).
21. CIVIL EMERGENCY PLANNING
Arrangements made by member nations for providing
civil support for the common defence contribute signifi-
cantly to the overall security of the Alliance. Civil prepar-
edness and the management of resources are national
responsibilities. However, much can be done through
coordination within NATO to facilitate national planning
and to ensure that the many facets of civil emergency
planning contribute to the security of the Alliance in a
cost-effective and well-structured manner. The principal
NATO body with responsibilities in this sphere is the
Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee which co-
ordinates the activities of a number of Planning Boards
and Committees dealing with the mobilisation and use of
resources in the fields of food and agriculture, industry,
petroleum, inland surface transport, ocean shipping, civil
aviation, civil communications, medical care and civil de-
fence.
NATO's civil emergency planning activities, directed by
the Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee, are
experiencing a fundamental change. Greater emphasis is
being placed on crisis management and civil support to
the military, particularly in civil transport and industrial
mobilisation planning. In accordance with directives of
the North Atlantic Council, more flexible arrangements
are being made for drawing on the expertise, in a
crisis, of high-level experts from business and industry to
support NATO's crisis management machinery as required.
NATO experience and expertise in the Civil Emergency
Planning field has also been directed towards the coordina-
tion of humanitarian assistance to the republics of the
Commonwealth of Independent States, where NATO has a
subsidiary role in specific fields where its civil and military
experience is of particular relevance. This includes coordi-
nation of transport; logistical expertise and communica-
tions support for distribution; and practical assistance in
addressing medical requirements. NATO transport and sup-
port was made available in March 1992 for a fact-finding
mission of medical experts from nine countries and from
NATO and other international organisations, in order to
assess the medical needs of the member states of the CIS
and to identify areas in the health-care field in which assist-
ance could be given by the international community.(1)
22. CIVIL AND MILITARY COORDINATION OF AIR
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Large numbers of civilian and military aircraft use Euro-
pean airspace over NATO member countries. It is the most
complex air traffic environment in the world. Coordina-
tion of air traffic management and control between civil
and military users is therefore essential to enable civil
aviation to operate both safely and economically, while
at the same time allowing Allied air forces the freedom of
operation which is a prerequisite for effective training
and defence. Indeed, the flexibility and mobility of the
smaller NATO forces of the future will be crucially depend-
ent on the efficiency of the civil/military coordination
arrangements governing their rapid airborne deployment.
The North Atlantic Council recognised these concerns
when it established the Committee for European Airspace
Coordination (CEAC) in 1955. Since then this Committee
has been responsible for ensuring that all civil and mili-
tary airspace requirements are fully coordinated. This
includes the conduct of major air exercises, the harmonisa-
tion of air traffic control systems and procedures, and the
sharing of communications frequencies.
More recently, the surge in civilian air traffic, and
delays caused by insufficient capacity of air traffic control
and airport structures in many parts of Europe to cope
with this mission, organised by the Medical Working Group of the
Washington Coordinating Conference on Assistance to the Common-
wealth of Independent States, included experts from
Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, United
Kingdom, United States, the European Commission (EC), the World
Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, the International Federation
of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA) and NATO.
with peak-time traffic, have highlighted the need for
effective coordination between civil and military authori-
ties to ensure that the airspace is shared by all users on
an equitable basis. Consequently, in the context of current
efforts towards future pan-European integration of air
traffic management, CEAC is represented in a number of
international forums and is a participant in the Action
Programme approved by the Transport Ministers of the
European Civil Aviation Conference. Moreover, since
exchanges of views on airspace management constitute
part of the developing partnership between the NATO
Alliance and its cooperation partners, the Committee is
also actively engaged in this endeavour. A seminar on
civil/military coordination of air traffic management was
held in October 1991 with high-level participation by
twenty-two countries and a further seminar was held in
May 1992 to examine, inter alia, the possibilities for
further cooperation in this field.
The role played by CEAC, as the only international
forum specifically charged with the resolution of civil and
military air traffic management problems, is therefore
likely to become increasingly important in the years to
come.
23. SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
The concept of mutual security includes a broad range of
global concerns which transcend national boundaries.
These include maintaining a strong scientific base, preserv-
ing the physical environment, managing natural resources
and protecting health. NATO addresses these issues
through programmes of scientific activity and projects of
environmental importance.
The programmes of the NATO Science Committee
seek to advance the frontiers of science generally and to
promote the broadest possible participation in scientific
research by NATO nations. By providing multilateral
support for high-level scientific research, they encourage
the development of national scientific and technological
resources and enable economies to be achieved through
international collaboration.
The NATO Science Programme was established in 1957,
since when it has involved over half a million scientists
from Alliance and other countries. Most of its activities
promote collaboration through international exchange
programmes and encourage international working arrange-
ments among scientists, focussing in particular on
individual rather than institutional involvement. The prin-
cipal forms of exchange are Collaborative Research
Grants, Advanced Study Institutes, Advanced Research
Workshops and Science Fellowships. There are also a
number of special programmes to stimulate activity in
particularly promising areas of scientific research. The
results of all these activities are generally available and
are published in scientific literature.
A further programme of the Science Committee is
known as Science for Stability. This programme arose
out of the need to provide concrete assistance, in the
spirit of Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty, to the
economically less prosperous member countries. The pro-
gramme has concentrated on assisting Greece, Portugal
and Turkey to enhance their scientific and technological
research and development capacity and to strengthen
cooperation between universities, public research insti-
tutes and private companies. Its projects are essentially
joint ventures of significance to the development of scien-
tific, engineering and technogical capabilities which assist
these countries by supplementing national resources with
international funding for equipment, foreign technical or
managerial expertise, and training abroad.
The Science Committee is composed of national repre-
sentatives able to speak authoritatively on scientific mat-
ters and on behalf of their respective governments. It
decides on policy and ensures the implementation of the
Science Programme, in collaboration with the staff of the
Scientific and Environmental Affairs Division.
Following the changes in the political situation in
Europe, the Science Programme has recently entered a
new phase by being able to offer some funding for scien-
tists from cooperation-partner countries to participate in
its activities. The Work Plan for Dialogue, Partnership
and Cooperation established by the North Atlantic Co-
operation Council (NACC) in March 1992 also provided
for joint meetings of the Science Committee and co-
operation partners, distribution of proceedings of NATO
Scientific Meetings to central libraries in each country,
intensive scientific courses, laboratory visits by experts,
laboratory link-ups and a Science Committee Seminar on
mobility of scientists, which was held in February 1992.
In 1969 a Committee on the Challenges of Modern
Society was established to respond to the Alliance's con-
cern about environmental issues. Member countries have
participated through this Committee in numerous initia-
tives to take advantage of the potential offered by the
Alliance for cooperation in tackling problems affecting
the environment and the quality of life. Under the aus-
pices of the Committee, projects have been undertaken in
fields such as environmental pollution, noise, urban prob-
lems, energy and human health, and safety issues.
Two important concepts characterise the work of the
Committee, namely that it should lead to concrete action
and that its results should be entirely open and accessible
to international organisations or individual countries else-
where in the world. For each project embarked upon,
one or more member nations volunteer to assume a pilot
role, including responsibility for planning the work, coor-
dinating its execution, preparing the necessary reports
and promoting follow-up action.
In accordance with the NACC Work Plan, the Com-
mittee on the Challenges of Modern Society is also
broadening its work to include joint meetings with
NATO's cooperation partners, seminars on defence-
related environmental issues, and new pilot studies on
topics of particular interest to these countries.
NATO handbook04 uploaded March 25, 1993
PART II
THE FUTURE ROLE OF
THE ALLIANCE
24. AN ERA OF POLITICAL CHANGE
The 4th 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 rela-
tions.
The following paragraphs briefly describe the origins
and course of those 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 as they adapt their policies and
shape their common institutions to meet the challenges of
the new security environment.
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 in December 1967 of the
Harmel doctrine based on the parallel policies of maintain-
ing adequate defence while seeking a relaxation of ten-
sions in East-West relations; the introduction by the
Government of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1969
of Chancellor Willi 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 poli-
cies 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 INF missiles (Inter-
mediate Range Nuclear Forces) in Europe following the
December 1979 double-track decision on nuclear modernis-
ation 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, promis-
ing new arms control negotiations opened in Vienna
involving 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 Con-
cept of Arms Control and Disarmament.
The 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 the overcoming of the division of Europe and the shaping
of a just and peaceful European order. It reiterated the need
for credible and effective deterrent forces and an adequate
defence and endorsed President Bush's arms control initia-
tive calling for an acceleration of the CFE negotiations in
Vienna and for significant reductions in additional catego-
ries 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 politi-
cal and economic systems of Poland and Hungary; and in
the German Democratic Republic, Bulgaria, Czechoslova-
kia 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 an inevitable 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 never-
theless been achieved. Free elections had taken place or
were planned in most Central and Eastern European
countries, former divisions were being overcome, repres-
sive border installations were being dismantled and,
within less than a year, on 30 October 1990, the unifica-
tion of the two German states took place with 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 inter-
national community, opening up a new and enriched
dialogue involving East and West, which offered real
hope in place of the prospect 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. More-
over the dire economic outlook and the major difficulties
experienced in many of the countries of Central and
Eastern Europe in managing the transition from authori-
tarian 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 coordi-
nation of policies among its member countries in order to
diminish the risk of a crisis arising 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 confi-
dence through radical but balanced and verifiable arms
control agreements, verification arrangements and in-
creased 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 commen-
surate with the new security environment and to bring con-
frontation 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 diplo-
matic 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 par-
ticipation of the united Germany in the North Atlantic
Alliance, was explicitly linked to the nature of this
Message and to the substantive proposals and commit-
ments 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 coun-
tries were invited to NATO Headquarters in Brussels.
Many such visits took place. 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 pur-
poses 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 mili-
tary 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 pro-
cess, which has been successful in enhancing mutual con-
fidence, 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 cir-
cumstances.
Despite the positive course of many of these develop-
ments, 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 diplo-
matic solution and reiterated their 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 op-
position by the international community to the actions
taken by Iraq offered positive evidence of the transform-
ation which had taken place in relations between the
Soviet Union and the West. The benefits resulting from
the establishment of better contacts and increased cooper-
ation between them were clearly apparent. The dangers
inherent in the Gulf crisis reinforced the Alliance's deter-
mination to develop and enhance the level of its cooper-
ation 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 Novem-
ber 1991, the basis was laid for placing their evolving
relationship on a more institutionalised footing. The estab-
lishment 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 conse-
quence of this decision.
The inaugural meeting of the North Atlantic Cooper-
ation Council took place on 20 November 1991, just as
the Soviet Union was ceasing to exist. Eleven former
Soviet republics became members of the new Common-
wealth of Independent States, entering a period of intense
political and economic transformation. In Nagorno-Kara-
bakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan, 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 further 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.
In March 1992 participation in the North Atlantic
Cooperation Council was expanded to include all mem-
bers of the Commonwealth of Independent States and by
June 1992 Georgia and Albania had also become mem-
bers.
During the same period, discussion of measures de-
signed 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 Meet-
ing in July 1992. The document describes, inter alia, new
initiatives for the creation of a CSCE forum for security
cooperation and for CSCE peace-keeping activities, for
which both the North Atlantic Council and the North
Atlantic Cooperation Council have 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 struc-
tures needed to enable it to fulfil its continuing tasks and
to play its full role, in cooperation with other inter-
national institutions, in Europe's future security.
The key elements of the Rome Declaration and the
principal orientations of the Strategic Concept are out-
lined in the following sections.
25. THE NEW SECURITY ARCHITECTURE
The institutional basis for managing Europe's future secu-
rity 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 interlocking institu-
tions, tying together the countries of Europe and North
America in a system of inter-relating and mutually sup-
porting 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 Community, the West-
ern European Union and the Council of Europe are
complementary. Other regional frameworks of cooper-
ation can also play an important part. Preventing the
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 Cooper-
ation Council are fundamental to this process. The
Alliance itself is the essential forum for consultation
among its members and is the venue for reaching agree-
ment 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 documenta-
tion between the institutions themselves, as well as recipro-
cal arrangements regarding participation and representa-
tion in appropriate meetings.
26. A BROAD APPROACH TO SECURITY
The Alliance has 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 comprehen-
sive approach remains the basis of the Alliance's security
policy. However, in the new security situation, the chances
of achieving these objectives by political means, as well as
taking into account the economic, social and environ-
mental dimensions of security and stability, are better
than ever before. 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 has the following key objectives: 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.
NATO handbook05 uploade March 25, 1993
27. THE ALLIANCE'S STRATEGIC CONCEPT/
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. The
Strategic Concept reflects the broad approach to stability
and security outlined above. It recognises that security is
based on political, economic, social and environmental
considerations as well as defence. It reflects the unpreced-
ented opportunity which now exists to achieve the Alli-
ance's long-standing objectives by political means, in
keeping with the undertakings made in Articles 2 and 4
of the North Atlantic Treaty. Accordingly, the future
security policy of the Alliance can be based on three
mutually reinforcing elements, namely: dialogue; cooper-
ation; and the maintenance of a collective defence capabil-
ity. Each of these elements is designed to ensure that
crises affecting European security can be prevented or
resolved peacefully.
The military dimension of the Alliance remains an
essential factor if these goals are to be achieved. It will
continue 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 re-
quired for the foreseeable future.
/ The full text of the Alliance's Strategic Concept is reproduced
in Appendix II.
In the changed circumstances affecting Europe's secu-
rity, 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 reorgan-
ised 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 will in future play a greater role within NATO's
integrated military structure.
Nuclear forces are also being greatly reduced. The
withdrawal of short-range land-based nuclear weapons
from Europe, announced in September 1991, was com-
pleted in July 1992. The overall NATO stockpile of sub-
strategic nuclear weapons in Europe is being reduced to
about one fifth of the level of the 1990 stockpile. As far as
strategic nuclear forces are concerned, far-reaching recip-
rocal cuts were proposed by the President of the United
States in his State of the Union address at the end of
January 1992 and additional proposals were made by
President Yeltsin. 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 that Alliance security
must 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 re-
sources and actions of terrorism and sabotage, which can
affect Alliance security interests. The Concept therefore re-
affirms 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 its efforts including its 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.
28. DIALOGUE, PARTNERSHIP AND COOPERATION
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 coun-
tries. At the July 1990 London Summit Meeting the
Alliance extended its hand of friendship and established
regular diplomatic liaison with them. In Paris, in Novem-
ber 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 has been built up.
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 institu-
tions throughout Central and Eastern Europe, the encour-
aging 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 commit-
tees were put forward, in addition to the creation of the
NACC.
These steps were designed to enable the member coun-
tries 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 par-
ticipation 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 respec-
tively. At the meeting of the NACC held in Oslo in June
1992, Finland also attended as an observer.
Consultations and cooperation in the framework of
the NACC focus on security and related issues where
Alliance member countries can offer experience and exper-
tise, such as defence planning, democratic concepts of
civilian-military relations, scientific and environmental
affairs, civil/military coordination of air traffic manage-
ment and the conversion of defence production to civilian
purposes. Participation by all these countries in NATO's
scientific and environmental programmes is also be-
ing enhanced, as well as the dissemination of inform-
ation about NATO in the countries concerned, through
diplomatic liaison channels and embassies and by other
means. NATO governments undertook to provide appro-
priate resources to support these activities.
The Work Plan for Dialogue, Partnership and Cooper-
ation issued by the countries represented in the North
Atlantic Cooperation Council in March 1992, identified a
number of topics in the defence-planning field where
cooperation and consultation could be of particular rel-
evance. These include principles and key aspects of
strategy; force and command structures; military exer-
cises, democratic concepts of civilian-military relations;
national defence programmes and budgets; and training
and education methods and concepts in the defence field.
A number of activities are taking place in these areas,
including joint meetings, military contacts and visits, and
participation in courses at the NATO Defense College in
Rome and the NATO (SHAPE) School at Oberammergau.
Defence Ministers held their first joint meeting with
cooperation partners on 1 April 1992 to discuss current
issues and to consider ways of deepening their dialogue
and promoting cooperation on issues falling within their
competence. It was decided to hold a high level seminar
on defence policy and management, covering the role and
constitutional position of armed forces in democratic
societies as well as strategic concepts and their implement-
ation; and a workshop on practical aspects of defence
management and the reform and restructuring of armed
forces. A further workshop on practices and work meth-
ods relating to the environmental clean-up of defence
installations was also scheduled.
Other possible areas for cooperation on defence-related
issues identified by Defence Ministers include discussion
of concepts such as defence sufficiency, stability, flexibil-
ity and crisis management; how defence programmes
can be planned and managed in democratic societies
(eg, accountability, financial planning, programme
budgeting and management, research and development,
equipment procurement procedures and personnel man-
agement); consideration of the legal and constitutional
framework regarding the position of military forces in a
democracy; democratic control of armed forces; civil-
military relations and parliamentary accountability; har-
monisation of defence planning and arms control issues;
matters relating to training and exercises; defence edu-
cation; and other topics including reserve forces, environ-
mental concerns, air traffic management, search and
rescue activities, humanitarian aid and military medicine.
NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Gleneagles in
October 1992 also indicated that peace keeping issues
would be a further subject of discussion with cooperation
partners.
The first meeting of the Military Committee in Co-
operation Session took place on 10 April 1992 at Chiefs of
Staff level, in accordance with the NACC Work Plan. It
represented an important milestone in the partnership
process and resulted in a military work plan designed to
develop cooperation and to assist cooperation partners
with the process of restructuring their armed forces. Fur-
ther meetings and other activities, including bilateral visits
of military officials to and from cooperation countries,
are taking place in this framework.
29. THE CONFERENCE ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE
A key component of the new security architecture is the
Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe or
CSCE (see Part IV).
The Alliance remains deeply committed to strengthen-
ing the CSCE process, which has a vital role to play in
promoting stability and democracy in Europe. Consulta-
tions within the Alliance thus continue to be a source of
initiatives for strengthening the CSCE, which has the
outstanding advantage of being the only forum that
brings together all the countries of Europe as well as
Canada and the United States under a common frame-
work with respect to human rights, fundamental
freedoms, democracy, rule of law, security, and economic
liberty. New CSCE institutions and structures, proposed
at the NATO Summit in London in July 1990, were
created at the Paris CSCE Summit in November 1990.
Efforts are now being made to enable them to be consoli-
dated and further developed so as to provide the CSCE
with the means to ensure full implementation of the
Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris, and other CSCE
documents.
The CSCE's capacity as a forum for consultation and
cooperation among all participating States is thus being
enhanced to ensure that it is capable of effective action in
line with its new and increased responsibilities. This
applies in particular to the role of the CSCE with regard
to questions of human rights and security, including arms
control and disarmament, and to its contribution to
effective crisis management and peaceful settlement of
disputes in ways which are consistent with international
law and CSCE principles.
A number of specific proposals were made at the NATO
Summit Meeting in Rome to translate these objectives
into practical realities. These ideas were taken several
steps further in December 1991 when NATO Foreign
Ministers set out broad policy objectives for the prepara-
tion of the 1992 Helsinki Follow-Up Meeting. They in-
cluded the establishment of a European security forum,
preserving the autonomy and distinct character of the
various elements involved in the process but also ensuring
coherence between them; and the institution of a perma-
nent security dialogue in which legitimate security concerns
can be addressed.
30. EUROPE'S SECURITY IDENTITY AND DEFENCE
ROLE
Further important elements in the progress towards the
new security architecture, subject to decisions concerning
their ratification, are the Treaties on Monetary and
Political Union signed by the leaders of the European
Community in Maastricht in December 1991. The Treaty
on Political Union included agreement on the develop-
ment of a common foreign and security policy, including
the eventual framing of a common defence policy which
might in time lead to a common defence. It included
reference to the Western European Union (WEU) (see
Part IV) as an integral part of the development of the
European Union which would be created by the two
Treaties and requested the WEU to elaborate and imple-
ment decisions and actions of the European Union which
have defence implications.
At the meeting of the WEU Member States which took
place in Maastricht at the same time as the meeting of
the European Council, a declaration was issued inviting
members of the European Union to accede to the WEU or
to become observers, and inviting other European mem-
bers of NATO to become associate members of the WEU.
The Treaty on Political Union also made provision for
a report evaluating the progress made and experience
gained in the field of foreign and security policy to be
presented to the European Council in 1996.
The Alliance welcomed these steps, recognising that
the development of a European security identity and
defence role, reflected in the strengthening of the
European pillar within the Alliance, will reinforce the
integrity and effectiveness of the Atlantic Alliance as a
whole. Moreover these two positive processes are mutu-
ally reinforcing. In parallel with them, member countries
of the Alliance have agreed to enhance the essential
transatlantic link which the Alliance guarantees and to
maintain fully the strategic unity and the indivisibility of
their security.
The Alliance's Strategic Concept, which is the agreed
conceptual basis for the military forces of all the members
of the Alliance, facilitates complementarity between the
Alliance and the emerging defence component of the
European political unification process. The Alliance mem-
ber countries intend to preserve their existing operational
coherence since, ultimately, their security depends on it.
However, they welcomed the prospect of a gradual rein-
forcement of the role of the Western European Union, both
as the defence component of the process of European
unification and as a means of strengthening the Euro-
pean pillar of the Alliance. WEU member states have
affirmed that the Alliance will remain the essential forum
for consultation among its members and the venue for
agreement on policies bearing on the security and defence
commitments of Allies under the Washington Treaty.
31. ARMS CONTROL
Efforts to bring about more stable international relations
at lower levels of military forces and armaments, through
effective and verifiable arms control agreements and
confidence-building measures, have long been an integral
part of NATO's security policy. Meaningful and verifiable
arms control agreements, which respect the security con-
cerns of all the countries involved in the process, help to
improve stability, increase mutual confidence and dimin-
ish the risks of conflict. Defence and arms control policies
must therefore remain in harmony and their respective
roles in safeguarding security must be consistent and
mutually reinforcing. The principal criterion for the
Alliance in the context of all arms control negotiations is
not whether agreements are desirable objectives in their
own right, but rather whether or not they maintain stab-
ility and enhance the long-term security interests of all
participants. To do this successfully agreements have to be
clear and precise, verifiable and not open to circumvention.
Arms control deals essentially with two broad catego-
ries of proposal: those seeking agreement on measures to
build confidence and those which result in reductions and
limitations of military manpower and equipment. The
Alliance is actively involved in both these areas. Extensive
consultation takes place within NATO over the whole
range of disarmament and arms control issues so that
commonly agreed positions can be reached and national
policies coordinated. In addition to the consultation
which takes place in the North Atlantic Council and the
Political Committees, a number of special bodies have
been created to deal with specific arms control issues.
In May 1989, in order to take account of all the
complex and interrelated issues arising in the arms control
context, the Alliance developed a Comprehensive Con-
cept of Arms Control and Disarmament. The Concept
provided a framework for the policies of the Alliance in
the whole field of arms control. It covered the conclusion
and implementation of the INF Treaty between the United
States and the Soviet Union in December 1987, which
eliminated all United States and Soviet land-based
intermediate-range missiles on a global basis.
Other objectives of the Comprehensive Concept included:
- a 50 per cent reduction in the strategic offensive nuclear
weapons of the United States and the Soviet Union;
- the global elimination of chemical weapons;
- the establishment of a stable and secure level of con-
ventional forces by eliminating disparities in the whole
of Europe;
- in conjunction with the establishment of a conven-
tional balance, tangible and verifiable reductions of
land-based nuclear missile systems of shorter-range,
leading to equal ceilings.
The negotiations on Conventional Armed Forces in
Europe (CFE) among the member countries of NATO
and of the Warsaw Treaty Organisation, which began in
Vienna in March 1989, resulted in the conclusion of the
CFE Treaty on 19 November 1990. The Treaty was
signed by the 22 states, in the framework of the Confer-
ence on Security and Cooperation in Europe, during a
Summit Meeting in Paris of all 34 countries then particip-
ating in the CSCE process. Also signed at the Paris
Summit by all CSCE participants was the Vienna Docu-
ment 90, containing a large number of substantial
confidence- and security-building measures applicable
throughout Europe. In March 1992 this document was
subsumed by the Vienna Document 92, in which further
measures on openness and transparency were introduced.
As a result of the dramatic political and military de-
developments which have taken place since 1989, some of
the initial premises for the CFE Treaty changed during
the course of the negotiations. Key factors in this respect
were the unification of Germany; substantial Soviet troop
withdrawals from Eastern Europe; the advent of demo-
cratic governments in Central and Eastern Europe; the
disintegration of the Warsaw Pact; and comprehensive
unilateral reductions in the size of Soviet armed forces as
well as those of other countries in the region.
Notwithstanding these changes which inevitably had
major implications, particularly in terms of the attribution
of national responsibility for implementing the Treaty,
the successful outcome of the negotiations and the entry
into force of the Treaty are fundamental enhancements
of European security. The Treaty is the culmination of
efforts initiated by the Alliance in 1986 to reduce the
level of armed forces in Europe from the Atlantic Ocean
to the Ural Mountains. It imposes legally-binding limits
on key categories of forces and equipment held individu-
ally and collectively. The limits are designed not only to
bring about dramatic reductions but also to ensure that
no single country is able to maintain military forces at
levels which would enable it to hold a dominating military
position on the European continent. The main categories
of equipment covered by these provisions are those which
constitute offensive military capability, namely tanks,
artillery, armoured combat vehicles, combat aircraft and
helicopters.
In addition, there are provisions contained in declara-
tions forming an integral part of the Treaty on land-
based naval aircraft and a no-increase commitment with
regard to personnel strengths. The implementation of the
Treaty provisions is subject to a precise calendar and a
rigid regime of information exchanges and inspections
under detailed ``verification'' clauses.
Two further essential elements of the CFE Treaty should
be mentioned, namely:
(a) the establishment of a Joint Consultative Group, on
which all the parties to the Treaty are represented,
where any issues relating to implementation can be
raised and discussed; and
(b) the opening of follow-on (CFE IA) talks on further
measures including limitations on personnel strengths.
These talks began on 29 November 1990.
The members of the Alliance attach paramount import-
ance to the Treaty as the cornerstone of Europe's future
military security and stability and, together with their
cooperation partners, have called upon all the countries
concerned to move forward promptly with its ratification
and full implementation. In December 1991 they jointly
established a High Level Working Group in which all
Central and Eastern European countries are actively par-
ticipating, as well as the independent states in the former
Soviet Union with territory in the CFE area of application,
with a view to facilitating the early entry into force of the
Treaty. In February 1992 agreement was reached on a
phased approach for bringing the CFE Treaty into force.
In May agreement was reached in the High Level Working
Group with the eight former Soviet states concerned on the
apportionment of rights and obligations assumed by the
Soviet Union under the terms of the CFE Treaty. This
agreement, which was confirmed at the June 1992 Extra-
ordinary Conference in Oslo, provided the basis for the
provisional entry into force of the CFE Treaty through-
out the area of application on 17 July 1992, allowing its
verification procedures to be implemented immediately.
Following ratification by all eight states of the former
Soviet Union with territory in the area of application of
the Treaty, and completion of the ratification process by
all 29 signatories, the CFE Treaty formally entered into
force on 9 November 1992.
The Alliance also attaches considerable importance to
the parallel implementation of the Concluding Act on the
Negotiation on Personnel Strength of Conventional Armed
Forces in Europe which establishes the commitments
entered into by the parties to the CFE IA follow-on
negotiations in accordance with agreements reached on 6
July 1992.
In 1990 the North Atlantic Council established a Verifica-
tion Coordinating Committee to coordinate verification
efforts among members of the Alliance with regard to arms
control and disarmament agreements in general, and particu-
larly with regard to the CFE Treaty. The Committee ensures
information exchange among Alliance nations on their
inspection plans and on any verification-related issues. It
also oversees the development and operation of a central
verification data base maintained at NATO Headquarters,
in which all data relative to inspections are permanently
stored. In addition the Committee supervises the inspection
support activities of the NATO Military Authorities, such
as the development of common field procedures or the
conduct of NATO verification courses, providing guidance
as necessary. Last but not least, the Committee serves as
a forum for consultations among Allies on compliance
concerns and related issues.
The Verification Coordinating Committee has also
become the forum for consultation, coordination and
exchange of experience among Allies on activities related
to the implementation of the Stockholm and Vienna 1990
CSCE Documents on Confidence- and Security-Building
Measures, (subsequently subsumed by the Vienna Docu-
ment 1992) such as evaluation visits, inspections or exer-
cise observations.
Other important new elements introducing greater open-
ness and confidence-building in the military field include
agreements achieved in March 1992 on an ``Open Skies''
regime, permitting overflights of national territory on a
reciprocal basis.
The CSCE process has a pivotal role in the field of arms
control and disarmament. The 1992 CSCE Follow-Up
Meeting in Helsinki was therefore seen as a turning point
in the arms control and disarmament process in Europe
which now involves all CSCE participants. It offered a
unique opportunity to move the process forward and, by
shaping a new cooperative order, to make it unnecessary
for any participating country to fear for its security. The
decisions taken at the conclusion of the Helsinki Follow-
up Meeting are summarised in Part IV.
In the field of nuclear arms control, the Alliance's
objective is to achieve security at the minimum level of
nuclear arms sufficient to preserve peace and stability.
The early ratification of the START Agreement signed on
31 July 1991, is an important aspect of this. President
Bush's initiative of 27 September 1991, which was strongly
supported by the Alliance, opened new prospects for
nuclear arms reductions. In particular, the decision to
eliminate nuclear warheads for ground-launched short-
range weapon systems fulfilled the SNF arms control ob-
jectives expressed in the London Declaration of July 1990.
In January 1992 the United States President again took
the initiative in the field of nuclear arms control in his
State of the Union address, proposing further reciprocal
cuts in strategic nuclear forces. The initial reactions of the
Russian leadership were extremely positive and included
additional proposals. Allies also welcomed the announce-
ment made in May 1992 that withdrawal of former Soviet
tactical nuclear weapons to the territory of Russia for
ultimate dismantlement had been completed. They fully
supported the Lisbon Agreement of May 1992 between
the United States and the four successor states of the
former Soviet Union with nuclear weapons on their terri-
tory (Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine), commit-
ting them to joint implementation of the START Treaty.
The June 1992 agreement between the United States and
Russia to reduce their strategic forces well below the
ceilings established in the START Treaty, and to elimi-
nate land-based multiple warhead intercontinental ballis-
tic missiles, was a further major step.
Despite these many positive developments in the field of
arms control, the global proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and of their means of delivery is a matter of
serious concern to Alliance governments since it under-
mines international security. NATO Foreign Ministers
have made clear their preoccupations on this subject
repeatedly, emphasizing that non-proliferation of nuclear
weapons is an essential element of cooperative security
and international stability. They have offered to provide
assistance in the process of eliminating nuclear weapons
in the former Soviet Union and have stressed the need for
measures to prevent the unauthorised export of nuclear
or other destabilizing equipment and technology. Similar
concerns about proliferation were voiced by all the mem-
bers of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council in their
statements of December 1991 and June 1992, underlining
the importance attached to efforts undertaken in this field.
The Alliance welcomed the commitments by Belarus,
Kazakhstan and Ukraine to adhere to the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty as non-nuclear weapon states and
urged these states to implement all their commitments as
soon as time allowed.
Transfers of conventional armaments which exceed
legitimate defensive needs, to other regions where tensions
exist, also make the peaceful settlement of disputes less
likely. The Alliance therefore has supported the establish-
ment by the United Nations of a universal non-
discriminatory register of conventional arms transfers as
well as steps undertaken to address other aspects of
proliferation and further initiatives designed to build
confidence and underpin international security. Within
the CSCE, NATO Allies have led the way in tabling
proposals dealing with non-proliferation in general and
transfers of conventional weapons in particular.
An additional essential aim remains the completion of
a global, comprehensive and effectively verifiable ban on
chemical weapons. In June 1992 negotiators in Geneva
agreed on the final draft of an agreement, paving the way
for approval of the document by the UN General
Assembly in October 1992 and the signing of a Treaty in
Paris early in 1993. In a related field, the results achieved
by the Third Review Conference of the Biological and
Toxin Weapons Convention, and the decision taken to
explore the feasibility of verification in this area, have
been further positive developments.
NATO handbook06 uploade March 25, 1993
PART III
ORGANISATION AND STRUCTURES
32. NATO Headquarters
The NATO Headquarters in Brussels is the political head-
quarters of the Alliance and the permanent home of the
North Atlantic Council. It houses Permanent Represent-
atives and national delegations, the Secretary General and
the International Staff, national Military Representatives,
the Chairman of the Military Committee and the Inter-
national Military Staff, and a number of NATO agencies.
There are approximately 2,640 people employed at this
Headquarters on a full-time basis. Of these, some 1,000
are members of national delegations and national military
representations to NATO. There are approximately 1,260
civilian members of the International Staff and 380 mem-
bers of the International Military Staff including 100
civilian personnel.
33. Permanent Representatives and National Delegations
Each member nation is represented on the North Atlantic
Council by an Ambassador or Permanent Representative
supported by a national delegation composed of advisers
and officials who represent their country on different
NATO committees. The delegations are similar in many
respects to small embassies. Their collocation within the
same headquarters building enables them to maintain
formal and informal contacts with each other, as well as
with NATO's international staffs, easily and without delay.
34. The International Staff
The work of the North Atlantic Council and its commit-
tees is supported by an International Staff consisting of
personnel from member countries either recruited directly
by the Organisation or seconded by their governments,
normally for periods of 3-4 years. The members of
the International Staff are responsible to the Secretary
General and owe their allegiance to the Organisation
throughout the period of their appointment.
The International Staff comprises the Office of the
Secretary General, five operational Divisions, the Office
of Management and the Office of the Financial Con-
troller. Each of the Divisions is headed by an Assistant
Secretary General, who is normally the chairman of the
main committee dealing with subjects in his field of
responsibility. Through their structure of Directorates
and Services, the Divisions support the work of the
committees in the various fields of activity described in
Parts I and II.
35. The Secretary General
The Secretary General is responsible for promoting and
directing the process of consultation and decision-making
through the Alliance. He is the Chairman of the North
Atlantic Council, the Defence Planning Committee and
the Nuclear Planning Group as well as titular Chairman
of other senior committees. He may propose items for
discussion and decision and has the authority to use his
good offices in cases of dispute between member coun-
tries. He is responsible for directing the International
Staff and is the principal spokesman for the Alliance in
relations between governments and with the media. The
Deputy Secretary General assists the Secretary General
in the exercise of his functions and replaces him in his
absence. He is Chairman of the High Level Task Force
on Conventional Arms Control, the Executive Working
Group, the NATO Air Defence Committee, the Joint
Consultative Board, and a number of other Ad Hoc and
Working Groups.
The Secretary General has under his direct control a
Private Office and the Office of the Secretary General.
The Private Office supports the Secretary General and
Deputy Secretary General in all aspects of their work. Its
staff includes a Legal Adviser and a Special Adviser for
Central and Eastern European Affairs.
36. The Office of the Secretary General consists of
the Executive Secretariat (including the Verification,
Information Systems and Council Operations Director-
ate), the Office of Information and Press and the NATO
Office of Security.
37. The Executive Secretariat is responsible for ensuring
the smooth functioning of Council, Defence Planning
Committee and Nuclear Planning Group business and
the work of the whole structure of committees and work-
ing groups set up under these bodies. Members of the
Executive Secretariat act as Committee Secretaries and
provide secretarial and administrative back-up for the
Council and a number of other committees. Agendas,
summary records, reports, decision and action sheets are
prepared and issued by Committee Secretaries under the
responsibility of the Committee Chairmen.
The Executive Secretary is Secretary to the Council,
Defence Planning Committee and Nuclear Planning
Group and is responsible for ensuring that the work of
the different divisions of the International Staff is carried
out in accordance with the directives given. Through the
Verification, Information Systems and Council Opera-
tions Directorate, the Executive Secretary, in addition to
these functions, coordinates crisis management arrange-
ments and procedures in NATO including their regular
exercising; provides staff support to the Verification Co-
ordinating Committee; and ensures ADP support to
both the International Staff and International Military
Staff and office communications for the entire NATO
Headquarters. He is also responsible on behalf of the
Secretary General for the development and control of
the NATO Situation Centre. The Director of the Inter-
national Military Staff, acting for the Military Com-
mittee, is responsible for the coordination of the day
to day operation of the Centre with the Chief of the
Situation Centre.
38. The Office of Information and Press consists of a Press
and Media Service and an Information Service divided
into a Planning, Production and Budget Section and an
External Relations Section. The Director of Information
and Press is Chairman of the Committee on Information
and Cultural Relations and of the annual meeting of
Ministry of Defence Information Officials. The Director
is assisted by a Deputy Director, Information; and a
Deputy Director, Press, who is also the official spokes-
man for the Secretary General and the Organisation in
contacts with the media.
The Press and Media Service arranges accreditation for
journalists; issues press releases, communiques and
speeches by the Secretary General; and provides a daily
press review and press cutting service for the staff of the
NATO Headquarters in Brussels. It organises media inter-
views with the Secretary General and other NATO officials
and provides technical assistance and facilities for radio
and television transmissions.
The Information Service assists member governments
to widen public understanding of NATO's role and policies
through a variety of programmes and activities. These
make use of periodical and non-periodical publications,
video film production, photographs and exhibitions,
group visits, conferences and seminars and research fellow-
ships. The Office includes a library and documentation
service and a media library.
The Office of Information and Press maintains close
contacts with national information authorities and non-
governmental organisations and undertakes activities
designed to explain the aims and achievements of the
Alliance to public opinion in each member country. The
Office also organises or sponsors a number of multina-
tional programmes involving citizens of different member
countries and, in conjunction with NATO's cooperation
partners, undertakes information activities designed to
enhance public knowledge and understanding of the
Alliance in the countries represented in the North Atlantic
Cooperation Council.
39. The NATO Office of Security coordinates, monitors
and implements NATO security policy. The Director of
Security is the Secretary General's principal adviser on
security issues and is Chairman of the NATO Security
Committee. He directs the NATO Headquarters Security
Service and is responsible for the overall coordination of
security within NATO.
40. The Division of Political Affairs comes under the respons-
ibility of the Assistant Secretary General for Political
Affairs, who is Chairman of the Senior Political Commit-
tee and of the Political Committee. The Division has two
Directorates:
41. The Political Directorate is responsible for:
(a) preparation of the political discussions of the Council
and of the discussions of the Political Committee at
regular and senior level as well as meetings with
cooperation partners;
(b) preparation of notes and reports on political subjects
for the Secretary General and the Council;
(c) political liaison with the delegations of member coun-
tries and with representatives of cooperation part-
ners;
(d) preparation of the meetings of the North Atlantic
Cooperation Council and diplomatic liaison contacts
on political and security related matters with NATO's
cooperation partners;
(e) liaison with other governmental and non-governmen-
tal international organisations.
The day to day work of the Political Directorate is
handled by four sections responsible respectively for
NATO as well as multilateral and regional affairs; policy
planning; issues concerning cooperation activities and
liaison with the countries represented in the North Atlan-
tic Cooperation Council; and disarmament, arms control
and cooperative security.
The Director of the Political Directorate is Deputy Assist-
ant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Deputy
Chairman of the Senior Political Committee, and Acting
Chairman of the Political Committee at regular level.
42. The Economics Directorate provides advice concerning
economic developments which have political or defence
implications for NATO. It undertakes studies of economic
trends and carries out studies of economic aspects of
security on behalf of the Economics Committee; prepares
economic assessments of NATO countries for the Defence
Review Committee in the context of NATO defence plan-
ning; and maintains contacts with international economic
organisations. The Economics Directorate also has re-
sponsibility for preparing contacts on economic issues
and consultations involving NATO's cooperation partners
in fields such as defence conversion, defence expenditure,
and the external economic relations of the cooperation
partners. The Director of the Economics Directorate is
Chairman of the Economics Committee.
43. The Division of Defence Planning and Policy comes
under the responsibility of the Assistant Secretary Gen-
eral for Defence Planning and Policy, who is Chairman
of the Defence Review Committee and Vice-Chairman of
the Executive Working Group. He also supervises the
work of the Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) Staff Group
and is Chairman of the open-ended Group on Defence
Matters established to address defence-related issues in-
volving NATO's cooperation partners and to serve as a
clearing house for proposals for cooperation in the de-
fence field. The Division has two Directorates:
44. The Force Planning Directorate is responsible for de-
fence policy issues and the preparation, in collaboration
with national delegations, of all papers and business
concerned with the Defence Review, including the analy-
sis of national defence programmes; for other matters of
a politico-military nature considered by the Defence Plan-
ning Committee; for the preparation of studies of general
or particular aspects of NATO defence planning and
policy on behalf of the Executive Working Group; for
the maintenance of a computerised data base of informa-
tion on NATO forces; and for the organisation and
direction of statistical studies required to assess the
NATO defence effort. The Director for Force Planning is
Vice-Chairman of the Defence Review Committee.
45. 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.
46. 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 agen-
cies 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. The Division consists of
four Directorates:
47. The Directorate of Armaments and Defence Research is
responsible for encouraging member nations to exchange
information and to harmonise concepts and requirements
for future maritime, land, air, research and technological
capabilities in order to achieve cooperative research,
development and production programmes and to facili-
tate a high level of materiel standardization. The objective
is to improve the overall efficiency of NATO forces and to
make better use of the limited resources available for
defence purposes.
48. The Directorate of Command, Control and Communi-
cations is responsible for encouraging cooperative
programmes in communications and electronics, for the
development and coordination of the overall policy and
planning aspects of NATO's civil and military communi-
cations, and for providing support to the NATO Commu-
nications and Information Systems Committee and the
Tri-Service Group on Communications and Electronic
Equipment.
49. The Directorate of Air Defence Systems is responsible
for promoting and coordinating efforts to assure the con-
tinuing adequacy, effectiveness and efficiency of NATO air
defence systems; for providing 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; and for 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.
50. The Directorate of Cooperation, Planning and Standardiz-
ation is responsible for a range of policy preparation and
planning activities in support of armaments cooperation,
including the management of the Conventional Arm-
aments Planning System (CAPS) and Alliance consulta-
tions on harmonising defence procurement policies; for
promoting international cooperation among industries in
the defence equipment field and between governments
and industry; for liaison with outside bodies; and for
providing coordination and staff support to the activities
of NATO committees or bodies dealing with standardiz-
ation and Defence Support matters in the areas of mate-
rial management, codification, quality assurance, safety of
transportation and storage of ammunition and explosives,
intellectual property and acquisition practices.
51. The Division of Infrastructure, Logistics and Civil Emer-
gency Planning comes under the responsibility of the
Assistant Secretary General for Infrastructure, Logistics
and Civil Emergency Planning, who is Chairman of
the Infrastructure Committee and the Infrastructure
Payments and Progress Committee. He is also Chairman
of the Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee in
plenary session and co-Chairman of the Senior NATO
Logisticians' Conference. The Division consists of three
Directorates:
52. The Infrastructure Directorate comes under the direc-
tion of the Controller for Infrastructure, who is the
permanent Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee;
and of the Deputy Controller, who is the permanent
Chairman of the Infrastructure Payments and Progress
Committee. The Infrastructure Directorate is responsible
for supporting the Infrastructure Committees by:
(a) developing proposals on policy issues, on funding
issues related to the shape and size of NATO Infra-
structure programmes and on improved procedures
for their 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 Command-
ers' programmes for annual Infrastructure Slices and
related cost estimates; and
(d) screening, from a technical and financial point of
view, requests to the Payments and Progress Commit-
tee for authorisation of scope and funds.
53. 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 Direct-
orate is responsible for:
(a) the development and coordination of plans and poli-
cies designed to achieve a coherent approach within
NATO on consumer logistics matters in order to in-
crease the effectiveness of Alliance forces by achieving
greater logistical readiness and sustainability;
(b) providing staff support to the Senior NATO Logisti-
cians' 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 Gen-
eral, with the directing bodies of the Central Europe
Pipeline System and the NATO Maintenance and
Support Organisation.
54. The Civil Emergency Planning Directorate, under the
direction of the Director of Civil Emergency Planning,
who is the Chairman of the Senior Civil Emergency Plan-
ning 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 over-
sees, 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 com-
munications support for distribution; and practical assist-
ance 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.
55. The Scientific and Environmental Affairs Division comes
under the responsibility of the Assistant Secretary Gen-
eral 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 has the following responsibilities:
(a) advising the Secretary General on scientific and tech-
nological 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 Soci-
ety;
(d) ensuring liaison in the scientific field with the Inter-
national Staff of NATO, with NATO agencies, with
agencies in the member countries responsible for im-
plementation of science policies and with inter-
national organisations engaged in scientific, techno-
logical and environmental activities.
The Assistant Secretary General for Scientific and Envi-
ronmental Affairs also has responsibility for overseeing
activities designed to enhance the participation of scien-
tists from NATO's cooperation partners in NATO science
programmes, and in projects of the Committee on the
Challenges of Modern Society.
56. The Office of Management comes under the responsibil-
ity 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 through-
out the Organisation. He is charged with the preparation,
presentation and management of the International Staff
budget. He supervises the activities of the Pensions Com-
putation Unit and of the Management Advisory Unit,
which has responsibility for advising the Secretary Gen-
eral 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 in-
cluding personnel services, the maintenance of the head-
quarters, the provision of conference, interpretation and
translation facilities and the production and distribution
of internal documents.
57. Office of the Financial Controller
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 Mili-
tary Budgets and in accordance with NATO's financial
regulations.
58. 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.
59. International Board of Auditors
The accounts of the various NATO bodies and those relat-
ing to expenditure under NATO's common-funded Infra-
structure programme are audited by an International
Board of Auditors. The Board is composed of govern-
ment officials from auditing bodies in member countries.
They have independent status and are selected and remu-
nerated by their respective countries. They are appointed by
and are responsible to the Council.
60. Production and Logistics Organisations
There are a number of Production and Logistics Organisa-
tions established by NATO and responsible to the North
Atlantic Council for carrying out specific tasks. While
there are differences in their mandates, funding, financial
authority and management, they all report to a Board of
Directors or Steering Committee responsible for supervis-
ing their activities. They include the following organisa-
tions and agencies:
- The Central Europe Operating Agency (CEOA) -
responsible for the 24-hour operation of the Central
Europe Pipeline System (CEPS) and its storage and
transportation facilities. Headquarters: Versailles,
France.
- The NATO Communications and Information Sys-
tems Agency (NACISA) - responsible for the planning
and implementation of the NATO integrated Com-
munications and Information Systems (NICS). Head-
quarters: Brussels, Belgium.
- The NATO Air Command and Control Systems Man-
agement Agency (NACMA) - responsible for the
planning and implementation of a NATO air com-
mand and control system supporting all air opera-
tions, in place of the former NATO Air Defence
Ground Environment (NADGE) system. Head-
quarters: Brussels, Belgium.
- The NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency
(NAMSA) - responsible for the logistics support of
weapons systems in the national inventories of two or
more NATO nations, through the common procure-
ment and supply of spare parts and the provision of
maintenance and repair facilities. Headquarters: Lux-
embourg.
- The NATO AEW & C Programme Management
Agency (NAPMA) - responsible for the planning
and implementation of the NATO Airborne Early
Warning and Control System and Modernisation Pro-
gramme. Headquarters: Brunssum, The Netherlands.
- The NATO EFA Development, Production and Logis-
tics Management Agency (NEFMA)/ - responsible for
the development, production and logistics aspects of
the NATO European Fighter Aircraft. Headquarters:
Munich, Germany.
- The NATO Multirole Combat Aircraft Development
and Production Management Agency (NAMMA)/ - re-
sponsible for managing the development and produc-
tion of the NATO MRCA (Tornado). Headquarters:
Munich, Germany.
- NATO Hawk Management Office (NHMO) - respon-
sible for product improvement programmes relating
to the HAWK surface-to-air missile system. Head-
quarters: Rueil-Malmaison, France.
- NATO Helicopter for the 1990s (NH90) Design, De-
velopment, Production and Logistics Management
Organisation (NAHEMO) - responsible for managing
the development and production of the NH90. Head-
quarters: Aix-en-Provence, France.
61. National Military Representatives
The members of the Military Committee (Chiefs of Staff)
are represented at NATO Headquarters by senior officers
acting as Military Representatives, each supported by a
national staff varying in size.
The Military Representatives constitute the Military
Committee in Permanent Session. France is represented
by a Military Mission to the Military Committee.
62. The Military Committee
The Military Committee is responsible to the North Atlan-
tic Council, Defence Planning Committee and Nuclear
Planning Group for the overall conduct of the military
/ NEFMA and NAMMA will be merged into a single agency during
1993, following authorisation of the EFA production investment
phase.
affairs of the Alliance. It provides for the maximum
consultation and cooperation between member nations
on military matters relating to the Treaty and is the
primary source of military advice to the Secretary General
and to the North Atlantic Council, Defence Planning
Committee and Nuclear Planning Group.
The Presidency of the Military Committee rotates
among the nations annually in the order of the English
alphabet.
The Chairman of the Military Committee chairs both
the Chiefs-of-Staff and permanent sessions. He is elected
by the Chiefs-of-Staff normally for a three-year term. He
is the spokesman and representative of the Committee
and directs its day-to-day business. He represents the
Military Committee at meetings of the North Atlantic
Council, the Defence Planning Committee and the Nu-
clear Planning Group, providing advice on military mat-
ters. The Chairman is assisted by the Deputy Chairman
and by the Director of the International Military
Staff.
By virtue of his office, the Chairman of the Military
Committee also has an important public role and is the
senior military spokesman for the Alliance in its contacts
with the press and media. He undertakes official visits
and representational duties on behalf of the Military
Committee both in NATO countries and in countries with
which NATO is developing closer contacts on the basis of
the dialogue, partnership and cooperation established
within the overall framework of the North Atlantic Co-
operation Council. The intensification of military con-
tacts and cooperative activities taking place include con-
sultations of the Military Committee meeting at Chiefs of
Staff level with cooperation partners; other meetings of
the Military Committee and other military bodies with
cooperation partners; further visits and exchanges; and
participation by military and civilian representatives from
the cooperation countries in courses at the NATO Defense
College in Rome and the NATO (SHAPE) School at
Oberammergau.
NATO handbook07 uploaded March 25, 1993
63. The International Military Staff
The Military Committee is supported by an integrated
International Military Staff made up of military personnel
seconded from national military establishments and of
supporting civilian personnel. Members of the Inter-
national Military Staff have a similar status within the
Organisation as the International Staff but come under
the administrative authority of the Director of the Inter-
national Military Staff or the Head of the independent
NATO agency within which they are employed. The na-
tional military status of personnel seconded from national
armed forces is not affected by their temporary second-
ment to NATO.
The International Military Staff is headed by a Director
of three star rank who is nominated by the member
nations and is selected by the Military Committee. He
may be from any one of the member nations, but he must
be of a different nationality from the Chairman of the
Military Committee. The Director is assisted by six Assist-
ant Directors of flag or general officer rank and the
Secretary of the International Military Staff.
As the executive agent of the Military Committee, the
International Military Staff is tasked with ensuring that
the policies and decisions of the Military Committee are
implemented as directed. In addition, the International
Military Staff prepares plans, initiates studies and recom-
mends policy on matters of a military nature referred to
NATO or to the Military Committee by national or NATO
authorities, commanders or agencies. In the framework
of the Work Plan for Dialogue, Partnership and Cooper-
ation established by the North Atlantic Cooperation
Council, and the work plan adopted by the Military
Committee at its first meeting in Cooperation Session,
the IMS is also actively involved in the process of co-
operation with the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe.
64. Organisation of the International Military Staff
The organisation of the International Military Staff is as
follows:
The Intelligence Division is responsible for assessing the
strengths and disposition of military forces which could
represent a risk to NATO's security interests and for keep-
ing the Military Committee, the Council and Defence
Planning Committee informed of developments. The Divi-
sion coordinates the production and dissemination of
NATO agreed intelligence, including intelligence policy
and basic intelligence documents. NATO has no independ-
ent intelligence gathering function or capacity of its own
but acts as a central coordinating body to collate and
disseminate intelligence provided by national authorities.
The Plans and Policy Division serves as the focal point
for all policy and planning matters of specific interest to
the Military Committee. This includes providing staff
support to the Military Committee in military matters
concerning the NATO strategic concept, politico-military
matters, long-term conceptual thinking, military contacts
with cooperation partners and arms control and disarma-
ment. The Division also participates on behalf of the
Military Committee in NATO's defence planning process;
and develops and represents the views of the Military
Committee and the Major NATO Commanders on mili-
tary policy matters in various NATO forums.
The Operations Division provides staff support to the
Military Committee in matters concerning current opera-
tional plans; the NATO force posture and the organisa-
tional structure of NATO Commands and military head-
quarters; the military contribution to the management of
contingency reactions to international crises where NATO
interests are involved; the promotion and coordination of
multinational training and exercises; and the coordination
of efforts towards an effective NATO electronic warfare
operational capability and associated training and exer-
cises. The Operations Division also serves as the focal
point between the NATO Military Authorities and the
nations in developing plans, programmes and procedures
for conventional arms control verification and implemen-
tation.
The Logistics and Resources Division is responsible to
the Military Committee for logistics, infrastructure, finan-
cial and manpower matters. The Division acts as the
focal point for staffing and coordinating all military
planning and management matters in these areas and
liaises with NATO Civil Emergency Planning Committees
and Agencies concerning civil support for the military
side.
The Communications and Information Systems Division
provides staff support to the Military Committee on
NATO military policy and operational requirements
related to NATO Communications and Information Sys-
tems, including communications and computer security,
leasing of PTT services, military frequency management
and interoperability of tactical communications. The Divi-
sion also provides support to the NATO Communications
and Information Systems Committee, and to the Brussels-
based specialised Military Telecommunications and Com-
munications and Information Systems (CIS) Agencies.
The Armaments and Standardization Division provides
staff support to the Military Committee on matters con-
cerning the development and assessment of NATO mili-
tary policy and procedures for armaments and related
standardization activities and acts as the focal point for
staffing and coordination of military needs in these areas.
The Division is also the focal point within the Inter-
national Military Staff for all air defence matters.
The Secretariat supports the Military Committee and
provides administrative support to the divisions within
the International Military Staff.
65. The Role of Allied Military Forces
The major changes in the security environment have
enhanced the role of political dialogue and cooperation
and increased the scope for resolving crises by political
means. The primary role of Alliance military forces,
namely to guarantee the security and territorial integrity
of member states, remains unchanged. However, in the
new strategic environment this role must be fulfilled in a
manner which takes account of diverse and multi-direc-
tional risks rather than a single threat.
The organisation of Alliance forces is designed to
ensure that in fulfilling this role they remain fully capable
of performing the different functions which could be
required of them whatever the situation - peace, crisis or
war.
Their role in peace is to guard against risks to the
security of Alliance members; to contribute towards the
maintenance of stability and balance in Europe; and to
ensure that peace is preserved. Secondly, in the event of
crises which might lead to a military threat to the security
of Alliance members, their role is to be able to comple-
ment and reinforce political actions and contribute to the
management of such crises and their peaceful resolution.
They therefore have to have the capability to respond in
a measured and timely fashion in such circumstances.
Thirdly, since the possibility of war cannot be ruled out
altogether however unlikely it might be, Alliance forces
have to provide the essential insurance against poten-
tial risks, at the minimum level necessary to prevent war
of any kind and, should aggression occur, to restore
peace.
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. The collective nature of Allied defence is embod-
ied in practical arrangements that enable the Allies to
benefit from the political, military and resource advantages
of collective defence. These arrangements are based on an
integrated military structure and cooperation and coordina-
tion agreements between the members states. Key features
of the integrated structure include collective force planning;
common operational planning; multinational formations;
the stationing of forces outside home territory, where
appropriate on a mutual basis; crisis management and
reinforcement arrangements; procedures for consultation;
common standards and procedures for equipment, training
and logistics; joint and combined exercises; and infrastruc-
ture, armaments and logistics cooperation. All member
countries assign forces to the Integrated Military Command
Structure with the exception of Iceland (which has no
military forces) and France and Spain, to which separate
cooperation and coordination arrangements apply.
66. The Integrated Military Command Structure
The strategic area covered by the North Atlantic Treaty
is currently divided among three Major NATO Commands
(European, Atlantic and Channel) and a Regional Plan-
ning Group for Canada and the United States. However
changes to the Alliance's integrated military command
structure are being introduced in order to adapt it to
present day needs and to enable NATO forces to meet the
requirements of the new Strategic Concept. As a first
major step, NATO Defence Ministers decided in December
1991 to reduce the number of Major NATO Commands
within the new structure from three to two - European
and Atlantic. They also decided to create three Major
Subordinate Commands within Allied Command Europe,
responsible for the Southern, Central and Northwest
regions. Other measures, concerning the organisation of
the Central Region in particular, were also announced.
These decisions, many of which are subject to further
detailed planning, will be implemented gradually.
The Major NATO Commanders are responsible for the
development of defence plans for their respective areas,
for the determination of force requirements and for the
deployment and exercise of the forces under their com-
mand. Their reports and recommendations regarding the
forces assigned to them and their logistic support are
referred to the NATO Military Committee. The Major
NATO Commanders are also responsible for the develop-
ment and conduct of their military contacts with co-
operation partners.
67. Allied Command Europe (ACE) Headquarters: SHAPE at
Casteau near Mons, Belgium
The task of Allied Command Europe (ACE) is to safe-
guard the area extending from the northern tip of Norway
to Southern Europe, including the whole of the Mediter-
ranean, and from the Atlantic coastline to the eastern
border of Turkey. This equates to nearly two million square
kilometres of land, more than three million square kilome-
tres of sea, and a population of about 320 million people.
The military task of ACE is to contribute, along with
the forces of the other Major NATO Commands, to the
defence of the above area. In the event of crisis, the
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe becomes responsi-
ble for implementing military measures to preserve the
security, or restore the integrity, of Allied Command
Europe within the framework of the authority given to
him by the Council or Defence Planning Committee.
68. The Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR)
SACEUR is responsible for preparing defence plans for
the area under his command and ensuring the combat
efficiency of the forces assigned to his command; making
recommendations to the Military Committee on matters
likely to improve the organisation of his command; set-
ting down standards for organising, training, equipping,
maintaining and sustaining the forces he commands; and
conducting exercises and evaluations to ensure that these
forces form a unified and capable force for the collective
defence of NATO territory. In the event of war, SACEUR
would control all land, sea and air operations in his area.
SACEUR makes recommendations to NATO's political
and military authorities on any military matter which
might affect his ability to carry out his responsibilities
and he has direct access to the Chiefs-of-Staff, the De-
fence Ministers and Heads of Government of the NATO
nations.
Like the Chairman of the Military Committee, the
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, also has an impor-
tant public profile and is the senior military spokesman for
SHAPE. Through his own activities and those of his public
information staff he maintains regular contacts with the
press and media and undertakes official visits within NATO
countries and in the countries with which NATO is develop-
ing dialogue, cooperation and partnership.
The headquarters of Allied Command Europe is the
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).
The following subordinate commands are currently
responsible to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe:
(a) Allied Forces Northern Europe (AFNORTH): Kolsas,
Norway.
This Command comprises: Allied Forces North
Norway; Allied Forces South Norway; and Allied
Forces Baltic Approaches.
(b) Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT): Brunssum,
the Netherlands.
This Command comprises: Northern Army Group;
Central Army Group; Allied Air Forces Central
Europe; 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force; and 4th Allied
Tactical Air Force.
(c) Allied Forces Southern Europe (AFSOUTH): Naples,
Italy.
This Command comprises: Allied Land Forces South-
ern Europe; Allied Land Forces South-Eastern Europe;
Allied Air Forces Southern Europe; Allied Naval
Forces Southern Europe; Naval Striking and Support
Forces Southern Europe.
(d) The UK Air Forces Command (CINCUKAIR): High
Wycombe, United Kingdom.
(e) The Allied Command Europe Mobile Force (AMF):
Heidelberg, Germany.
(f) The Standing Naval Force Mediterranean (STANAV-
FORMED).
(g) The NATO Airborne Early Warning Force: Geilen-
kirchen, Germany (The NAEW Force is under the
operational command of the three Major NATO Com-
manders, SACEUR, SACLANT and CINCHAN.
SACEUR is their Executive Agent.)
(h) The NATO (SHAPE) School at Oberammergau.
The organisation of the subordinate command struc-
ture of Allied Command Europe described above is cur-
rently undergoing review.
69. Allied Command Atlantic (ACLANT)
Allied Command Atlantic extends from the North Pole
to the Tropic of Cancer and from the coastal waters of
North America to those of Europe and Africa, including
Portugal, but not including the Channel and the British
Isles. The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
(SACLANT), like the Supreme Allied Commander
Europe, receives his directions from the Military Commit-
tee. The headquarters of ACLANT are at Norfolk, Vir-
ginia, USA.
70. The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT)
The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic prepares de-
fence plans for his commands, conducts joint and com-
bined training exercises, sets training standards and deter-
mines the establishment of units; and advises NATO mili-
tary authorities on his strategic requirements.
The primary task of Allied Command Atlantic is to
contribute to security in the whole Atlantic area by
safeguarding the Allies' sea lines of communication, sup-
porting land and amphibious operations, and protecting
the deployment of the Alliance's sea-based nuclear deter-
rent.
Like SACEUR, SACLANT has direct access to Chiefs-
of-Staff, Defence Ministers and Heads of Government.
The following subordinate commands are currently
responsible to the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic:
- the Western Atlantic Command, comprising a Sub-
marine Force Western Atlantic Area Command; an
Ocean Sub-Area Command; a Canadian Atlantic
Sub-Area Command; and the Bermuda and Green-
land Island Commands;
- the Eastern Atlantic Command, comprising Maritime
Air Eastern Atlantic Area; Northern Sub-Area; Mari-
time Air Northern Sub-Area; Central Sub-Area; Mari-
time Air Central Sub-Area; Submarine Forces Eastern
Atlantic Area; and the Island Commands of Iceland
and the Faeroes;
- the Striking Fleet Atlantic Command, comprising a
Carrier Striking Force, consisting of the Carrier Strik-
ing Group, the Anti-Submarine Warfare Group and
an Amphibious Force;
- the Submarines Allied Command Atlantic;
- the Iberian Atlantic Command, including the Island
Commands of Madeira and of the Azores;
- the Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFOR-
LANT).
71. Allied Command Channel (ACCHAN)
The Channel Command extends from the Southern North
Sea through the English Channel. The Headquarters of
the Allied Commander-in-Chief Channel (CINCHAN) are
located at Northwood, in the United Kingdom. Its task
is to control and protect merchant shipping and contrib-
ute to overall defence and deterrence.
72. The Commander-in-Chief Channel (CINCHAN)
In the event of aggression CINCHAN would be responsible
for establishing and maintaining control of the Channel
area, supporting operations in adjacent commands, and
cooperating with SACEUR in the air defence of the Chan-
nel. The forces available for these tasks are predominantly
naval, but include maritime airforces.
CINCHAN's subordinate commanders include Com-
mander Allied Maritime Air Force, Channel; Commander
Nore Sub-Area Channel; Commander Plymouth Sub-
Area, Channel; and Commander Benelux Sub-Area,
Channel. CINCHAN also has under his command the
NATO Standing Naval Force Channel (STANAVFOR-
CHAN), a permanent force mainly comprising mine
countermeasure vessels.
A Channel Committee consisting of the naval Chiefs-
of-Staff of Belgium, the Netherlands and the United
Kingdom serves as an advisory and consultative body to
the Commander-in-Chief, Channel.
Both SACEUR and SACLANT have offical represent-
atives at NATO Headquarters in Brussels (SACEUREP
and SACLANTREPEUR) to provide liaison with NATO
and national authorities. SACLANTREPEUR also acts
as representative for CINCHAN when required.
The organisation of the subordinate command struc-
ture of Allied Command Atlantic and Allied Command
Channel is currently undergoing review in the light of the
decision taken by NATO Defence Ministers in December
1991 to reduce the number of Major NATO Commands
from three to two.
73. Canada-United States Regional Planning Group
The Canada-US Regional Planning Group, which covers
the North American area, develops and recommends to
the Military Committee plans for the defence of the
Canada-US Region. It meets alternately in one of these
two countries.
74. Forces Available to NATO
The forces of member countries available to NATO's inte-
grated military command structure are essentially in two
categories: those which come under the operational com-
mand or operational control of a Major NATO Com-
mander when required, in accordance with specified proce-
dures or at prescribed times; and those which nations have
agreed to assign to the operational command or operational
control of a Major NATO Commander at a future date.
Some of the above terms have precise military defini-
tions. The terms ``command'' and ``control'', for example,
relate to the nature of the authority exercised by military
commanders over the forces assigned to them. When
used internationally, these terms do not necessarily have
the same implications as they do when used in a purely
national context. In assigning forces to NATO, member
nations assign operational command or operational con-
trol as distinct from full command over all aspects of the
military operations and administration of those forces.
These latter aspects continue to be a national responsibil-
ity and remain under national control.
Broadly speaking, NATO's military forces will in future
come into three categories: immediate and rapid reaction
forces, main defence forces, and augmentation forces.
Adjustments which are being made will continue to reflect
the strictly defensive nature of the Alliance and will
include reductions in their overall size and in some cases
in the level of readiness which they maintain, enhanced
flexibility and mobility and an assured augmentation
capability. As in the past, the Alliance's political authori-
ties will continue to exercise close control over the deploy-
ment and employment of these forces at all times.
In general, national forces remain under full national
command in peacetime. Exceptions to this rule are the
integrated staffs in the various NATO military head-
quarters; certain air defence units on constant alert such
as the units manning the Airborne Early Warning and
Control Force (AWACS); some communications units;
and four small multinational forces created for specific
tasks. These are described below.
75. The ACE Mobile Force (AMF)
In 1960 NATO formed a small, multinational task force
which could be sent at short notice to any threatened
part of Allied Command Europe to demonstrate the
solidarity of the Alliance and its ability and determination
to defend itself against aggression. The ACE Mobile
Force or ``AMF'' is composed of land and air forces
from Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United
States. Until assembled at the request of the Supreme
Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), most units
assigned to it are stationed in their home countries.
United States units are provided by the US Forces already
stationed in Europe.
The AMF is a balanced force made up of infantry
battalions, artillery batteries and supporting units, with
the fighting strength of a brigade group of about 5,000
men. The force can be deployed rapidly to any part of
Allied Command Europe and is trained and tested every
year in tough, realistic exercises held in both the northern
and southern regions of Europe. Since its creation the
AMF has regularly participated in multinational exercises
but in January 1991 it was deployed for the first time in an
operational role when elements of the force were sent to
south-east Turkey during the Gulf War in order to demon-
strate NATO's collective solidarity and determination in
the face of a potential threat to Allied territory.
The Headquarters of AMF's land component are
located near Heidelberg in Germany.
76. Standing Naval Forces
The Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFOR-
LANT) was established in 1967. Composed of destroyer
or frigate class ships drawn from the navies of member
countries, this force comes under the command of the
Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic (SACLANT). Ships
from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United
Kingdom and the United States form the permanent mem-
bership of the force. They are joined periodically by naval
units from Belgium, Denmark, Norway and Portugal. The
force carries out a programme of scheduled exercises,
manoeuvres, and port visits and can be rapidly deployed
to a threatened area in times of crisis or tension.
The Standing Naval Force Channel (STANAVFOR-
CHAN) was commissioned in May 1973. It consists of
mine countermeasure vessels and operates under the
Command of the Allied Commander-in-Chief, Channel
(CINCHAN). Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and
the United Kingdom are regular contributors to the force.
Danish, Norwegian and United States ships also join the
force from time to time.
A Naval On-Call Force for the Mediterranean
(NAVOCFORMED) was created in 1969. Similar in pur-
pose to STANAVFORLANT and STANAVFORCHAN,
this naval force was assigned to the Supreme Allied
Commander, Europe. It was not permanently in being
and assembled only when called upon. Between exercises,
normally twice a year, the ships remained under national
command. Italy, Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom
and the United States normally contributed ships to the
force and units of other nations exercised with the force
from time to time.
As part of the reorganisation of Allied forces required
to meet the objectives of the Alliance's Strategic Concept,
NAVOCFORMED was replaced by a Standing Naval Force
Mediterranean (STANAVFORMED) on 30 April 1992. The
new force is composed of destroyers and frigates contrib-
uted by Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain,
Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
77. Reserve Forces
In accordance with the Alliance's Strategic Concept,
Allied forces must be structured in a way which enables
their military capability to be built up when necessary by
reinforcement, reconstituting forces or mobilising re-
serves. Reserve forces therefore play an important role in
the whole spectrum of NATO's defence structure and in
the event of crisis, would be required to take up positions
and carry out tasks alongside regular forces.
NATO handbook08 uploaded March 25, 1993
78. Military Agencies and Organisations
The Military Committee is charged with the direction of
a number of NATO military agencies. These include:
79. The Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and
Development (AGARD)
The Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Devel-
opment (AGARD) was formed in 1952 and became an
agency under the Military Committee in 1966. Its task is
to foster and improve the interchange of information
relating to aerospace research and development between
the NATO nations in order to ensure that the advances
made by one nation are available to the others. AGARD
also provides scientific and technical advice and assistance
to the NATO Military Committee in the field of aerospace
research and development, with particular regard to mili-
tary applications. The Headquarters of AGARD is located
in Paris.
80. The Military Agency for Standardization (MAS)
Organised in London in 1951, the MAS is the principal
military agency for standardization within NATO. Its pur-
pose is to facilitate operational, procedural and materiel
standardization among member nations to enable NATO
forces to operate together in the most effective manner.
Cooperation between the international technical expert
groups and the agency in regard to defence equipment is
effected through the NATO Standardization Group and
by liaison with the International Staff and the Inter-
national Military Staff. Since January 1970 the MAS has
been housed within NATO Headquarters in Brussels.
81. The NATO Electronic Warfare Advisory Committee
(NEWAC)
NEWAC was established in 1966 to support the Military
Committee, the Major NATO Commanders (MNCs) and
the nations by acting as a specialist multinational body
to promote on a tri-service basis an effective NATO elec-
tronic warfare capability. It monitors national and MNC
progress in implementing measures which improve
NATO's electronic warfare capabilities. NEWAC is
composed of representatives of each NATO country
and of the MNCs. The Chairman of the Committee and
the Secretary are permanently assigned to the
Operations Division of the International Military Staff
(IMS).
82. THE EURO/NATO Training Group
Responsibility within NATO for consolidation of training
on a multinational basis is vested in the EURO/NATO
Training Group (ENTG). The Group's objectives are to
improve and expand existing, and to initiate new, multi-
national training arrangements between member nations.
The ENTG reports to the NATO Military Committee
and to the EUROGROUP.
83. The Military Committee Meteorological Group
(MCMG)
The task of the MCMG is to advise the Military Committee
on meteorological matters affecting NATO and to make
appropriate recommendations. The MCMG also acts as
the coordinating agency of the Military Committee for
all military meteorological policies, procedures and tech-
niques within NATO.
84. Military Telecommunications and CIS Agencies
Six specialised Military Telecommunications and Commu-
nications and Information Systems (CIS) Agencies provide
the Military Committee with expert technical advice on
military matters within their own fields of competence.
These are:
- Allied Communications and Computer Security
Agency (ACCSA).
- Allied Long Lines Agency (ALLA).
- Allied Radio Frequency Agency (ARFA).
- Allied Tactical Communications Agency (ATCA).
- Allied Data Systems Interoperability Agency (ADSIA).
- Allied Naval Communications Agency (ANCA).
The permanent staffs of these bodies, with the excep-
tion of ANCA staff located in London, are drawn from the
NATO International Military Staff and are collocated in
Brussels.
In addition, the Military Committee is advised on CIS
matters by the NATO CIS Committee (NACISC) which
also reports to the North Atlantic Council and Defence
Planning Committee. The NACISC is assisted in its work
by the Communications Systems Working Group (CSWG)
and Information Systems Working Group (ISWG).
85. The SHAPE Technical Centre
The SHAPE Technical Centre is an international military
organisation under the policy direction of the Supreme
Allied Commander Europe. Its task is to provide scientific
and technical advice and assistance to SHAPE and to
undertake research, studies, investigations, development
projects and operational tests for Allied Command
Europe. Initially limited to air defence problems, its scope
was widened in 1963 to cover all military matters pertain-
ing to Allied Command Europe.
Its current programme is directed in particular towards
three major areas of concern to Allied Command Europe:
force capability and force structure, including the effects
of new weapons technology; command and control, in-
cluding application of automated data processing; and
communications, including concept formulation, systems
engineering and operations support.
86. The SACLANT Undersea Research Centre
The SACLANT Undersea Research Centre was commis-
sioned in 1959 at La Spezia, Italy and formally became a
NATO military organisation in 1963. The task of the
Centre is to provide scientific and technical advice and
assistance to SACLANT in the field of anti-submarine war-
fare and mine countermeasures. The Centre carries out
research and limited development (but not engineering or
manufacturing) in these fields, including oceanography,
operational research and analysis, advisory and consul-
tancy work; and exploratory research. In July 1986, under
the auspices of SACLANTCEN, the first ship to be funded
jointly by NATO countries, the 3,200-ton undersea re-
search vessel ALLIANCE, was officially launched at La
Spezia. The ship became operational in May 1988.
87. The NATO Defense College
The NATO Defense College was established in 1951 in
Paris and moved to Rome in 1966. Under the direction
of the Military Committee, assisted by an independent
Advisory Board, the College provides courses for officers
and civilian officials from member countries expected to
be appointed to key posts within NATO or in their national
administrations. Since 1991 provision has also been made
for participation in courses at the NATO Defense College
by officers and officials from the Alliance's cooperation
partners. The Commandant of the College is an officer of
at least Lieutenant General rank appointed for a three
year period. The Commandant is assisted by a Faculty
comprising one civilian and two military deputies and at
least eight faculty advisers. Courses include lectures and
discussions, team studies, committee work and instruc-
tional tours to the United States and Canada and to
European member countries. Course requirements in-
clude competence in a specialised field and a thorough
knowledge of English or French.
NATO handbook09 uploaded March 25, 1993
PART IV
INTERLOCKING
INSTITUTIONS
``The challenges we will face in this new Europe cannot be
comprehensively addressed by one institution alone, but
only in a framework of interlocking institutions tying
together the countries of Europe and North America. Conse-
quently, we are working towards a new European security
architecture in which NATO, the CSCE, the European
Community, the WEU and the Council of Europe comple-
ment each other. Regional frameworks of cooperation will
also be important. This interaction will be of the greatest
significance in preventing instability and divisions that could
result from various causes, such as economic disparities
and violent nationalism.''
Extract from the Rome Declaration on Peace and
Cooperation issued by the Heads of State and
Government participating in the meeting of the North
Atlantic Council in Rome on 7-8 November 1991.
88. THE CONFERENCE ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE (CSCE)
The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(CSCE) is a process involving all European States, all
members of the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS), Georgia, Canada and the United States.
Launched in 1972, the CSCE process led to the adoption
of the Helsinki Final Act (1975). This document en-
compassed a wide range of commitments on principles
governing relations between participating states, on
measures designed to build confidence between them, on
respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
and on cooperation in economic, cultural, technical and
scientific fields.
In accordance with the Helsinki Final Act it was decided
to continue and deepen the CSCE process. Follow-up
meetings were held in Belgrade (1977-1978), Madrid
(1980-1983), Vienna (1986-1989) and Helsinki (March-
July 1992). Meetings of experts have also taken place on a
number of different topics.
The CSCE has provided a pan-European/transatlantic
framework for negotiations in the field of security. The
participating states agreed in 1986 in Stockholm on a
Document on Confidence and Security Building Meas-
ures (CSBMs), completed and improved in 1990 by the
Vienna Document on CSBMs and subsequently by the
Vienna 1992 Document. On 19 November 1990, at the
opening of the CSCE Summit in Paris, 22 participating
states signed the far reaching CFE Treaty which limits
conventional forces in Europe from the Atlantic Ocean
to the Ural Mountains.
On 21 November 1990, the CSCE Summit Meeting of
Heads of State and Government of the then 34 participat-
ing states adopted the Charter of Paris for a New Europe.
The Charter established the Council of Foreign Ministers
of the CSCE as the central forum for regular political
consultations; the Committee of Senior Officials, which
reviews current issues, prepares the work of the Council
and carries out its decisions; and three permanent institu-
tions of the CSCE, namely the Secretariat in Prague; the
Conflict Prevention Centre in Vienna; and the Office for
Free Elections in Warsaw (subsequently renamed Office
for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(ODIHR)). The new institutions of the CSCE started
work in early 1991.
On 19 June 1991, the Berlin Meeting of the CSCE
Council of Foreign Affairs accepted Albania as a new
participating state and adopted an emergency mechanism
to deal with crisis situations in the area covered by the
CSCE. On 10 September 1991, the Ministers of Foreign
Affairs meeting in Moscow accepted Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania as participating states. All members of the
Commonwealth of Independent States (i.e. all republics
of the former Soviet Union less Georgia) became mem-
bers on 30 January 1992. Croatia, Slovenia and Georgia
became members on 24 March 1992.
The decisions relating to security cooperation taken at
the conclusion of the Follow-Up Meeting in July 1992 by
CSCE Heads of State and Government represented a
significant qualitative improvement in the consultative
and negotiating machinery available to the participating
states. In the concluding document of the Helsinki
Summit Meeting (``The Challenges of Change'') the crea-
tion was announced, inter alia, of a permanent CSCE
Forum for Security Cooperation to commence its activi-
ties from 22 September 1992 in Vienna. The Helsinki
Document established the objectives of the Forum, under
whose auspices new negotiations on arms control, disar-
mament and confidence- and security-building will take
place; and set out the constitutional arrangements for the
work of the Forum including the creation of a Special
Committee and a Consultative Committee. The participat-
ing states also agreed on a fourteen-point Programme for
Immediate Action addressing, inter alia, the development
of the Vienna Document 1992, exchange of military infor-
mation, non-proliferation, regional issues, conflict preven-
tion and verification issues.
Further information: CSCE Secretariat, Thunovska 12,
Mala Strana, 110 00 Prague 1, Czechoslovakia. Tel: 42-
2-311 97 93 - 96; Fax: 42-2-34 6215.
89. THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY (EC)
The European Community was established on the basis
of the Treaty of Rome signed on 25 March 1957 by
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the
Netherlands. In 1973 they were joined by Denmark,
Ireland and the United Kingdom, in 1981 by Greece and
in 1986 by Spain and Portugal.
The European Community (EC) has developed from
the merger of the European Coal and Steel Community,
founded on 18 April 1951, with the European Economic
Community and the European Atomic Energy Community
(EURATOM) founded in 1957 under the Treaty of Rome.
Intergovernmental Conferences on Economic and Mon-
etary Union and Political Union took place from 15
December 1990 to 11 December 1991. At the Maastricht
European Council on 9 and 10 December 1991, the Heads
of State and Government of the Community countries
adopted a Treaty on Political Union, and a Treaty on
Economic and Monetary Union, which together form the
Treaty on European Union. The Treaty is subject to
ratification by all member states.
The Treaty on Political Union establishes inter alia a
common foreign and security policy governed by specific
provisions. The latter include reference to the Western
European Union as an integral part of the development
of the European Union; and request the WEU to elaborate
and implement decisions and actions of the Union which
have defence implications.
At the meeting of WEU Member States which took
place in Maastricht at the same time as the meeting of
the European Council, a declaration was issued inviting
members of the European Union to accede to the WEU or
to become observers, and inviting other European mem-
bers of NATO to become associate members of the WEU.
The Treaty on European Union also makes provision
for a further inter-governmental conference to evaluate
achievement made in both spheres; and for a report
evaluating the progress made and experience gained in
the field of foreign and security policy to be presented to
the European Council in 1996.
Hungary, Poland and the Czech and Slovak Federal
Republic have signed association agreements with the
EC. Talks are currently underway with Bulgaria and
Romania. Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Malta, Norway,
Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey have formally applied
for membership.
The main institutions of the Community are the Coun-
cil of Ministers, the Commission, the European Parlia-
ment and the Court of Justice. The Council consists of
one Minister from each member state. It acts mainly on
proposals from the Commission, a policy planning and
executive body whose 17 members, each appointed for
four years by the common consent of the member govern-
ments, act in the interests of the Community as a whole.
As well as drawing up policy proposals for approval by
the Council, the Commission also acts as the guardian of
Community laws and ensures their application in all
member states.
The European Parliament has 518 members. Until 1979
these were nominated by national legislative bodies from
among their own members. Direct elections to the Parlia-
ment commenced in June 1979. The Parliament considers
proposals from the Commission and has the right to
question individual Commissioners and, ultimately to
dismiss the Commission itself. These elements of demo-
cratic control have gradually been extended and the Parlia-
ment now has increased control over the Community
budget.
The final arbiter on Community law is the Court of
Justice. Its 12 judges, one from each member state, settle
disputes over the interpretation and application of Com-
munity law and have the power to overturn decisions
deemed to be contrary to the Treaties establishing the
Community. Its judgements are binding on the Commis-
sion, on national governments, on firms and individuals.
A major Community aim is greater integration of the
economies of its member states. The first step in this
direction was the introduction of a customs union, involv-
ing the elimination of the tariffs and quotas on trade
between member countries and the introduction of a
common tariff in dealings with non-member countries.
Establishment of a common agricultural policy was an
important aspect in setting up the customs union.
In 1985, the Commission proposed an ambitious pro-
gramme of legislative proposals designated to create a
single European market enabling goods, services, capital
and people to move freely within and between member
states. The Single European Act creating the Internal
Market comes into effect at the beginning of 1993 on
completion of this programme.
In the international context, agreements have been
made between the Community and other countries of the
Mediterranean area, in the Middle East, in South
America and in Asia. Sixty-eight African, Caribbean and
Pacific countries now belong to the Lome Convention.
Relations are being developed with the EFTA countries
and with the newly democratic countries of Central and
Eastern Europe. The Community also maintains a con-
tinuing dialogue on political and economic issues of
mutual interest and engages in direct negotiations on
trade and investment issues with the United States, par-
ticularly in the context of the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
Since the outbreak of the crisis in the former Yugosla-
via and the disintegration of the federal state, the Euro-
pean Community has played an important role in efforts
to bring about peace to the region and to channel humani-
tarian aid to the war-stricken communities of the country.
The London Conference on Yugoslavia held in August
1992, chaired jointly by the Secretary General of the
United Nations and by the Prime Minister of the United
Kingdom (as current President of the European Council),
represented a new departure for the EC in the field of
foreign policy and the first combined EC-United Nations
international operation. Senior officials nominated by the
United Nations and the EC are acting jointly as peace
negotiators and chairmen of the continuing Geneva Con-
ference on the former Yugoslavia established at the
London Conference.
Further information: The Director-General for Infor-
mation and Communication (DG 10), 200 rue de la Loi,
1049 Brussels, Belgium, Tel: 299 11 11; Fax: 235 01 38 39
040.
90. THE WESTERN EUROPEAN UNION (WEU)
The Western European Union has existed in its present
form since 1954 and today includes nine European coun-
tries - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United King-
dom. It has a Council and Secretariat currently based in
London and a Parliamentary Assembly in Paris. The
WEU has its origins in the Brussels Treaty of economic,
social and cultural collaboration and collective self-de-
fence of 1948, signed by Belgium, France, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. With the
signature of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949, the exer-
cise of the military responsibilities of the Brussels Treaty
Organisation or Western Union, was transferred to the
North Atlantic Alliance.
Under the Paris Agreements of 1954, the Federal Re-
public of Germany and Italy acceded to the Brussels
Treaty and the Organisation was renamed the Western
European Union. The latter continued in being in fulfil-
ment of the conditions and tasks laid down in the Paris
Agreements.
The Western European Union was reactivated in 1984
with a view to developing a common European defence
identity through cooperation among its members in the
security field and to strengthening the European pillar of
the North Atlantic Alliance.
Meeting in The Hague in October 1987, the Ministerial
Council of the Western European Union, made up of
Foreign and Defence Ministers of the nine member coun-
tries, adopted a ``Platform on European Security Inter-
ests'' in which they solemnly affirmed their determination
both to strengthen the European pillar of NATO and to
provide an integrated Europe with a security and defence
dimension. The Platform defined the Western European
Union's relations with NATO and with other organisa-
tions, as well as the enlargement of the WEU and the
conditions for the further development of its role as a
forum for regular discussion of defence and security
issues affecting Europe.
In August 1987 during the Iran-Iraq War, Western
European Union experts met in The Hague to consider
joint action in the Gulf to ensure freedom of navigation
in the oil shipping lanes of the region; and in October
1987 WEU countries met again to coordinate their military
presence in the Gulf following attacks on shipping in the
area.
Following the ratification of the Treaty of Accession
signed in November 1988, Portugal and Spain became
members of the Western European Union, in accordance
with the decisions taken the previous year to facilitate its
enlargement. A further step was taken in November 1989
when the Council decided to create an Institute for Secu-
rity Studies, based in Paris, with the task of assisting in
the development of a European security identity and in
the implementation of The Hague Platform.
At the end of 1990 and during the Gulf War in January
and February 1991, coordinated action took place among
WEU nations contributing forces and other forms of
support to the coalition forces involved in the liberation
of Kuwait.
A number of decisions were taken by the European
Council at Maastricht on 9-10 December 1991 on the
common foreign and security policy of the European
Union, and by the member states of the Western Euro-
pean Union on the role of the WEU and its relations
with the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance.
These decisions were welcomed by the North Atlantic
Council when it met in Ministerial Session on 19 Decem-
ber. They included extending invitations to members of
the European Union to accede to the WEU or to seek
observer status, as well as invitations to European
member states of NATO to become associate members;
agreement on the objective of the WEU of building up the
organisation in stages, as the defence component of the
European Union, and on elaborating and implementing
decisions and actions of the Union with defence implica-
tions; agreement on the objective of strengthening the
European pillar of the Atlantic Alliance and the role,
responsibilities and contributions of WEU member states
in the Alliance; affirmation of the intention of the WEU to
act in conformity with positions adopted in the Alliance;
the strengthening of the WEU's operational role; and the
relocation of the WEU Council and Secretariat from
London to Brussels. A number of other proposals are
also under examination, including a new role for the WEU
in armaments cooperation.
Provisions established in accordance with the decisions
reached at Maastricht will be re-examined in 1996 in the
light of the progress and experience acquired, including
the evolution of the relationship between the WEU and
the Atlantic Alliance.
On 21 May 1992, the Council of the Western European
Union held its first formal meeting with the North Atlan-
tic Council at NATO Headquarters. In accordance with
decisions taken by both organisations, the meeting was
held to discuss the relationship between them and ways
of strengthening practical cooperation as well as establish-
ing closer working ties between them.
In July 1992 the member countries of the WEU
decided to make available naval forces for monitoring
compliance in the Adriatic with UN Security Council
Resolutions against Serbia and Montenegro. Similar
measures were also taken by the North Atlantic Council
in Ministerial Session in Helsinki on 10 July 1992, in
coordination and cooperation with the operation decided
by the WEU.
Further information: Western European Union,
Secretariat-General, 9 Grosvenor Place, London SW1X
7HL. Tel: 071 235 5351; Fax: 071 259 6102.
91. THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
The Council of Europe was set up on 5 May 1949, ``to
achieve a greater unity between its members for the
purpose of safeguarding and realising the ideals and
principles which are their common heritage and facilitat-
ing their economic and social progress''.
The Council has 27 member countries including
Hungary which joined in 1990 and the Czech and Slovak
Federal Republic in 1991. Other Central and Eastern
European countries have special guest status. Some of
the Council's activities are open to non-member states.
The organisation is composed of a Committee of Minis-
ters, in which agreements are reached on common action
by Governments; and a 192-strong Assembly, which makes
proposals for new activities and serves, more generally,
as a parliamentary forum (Bulgaria, Poland, Romania
and Russia have special guest status with the Parliamen-
tary Assembly).
The Council's overall aim is to maintain the basic
principles of human rights, pluralist democracy and the
rule of law and enhance the quality of life for European
citizens.
Around 140 inter-governmental conventions and agree-
ments have been concluded by the Council, chief among
which are the Convention on Human Rights, the Euro-
pean Cultural Convention, and the European Social Char-
ter. The organisation further promotes cooperation to
improve education; the safeguarding of the urban and
natural environment; social services, public health, sport
and youth activities; the development of local democracy;
the harmonization of legislation, particularly in the light
of technical developments, and the prevention of compu-
ter crime.
Further information: Information Directorate, Council
of Europe, BP341, R6-67006 Strasbourg, France, Tel:
Strasbourg (88) 412033; Fax: (88) 412780/(88) 412790.
NATO handbook10 uploaded March 25, 1993
PART V
OTHER INTER-
GOVERNMENTAL AND
NON-GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANISATIONS
92. THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSEMBLY
Alliance cohesion is substantially enhanced by the sup-
port of freely elected parliamentary representatives. The
North Atlantic Assembly (NAA) is the inter-parliamentary
forum of the 16 member countries of the Alliance. It
brings together European and North American legislators
to debate and discuss issues of common interest and
concern. The Assembly is completely independent of
NATO but constitutes a link between national parliaments
and the Alliance which encourages governments to take
Alliance concerns into account when framing national
legislation. It also acts as a permanent reminder that
intergovernmental decisions reached within NATO are ulti-
mately dependent on political endorsement in accordance
with the due constitutional process of democratically
elected parliaments.
Delegates to the North Atlantic Assembly are nomi-
nated by their parliaments according to their national
procedures on the basis of party representation in the
parliaments. The Assembly therefore represents a broad
spectrum of political opinion. It comprises 188 parlia-
mentarians, the size of each country's delegation
being mainly determined by the size of its population.
The membership is drawn from different political parties
but serving members of governments cannot act as
delegates.
There are five Assembly officers elected each year by
delegates in Plenary Session, namely the President, three
Vice-Presidents and the Treasurer. A Secretary General is
elected every two years by a Standing Committee com-
posed of the heads of each delegation. The Assembly
meets twice a year in Plenary Session. Meetings are held
in national capitals on a rotational basis at the invitation
of national parliaments. The Assembly functions through
five committees, i.e. Political; Defence and Security;
Economic; Scientific and Technical; and Civilian Affairs.
These are both study groups and major forums for
discussion. The committees study and examine all major
contemporary issues arising in their respective fields of
interest. They meet regularly throughout the year and
report to the Plenary Sessions of the Assembly.
The primary purpose of the Assembly is educative and
consensus-building. It allows Alliance legislators to
convey national preoccupations and concerns and to
inform each other of the very different national and
regional perspectives that exist on many key issues of
mutual interest. Similarly, members of the Assembly
are able to use the experience and information gained
through participation in its activities when exercising
their roles within national parliaments, and thus ensure
that Alliance interests and considerations are given maxi-
mum visibility in national discussions. The Assembly also
constitutes an important touchstone for assessing parlia-
mentary and public opinion on Alliance issues and
through its deliberations provides a clear indication of
public and parliamentary concerns regarding Alliance
policies. In this sense the Assembly plays an indirect but
important role in policy formation. Recommendations
and resolutions of the Assembly are forwarded to na-
tional governments, parliaments, other relevant organisa-
tions and to the Secretary General of NATO who formu-
lates replies based on discussions within the North Atlan-
tic Council.
Relations between the Assembly and the countries of
Central and Eastern Europe were placed on a formal
basis in 1990 when parliamentary representatives from
these countries were invited to participate in the full
range of Assembly activities as ``Associate Delegates''.
The Assembly has also organised a number of seminars
in which representatives from other countries including
Sweden, Finland, Austria, Yugoslavia and Switzerland
have also participated.
The Assembly is developing a programme of specialised
seminars aimed at assisting the development of parliamen-
tary democracy in Central and Eastern Europe and in the
Commonwealth of Independent States. These will focus
on areas where the Assembly has particular competence
and experience or, as a multilateral forum, is uniquely
placed to make an effective contribution, such as the
question of parliamentary oversight and control of de-
fence expenditure and of the armed forces. In addition,
the Assembly is focussing its efforts and resources on
other ways of assisting the development of democracy in
Central and Eastern Europe, including the creation of a
Special Committee comprising Assembly members and
Associate Delegates on an equal basis to discuss and
exchange views on security requirements.
Further information on the North Atlantic Assembly
may be obtained from its International Secretariat -
Place du Petit Sablon 3, B-1000 Brussels. Tel.:
513.28.65.
93. THE ATLANTIC TREATY ASSOCIATION (ATA)
Voluntary associations affiliated to the Atlantic Treaty
Association (ATA) support the activities of NATO and
of individual governments to promote the objectives of
the North Atlantic Treaty.
The objectives of the Atlantic Treaty Association are:
(a) to educate and inform the public concerning the
aims and goals of the North Atlantic Treaty Organis-
ation;
(b) to conduct research in the various purposes and
activities related to the Organisation;
(c) to promote the solidarity of the peoples in the North
Atlantic area;
(d) to develop permanent relations and cooperation
between its national member committees or associa-
tions.
An Atlantic Education Committee (AEC) and an Atlan-
tic Association of Young Political Leaders (AAYPL) are
active in their own fields.
The following national voluntary organisations are
members of the ATA:
BELGIUM
The Belgian Atlantic Association
24 rue des Petits Carmes
1000 Brussels
LUXEMBOURG
Luxembourg Atlantic Association
BP 805
Luxembourg
CANADA
The Atlantic Council of Canada
6 Hoskin Avenue
Toronto
Ontario M5S 1H8
NETHERLANDS
Netherlands Atlantic Committee
Laan van Meerdervoort 96
2517 AR The Hague
DENMARK
Danish Atlantic Association
Ryvangs Alle 1
Postbox 2521
DK-2100 Copenhagen 0
NORWAY
Norwegian Atlantic Committee
Fridtjof Nansens Plass 6
0160 Oslo 1
FRANCE
French Association for the
Atlantic Community
185 rue de la Pompe
75116 Paris
PORTUGAL
Portuguese Atlantic Committee
Av. Infante Santo 42, 6e
1300 Lisbon
GERMANY
The German Atlantic Society
Am Burgweiher 12
5300 Bonn 1
SPAIN
Spanish Atlantic Association
Fernaflor 6-5B.
28014 Madrid
GREECE
Greek Association for Atlantic and
European Cooperation
160A Ioannou Drossopoulou Str
112 56 Athens
TURKEY
Turkish Atlantic Committee
Kuleli Sokak No: 44/1
Gaziosmanpasa
06700 Ankara
ICELAND
Association of Western
Cooperation
PO Box 28
121 Reykjavik
ITALY
Italian Atlantic Committee
Piazza di Firenze 27
00186 Rome
UNITED KINGDOM
The British Atlantic Commitee
154 Buckingham Palace Road
London W5 4VB
UNITED STATES
The Atlantic Council of the United
States
1616 H. Street NW
Washington DC 20006
>From October 1992 The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria has
been associated with the Atlantic Treaty Association as
an observer (Address: 29 Slavyanska Street, Sofia 1000).
Further information concerning the Atlantic Treaty
Association may be obtained from the Secretary General
of the ATA at 185, rue de la Pompe, 75116 Paris.
94. THE INTERALLIED CONFEDERATION OF
RESERVE OFFICERS (CIOR)
The Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers is a
non-governmental, non-political, non-profit organisation.
Known by its French acronym CIOR, the Confeder-
ation was formed in 1948 by the Reserve Officers Associa-
tions of Belgium, France and the Netherlands. All exist-
ing national reserve officer associations of NATO-
member nations now belong to the Confederation. It
represents more than 800,000 reserve officers and aims
to inculcate and maintain an interallied spirit among its
members and to provide them with information about
NATO developments and activities. It also aims to con-
tribute to the organisation, administration and training
of reserve forces in NATO countries and to improve their
motivation, capabilities, interoperability and mutual con-
fidence through common and exchange training pro-
grammes.
The Confederation maintains close liaison with appro-
priate national defence organisations and with NATO
military authorities and develops international contacts
between reserve officers. Its members are active in profes-
sional, business, industrial, academic and political circles
in their respective countries and contribute individually
to the improvement of public understanding of NATO
and the strengthening of public support for its policies.
The chief executive of the Confederation is an elected
President who serves in that office for a period of two
years. He is assisted by a Secretary General and an
Executive Committee composed of delegates from all
national member associations. The head of each national
delegation is also a Vice-President of the Confederation.
The Interallied Confederation of the Medical Reserve
Officers (CIOMR) is affiliated to the CIOR.
Member associations of the CIOR:
BELGIUM
Union Royale Nationale des
Officiers de Reserve de Belgique
(URNOR/KNVRO-BE)
Rue des Petits Carmes 24
B-1000 Bruxelles
CANADA
The Conference of Defence
Associations of Canada (CDA)
PO Box 893
Ottawa
Ontario K1P 5P9
DENMARK
Reserve officers Foreningen i
Danmark (ROID)
GL. Hovedragt
Kastellet,
DK-2100 Copenhagen
GERMANY
Verband der Reservisten der
Deutschen Bundeswehr (VdRBw)
Pfarrer Byns Strasse 1
D-5300 Bonn - Endenich
GREECE
The Supreme Pan-Hellenic
Federation of Reserve Officers
(SPFRO)
100 Solonos Street
GR-10680 Athens 144
FRANCE
Union Nationale des Officiers de
Reserve France (UNOR/FR)
17 Avenue de l'Opera
F-75001 Paris
LUXEMBOURG
Amicale des Anciens Officiers de
Reserve Luxembourgeois
(ANORL)
124 A Kiem
L-8030 Strassen
THE NETHERLANDS
Koninklijke Vereniging van
Nederlandse Reserve Officieren
(KVNRO)
Postbus 96820
NL-2509 s'Gravenhage
NORWAY
Norske Reserveoffiserers Forbund
(NROF)
Oslo Mil. Akershus
NO-0015 Oslo 1
SPAIN
Federation of Spanish Reserve
Associations (FORE)
Aerodromo de La Nava
Corral de Ayllon
Segovia 28018
UNITED KINGDOM
The Reserve Forces Association of
the United Kingdom (RFA)
Centre Block
Duke of York's Headquarters
Chelsea
GB-London SW3 4SG
UNITED STATES
The Reserve Officers Association
of the United States (ROA)
1 Constitution Avenue NE
Washington DC 20002
The CIOR and CIOMR have a liaison office at NATO
Headquarters situated within the International Military
Staff. Further information about the Confederations may
be obtained from this office (CIOR/CIOMR Liaison
Office, NATO/IMS/P&P, B-1110 Brussels).
95. THE EUROGROUP/
The EUROGROUP is a grouping of European govern-
ments within the framework of NATO, open to all Euro-
pean members of the Alliance. Its aim is to help
strengthen the whole Alliance by seeking to ensure that
the European contribution to the common defence is as
strong and cohesive as possible. It provides a forum in
which European Defence Ministers can exchange views
on major political and security issues and foster practical
cooperation through the work of specialist sub-groups on
tactical communications, logistics, long-term concepts of
operation, military medicine, and joint training.
Meetings of Defence Ministers take place twice a year,
just before the regular half-yearly Ministerial session of
NATO's Defence Planning Committee. They include a
working dinner which provides an important opportunity
for informal discussion. The chairmanship of the EURO-
GROUP rotates each year. The work is overseen and
Ministerial meetings prepared by an ad hoc committee of
EUROGROUP Ambassadors at NATO Headquarters.
For day-to-day affairs, the main working body is the
Staff Group, which is composed of officials from the
national delegations at NATO Headquarters. A Secre-
tariat is provided by the United Kingdom.
The EUROGROUP regularly sends panels to North
America in order to increase understanding of the scale
of the European defence effort and arranges for North
American legislators and journalists to see European
defence forces at first hand. It also organises an annual
conference in Washington and an annual seminar hosted
by the chairing nation.
96. THE INDEPENDENT EUROPEAN PROGRAMME
GROUP/
The Independent European Programme Group (IEPG),
formed in 1976, is the forum through which all European
member nations of NATO (except Iceland) discuss and
formulate policies designed to achieve greater cooperation
in armaments procurement. The Group meets at the level
of Defence Ministers and National Armaments Directors
and works through three Panels. Panel I, chaired by
Norway, is responsible for the harmonisation of opera-
tional requirements and the identification of opportunities
for collaboration. Panel II, chaired by France, overseas
research and technology cooperation and is chiefly con-
cerned with managing the EUCLID programme (Euro-
pean Cooperation for the Long-term in Defence). Panel
III, chaired by Germany, is responsible for defence equip-
ment market matters including the liberalisation of de-
fence trade in Europe.
The Panels report to biannual meetings of National
Armaments Directors, who report in turn to Defence
Ministers. The latter meet at least once a year. The
chairmanship of the IEPG rotates every two years be-
tween member states. The current chair nation, Belgium,
is due to be succeeded by Denmark at the beginning of
1993. The IEPG is not a formal body and apart from a
small administrative Permanent Secretariat based in
Lisbon, the work of the Group falls to the nations who
share the duties between them.
/ The future roles of the Eurogroup and the IEPG are under
discussion.
NATO APPENDICES uploaded March 25, 1993
handbook11
APPENDIX I
97. THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY
Washington DC, 4th April 1949
The Parties to this Treaty reaffirm their faith in the purposes
and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and their
desire to live in peace with all peoples and all governments.
They are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and
civilisation of their peoples, founded on the principles of
democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law.
They seek to promote stability and well-being in the North
Atlanticarea.
They are resolved to unite their efforts for collective defence
and for the preservation of peace and security.
They therefore agree to this North Atlantic Treaty:
ARTICLE 1
The Parties undertake, as set forth in the Charter of the United
Nations, to settle any international dispute in which they may
be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international
peace and security and justice are not endangered, and to refrain
in their international relations from the threat or use of force
in any manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United
Nations.
ARTICLE 2
The Parties will contribute toward the further development of
peaceful and friendly international relations by strengthening
their free institutions, by bringing about a better understanding
of the principles upon which these institutions are founded, and
by promoting conditions of stability and well-being. They will
seek to eliminate conflict in their international economic
policies and will encourage economic collaboration between any
or all of them.
ARTICLE 3
In order more effectively to achieve the objectives of this
Treaty, theParties, separately and jointly, by means of
continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid, will maintain
and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist
armed attack.
ARTICLE 4
The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any
of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or
security of any of the Parties is threatened.
ARTICLE 5
The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of
them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack
against them all, and consequently they agree that, if such an
armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of
individual or collective selfdefence recognised by Article 51 of
the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or
Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually, and in
concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems
necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and
maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.
Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof
shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such
measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken
the measures necessary to restore and maintain international
peace and security.
ARTICLE 6
For the purpose of Article 5, an armed attack on one or more of
the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack:
- on the territory of any of the Parties in Europe or North
America, on the Algerian Departments of France(2), on the
territory of Turkey or on the islands under the jurisdiction of
any of the Parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic
of Cancer;
- on the forces, vessels, or aircraft of any of the Parties,
when in or over these territories or any area in Europe in which
occupation forces of any of the Parties were stationed on the
date when the Treaty entered into force or the Mediterranean Sea
or the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer.
ARTICLE 7
The Treaty does not effect, and shall not be interpreted as
affecting, in any way the rights and obligations under the
Charter of the Parties which are members of the United Nations,
or the primary responsibility of the Security Council for the
maintenance of international peace and security.
1 As amended by Article 2 of the Protocol to the North Atlantic
Treaty on the accesion of Greece and Turkey.
2 On 16th January 1963 the Council noted that insofar as the
former Algerian Departments of France were concerned the relevant
clauses of this Treaty had become inapplicable as from 3rd July
1962.
ARTICLE 8
Each Party declares that none of the international engagements
now in force between it and any other of the Parties or any third
State is in conflict with the provisions of this Treaty, and
undertakes not to enter into any international engagement in
conflict with this Treaty.
ARTICLE 9
The Parties hereby establish a Council, on which each of them
shall be represented to consider matters concerning the
implementation of this Treaty. The Council shall be so organised
as to be able to meet promptly at any time. The Council shall set
up such subsidiary bodies as may be necessary; in particular it
shall establish immediately a defence committee which shall
recommend measures for the implementation of Articles 3 and 5.
ARTICLE 10
The Parties may, by unanimous agreement, invite any other
European State in a position to further the principles of this
Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic
area to accede to this Treaty. Any State so invited may become
a party to the Treaty by depositing its instrument of accession
with the Government of the United States of America. The
Government of the United States of America will inform each of
the Parties of the deposit of each such instrument of accession.
ARTICLE 11
This Treaty shall be ratified and its provisions carried out by
the Parties in accordance with their respective constitutional
processes. The instruments of ratification shall be deposited as
soon as possible with the Government of the United States of
America, which will notify all the other signatories of each
deposit. The Treaty shall enter into force between the States
which have ratified it as soon as the ratification of the
majority of the signatories, including the ratifications of
Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United
Kingdom and the United States, have been deposited and shall come
into effect with respect to other States on the date of the
deposit of their ratifications.3
ARTICLE 12
After the Treaty has been in force for ten years, or at any time
3 The Treaty came into force on 24 August 1949, after the
deposition of the ratifications of all signatory states.
thereafter, the Parties shall, if any of them so requests,
consult together for the purpose of reviewing the Treaty, having
regard for the factors then affecting peace and security in the
North Atlantic area including the development of universal as
well as regional arrangements under the Charter of the United
Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security.
ARTICLE 13
After the Treaty has been in force for twenty years, any Party
may cease to be a Party one year after its notice of denunciation
has been given to the Government of the United States of America,
which will inform the Governments of the other Parties of the
deposit of each notice of denunciation.
ARTICLE 14
This Treaty, of which the English and French texts are equally
authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the Government
of the United States of America. Duly certified copies will be
transmitted by that government to the governments of the other
signatories.
NATO Handbook uploaded March 25, 1993
APPENDIX II
98. THE ALLIANCE'S STRATEGIC CONCEPT
Agreed by the Heads of State and Government
participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic
Council in Rome on 7th-8th November 1991
1. At their meeting in London in July 1990, NATO's Heads of
Stateand Government agreed on the need to transform the
Atlantic Alliance to reflect the new, more promising, era in
Europe. While reaffirming the basic principles on which the
Alliance has rested since its inception, they recognized that
the developments taking place in Europe would have a
far-reaching impact on the way in which its aims would be met
in future. In particular, they set in hand a fundamental
strategic review.The resulting new Strategic Concept is set
out below.
PART I - THE STRATEGIC CONTEXT
The New Strategic Environment
2. Since 1989, profound political changes have taken place in
Central and Eastern Europe which have radically improved the
security environment in which the North Atlantic Alliance
seeks to achieve its objectives.
The USSR's former satellites have fully recovered their
sovereignty. The Soviet Union and its Republics are undergoing
radical change. The three Baltic Republics have regained their
independence. Soviet forces have left Hungary and
Czechoslovakia and are due to complete their withdrawal from
Poland and Germany by 1994. All the countries that were
formerly adversaries of NATO have dismantled the Warsaw Pact
and rejected ideological hostility to the West. They have, in
varyingdegrees, embraced and begun to implement policies aimed
at achieving pluralistic democracy, the rule of law, respect
for human rights and a market economy. The political division
of Europe that was the source of the military confrontation of
the Cold War period has thus been overcome.
3. In the West, there have also been significant changes.
Germany has been united and remains a full member of the
Alliance and of European institutions. The fact that the
countries of the European Community are working towards the
goal of political union, including the development of a
European security identity; and the enhancement of the role of
the WEU, are important factors for European security. The
strengthening of the security dimension in the process of
European integration, and the enhancement of the role and
responsibilities of European members of the Alliance are
positive and mutually reinforcing. The development of a
European security identity and defence role, reflected in the
strengthening of the European pillar within the Alliance, will
not only serve the interests of the European states but also
reinforce the integrity and effectiveness of the Alliance as
a whole.
4. Substantial progress in arms control has already enhanced
stability and security by lowering arms levels and increasing
military transparency and mutual confidence (including through
the Stockholm CDE agreement of 1986, the INF Treaty of 1987
and the CSCE agreements and confidence and security-building
measures of 1990). Implementation of the 1991 START Treaty
will lead to increased stability through substantial and
balanced reductions in the field of strategic nuclear arms.
Further far-reaching changes and reductions in the nuclear
forces of the United States and the Soviet Union will be
pursued following President Bush's September 1991 initiative.
Also of great importance is the Treaty on
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), signed at the 1990
Paris Summit; its implementation will remove the Alliance's
numerical inferiority in key conventional weapon systems and
provide for effective verification procedures. All these
developments will also result in an unprecedented degree of
military transparency in Europe, thus increasing
predictability and mutual confidence. Such transparency would
be further enhanced by the achievement of an Open Skies
regime. There are welcome prospects for further advances in
arms control in conventional and nuclear forces, and for the
achievement of a global ban on chemical weapons, as well as
restricting de-stabilising arms exports and the proliferation
of certain weapons technologies.
5. The CSCE process, which began in Helsinki in 1975, has
already contributed significantly to overcoming the division
of Europe. As a result of the Paris Summit, it now includes
new institutional arrangements and provides a contractual
framework for consultation and cooperation that can play a
constructive role, complementary to that of NATO and the
process of European integration, in preserving peace.
6. The historic changes that have occurred in Europe, which
have led to the fulfilment of a number of objectives set out
in the Harmel Report, have significantly improved the overall
security of the Allies.
The monolithic, massive and potentially immediate threat which
was the principal concern of the Alliance in its first forty
years has disappeared. On the other hand, a great deal of
uncertainty about the future and risks to the security of the
Alliance remain.
7. The new Strategic Concept looks forward to a security
environment in which the positive changes referred to above
have come to fruition. In particular, it assumes both the
completion of the planned withdrawal of Soviet military forces
from Central and Eastern Europe and the full implementation by
all parties of the 1990 CFE Treaty. The implementation of the
Strategic Concept will thus be kept under review in the light
of the evolving security environment and in particular
progress in fulfilling these assumptions. Further adaptation
will be made to the extent necessary.
Security Challenges and Risks
8. The security challenges and risks which NATO faces are
different in nature from what they were in the past. The
threat of a simultaneous, full-scale attack on all of NATO's
European fronts has effectively been removed and thus no
longer provides the focus for Allied strategy.
Particularly in Central Europe, the risk of a surprise attack
has been substantially reduced, and minimum Allied warning
time has increased accordingly.
9. In contrast with the predominant threat of the past, the
risks to Allied security that remain are multi-faceted in
nature and multi- directional, which makes them hard to
predict and assess. NATO must be capable of responding to such
risks if stability in Europe and the security of Alliance
members are to be preserved. These risks can arise in various
ways.
10. Risks to Allied security are less likely to result from
calculated aggression against the territory of the Allies, but
rather from the adverse consequences of instabilities that may
arise from the serious economic, social and political
difficulties, including ethnic rivalries and territorial
disputes, which are faced by many countries in Central and
Eastern Europe. The tensions which may result, as long as they
remain limited, should not directly threaten the security and
territorial integrity of members of the Alliance. They could,
however, lead to crises inimical to European stability and
even to armed conflicts, which could involve outside powers or
spill over into NATO countries, having a direct effect
on the security of the Alliance.
11. In the particular case of the Soviet Union, the risks and
uncertainties that accompany the process of change cannot be
seen in isolation from the fact that its conventional forces
are significantly larger than those of any other European
State and its large nuclear arsenal comparable only with that
of the United States. These capabilities have to be taken into
account if stability and security in Europe are to be
preserved.
12. The Allies also wish to maintain peaceful and
non-adversarial relations with the countries in the Southern
Mediterranean and Middle East. The stability and peace of the
countries on the southern periphery of Europe are important
for the security of the Alliance, as the 1991
Gulf war has shown. This is all the more so because of the
build-up of military power and the proliferation of weapons
technologies in the area, including weapons of mass
destruction and ballistic missiles capable of reaching the
territory of some member states of the Alliance.
13. Any armed attack on the territory of the Allies, from
whatever direction, would be covered by Articles 5 and 6 of
the Washington Treaty. However, Alliance security must also
take account of the global context. Alliance security
interests can be affected by other risks of a wider nature,
including proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,
disruption of the flow of vital resources and actions of
terrorism and sabotage. Arrangements exist within 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.
14. From the point of view of Alliance strategy, these
different risks have to be seen in different ways. Even in a
non-adversarial and cooperative relationship, Soviet military
capability and build-up potential, including its nuclear
dimension, still constitute the most significant factor of
which the Alliance has to take account in maintaining the
strategic balance in Europe. The end of East-West
confrontation has, however, greatly reduced the risk of major
conflict in Europe. On the other hand, there is a greater risk
of different crises arising, which could develop quickly and
would require a rapid response, but they are likely to be of
a lesser magnitude.
15. Two conclusions can be drawn from this analysis of the
strategic context. The first is that the new environment does
not change the purpose or the security functions of the
Alliance, but rather underlines their enduring validity. The
second, on the other hand, is that the changed environment
offers new opportunities for the Alliance to frame
its strategy within a broad approach to security.
PART II - ALLIANCE OBJECTIVES AND SECURITY
FUNCTIONS
The Purpose of the Alliance
16. NATO's essential purpose, set out in the Washington Treaty
and reiterated in the London Declaration, 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 Alliance objective remains unchanged.
The Nature of the Alliance
17. NATO 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.
18. The fundamental operating principle of the Alliance is
that of common commitment and mutual cooperation among
sovereign states in support of the indivisibility of security
for all of its members. Solidarity within the Alliance, given
substance and effect by NATO's daily work in both the
political and military spheres, ensures that no single Ally 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 through collective effort to enhance their ability to
realise their essential national security objectives.
19. The resulting sense of equal security amongst the members
of the Alliance, regardless of differences in their
circumstances or in their national military capabilities
relative to each other, contributes to overall stability
within Europe and thus to the creation of conditions conducive
to increased cooperation both among Alliance members and with
others. It is on this basis that members of the Alliance,
together with other nations, are able to pursue the
development of cooperative structures of security for a Europe
whole and free.
The Fundamental Tasks of the Alliance
20. The means by which the Alliance pursues its security
policy to preserve the peace will continue to include the
maintenance of a military capability sufficient to prevent war
and to provide for effective defence; an overall capability to
manage successfully crises affecting the security of its
members; and the pursuit of political efforts favouring
dialogue with other nations and the active search for a
cooperative approach to European security, including in the
field of arms control and disarmament.
21. To achieve its essential purpose, the Alliance performs
the following fundamental security tasks:
I. To provide one of the indispensable foundations for a
stable security environment in Europe, based on the growth of
democratic institutions and commitment to the peaceful
resolution of disputes, 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.
II. To serve, as provided for in Article 4 of the North
Atlantic Treaty, as a transatlantic forum for Allied
consultations on any issues that affect their vital interests,
including possible developments posing risks for members'
security, and for appropriate coordination of their efforts in
fields of common concern.
III. To deter and defend against any threat of aggression
against the territory of any NATO member state.
IV. To preserve the strategic balance within Europe.
22. Other European institutions such as the EC, WEU and CSCE
also have roles to play, in accordance with their respective
responsibilities and purposes, in these fields. The creation
of a European identity in security and defence will underline
the preparedness of the Europeans to take a greater share of
responsibility for their security and will help to reinforce
transatlantic solidarity. However the extent of its membership
and of its capabilities gives NATO a particular position in
that it can perform all four core security functions. NATO is
the essential forum for consultation among the Allies and the
forum for agreement on policies bearing on the security and
defence commitments of its members under the Washington
Treaty.
23. In defining the core functions of the Alliance in the
terms set out above, member states confirm that the scope of
the Alliance as well as their rights and obligations as
provided for in the Washington Treaty remain unchanged.
PART III - A BROAD APPROACH TO SECURITY
Protecting Peace in a New Europe
24. The Alliance has always sought to achieve its objectives
of safeguarding the security and territorial integrity 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.
25. But what is new is that, with the radical changes in the
security situation, the opportunities for achieving Alliance
objectives through political means are greater than ever
before. It is now possible to draw all the consequences from
the fact that security and stability have political, economic,
social, and environmental elements as well as the
indispensable defence dimension. Managing the diversity of
challenges facing the Alliance requires a broad approach to
security. This is reflected in three mutually reinforcing
elements of Allied security policy; dialogue, cooperation, and
the maintenance of a collective defence capability.
26. The Alliance's active pursuit of dialogue and cooperation,
underpinned by its commitment to an effective collective
defence capability, seeks to reduce the risks 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.
27. In this regard, the Alliance's arms control and
disarmament policy contributes both to dialogue and to
cooperation with other nations, and thus will continue to play
a major role in the achievement of the Alliance's security
objectives. The Allies seek, through arms control and
disarmament, to enhance security and stability at the lowest
possible level of forces consistent with the requirements of
defence. Thus, the Alliance will continue to ensure that
defence and arms control and disarmament objectives remain in
harmony.
28. In fulfilling its fundamental objectives and core security
functions, the Alliance will continue to respect the
legitimate security interests of others, and seek the peaceful
resolution of disputes as set forth in the Charter of the
United Nations. The Alliance will promote peaceful and
friendly international relations and support democratic
institutions. In this respect, it recognizes the valuable
contribution being made by other organizations such as the
European Community and the CSCE, and that the roles of these
institutions and of the Alliance are complementary.
Dialogue
29. The new situation in Europe has multiplied the
opportunities for dialogue on the part of the Alliance with
the Soviet Union and the other countries of Central and
Eastern Europe. The Alliance has established regular
diplomatic liaison and military contacts with the countries of
Central and Eastern Europe as provided for in the London
Declaration. The Alliance will further promote dialogue
through regular diplomatic liaison, including an intensified
exchange of views and information on security policy issues.
Through such means the Allies, individually and collectively,
will seek to make full use of the unprecedented opportunities
afforded by the growth of freedom and democracy throughout
Europe and encourage greater mutual understanding of
respective security concerns, to increase transparency and
predictability in security affairs, and thus to reinforce
stability. The military can help to overcome the divisions of
the past, not least through intensified military contacts and
greater military transparency. The Alliance's pursuit of
dialogue will provide a foundation for greater cooperation
throughout Europe and the ability to resolve differences and
conflicts by peaceful means.
Cooperation
30. The Allies are also committed to pursue cooperation with
all states in Europe on the basis of the principles set out in
the Charter of Paris for a New Europe. They will seek to
develop broader and productive patterns of bilateral and
multilateral cooperation in all relevant fields of European
security, with the aim, inter alia, of preventing crises or,
should they arise, ensuring their effective management.
Such partnership between the members of the Alliance and other
nations in dealing with specific problems will be an essential
factor in moving beyond past divisions towards one Europe
whole and free. This policy of cooperation is the expression
of the inseparability of security among European states. It is
built upon a common recognition among Alliance members that
the persistence of new political, economic or social divisions
across the continent could lead to future instability, and
such divisions must thus be diminished.
Collective Defence
31. The political approach to security will thus become
increasingly important. Nonetheless, the military dimension
remains essential. The maintenance of an adequate military
capability and clear preparedness to act collectively in the
common defence remain central to the Alliance's security
objectives. Such a capability, together with political
solidarity, is required in order 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. It is
equally indispensable so that dialogue and cooperation can be
undertaken with confidence and achieve their desired results.
Management of Crisis and Conflict Prevention
32. In the new political and strategic environment in Europe,
the success of the Alliance's policy of preserving peace and
preventing war depends even more than in the past on the
effectiveness of preventive diplomacy and successful
management of crises affecting the security of its members.
Any major aggression in Europe is much more unlikely and would
be preceded by significant warning time. Though on a much
smaller scale, the range and variety of other potential risks
facing the Alliance are less predictable than before.
33. In these new circumstances there are increased
opportunities for the successful resolution of crises at an
early stage. The success of Alliance policy will require a
coherent approach determined by the Alliance's political
authorities choosing and coordinating appropriate crisis
management measures as required from a range of political and
other measures, including those in the military field. Close
control by the political authorities of the Alliance will be
applied from the outset and at all stages. Appropriate
consultation and decision making procedures are essential to
this end.
34. The potential of dialogue and cooperation within all of
Europe must be fully developed in order to help to defuse
crises and to prevent conflicts since the Allies' security is
inseparably linked to that of all other states in Europe. To
this end, the Allies will support the role of the CSCE process
and its institutions. Other bodies including the European
Community, Western European Union and United Nations may also
have an important role to play.
PART IV - GUIDELINES FOR DEFENCE
Principles of Alliance Strategy
35. The diversity of challenges now facing the Alliance thus
requires a broad approach to security. The transformed
political and strategic environment enables the Alliance to
change a number of important features of its military strategy
and to set out new guidelines, while reaffirming proven
fundamental principles.
At the London Summit, it was therefore agreed to prepare a new
military strategy and a revised force posture responding to
the changed circumstances.
36. Alliance strategy will continue to reflect a number of
fundamental principles. The Alliance is purely defensive in
purpose: none of its weapons will ever be used except in
self-defence, and it does not consider itself to be anyone's
adversary. The Allies will maintain military strength adequate
to convince any potential aggressor that the use of force
against the territory of one of the Allies would meet
collective and effective action by all of them and that the
risks involved in initiating conflict would outweigh any
foreseeable gains. The forces of the Allies must therefore be
able to defend Alliance frontiers, to stop an aggressor's
advance as far forward as possible, to maintain or restore the
territorial integrity of Allied nations and to terminate war
rapidly by making an aggressor reconsider his decision, cease
his attack and withdraw. The role of the Alliance's military
forces is to assure the territorial integrity and political
independence of its member states, and thus contribute to
peace and stability in Europe.
37. The security of all Allies is indivisible: an attack on
one is an attack onall. Alliance solidarity and strategic
unity are accordingly crucial prerequisites for collective
security. The achievement of the Alliance's objectives depends
critically on the equitable sharing of roles, risks and
responsibilities, as well as the benefits, of common defence.
The presence of North American conventional and US nuclear
forces in Europe remains vital to the security of Europe,
which is inseparably linked to that of North America. As the
process of developing a European security identity and defence
role progresses, and is reflected in the strengthening of the
European pillar within the Alliance, the European members of
the Alliance will assume a greater degree of the
responsibility for the defence of Europe.
38. The collective nature of Alliance defence is embodied in
practical arrangements that enable the Allies to enjoy the
crucial political, military and resource advantages of
collective defence, and prevent the renationalisation of
defence policies, without depriving the Allies of their sover-
eignty. These arrangements are based on an integrated military
structure as well as on cooperation and coordination
agreements. Key features include collective force planning;
common operational planning; multinational formations; the
stationing of forces outside home territory, where appropriate
on a mutual basis; crisis management and reinforcement
arrangements; procedures for consultation; common standards
and procedures for equipment, training and logistics; joint
and combined exercises; and infrastructure, armaments and
logistics cooperation.
39. To protect peace and to prevent war or any kind of
coercion, the Alliance will maintain for the foreseeable
future an appropriate mix of nuclear and conventional forces
based in Europe and kept up to date where necessary, although
at a significantly reduced level. Both elements are essential
to Alliance security and cannot substitute one for the other.
Conventional forces contribute to war prevention by ensuring
that no potential aggressor could contemplate a quick or easy
victory, or territorial gains, by conventional means. Taking
into account the diversity of risks with which the Alliance
could be faced, it must maintain the forces necessary to
provide a wide range of conventional response options. But the
Alliance's conventional forces alone cannot ensure the
prevention of war. Nuclear weapons make a unique contribution
in rendering the risks of any aggression incalculable and
unacceptable. Thus, they remain essential to preserve peace.
The Alliance's New Force Posture
40. At the London Summit, the Allies concerned agreed to move
away, where appropriate, from the concept of forward defence
towards a reduced forward presence, and to modify the
principle of flexible response to reflect a reduced reliance
on nuclear weapons. The changes stemming from the new
strategic environment and the altered risks now facing the
Alliance enable significant modifications to be made in the
missions of the Allies' military forces and in their posture.
The Missions of Alliance Military Forces
41. The primary role of Alliance military forces, to guarantee
the security and territorial integrity of member states,
remains unchanged. But this role must take account of the new
strategic environment, in which a single massive and global
threat has given way to diverse and multi-directional risks.
Alliance forces have different functions to perform in peace,
crisis and war.
42. In peace, the role of Allied military forces is to guard
against risks to the security of Alliance members; to
contribute towards the maintenance of stability and balance in
Europe; and to ensure that peace is preserved. They can
contribute to dialogue and cooperation throughout Europe by
their participation in confidence-building activities,
including those which enhance transparency and improve
communication; as well as in verification of arms control
agreements. Allies could, further, be called upon to
contribute to global stability and peace by providing forces
for United Nations missions.
43. In the event of crises which might lead to a military
threat to the security of Alliance members, the Alliance's
military forces can complement and reinforce political actions
within a broad approach to security,and thereby contribute to
the management of such crises and their peaceful resolution.
This requires that these forces have a capability for measured
and timely responses in such circumstances;
the capability to deter action against any Ally and, in the
event that aggression takes place, to respond to and repel it
as well as to reestablish the territorial integrity of member
states.
44. While in the new security environment a general war in
Europe has become highly unlikely, it cannot finally be ruled
out. The Alliance's military forces, which have as their
fundamental mission to protect peace, have to provide the
essential insurance against potential risks at the minimum
level necessary to prevent war of any kind, and, should
aggression occur, to restore peace. Hence the need for the
capabilities and the appropriate mix of forces already
described.
Guidelines for the Alliance's Force Posture
45. To implement its security objectives and strategic
principles in the new environment, the organization of the
Allies' forces must be adapted to provide capabilities that
can contribute to protecting peace, managing crises that
affect the security of Alliance members, and preventing war,
while retaining at all times the means to defend, if
necessary, all Allied territory and to restore peace. The
posture of Allies' forces will conform to the guidelines
developed in the following paragraphs.
46. The size, readiness, availability and deployment of the
Alliance's military forces will continue to reflect its
strictly defensive nature and will be adapted accordingly to
the new strategic environment including arms control
agreements. This means in particular:
(a) that the overall size of the Allies' forces, and in many
cases their readiness, will be reduced;
(b) that the maintenance of a comprehensive in-place linear
defensive posture in the central region will no longer be
required. The peacetime geographical distribution of forces
will ensure a sufficient military presence throughout the
territory of the Alliance, including where necessary forward
deployment of appropriate forces. Regional considerations and,
in particular, geostrategic differences within the Alliance
will have to be taken into account, including the shorter
warning times to which the northern and southern regions will
be subject compared with the central region and, in the
southern region, the potential for instability and the
military capabilities in the adjacent areas.
47. To ensure that at this reduced level the Allies' forces
can play an effective role both in managing crises and in
countering aggression against any Ally, they will require
enhanced flexibility and mobility and an assured capability
for augmentation when necessary. For these reasons:
(a) Available forces will include, in a limited but
militarily significant proportion, ground, air and sea
immediate and rapid reaction elements able to respond to a
wide range of eventualities, many of which are unforeseeable.
They will be of sufficient quality, quantity and readiness to
deter a limited attack and, if required, to defend the
territory of the Allies against attacks, particularly those
launched without long warning time.
(b) The forces of the Allies will be structured so as to
permit their military capability to be built up when
necessary. This ability to build up by reinforcement, by
mobilising reserves, or by reconstituting forces, must be in
proportion to potential threats to Alliance security,
including the possibility - albeit unlikely, but one that
prudence dictates should not be ruled out - of a major
conflict.
Consequently, capabilities for timely reinforcement and
resupply both within Europe and from North America will be of
critical importance.
(c) Appropriate force structures and procedures, including
those that would provide an ability to build up, deploy and
draw down forces quickly and discriminately, will be developed
to permit measured, flexible and timely responses in order to
reduce and defuse tensions. These arrangements must be
exercised regularly in peacetime.
(d) In the event of use of forces, including the deployment
of reaction and other available reinforcing forces as an
instrument of crisismanagement, the Alliance's political
authorities will, as before, exercise close control over their
employment at all stages. Existing procedures will be reviewed
in the light of the new missions and posture of Alliance
forces.
Characteristics of Conventional Forces
48. It is essential that the Allies' military forces have a
credible ability to fulfil their functions in peace, crisis
and war in a way appropriate to the new security environment.
This will be reflected in force and equipment levels;
readiness and availability; training and exercises; deployment
and employment options; and force build-up capabilities, all
of which will be adjusted accordingly. The conventional forces
of the Allies will include, in addition to immediate and rapid
reaction forces, main defence forces, which will provide the
bulk of forces needed to ensure the Alliance's territorial
integrity and the unimpeded use of their lines of
communication; and augmentation forces, which will provide a
means of reinforcing existing forces in a particular region.
Main defence and augmentation forces will comprise both active
and mobilisable elements.
49. Ground, maritime and air forces will have to cooperate
closely and combine and assist each other in operations aimed
at achieving agreed objectives. These forces will consist of
the following:
(a) Ground forces, which are essential to hold or regain
territory. The majority will normally be at lower states of
readiness and, overall,there will be a greater reliance on
mobilization and reserves. All categories of ground forces
will require demonstrable combat effectiveness together with
an appropriately enhanced capability for flexible deployment.
(b) Maritime forces, which because of their inherent
mobility, flexibility and endurance, make an important
contribution to the Alliance's crisis response options. Their
essential missions are to ensure sea control in order to
safeguard the Allies' sea lines of communication,to support
land and amphibious operations, and to protect the deployment
of the Alliance's sea-based nuclear deterrent.
(c) Air forces, whose ability to fulfil their fundamental
roles in both independent air and combined operations -
counter-air, air interdiction and offensive air support - as
well as to contribute to surveillance, reconnaissance and
electronic warfare operations, is essential to the overall
effectiveness of the Allies' military forces. Their role in
supporting operations, on land and at sea, will require
appropriate long-distance airlift and air refuelling
capabilities. Air defence forces, including modern air command
and control systems, are required to ensure a secure air
defence environment.
50. In light of the potential risks it poses, the
proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass
destruction should be given special consideration. Solution of
this problem will require complementary approaches including,
for example, export control and missile defences.
51. Alliance strategy is not dependent on a chemical warfare
capability. The Allies remain committed to the earliest
possible achievement of a global, comprehensive, and
effectively verifiable ban on all chemical weapons. But, even
after implementation of a global ban, precautionsof a purely
defensive nature will need to be maintained.
52. In the new security environment and given the reduced
overall force levels in future, the ability to work closely
together, which will facilitate the cost effective use of
Alliance resources, will be particularly important for the
achievement of the missions of the Allies' forces. The
Alliance's collective defence arrangements in which, for those
concerned, the integrated military structure, including
multinational forces, plays the key role, will be essential in
this regard. Integrated and multinational European structures,
as they are further developed in the context of an emerging
European Defence Identity, will also increasingly have a
similarly important role to play in enhancing the Allies'
ability to work together in the common defence. Allies'
efforts to achieve maximum cooperation will be based on the
common guidelines for defence defined above.
Practical arrangements will be developed to ensure the
necessary mutual transparency and complementarity between the
European security and defence identity and the Alliance.
53. In order to be able to respond flexibly to a wide range of
possible contingencies, the Allies concerned will require
effective surveillance and intelligence, flexible command and
control, mobility within and between regions, and appropriate
logistics capabilities, including transport capacities.
Logistic stocks must be sufficient to sustain all types of
forces in order to permit effective defence until resupply is
available. The capability of the Allies concerned to build up
larger, adequately equipped and trained forces, in a timely
manner and to a level appropriate to any risk to Alliance
security, will also make an essential contribution to crisis
management and defence. This capability will include the
ability to reinforce any area at risk within the territory of
the Allies and to establish a multinational presence when and
where this is needed.Elements of all three force categories
will be capable of being employed flexibly as part of both
intra-European and transatlantic reinforcement.
Proper use of these capabilities will require control of the
necessary lines of communication as well as appropriate
support and exercise arrangements. Civil resources will be of
increasing relevance in this context.
54. For the Allies concerned, collective defence arrangements
will rely increasingly on multinational forces, complementing
national commitments to NATO. Multinational forces demonstrate
the Alliance's resolve to maintain a credible collective
defence; enhance Alliance cohesion; reinforce the
transatlantic partnership and strengthen the European pillar.
Multinational forces, and in particular reaction forces,
reinforce solidarity. They can also provide a way of deploying
more capable formations than might be available purely
nationally, thus helping to make more efficient use of scarce
defence resources. This may include a highly integrated,
multinational approach to specific tasks and functions.
Characteristics of Nuclear Forces
55. The fundamental purpose of the nuclear forces of the
Allies is political: to preserve peace and prevent coercion
and any kind of war. They will continue to fulfil an essential
role by ensuring uncertainty in the mind of any aggressor
about the nature of the Allies' response to military
aggression. They demonstrate that aggression of any kind is
not a rational option. The supreme guarantee of the security
of the Allies is provided by the strategic nuclear forces of
the Alliance, particularly those of the United States; the
independent nuclear forces of the United Kingdom and France,
which have a deterrent role of their own, contribute to the
overall deterrence and security of the Allies.
56. A credible Alliance nuclear posture and the demonstration
of Alliance solidarity and common commitment to war prevention
continue to require widespread participation by European
Allies involved in collective defence planning in nuclear
roles, in peacetime basing of nuclear forces on their
territory and in command, control and consultation
arrangements. Nuclear forces based in Europe and committed to
NATO provide an essential political and military link between
the European and the North American members of the Alliance.
The Alliance will therefore maintain adequate nuclear forces
in Europe. These forces need to have the necessary
characteristics and appropriate flexibility and survivability,
to be perceived as a credible and effective element of the
Allies' strategy in preventing war. They will be maintained at
the minimum level sufficient to preserve peace and stability.
57. The Allies concerned consider that, with the radical
changes in the security situation, including conventional
force levels in Europe maintained in relative balance and
increased reaction times, NATO's ability to defuse a crisis
through diplomatic and other means or, should it be necessary,
to mount a successful conventional defence will significantly
improve. The circumstances in which any use of nuclear weapons
might have to be contemplated by them are therefore even more
remote. They can therefore significantly reduce their
sub-strategic nuclear forces. They will maintain adequate
sub-strategic forces based in Europe which will provide an
essential link with strategic nuclear forces, reinforcing the
trans-Atlantic link. These will consist solely of dual capable
aircraft which could, if necessary, be supplemented by
offshore systems. Sub-strategic nuclear weapons will, however,
not be deployed in normal circumstances on surface vessels and
attack submarines. There is no requirement for nuclear
artillery or groundlaunched short-range nuclear missiles and
they will be eliminated.
PART V - CONCLUSION
58. This Strategic Concept reaffirms the defensive nature of
the Alliance and the resolve of its members to safeguard their
security, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The
Alliance's security policy is based on dialogue; cooperation;
and effective collective defence asmutually reinforcing
instruments for preserving the peace.
Making full use of the new opportunities available, the
Alliance will maintain security at the lowest possible level
of forces consistent with the requirements of defence. In this
way, the Alliance is making an essential contribution to
promoting a lasting peaceful order.
59. The Allies will continue to pursue vigorously further
progress in arms control and confidence-building measures with
the objective of enhancing security and stability. They will
also play an active part in promoting dialogue and cooperation
between states on the basis of the principles enunciated in
the Paris Charter.
60. NATO's strategy will retain the flexibility to reflect
further developments in the politico-military environment,
including progress in the moves towards a European security
identity, and in any changes in the risks to Alliance
security. For the Allies concerned, the Strategic Concept will
form the basis for the further development of the Alliance's
defence policy, its operational concepts, its conventional and
nuclear force posture and its collective defence planning
arrangements.
NATO handbook13 uploaded March 25, 1993
APPENDIX III
99. MEMBERS OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL
President/
Mr. Hikmet Cetin
(Turkey)
Chairman
Mr. Manfred Worner (Germany)
Secretary General of NATO
Deputy Chairman
Ambassador Amedeo de Franchis (Italy)
Deputy Secretary General
Permanent Representatives on the North Atlantic Council
Belgium
Mr. Alain Rens
Canada
Mr. James K. Bartleman
Denmark
Mr. Ole Bierring
France
Mr. Gabriel Robin
Germany
Dr. Hans-Friedrich von Ploetz
Greece
Mr. Dimitri Petrounakos
Iceland
Mr. Sverrir Haukur Gunnlaugsson
Italy
Mr. Enzo Perlot
Luxembourg
Mr. Thierry Stoll
Netherlands
Mr. Adriaan Jacobovits de Szeged
Norway
Mr. Leif Mevik
Portugal
Mr. Jose Gregorio Faria
Spain
Mr. Carlos Miranda
Turkey
Mr. Tugay Ozceri
United Kingdom
Sir John Weston
United States
Mr. Reginald Bartholomew
/ An honorary position held in rotation each year by a Foreign Minister
of one of the member countries.
APPENDIX IV
100. MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY COMMITTEE
President:
General D. Corcione (Italy) (Army)
Chairman:
General V. Eide (Norway) (Army)/
Deputy Chairman:
Vice-Admiral N. W. Ray (United States) (Navy)
Military Representatives to the NATO Military Committee in
Permanent Session
Belgium
Lt.Gen. R. Hoeben (Air Force)
Canada
Vice Admiral R. E. George (Navy)
Denmark
Lt.Gen. P. B. Krogen (Army)
Germany
Lt.Gen. Jorn Soder (Army)
Greece
Lt.Gen. P. Diakoumakos (Air Force)
Italy
Vice Admiral d'Escadre M. Castelletti (Navy)
Luxembourg
Lt.Col. J. P. Heck (Army)
Netherlands
Lt.Gen. G. J. Folmer (Army)
Norway
Lt.Gen. H. I. Sunde (Army)
Portugal
Lt.Gen. G. A. do Espirito Santo (Army)
Spain
Lt.Gen. F. Pardo de Santayana y Coloma (Army)
Turkey
Lt.Gen. H. Ozkok, Tuar (Army)
United Kingdom
Gen. Sir Edward Jones (Army)
United States
Admiral W. D. Smith (Navy)
Chief, French
Maj.Gen. J. P. Pelisson (Air Force)
Military Mission
International Military Staff
Director:
Lt.Gen. J. K. Dangerfield (Canada) (Army)
/ Field Marshal Sir Richard Vincent (United Kingdom) (Army) will
replace General V. Eide in 1993.
NATO handbook14 uploaded March 25, 1993
APPENDIX V
101. THE MAJOR NATO COMMANDERS
Supreme Allied Commander Europe, SACEUR
Gen. John M. Shalikashvili (United States)
Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic, SACLANT
Admiral Paul D. Miller (United States)
Allied Commander-in-Chief Channel, CINCHAN
Admiral Sir Jock Slater, KCB, LVO (United Kingdom)
APPENDIX VI
102. PRINCIPAL OFFICIALS OF THE NATO INTERNATIONAL STAFF
Secretary General
Mr. Manfred Worner (Germany)
Deputy Secretary General
Ambassador Amedeo de Franchis (Italy)
Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs
Mr. Gebhardt von Moltke (Germany)
Assistant Secretary General for Defence Planning and Policy
Mr. Michael Legge (United Kingdom)
Assistant Secretary General for Defence Support
Mr. Robin L. Beard (United States)
Assistant Secretary General for Infrastructure, Logistics and
Civil Emergency Planning
Vice-Admiral Herpert van Foreest (Netherlands)
Assistant Secretary General for Scientific and Environmental Affairs
Dr. Jean-Marie Cadiou (France)
Executive Secretary
Mr. Christopher Prebensen (Norway)
Director of the Private Office
Mr. Roland Wegener (Germany)
Director of Information and Press
Dr. Erika v. C. Bruce (Canada)
APPENDIX VII
103. PRINCIPAL OFFICIALS OF THE NATO
INTERNATIONAL MILITARY STAFF
Director of the International Military Staff
Lt.Gen. J. K. Dangerfield (Canada)
Assistant Director, Intelligence Division
Rear Admiral A. C. Tezeren (Turkey)
Assistant Director, Plans and Policy Division
Maj.Gen. D. Genschel (Germany)
Assistant Director, Operations Division
Maj.Gen. C. C. Ahnfeldt Mollerup (Denmark)
Assistant Director, Logistics Division
Maj.Gen. F. P. Schulte (Netherlands)
Assistant Director, Communications and Information Systems Division
Maj.Gen. I. N. Tsoukias (Greece)
Assistant Director, Armaments and Standardization Division
Maj.Gen. E. Stai (Norway)
Secretary of the International Military Staff
Brig. G. C. Van Orden (United Kingdom)
Representative of SACEUR (SACEUREP)
Maj.Gen. R. I. Emmerik (Netherlands)
Representative of SACLANT and CINCHAN
Vice-Admiral R. E. Pedersen (Norway)
NATO handbook15 uploaded March 25, 1993
APPENDIX VIII
104. PRINCIPAL NATO AGENCIES
AGARD
Advisory Group for Aerospace
Research & Development
7 rue Ancelle
92200 Neuilly sur Seine
France
Director
Dr. W.A. Wennerstrom
CEOA
Central Europe Operating Agency
BP 552
78005 Versailles
France
General Manager
Mr. C. Lamur
MAS
Military Agency for
Standardization
NATO Headquarters
Chairman
Maj.Gen. E. Stai (Norway)
NACISA
NATO Communications &
Information Systems Agency
8 rue de Geneve
1110 Brussels
Director General
Mr. W. Krauss
NACMA
NATO ACCS Management Agency
8 rue de Geneve
1110 Brussels
General Manager
Maj.Gen. (Ret'd) W. G. MacLaren
NAHEMA
NATO Helicopter (NH90) Design,
Development, Production and
Logistics Management Agency
53-55 Avenue de l'Europe
F-13091 Aix-en-Provence
Cedex 2
General Manager
Lt.Gen. G. Gianetti
NAMMA
NATO MRCA Development &
Production Management Agency
16 Arabellastrasse
8000 Munchen 86
Germany
General Manager
Dr. H. Ruhle
NAMSA
NATO Maintenance & Supply
Agency
8302 Capellen
Luxembourg
General Manager
Maj. General H. Schmidt-Petri
NAPMA
NATO Airborne Early Warning &
Control Programme Management
Agency
Akerstraat 7
6445 CL Brunssum
Netherlands
General Manager
Brig.Gen. E. Von Kospoth
NDC
NATO Defense College
Viale della Civita del Lavoro 38
00144 Roma
Italy
Commandant
Lt.General P. Castelo Branco
(Portugal)/
NEFMA
NATO EFA Development,
Production & Logistic
Management Agency
Arabellastrasse 16
8000 Munchen
Germany
General Manager
Gen. D. A. Antonio Rossetti
NHMO (HAWK)
NATO Hawk Management Office
26 rue Gallieni
92500 Rueil-Malmaison Cedex
France
General Manager
Gen. S. A. Bellassai
SACLANTCEN
Viale San Bartolomeo, 400
19026 La Spezia
Italy
Director
Dr. J. Foxwell
STC
SHAPE Technical Centre
Oude Waalsdorperweg, 61
P.O. Box 174
The Hague
Netherlands
Director
Mr. D. Marquis
/ Lt.General R. Evraire (Canada) will replace Lt.General P. Castelo
Branco in February 1993.
NATO handbook16 uploaded March 25, 1993
APPENDIX IX
105. ABBREVIATIONS IN COMMON USE
ABM
Anti-Ballistic Missile
ACCHAN
Allied Command Channel
ACE
Allied Command Europe
ACLANT
Allied Command Atlantic
ACCS
Air Command and Control System
ADP
Automated Data Processing
AEW
Airborne Early Warning
AFCENT
Allied Forces Central Europe
AFNORTH
Allied Forces Northern Europe
AFSOUTH
Allied Forces Southern Europe
AGARD
Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and
Development
ALCM
Air-Launched Cruise Missile
AMF
ACE Mobile Force
APAG
Atlantic Policy Advisory Group
ASW
Anti-Submarine Warfare
ATA
Atlantic Treaty Association
AWACS
Airborne Warning and Control System
BMEWS
Ballistic Missile Early Warning System
CAPS
Conventional Armaments Planning System
CBM
Confidence Building Measure
CCMS
Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society
CDE
Conference on Security and Confidence Build-
ing Measures and Disarmament in Europe
CEAC
Committee for European Airspace Coordin-
ation
CENTAG
Central Army Group, Central Europe
CEOA
Central Europe Operating Agency
CEP
Civil Emergency Planning
CEPS
Central Europe Pipeline System
CFE
Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in
Europe
CHANCOM
Channel Committee
CINCEASTLANT
Commander-in-Chief Eastern Atlantic Area
CINCENT
Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Central
Europe
CINCHAN
Allied Commander-in-Chief Channel
CINCIBERLANT
Commander-in-Chief Iberian Atlantic Area
CINCNORTH
Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern
Europe
CINCSOUTH
Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Southern
Europe
CINCUKAIR
Commander-in-Chief United Kingdom Air
Forces
CINCWESTLANT
Commander-in-Chief Western Atlantic Area
CIS
Commonwealth of Independent States
CIS
Communications and Information Systems
CNAD
Conference of National Armaments Directors
CONMAROPS
Concept of Maritime Operations
CPSU
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
CPX
Command Post Exercise
CSBM
Confidence and Security Building Measure
CSCE
Conference on Security and Cooperation in
Europe
CST
Conventional Stability Talks
CUSRPG
Canada-US Regional Planning Group
DPC
Defence Planning Committee
DRC
Defence Review Committee
EC
European Community
ECCM
Electronic Counter-Countermeasures
ECM
Electronic Countermeasures
EMP
Electro-Magnetic Pulse
ENTG
EURO/NATO Training Group
ESA
European Space Agency
EUROGROUP
Acronym used for informal Group of NATO
European Defence Ministers
EW
Electronic Warfare
EWG
Executive Working Group
GLCM
Ground Launched Cruise Missile
HLTF
High Level Task Force
IATA
International Air Transport Association
ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organisation
ICB
International Competitive Bidding
ICBM
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
IEPG
Independent European Programme Group
IISS
International Institute for Strategic Studies
IMS
International Military Staff
INF
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces
IRBM
Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile
LCC
Logistics Coordination Centre
LTDP
Long-Term Defence Programme
MARAIRMED
Maritime Air Forces Mediterranean
MAREQ
Military Assistance Requirements
MAS
Military Agency for Standardization
MBFR
Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions
MC
Military Committee
MCM
Mine Countermeasures
MILREP
Military Representative (to the MC)
MNC
Major NATO Commander
MOD
Ministery of Defence
MOU
Memorandum of Understanding
NAA
North Atlantic Assembly
NAC
North Atlantic Council
NACC
North Atlantic Cooperation Council
NACISA
NATO Communications and Information
Systems Agency
NACMA
NATO Air Command and Control Systems
Management Agency
NADEFCOL
NATO Defence College
NAEW
NATO Airborne Early Warning
NAHEMA
NATO Helicopter (NH90) Design, Develop-
ment, Production and Logistics Management
Organisation
NAMFI
NATO Missile Firing Installation
NAMMA
NATO Multi-Role Combat Aircraft Develop-
ment and Production Management Agency
NAMMO
NATO Multi-Role Combat Aircraft Develop-
ment and Production Management Organisation
NAMSA
NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency
NAMSO
NATO Maintenance and Supply Organisation
NAPMA
NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control
Programme Management Agency
NAPMO
NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control
Programme Management Organisation
NAPR
NATO Armaments Planning Review
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NAVOCFORMED
Naval On-Call Force, Mediterranean
NCCIS
NATO Command, Control and Information
System
NEFMA
NATO European Fighter Aircraft Develop-
ment, Production and Logistics Management
Agency
NEFMO
NATO European Fighter Aircraft Develop-
ment, Production and Logistics Management
Organisation
NHMO
NATO HAWK Management Office
NHPLO
NATO HAWK Production and Logistics
Organisation
NIAG
NATO Industrial Advisory Group
NICS
NATO Integrated Communications System
NMR
National Military Representative (to SHAPE)
NORAD
North American Air Defence System
NORTHAG
Northern Army Group, Central Europe
NPG
Nuclear Planning Group
NPLO
NATO Production and Logistics Organisation
NSC
NATO Supply Centre
OECD
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development
OPEC
Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
OTAN
Organisation du Traite de l'Atlantique Nord
PAPS
Periodic Armaments Planning System
PERM REP
Permanent Representative (to the NAC)
PNET
Peaceful Nuclear Explosion Treaty
R&D
Research and Development
SAC
Strategic Air Command
SACEUR
Supreme Allied Commander Europe
SACLANT
Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
SACLANTCEN
SACLANT Undersea Research Centre
SALT
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
SATCOM
Satellite Communications
SCEPC
Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee
SCG
Special Consultative Group
SDI
Strategic Defence Initiative
SHAPE
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
SLBM
Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile
SLCM
Sea-Launched Cruise Missile
SNF
Short-Range Nuclear Forces
STANAG
Standardization Agreement
STANAVFORCHAN
Standing Naval Force Channel
STANAVFORLANT
Standing Naval Force Atlantic
STANAVFORMED
Standing Naval Force Mediterranean
START
Strategic Arms Reduction Talks
STC
SHAPE Technical Centre
TLE
Treaty Limited Equipment
TNF
Theatre Nuclear Forces
TTBT
Threshold Test Ban Treaty
UN
United Nations
UNCTAD
United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation
VCC
Verification Coordinating Committee
WEU
Western European Union
WG
Working Group
WHO
World Health Organisation
NATO handbook17 uploaded March 25, 1993
APPENDIX X
106. CHRONOLOGY
1945
26 June
The United Nations Charter is signed at San Fran-
cisco.
6 August
Explosion of Hiroshima atom bomb.
1946
16 March
Winston Churchill's ``Iron Curtain'' speech at
Fulton, Missouri.
1947
19 January
The Soviet-sponsored Communist ``Lublin-Com-
mittee'' monopolises power in Poland.
12 March
President Truman urges the United States ``to sup-
port free peoples who are resisting attempted subju-
gation by armed minorities or by outside pressure''
(Truman Doctrine).
5 June
United States Secretary of State, George C. Mar-
shall, announces plans for the economic rehabilita-
tion of Europe (Marshall Plan).
5 October
Establishment of Cominform, the organisation for
the ideological unity of the Soviet bloc, following
rejection of Marshall Aid by the Soviet Union and
its allies.
1948
22 February
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia gains
control of the government in Prague through a
coup d'Etat.
17 March
Signature of the Brussels Treaty of Economic,
Social and Cultural Collaboration and Collective
Self-Defence by the Foreign Ministers of Belgium,
France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the
United Kingdom.
11 June
The United States Senate adopts the ``Vandenberg
Resolution''.
24 June
Beginning of the Berlin blockade by the Soviet
Union.
28 June
Formal expulsion of Yugoslavia from Cominform.
6 July
Talks on North Atlantic defence begin in Washing-
ton between the United States, Canada and the
Brussels Treaty Powers.
27-28 September
The Defence Ministers of the Brussels Treaty
Powers decide to create a Western Union Defence
Organisation.
25-26 October
The Consultative Council of the Brussels Treaty
Powers announces ``complete agreement on the
principle of a defensive pact for the North Atlan-
tic''.
10 December
Negotiations on the North Atlantic Treaty open in
Washington between the representatives of the
Brussels Treaty Powers, Canada and the United
States.
1949
15 March
The negotiating powers invite Denmark, Iceland,
Italy, Norway and Portugal to adhere to the North
Atlantic Treaty.
2 April
The governments concerned repudiate Soviet asser-
tions that the North Atlantic Treaty is contrary to
the United Nations Charter.
4 April
The North Atlantic Treaty is signed in Washington
by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland,
Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, the United Kindgom and the United
States.
8 April
The Brussels Treaty Powers, Denmark, Italy and
Norway, request United States military and finan-
cial assistance.
9 May
The Berlin blockade is lifted.
24 August
The North Atlantic Treaty enters into force.
17 September
First session of the North Atlantic Council in
Washington.
6 October
Mutual Defence Assistance Act of 1949 is signed
by President Truman.
1950
9 May
The French Government proposes the creation of
a single authority to control the production of steel
and coal in France and Germany, open for member-
ship to other countries (Schuman Plan).
25 June
North Korean Forces attack the Republic of South
Korea.
24 October
French Prime Minister, Rene Pleven, outlines his
plan for a European unified army, including
German contingents, within the framework of
NATO.
19 December
The North Atlantic Council appoints General
Dwight D. Eisenhower to be the first Supreme
Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).
20 December
The Brussels Treaty Powers decide to merge the
military organisation of the Western Union into
the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
1951
2 April
Allied Command Europe becomes operational
with Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
(SHAPE) located at Roquencourt, near Paris.
18 April
Setting up of the European Coal and Steel Commu-
nity by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, and the Federal Republic of Ger-
many.
17-22 October
Signature in London of the protocol to the North
Atlantic Treaty on the accession of Greece and
Turkey.
1952
30 January
Appointment of Vice-Admiral Lynde D. McCor-
mick (United States) to be the first Supreme Allied
Commander Atlantic (SACLANT).
18 February
Greece and Turkey accede to the North Atlantic
Treaty.
21 February
The Council establishes a Channel Command, and
appoints Admiral Sir Arthur John Power as the
first Commander-in-Chief Channel (CINCHAN).
12 March
Lord Ismay (United Kingdom) is appointed Vice-
Chairman of the North Atlantic Council and
Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation.
10 April
Supreme Allied Command Atlantic (SACLANT) be-
comes operational, with headquarters at Norfolk,
Virginia, USA.
16 April
NATO opens its provisional headquarters at the
Palais de Chaillot, Paris.
28 April
First meeting of the North Atlantic Council in
permanent session in Paris.
1953
5 March
The death of Stalin.
23 July
Korean Armistice signed at Panmunjon.
8 August
USSR announces its possession of the hydrogen
bomb.
1954
7 May
The United Kingdom and the United States reject
the USSR's bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation.
29 August
The French National Assembly decides against
ratification of the Treaty setting up the European
Defence Community (EDC).
23 October
Signature of the Paris Agreements. The Federal
Republic of Germany is invited to join NATO, and
Italy and the Federal Republic of Germany accede
to the Western European Union (WEU).
1955
5 May
The Federal Republic of Germany becomes a
member of NATO.
14 May
The USSR concludes the Warsaw Treaty with
Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany,
Hungary, Poland and Romania.
18-23 July
First Conference of NATO Parliamentarians (since
November 1966, the North Atlantic Assembly) in
Paris.
1956
14 February
Khrushchev denounces Stalin in ``secret'' speech.
18 April
Dissolution of Cominform.
28 June
Anti-regime riots erupt at Poznan in Poland.
26 July
Egypt nationalises the Suez Canal.
4 November
Soviet suppression of Hungarian people's rebel-
lion.
13 December
The North Atlantic Council approves the recom-
mendations contained in the Report of the Commit-
tee of Three on non-military cooperation in
NATO.
1957
25 March
Signature of the Rome Treaties setting up Euratom
and the European Economic Communities.
16 May
Paul-Henri Spaak (Belgium) succeeds Lord Ismay
as Secretary General of NATO.
4 October
The first Soviet Sputnik is launched.
16-19 December
At a meeting of Heads of Government in Paris,
Alliance leaders reaffirm the principles and pur-
poses of the Atlantic Alliance.
1958
1 January
Entry into force of the Treaty of Rome setting up
the European Economic Community.
15-17 April
Defence Ministers of the NATO countries meeting
in Paris reaffirm the defensive character of the
NATO strategy.
1959
1 January
Overthrow of the Batista regime in Cuba by Fidel
Castro.
15-22 December
Inauguration of the new NATO Headquarters at the
Porte Dauphine in Paris.
1960
1 May
American U2 aircraft is shot down over Soviet terri-
tory.
23 September
Khrushchev attends the General Assembly of the
United Nations in New York.
1961
12 April
Soviet Major Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man
orbited in space.
21 April
Dirk U. Stikker (Netherlands) succeeds Paul-Henri
Spaak as Secretary General of NATO.
13 August
Erection of the Berlin Wall.
1962
10 April
Macmillan and Kennedy appeal to Khrushchev
for agreement on a test ban treaty.
4-6 May
Foreign Ministers and Defence Ministers of the
North Atlantic Alliance review the circumstances
in which the Alliance might be compelled to have
recourse to nuclear weapons (Athens Guidelines).
22 October-
20 November
Partial blockade of Cuba by the US following
revelation of Soviet construction of missile bases
on the island; lifted following Soviet agreement to
dismantle the bases.
18-20 December
President Kennedy and Prime Minister Macmillan
confer at Nassau, Bahamas. They agree to contrib-
ute part of their strategic nuclear forces to NATO.
1963
20 June
Agreement on a ``hot line'' between Washington
and Moscow is signed in Geneva by the United
States and the Soviet Union.
15-25 July
The United States, the United Kingdom and the
Soviet Union initial an agreement banning nuclear
tests in the atmosphere, in outer space and under-
water.
10 October
The Moscow Treaty on a partial nuclear test ban
comes into force.
22 November
President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
1964
1 August
Manlio Brosio (Italy) succeeds Dirk Stikker as
Secretary General of NATO.
15 October
Khrushchev is removed from office. He is replaced
by Leonid Brezhnev as General Secretary of the
CPSU and by Alexei Kosygin as Prime Minister.
16 October
China explodes its first atomic bomb.
1966
10 March
President de Gaulle announces France's intention
of withdrawing from the integrated military struc-
ture of the Alliance.
1967
31 March
Official opening ceremony of SHAPE at Casteau
near Mons, Belgium.
6-7 April
First meeting of the Nuclear Planning Group in
Washington.
21 April
Military regime takes over power in Greece.
14 June
The North Atlantic Council meeting in Luxem-
bourg reviews the Middle East situation following
the Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab
neighbours.
16 October
Official opening of new NATO Headquarters in
Brussels.
13-14 December
The North Atlantic Council approves the Harmel
Report on the Future Tasks of the Alliance.
The Defence Planning Committee adopts NATO's
new strategic concept of flexible response and
approves the establishment of a Standing Naval
Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT).
1968
20-21 August
Soviet, Polish, East German, Bulgarian and Hun-
garian troops invade Czechoslovakia.
12 September
Albania renounces its membership of the Warsaw
Treaty Organisation.
13-14 November
Formation of the Eurogroup.
1969
28 May
Establishment of the naval on-call force in the
Mediterranean (NAVOCFORMED).
8-10 December
First meeting of the Committee on the Challenges
of Modern Society (CCMS).
1970
5 March
Non-Proliferation Treaty on Nuclear Weapons
comes into force.
20 March
First NATO communications satellite launched from
Cape Kennedy.
16 April
Opening in Vienna of US-USSR negotiations on
strategic arms limitations (SALT).
1971
2 February
Second NATO communications satellite launched
from Cape Kennedy.
1 October
Joseph Luns (Netherlands) succeeds Manlio Brosio
as Secretary General of NATO.
1972
26 May
Signature in Moscow of interim agreement on
strategic arms limitations (SALT).
3 June
Quadripartite Agreement on Berlin signed by
Foreign Ministers of France, United Kingdom,
United States and the USSR.
21 November
Opening of SALT II in Geneva.
21 December
Signature in East Berlin of the ``Basic Treaty''
between the Federal Republic of Germany and the
German Democratic Republic.
1973
1 January
Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom join
the European Economic Community (EEC).
11 May
Inauguration of Standing Naval Force Channel
(STANAVFORCHAN).
3-7 July
Opening of Conference on Security and Cooper-
ation in Europe (CSCE) in Helsinki.
6-24 October
Arab-Israeli Yom Kippur War.
30 October
Conference on Mutual and Balanced Force Reduc-
tions (MBFR) opens in Vienna.
1974
25 April
Military coup d'Etat in Portugal.
26 June
NATO Heads of Government meeting in Brussels
sign a Declaration on Atlantic Relations approved
and published by the North Atlantic Council in
Ottawa on 19 June.
23 July
Konstantinos Karamanlis becomes Prime Minister
of Greece following the resignation of the military
government.
14 August
Withdrawal of Greek forces from integrated mili-
tary structure of NATO.
23-24 November
President Ford and General Secretary Brezhnev,
meeting in Vladivostok, agree on steps towards
limitation of US-USSR strategic nuclear arms.
1975
31 July-
1 August
Final phase of CSCE. The Heads of State and
Government sign the Helsinki Final Act.
1976
2 February
Establishment of the Independent European Pro-
gramme Group.
1977
10-11 May
North Atlantic Council meeting in London with
participation of Heads of State and Government.
Initiation of a long-term defence programme.
4 October
CSCE Follow-up Meeting in Belgrade (4 October
1977 - 9 March 1978).
12 October
Establishment of NPG High Level Group on
theatre nuclear force modernisation.
1978
30-31 May
Meeting of the North Atlantic Council with
participation of Heads of State and Government
in Washington.
31 October-
11 December
CSCE Experts' Meeting on the Peaceful Settlement
of Disputes, Montreux
18 November
Third NATO communications satellite launched
from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
5-6 December
Approval of Airborne Early Warning and Control
System (AWACS).
1979
18 June
SALT II agreement signed in Vienna by President
Carter and General Secretary Brezhnev. (The agree-
ment was not ratified by the United States).
4 November
Seizure of the United States Embassy in Tehran
and 53 hostages by Islamic revolutionaries.
12 December
Special Meeting of Foreign and Defence Ministers
in Brussels. ``Double-track'' decision on theatre
nuclear force modernisation including the deploy-
ment in Europe of US ground-launched Cruise
and Pershing II systems and a parallel and comple-
mentary arms control effort to obviate the need
for such deployments.
27 December
Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.
Nato Handbook Important Dates Information
March 24, 1993
1980
24 January
Members of the Alliance participating in the 12
December 1979 Special Meeting establish the
Special Consultative Group on arms control involv-
ing theatre nuclear forces.
18 February-
3 March
CSCE Forum on Scientific Cooperation, Ham-
burg.
31 August
Gdansk Agreements, leading to establishment and
official recognition of independent Polish trade
union ``Solidarity''.
12 September
Turkish military leadership takes over the adminis-
tration of the country.
22 September
War breaks out between Iraq and Iran.
20 October
Re-integration of Greek forces into the integrated
military structure of the Alliance.
11 November
Opening of CSCE Follow-up Meeting in Madrid.
1981
1 January
Greece becomes the 10th member of the European
Economic Community.
23 January
Abortive attempt by rebel civil guards to over-
throw Spanish caretaker government.
27 October
Soviet submarine grounded in Swedish territorial
waters.
18 November
President Reagan announces new arms control
initatives including intermediate-range nuclear
force negotiations (INF) and strategic arms reduc-
tion talks (START).
30 November
The United States and the Soviet Union open
Geneva negotiations on intermediate-range nuclear
forces (INF).
10-11 December
Signature of the Protocol of Accession of Spain to
the North Atlantic Treaty.
13 December
Imposition of martial law in Poland.
1982
11 January
Special Ministerial Session of the North Atlantic
Council issues a Declaration on Events in Poland.
2 April-14 June
The Falklands Conflict.
30 May
Spain becomes the 16th member of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
10 June
Summit Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in
Bonn. Heads of State and Government issue the
Bonn Declaration setting out the Alliance Pro-
gramme for Peace in Freedom.
30 June
Opening of Strategic Arms Reduction Talks
(START) in Geneva.
1983
23 March
President Reagan announces a comprehensive re-
search programme aimed at eliminating the threat
posed by strategic nuclear missiles (Strategic
Defense Initiative).
22 July
Ending of martial law in Poland. New laws rein-
force Government controls.
1 September
A South Korean airliner with 269 people on board
is shot down by Soviet air defence off the coast of
Sakhalin.
9 September
Conclusion of CSCE Follow-up Meeting in Madrid.
25 October
Military intervention in Grenada by United States
and East Caribbean forces.
27 October
The Montebello Decision. Defence Ministers meet-
ing in the NATO Nuclear Planning Group in
Montebello, Canada announce their decision to
withdraw a further 1,400 warheads from Europe,
bringing the total of such withdrawals since 1979 to
2,400.
23 November
Deliveries of GLCM components to the United King-
dom mark the beginning of NATO's intermediate-
range nuclear force deployments (INF).
23 November
Decision by the Soviet Union to discontinue the
current round of negotiations in Geneva on
intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF).
8 December
Conclusion of the current round of US-Soviet
Geneva negotiations on Strategic Arms Reductions
(START) without a date being set by the Soviet side
for their resumption.
8-9 December
Foreign Ministers meeting in the Ministerial Ses-
sion of the North Atlantic Council issue the Declar-
ation of Brussels expressing their determination to
seek a balanced and constructive relationship with
the East and calling on the Soviet Union and other
Warsaw Treaty countries to respond.
13 December
Formation of a civilian government in Turkey
following parliamentary elections under a new
constitution.
1984
17 January
Opening of the Stockholm Conference on Security
and Confidence-Building Measures and Disarma-
ment in Europe (CDE).
21 March-
30 April
CSCE Experts' Meeting on the Peaceful Settlement
of Disputes, Athens.
31 May
NATO Foreign Ministers issue the Washington
Statement on East-West Relations.
12 June
Foreign Ministers of the seven countries of the
Western European Union meeting in Paris decide
to reactivate the WEU.
25 June
Lord Carrington (United Kingdom) succeeds
Josph Luns as Secretary General of NATO.
16-26 October
CSCE Seminar on Economic, Scientific and Cul-
tural Cooperation in the Mediterranean, Venice.
31 October
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassi-
nated and is succeeded by her son Rajiv Gandhi.
7 December
Presentation by the Secretary General of NATO of
the first Atlantic Award to Per Markussen (Den-
mark), for his outstanding contribution over many
years to the objectives of the Atlantic Alliance.
1985
11 March
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes General Secretary of
the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
12 March
The United States and the USSR begin new arms
control negotiations in Geneva, encompassing de-
fence and space systems, strategic nuclear forces
and intermediate-range nuclear forces.
26 April
The 1955 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and
Mutual Assistance, establishing the Warsaw Treaty
Organisation, is extended for 20 years by leaders
of the seven member states.
7 May-17 June
CSCE Experts' Meeting on Human Rights, Ottawa.
7 October
Palestinian guerrillas hijack an Italian cruise liner,
the Achille Lauro, in the Mediterranean, taking
440 people hostage. An American citizen is
murdered.
15 October-
25 November
Cultural Forum in Budapest.
12 November
Professor van der Beugel (Netherlands) becomes
the second recipient of NATO's Atlantic Award
for outstanding services to the Atlantic Alliance.
19-21 November
Geneva Summit meeting between United States
President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader
Mikhail Gorbachev.
21 November
President Reagan reports on his Geneva talks with
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at a special meet-
ing of the North Atlantic Council with the partici-
pation of Heads of State and Government and
Foreign Ministers.
1986
12 March
In a referendum organised by Prime Minister
Felipe Gonzalez, Spanish voters support the contin-
ued membership of Spain in the Atlantic Alliance
without participation in NATO's integrated mili-
tary structure.
15 April
In response to terrorist attacks attributed to Libya,
United States forces attack targets in Tripoli and
Benghazi.
26 April
Nuclear accident at the Chernobyl power station
in the Soviet Union.
22 September
End of Stockholm Conference on Confidence and
Security Building Measures and Disarmament in
Europe (CDE). Concluding document (dated
19 September) includes mandatory measures for
notification, observation and on-site inspection of
military manoeuvres of participating countries.
11-12 October
Reykjavik Summit Meeting between United States
President Reagan and Soviet Leader Mikhail
Gorbachev.
4 November
The third CSCE Follow-up Conference opens in
Vienna.
24 November
Prof. Karl Kaiser (Federal Republic of Germany)
receives the third Atlantic Award for services to
the Alliance.
1987
17 February
Talks open in Vienna between NATO and Warsaw
Treaty countries on a mandate for negotiations on
conventional forces in Europe from the Atlantic to
the Urals.
5 June
The Canadian Government announces its decision
to redirect its commitment to the reinforcement of
Europe from the Northern to the Central Region.
22 July
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev announces Soviet
readiness to eliminate all intermediate-range nu-
clear weapons including those deployed in the
Asian part of the Soviet Union in the context of a
United States-Soviet INF treaty.
20 August
Western European Union experts meeting in The
Hague consider joint action in the Gulf to ensure
freedom of navigation in the oil shipping lanes of
the region.
28-30 August
United States inspectors attend military manoeuv-
res near Minsk, the first such inspection to take
place under the provisions of the September 1986
Stockholm Document.
5-7 October
Soviet inspectors attend NATO exercises in Turkey,
the first such inspection to take place in an Alliance
country under the provisions of the September
1986 Stockholm Document.
27 October
Foreign and Defence Ministers of the seven
member countries of the Western European Union
adopt a ``Platform on European Security Inter-
ests''.
25 November
Presentation of NATO's annual Atlantic Award to
Pierre Harmel (Belgium) author of the 1967
Harmel Report.
8 December
US President Reagan and Soviet Leader
Mikhail Gorbachev, meeting at the beginning of
their 3-day summit talks, sign the Washington INF
Treaty, eliminating on a global basis land-based
intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
9 December
The United States and the Soviet Union reach
agreement on measures allowing the monitoring of
nuclear explosions at each other's test sites.
10 December
At the end of their 3-day summit meeting in
Washington, US President Reagan and Soviet
Leader Mikhail Gorbachev pledge deep cuts in
strategic arms.
11 December
The North Atlantic Council marks the 20th anni-
versary of the Harmel report. The Secretary of
State of the United States and the Foreign Minis-
ters of Belgium, Federal Republic of Germany,
Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom
sign bilateral agreements relating to the implemen-
tation of the INF Treaty.
1988
22 January
Establishment of a Joint Security Council by the
Governments of the Federal Republic of Germany
and of France. The two Governments also sign an
agreement relating to the formation of a joint
Franco-German Army Brigade.
2-3 March
Summit meeting of the North Atlantic Council in
Brussels emphasises Allied unity and reasserts the
common objectives and principles and the continu-
ing validity of Alliance policies. A Statement on
Conventional Arms Control is issued calling for
significant steps to bring about progress in eliminat-
ing conventional force disparities through negotia-
tions on conventional stability.
15 May
Beginning of Soviet troop withdrawals from
Afghanistan.
31 May
During a five-day Summit meeting in Moscow,
President Reagan and General Secretary Gor-
bachev exchange documents implementing the re-
cently ratified December 1987 INF Treaty and sign
bilateral agreements on nuclear testing and in other
fields.
1 July
Manfred Worner, former Minister of Defence of
the Federal Republic of Germany, succeeds Lord
Carrington as Secretary General of NATO.
20 August
Entry into force of a ceasefire in the Gulf War
between Iran and Iraq, in the framework of UN
Security Council Resolution 598.
14 November
Portugal and Spain sign the Treaty of Accession to
the Western European Union.
5 December
Paul Nitze, Special Adviser on Arms Control to
President Reagan, receives the 1988 Atlantic
Award.
7 December
President Gorbachev, in the course of a major
address to the UN General Assembly, announces
unilateral Soviet conventional force reductions. A
major earthquake in Armenia devastates several
cities and causes massive loss of life.
8 December
Alliance Foreign Ministers welcome Soviet reduc-
tions in conventional forces and publish a state-
ment outlining the Alliance's proposals for
forthcoming negotiations on conventional stability
and further confidence- and security-building
measures.
1989
7-11 January
149 countries participate in an international
Conference on Chemical Weapons in Paris.
19 January
Conclusion of the Vienna CSCE Follow-up Meet-
ing and adoption of a Concluding Document in-
cluding mandates for new negotiations on Conven-
tional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) and new
negotiations on Confidence- and Security-Building
Measures (CSBMs).
15 February
The Soviet Union completes the withdrawal of
military forces from Afghanistan in accordance
with the schedule announced by President Gor-
bachev.
6 March
Foreign Ministers of CSCE states meet in Vienna to
mark the opening of new negotiations on Conven-
tional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) among the
23 members of NATO and the Warsaw Treaty
Organisation and on Confidence and Security-
Building Measures among all 35 CSCE participat-
ing States.
27 March
The first multi-candidate elections to the new
USSR Congress of People's Deputies result in
major set-backs for official Party candidates in
many constituencies.
4 April
The fortieth anniversary of the signing of the North
Atlantic Treaty is marked by a special session of
the North Atlantic Council and other ceremonies
at NATO and in capitals.
5 April
Agreements signed in Warsaw by Government and
opposition negotiators on measures leading to
political reforms in Poland including free elections
and registration of the banned trade union move-
ment Solidarity.
18 April-23 May
CSCE Information Forum, London.
12 May
President Bush proposes ``Open Skies'' regime to
increase confidence and transparency with respect
to military activities. The proposal envisages recip-
rocal opening of airspace and acceptance of
overflights of national territory by participating
countries.
29-30 May
Summit Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in
Brussels attended by Heads of State and Govern-
ment. Announcement by President Bush of major
new initiatives for conventional force reductions in
Europe. Adoption of the Alliance's Comprehensive
Concept of Arms Control and Disarmament and
publication of a Summit Declaration.
30 May-23 June
First meeting of the CSCE Conference on the
Human Dimension (CDH) in Paris.
31 May
During a visit to the Federal Republic of Germany
President Bush outlines proposals for promoting
free elections and pluralism in Eastern Europe and
dismantling the Berlin Wall.
3-4 June
Chinese leaders use armed forces in Peking to
suppress unarmed student-led popular demonstra-
tions in favour of democracy, causing large-scale
loss of life and leading to major unrest in other
cities, purges and infringements of basic rights
throughout China.
4 and 18 June
Free elections for the Polish Senate and partial
elections involving 35 per cent of seats in the Sejm
result in major electoral success for Solidarity.
8-9 June
Ministerial Meeting of the Defence Planning Com-
mittee. Defence Ministers consider implications for
defence planning of Western proposals for reduc-
tion of conventional forces in Europe.
16 June
Imre Nagy, leader of the 1956 Hungarian revolu-
tion who was hanged in 1958, is reburied with full
honours in Budapest.
19 June
Re-opening of Strategic Arms Reductions Talks
(START) in Geneva.
3 July
Death of veteran Soviet Foreign Minister and
former President Andrei Gromyko.
9 August
A statement is issued by NATO's Secretary General
on behalf of the Allies concerning the situation
of ethnic Turks in Bulgaria, calling upon the
Bulgarian government to respond positively to
appeals to meet its responsibilities under the CSCE
documents.
24 August
Tadeusz Mazowiecki becomes Prime Minister of
the first non-communist led government in Poland
in 40 years. The Polish United Workers' (Commu-
nist) Party retains four ministries.
10 September
Hungary opens its Western border, enabling large
numbers of East German refugees to leave the
country for destinations in the West.
3 October
Following the exodus of 6,390 East German
citizens from Western embassies in Prague on 1
October, under arrangements made by the East
German Government, some 20,000 East German
emigrants congregate in the Prague and Warsaw
embassies of the Federal Republic of Germany.
6-7 October
Mikhail Gorbachev, attending 40th Anniversary
Parade in East Berlin, urges reforms in the GDR.
16 October-
CSCE Meeting on Environmental Protection Sofia.
8 November
18 October
Erich Honecker, General Secretary of the Socialist
(Communist) Unity Party since 1971, is replaced
by Egon Krenz as leader of the German Demo-
cratic Republic as East German citizens demon-
strate for political reform and large numbers of
refugees continue to leave the German Democratic
Republic through Prague and Budapest.
23 October
The new constitution adopted by the Hungarian
Parliament on 18 October brings into being the
Republic of Hungary as a ``free, democratic, inde-
pendent legal state'' and opens the way for multi-
party elections in 1990.
7 November
Resignation of the East German Cabinet following
rallies in many cities calling for free elections and
the abolition of the Communist monopoly on
power and calls from within the Party for major
changes at the highest level. The move is followed
the next day by the joint resignation of the ruling
Politburo.
9-10 November
The opening of the Berlin Wall. Following wide-
spread demonstrations and demand for political
reform, the government of the German Democratic
Republic announces the lifting of travel restrictions
to the West and sets up new crossing points.
14 November
East German Parliament elects reformist Hans
Modrow as Prime Minister.
16 November
Removal of Todor Zhivkov, Bulgarian Communist
Party leader since 1954, followed by further sweep-
ing changes in the party leadership.
17 November
Violent dispersal of Prague student demonstrations
triggers popular movement against the govern-
ment. Emergence of Civic Forum, led by Vaclav
Havel.
20 November
Mass demonstrations in Leipzig voice popular call
for German unification.
24 November
Resignation of the Czechoslovak Party leadership.
Karel Urbanek becomes General Secretary and
invites dialogue with Civic Forum.
3 December
Resignation of new East German Politburo and
Central Committee amid revelations of Communist
leadership's misrule and corruption.
4 December
NATO Summit Meeting in Brussels. US President
George Bush briefs NATO leaders on his talks with
Soviet President Gorbachev at the US-Soviet
Summit Meeting in Malta on 2-3 December, mark-
ing the beginning of a new era of cooperation
between their countries.
The Summit Meeting of leaders of the Warsaw
Treaty Organisation in Moscow publishes a joint
statement denouncing the 1968 invasion of Czecho-
slovakia by Warsaw Pact forces and repudiates the
Brezhnev Doctrine of limited sovereignty.
7 December
Resignation of President Gustav Husak and forma-
tion of coalition government in Czechoslovakia.
NATO's Atlantic Award for 1989 is bestowed
on Sir Michael Howard, President and co-
founder of the International Institute for Strategic
Studies.
11 December
Popular demonstrations in Bulgaria lead to the
promise of free elections and renunciation of the
leading role of the Communist Party.
13 December
Vaclav Havel is elected President of Czecho-
slovakia.
14-15 December
Ministerial Meeting of the North Atlantic Council
in Brussels. Foreign Ministers review accelerating
political change in Central and Eastern Europe.
19 December
Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze
visits NATO Headquarters for talks with NATO
Secretary General Manfred Worner and Perma-
nent Representatives of NATO countries - the
first such visit by a Minister of a Central or Eastern
European government.
20 December
Troops and police open fire on thousands of anti-
government protesters in the Romanian town of
Timisoara.
22 December
Fall of Ceausescu regime. Nicolai Ceausescu is
arrested by the Romanian armed forces and ex-
ecuted on 25 December. The National Salvation
Front headed by Ion Iliescu takes control and
promises free elections.
29 December
The Polish Parliament abolishes the leading role of
the Communist Party and restores the country's
name as the Republic of Poland.
1990
15 January
Bulgarian government abolishes the Communist
Party's 44-year monopoly on political power.
16 January-
5 February
35-nation Seminar on Military Doctrines in
Vienna in the framework of the CSCE.
6 February
In an unprecedented speech to the Plenary Session
of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Mr. Gor-
bachev addresses major aspects of his reform pro-
gramme including the abandonment of the leading
role of the Communist Party and the introduction
of political pluralism.
12-14 February
Foreign Ministers of NATO and Warsaw Treaty
Organisation countries, with observers from other
CSCE states, meet in Ottawa at the opening of the
``Open Skies'' Conference.
13 February
On the margins of the ``Open Skies'' Conference in
Ottawa agreement is reached by the Foreign Minis-
ters concerned to hold discussions on external
aspects of the establishment of German unity in
a ``Two Plus Four'' framework.
NATO and Warsaw Treaty Organisation Foreign
Ministers also agree on steps to enable a CFE agree-
ment to be concluded in 1990.
3 March
Czechoslovak Foreign Minister Jiri Dienstbier
visits NATO Headquarters for discussions with
NATO Secretary General Manfred Worner.
8 March
At a meeting attended by Chancellor Helmut Kohl,
consultations take place in the North Atlantic
Council on the position of the Government of the
Federal Republic on developments in Germany
and related security matters.
11 March
The Lithuanian Parliament votes to break away
from the Soviet Union and regain its independ-
ence.
17 March
Warsaw Treaty Organisation Foreign Ministers
meeting in Prague support the continuation in
being of both NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
18 March
In their first free elections in 40 years the citizens
of the German Democratic Republic give an over-
whelming majority to the conservative ``Alliance
for Germany'', marking a further key step in the
process of the unification of Germany.
19 March-11 April
CSCE Conference on Economic Cooperation in
Europe, Bonn.
21 March
Krzystof Skubiszewski, Foreign Minister of
Poland, visits NATO Headquarters for discussions
with Secretary General Manfred Worner and Per-
manent Representatives of NATO countries.
26 March
The Czechoslovak Government orders border in-
stallations along its frontiers with Austria and the
Federal Republic of Germany to be dismantled.
27 March
Formal entry of Portugal and Spain to the WEU on
completion of the ratification process.
7 April
Elections in Hungary result in a decisive victory
for the Hungarian Democratic Forum (centre-right
party).
12 April
The coalition government of the German Demo-
cratic Republic pronounces itself in favour of unifi-
cation with the Federal Republic of Germany on
the basis of Article 23 of the Basic Law and the
membership of the unified country in the North
Atlantic Alliance.
3 May
President Bush announces the cancellation of mod-
ernisation programmes for nuclear artillery shells
deployed in Europe and for a ``follow-on'' to the
LANCE short-range nuclear missile. He calls for
negotiations on US and Soviet short-range nuclear
missiles to begin shortly after a CFE treaty is signed.
7 May
The Latvian Parliament declares the independence
of the Baltic Republic.
8 May
The Estonian Parliament modifies the Republic's
name and constitution and restores its pre-war flag
and national anthem.
9-10 May
NATO Defence Ministers, meeting in the Nuclear
Planning Group in Kananaskis, Canada, discuss
the implications of political changes taking place
in Europe for NATO's security policy.
20 May
Following elections in Romania, former Commu-
nist Government member Ion Iliescu is elected
President despite opposition accusations of elec-
toral irregularities. The National Salvation Front
obtains a majority in Parliament.
22-23 May
NATO Defence Ministers, meeting in the Defence
Planning Committee, assess the implications for
NATO security policy of the changes taking place
in Europe and initiate a review of NATO's military
strategy.
Hungary's new Premier Josef Antall announces
his government's intention to withdraw from the
Warsaw Treaty Organisation following negotia-
tions.
30 May
Boris Yeltsin is elected President of the Russian
Republic in the third round of elections.
30 May-2 June
US-Soviet Summit Meeting in Washington.
5 June
Foreign Ministers of the 35 countries participating
in the second CSCE Conference on the Human
Dimension (CHD2) in Copenhagen agree to
accord observer status to Albania.
7-8 June
At the Ministerial Meeting of the North Atlantic
Council at Turnberry in Scotland, Alliance Foreign
Ministers publish a ``Message from Turnberry'' in
which they express their determination to seize the
historic opportunities resulting from the profound
changes in Europe and extend to the Soviet Union
and all other European countries the hand of
friendship and cooperation.
8 June
Parliamentary elections in Czechoslovakia. Civic
Forum and allied parties win a majority in the
Federal Assembly.
10 and 17 June
Elections in Bulgaria result in a parliamentary
majority for the Bulgarian Socialist Party.
18 June
NATO announces the award of 70 research
fellowships for 1990/91 including 55 fellowships
for research on democratic institutions awarded
for the first time to citizens of both NATO and
Central and Eastern European countries.
28 June
At the Copenhagen CSCE Conference on the
Human Dimension Eastern European countries
(excluding Albania, which joined the CSCE
process in June 1991) commit themselves to multi-
party parliamentary democracy and to the rule of
law.
29 June
Geza Jeszensky, Foreign Minister of Hungary,
is received at NATO Headquarters by Secretary
General Manfred Worner.
2 July
Monetary union is established between the Federal
Republic of Germany and the German Democratic
Republic.
3 July
Taro Nakayama, Foreign Minister of Japan, is
received by Secretary General Manfred Worner at
NATO Headquarters.
6 July
NATO Heads of State and Government meeting
in London publish the ``London Declaration'' on
a Transformed North Atlantic Alliance. The declar-
ation outlines proposals for developing cooper-
ation with the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe across a wide spectrum of political and
military activity, including the establishment of
regular diplomatic liaison between those countries
and NATO.
10 July
The Foreign Minister of the German Democratic
Republic, Markus Meckel, visits NATO.
13-17 July
NATO Secretary General Manfred Worner visits
Moscow at the invitation of Foreign Minister Sche-
vardnadze for talks with the Soviet leadership fol-
lowing publication of the London Declaration.
16 July
Chancellor Kohl and President Gorbachev agree
on measures enabling Germany to regain full sover-
eignty and to exercise its right to remain a full
member of the North Atlantic Alliance.
17 July
Conclusion of the ``Two Plus Four'' Conference in
Paris on the unification of Germany.
18 July
Hungarian Prime Minister Jozsef Antall visits
NATO Headquarters.
2 August
Iraqi troops invade Kuwait following a dispute
between the two countries on exploitation of oil
rights in the Gulf.
6 August
The UN Security Council agrees unanimously on
wide-ranging sanctions against Iraq and demands
Iraqi withdrawal from the occupied territory of
Kuwait.
8 August
The UN Security Council declares the Iraqi
announcement of its de facto annexation of Kuwait
nul and void.
10 August
Special Meeting of the North Atlantic Council at
the level of Foreign Ministers for consultations
and exchange of information on developments in
the Gulf.
22 August
The legislature of the German Democratic Repub-
lic votes in favour of the unification of the GDR
with the Federal Republic of Germany on 3 Octo-
ber 1990 and agrees to hold elections in the unified
country on 2 December 1990.
4 September
The nine member countries of the Western Euro-
pean Union agree on guidelines for the coordina-
tion of their naval operations in the Gulf region in
order to reinforce the international embargo
against Iraq. A number of WEU and other coun-
tries send forces to the area.
5-8 September
NATO Secretary General Manfred Worner visits
the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic for discus-
sions with the President, Prime Minister and Presi-
dent of the Parliament.
7 September
Consultations continue in the North Atlantic
Council on political, military and economic devel-
opments in the Gulf in the framework of the
harmonisation of allied policies and the commit-
ment of the Allies to work for the application of
United Nations resolutions in relation to the Gulf
crisis.
10 September
The United States Secretary of State James Baker
briefs a special meeting of the North Atlantic
Council in Ministerial session on the outcome
of the US-Soviet summit meeting on the Gulf
crisis.
12 September
In a statement issued on the occasion of the signing
of the ``Two Plus Four Treaty'' in Moscow, the
Alliance welcomes this historic agreement which
paves the way for the unification of Germany and
its return to full sovereignty.
13-15 September
NATO Secretary General Manfred Worner on his
first visit to Poland addresses the Sejm on the
historic opportunities for creating a durable order
of peace and prosperity in Europe based on cooper-
ation and friendship.
14 September
Initiation of Allied consultations in NATO's
Special Consultative Group on future negotiations
on short-range nuclear forces as called for in the
London Declaration.
In a statement condemning the forced entry by
Iraqi soldiers into the residences of NATO embas-
sies in Kuwait, the Alliance calls upon Iraq to free
those seized and to refrain from further aggressive
acts.
24 September-
19 October
CSCE Meeting on the Mediterranean, Palma de
Mallorca.
1-2 October
CSCE Conference of Foreign Ministers in New
York passes resolution condemning Iraqi aggession
against Kuwait.
3 October
On the day of German unification the North
Atlantic Council marks the occasion by a special
meeting and welcomes the united country as a full
member of the Alliance.
15 October
Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the 1990 Nobel
Peace Prize.
23 October
Mr. Petre Roman, Prime Minister of Romania,
is received at NATO Headquarters by Secretary
General Manfred Worner.
25-26 October
Visit to NATO by First Deputy Minister of Defence
and Chief of the Soviet General Staff, General
M.A. Moiseyev.
26 October
Dr. Lajos Fur, Defence Minister of the Republic
of Hungary, visits NATO.
15 November
Mr. Luben Gotsev, Foreign Minister of Hungary,
is received at NATO Headquarters by Secretary
General Manfred Worner.
17 November
CSCE negotiators adopt the ``Vienna Document''
on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures
(CSBMs).
19 November
In the framework of the CSCE Summit Meeting in
Paris, the 22 member states of NATO and the
Warsaw Treaty Organisation sign a major Treaty
on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and
publish a Joint Declaration on non-aggression.
21 November
CSCE Heads of State and Government publish the
Charter of Paris for a New Europe and endorse
the adoption of the Vienna Document on Confi-
dence- and Security-Building Measures (CSBMs).
22-25 November
NATO Secretary General Manfred Worner visits
Hungary.
26-28 November
The North Atlantic Assembly meeting in London
accords associate delegate status to parliamen-
tarians from the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Czecho-
slovakia, Hungary and Poland.
6-7 December
Ministerial meeting of the Defence Planning Com-
mittee and the Nuclear Planning Group in Brus-
sels. Defence Ministers support UN Resolution 678
demanding that Iraqi forces withdraw from
Kuwait by January 1991. They review progress in
developing a new strategic concept for NATO and
other steps being taken to adapt NATO forces to
the new strategic environment in Europe.
10 December
Lech Walesa is elected President of Poland.
11 December
Albania's Communist Party anounces the legalisa-
tion of political opposition parties after 45 years of
one-party dictatorship.
13 December
Romanian Secretary of State for Defence, General
Vasile Ionel visits NATO.
15 December
At a Summit Meeting in Rome EC Leaders open
Intergovernmental Conferences on Economic and
Monetary Union and Political Union.
17-18 December
Ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council
in Brussels. Foreign Ministers review progress
made since the July Summit Meeting in fulfilling
the objectives of the London Declaration and issue
a statement on the Gulf Crisis.
20 December
Soviet Foreign Minister Edouard Schevardnadze
resigns, warning of the risks of renewed dictator-
ship in the Soviet Union.
1991
2 January
NATO deploys aircraft of the ACE Mobile Force
(AMF) to south east Turkey in an operational
role.
8 January
Soviet troops are deployed around the Lithuanian
capital to enforce mandatory conscription.
9 January
At a Geneva meeting between the US and Iraqi
Foreign ministers, Iraq maintains its refusal to
withdraw its forces from Kuwait.
11 January
NATO issues a statement urging Soviet authorities
to refrain from using force and intimidation in the
Baltic Republics.
15 January -
8 February
CSCE Experts' Meeting on Peaceful Settlement of
Disputes in Valetta proposes establishment of Dis-
pute Settlement Mechanism.
17 January
Coalition forces launch air attacks against Iraq at
the beginning of the Gulf War, following Iraq's
refusal to withdraw from Kuwait in accordance
with UN Security Council Resolutions.
11 February
Eighty-five per cent of those voting in a Lithuanian
plebiscite favour moves towards independence.
18 February
WEU Secretary General Wim van Eekelen visits
NATO for discussions with NATO Secretary Gen-
eral Manfred Worner in the framework of on-
going consultations on the development of the
European Security Identity and cooperation be-
tween NATO and the WEU.
19 February
An eleventh-hour Soviet peace plan for averting
the Gulf War falls short of Allied demands for an
unconditional withdrawal of Iraqi forces.
24 February
Coalition forces begin ground offensive into
Kuwait.
25 February
Representatives of the six countries of the Warsaw
Pact convene in Budapest to announce the dissolu-
tion of its military structure. The Warsaw Pact
Committee of Defence Ministers, its Joint Com-
mand, and its Military, Scientific and Technical
Council are disbanded.
27 February
Czechoslovak Foreign Minister Jiri Dienstbier
visits NATO.
28 February
Coalition forces liberate Kuwait. US President
George Bush suspends allied coalition combat op-
erations. Iraq accepts unconditionally all 12 UN
resolutions relating to the withdrawal of its forces
from Kuwait.
3 March
In referendums held in Estonia and Latvia, votes
favour independence by 77 per cent and 73 per
cent, respectively.
4 March
The Soviet legislature ratifies the Treaty permit-
ting German unification, formally ending the
authority of the quadripartite arrangements
concerning Germany introduced after World War
II.
6 March
NATO's Allied Mobile Force is withdrawn from
Turkey following the end of the Gulf War.
13 and 26 March
Completion of United States withdrawal of
intermediate-range nuclear forces (Pershing 2 and
Cruise missiles) from Europe in accordance with
the INF Treaty.
21 March
Visit to NATO by the President of the Czech
and Slovak Federal Republic, Vaclav Havel.
President Havel addresses the North Atlantic
Council.
31 March
Formal dissolution of the military structures of the
Warsaw Pact.
15 April
Inauguration in London of the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), estab-
lished to assist Eastern European countries and
the Soviet Union in developing democracy and a
market economy.
23-24 April
Visit by the Chairman of NATO's Military Commit-
tee, General Vigleik Eide, to the Czech and Slovak
Federal Republic.
25-26 April
Conference on The Future of European Security
in Prague sponsored jointly by the Foreign Minis-
ter of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic and
the Secretary General of NATO.
29 April
NATO's annual Atlantic Award is presented
posthumously to Senator Giovanni Malagodi of
Italy.
30 April
Visit to NATO Headquarters by Bulgarian Prime
Minister, Dimitar Popov and Colonel General
Mutafchiev, Minister of Defence.
7 May
The Yugoslav Defence Minister declares that
his country is in a state of civil war.
12 May
Elimination by the Soviet Union of remaining
SS20 missiles in accordance with the INF Treaty.
21 May
The US House of Representatives calls for a reduc-
tion of US troop strength in Europe from 250,000
to 100,000 by 1995.
The Supreme Soviet passes a bill liberalising
foreign travel and emigration.
23 May
Visit to NATO by Poland's Defence Minister, Piotr
Kolodziejczyk.
28-29 May
Ministerial Meetings of NATO's Defence Planning
Committee and Nuclear Planning Group. Minis-
ters agree inter alia on the basis of a new NATO
force structure.
28 May-7 June
CSCE Cultural Heritage Symposium, Cracow.
1 June
US and Soviet officials report resolution of out-
standing differences on the CFE Treaty.
6-7 June
NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Copenhagen,
issue Statements on Partnership with the Countries
of Central and Eastern Europe, NATO's Core
Security Functions in the New Europe, and the
Resolution of Problems Concerning the CFE
Treaty.
12-14 June
NATO Secretary General Manfred Worner
pays an official visit to the Republic of
Bulgaria.
19 June
Albania becomes 35th CSCE participating State.
19-20 June
Meeting of CSCE Council, Berlin. Foreign Ministers
create a CSCE Emergency Mechanism allowing for
meetings of Senior Officials to be called at short
notice subject to agreement by 13 States, and en-
dorse the Valetta Report on the Peaceful Settle-
ment for Disputes.
20 June
German legislators vote to reinstate Berlin as the
country's official capital.
25 June
Parliaments of Slovenia and Croatia proclaim inde-
pendence.
28 June
Dissolution of COMECON.
1 July
The Warsaw pact is officially disbanded in accord-
ance with a protocol calling for a ``transition to
all-European structures.''
1-19 July
CSCE Experts' Meeting on National Minorities,
Geneva.
3 July
Polish President Lech Walesa visits NATO.
4-5 July
NATO's Secretary General Manfred Worner visits
Romania.
30 July
Russian President Boris Yeltsin signs a treaty with
Lithuania recognising its independence.
30-31 July
US and Soviet Presidents proclaim their two-day
summit as opening a new era in bilateral relations
and sign a START Treaty reducing strategic nuclear
weapons.
19 August
Soviet President Gorbachev is removed from office
in a coup and replaced by an ``emergency commit-
tee''. Meeting in emergency session NATO Council
warns the Soviet Union of ``serious consequences''
if it abandons reform. Western aid programmes
are suspended.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin calls for a gen-
eral strike while loyalist tanks flying Russian flags
position themselves near the Russian parliament
building.
21 August
Ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council.
Foreign Ministers review the political situation in
the Soviet Union and publish a statement condemn-
ing the unconstitutional removal of President Gor-
bachev and calling for the restoration of demo-
cratic reform.
President Gorbachev returns to Moscow as
the 19 August coup collapses and its leaders are
arrested. Western leaders praise President Yeltsin's
role in resisting the coup and lift a freeze on aid to
the Soviet Union.
Romanian Foreign Minister Adrian Nastase
visits NATO.
25 August
The Soviet Union announces a wholesale purge of
the Military High Command. President Gorbachev
proposes that the Communist Party be disbanded
and resigns as its General Secretary.
26 August
President Gorbachev indicates that the demands
of secession-minded republics for independence
can no longer be resisted. EC countries agree to
establish diplomatic ties with the three Baltic
states.
28 August
President Gorbachev appoints Boris Pankin,
former Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, as Foreign
Minister, strips the KGB of its troops and orders
an investigation of its activities.
29 August
Soviet legislators vote to suspend all activities of
the Communist Party.
5 September
The Soviet Congress of Peoples Deputies, before
disbanding, agrees to hand over key powers to the
Repubics.
10 September-
4 October
Third CSCE Meeting of the Conference on the
Human Dimension, in Moscow. Estonia, Latvia
and Lithuania become participating CSCE States.
17 September
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are admitted to the
UN.
27 September
US President Bush announces sweeping cuts in US
nuclear weapons and calls upon the Soviet Union
to do likewise. The US cuts include the destruction
of all US ground-launched tactical nuclear missiles
and the removal of nuclear cruise missiles from
submarines and warships.
6 October
Meeting in Cracow, the Foreign Ministers of
Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia state their
wish for their countries to be included in NATO
activities.
President Gorbachev announces the abolition of
Soviet short-range nuclear weapons and the re-
moval of all tactical nuclear weapons from ships,
submarines and land-based naval aircraft.
17 October
NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Taormina,
Italy, announce reductions in the current NATO
stockpile of sub-strategic nuclear weapons in
Europe by approximately 80 per cent.
21 October
Visit to NATO by Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister
Deryabin.
24-25 October
Seminar on Civil/Military Coordination of Air
Traffic Management at NATO with participation
from NATO and Central and Eastern European
countries.
28 October
Hungarian Prime Minister Joszef Antall visits
NATO.
30 October
The first Peace Conference on the Middle East
opens in Madrid under the joint chairmanship of
the United States and the Soviet Union.
4-15 November
CSCE Experts' Seminar on Democratic Institu-
tions, Oslo.
7-8 November
Summit Meeting of the North Atlantic Council in
Rome. Heads of State and Government publish
the Alliance's new Strategic Concept and issue the
Rome Declaration on Peace and Cooperation.
11 November
NATO Secretary General Manfred Worner
receives Polish Foreign Minister Krzystof
Skubiszewski at NATO.
12 November
Estonian Foreign Minister Lennart Meri is re-
ceived at NATO.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Stoyan Ganev visits
NATO.
14 November
Bulgarian President Zhelev visits NATO.
25 November
Romanian Minister of National Defence Lt. Gen-
eral Nicolae Spiroiu is received at NATO.
1 December
In a referendum 90 per cent of the voters in
Ukraine opt for independence from the Soviet
Union.
8 December
Representatives of the three former Soviet Repub-
lics of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine meet in Minsk
and agree to set up a Commonwealth of Independ-
ent States to replace the Soviet Union.
9-10 December
At the Maastricht European Council, Heads of
State and Government of the EC adopt treaties
(subject to ratification) on Economic and Mon-
etary Union and Political Union.
WEU Member States also meeting in Maas-
tricht, invite members of the European Union to
accede to the WEU or to become observers, and
other European members of NATO to become
associate members of the WEU.
12-13 December
Ministerial meeting of the Defence Planning Com-
mittee in Brussels. Defence Ministers review major
changes in force structures called for in the Alli-
ance's new Strategic Concept, including substantial
reductions in troops and equipment.
13 December
First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Gennadij
Burbulis, visits NATO for discussions with Sec-
retary General Manfred Worner on the situation
in the Soviet Union following the foundation of
the Commonwealth of Independent States by
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
17 December
During talks in Moscow President Yeltsin and
President Gorbachev agree that the transition to
the Commonwealth of Independent States would
take place at the end of December 1991.
19 December
Ministerial meeting of the North Atlantic Council
in Brussels. Foreign Ministers condemn the vio-
lence in Yugoslavia and pursue initiatives taken at
the Rome Summit Meeting in November, inter
alia on NATO assistance in providing humanitarian
aid to the Soviet Union.
20 December
Inaugural meeting of the North Atlantic Cooper-
ation Council attended by Foreign Ministers and
Representatives of 16 NATO countries and 9 Cen-
tral and Eastern European countries.
21 December
Eleven of the constituent republics of the former
Soviet Union meet in Alma Ata and sign agree-
ments creating a new Commonwealth of Independ-
ent States, marking the effective end of the USSR.
25 December
President Gorbachev announces his resignation as
Soviet President and signs a Decree relinquishing
his function as Supreme Commander-in-Chief of
Soviet Forces.
1992
1 January
Boutros Boutros- Ghali of Egypt becomes Secretary
General of the United Nations on retirement of
Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru.
6 January
Georgian rebels overthrow the Government of
Zviad Gamsakhurdia.
7-8 January
NATO participates in arrangements for airlifting
EC humanitarian assistance to Moscow and St
Petersburg in aircraft provided by the Canadian
and German governments.
8-10 January
Meeting of CSCE Senior Officials, Prague.
10 January
At the first meeting of an informal High Level
Working Group established by the North Atlantic
Cooperation Council to discuss ratification and
implementation of the CFE Treaty, agreement is
reached on a phased approach for bringing the
CFE Treaty into force.
22-23 January
A 47-nation international coordinating conference
in Washington on assistance to the former Soviet
Union, sponsored by the United States, is attended
by NATO's Secretary General Manfred Worner and
representatives of other international organisa-
tions.
28 January
In his State of the Union Address, US President
Bush proposes major new arms control and dis-
armament initiatives.
30 January
The first Summit Meeting of the 15 nation UN
Security Council is attended by President Boris
Yeltsin, President of the Russian Federation.
30-31 January
Meeting of CSCE Council of Foreign Ministers in
Prague recognises the Russian Federation as the
continuation of the legal personality of the former
Soviet Union and admits 10 former Soviet Repub-
lics as CSCE participating states.
19 February
Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Gasanov visits
NATO.
21 February
Manfred Worner, Secretary General of NATO,
visits Romania and opens a new Euro-Atlantic
Centre in Bucharest.
22-23 February
Secretary General Manfred Worner visits
Ukraine.
24-25 February
Secretary General Manfred Worner visits Russia.
26 February
The Canadian Government informs the Alliance
of its decision to cancel plans to maintain 1,100
Canadian forces in Europe after 1994, but con-
firms its intention to fulfil other commitments to
the Alliance and to its Integrated Military Struc-
ture.
The North Atlantic Council, in a Statement on
Yugoslavia, appeals to all parties to respect cease-
fire arrangements in order to allow the deployment
of a UN peace-keeping force.
27 February-
24 March
Mission of experts sponsored by the Medical Work-
ing Group of the Washington Coordinating Con-
ference on Assistance to the Commonwealth of
Independent States visits 10 cities on board a
NATO Boeing 707 to assess medical needs.
5 March
Foreign Ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland,
Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland,
Russia and Sweden meeting in Copenhagen, an-
nounce the formation of the Council of Baltic Sea
States.
10 March
Extraordinary Meeting of the North Atlantic
Cooperation Council. Foreign Ministers and
Representatives of the NACC countries publish a
Work Plan for Dialogue, Partnership and Cooper-
ation.
11 March
President of the Italian Republic Francesco
Cossiga visits NATO.
11-12 March
Secretary General Manfred Worner visits Poland
and opens a Seminar on ``Security in Central
Europe''.
13-16 March
NATO Secretary General Manfred Worner visits
the Baltic States at the invitation of the Govern-
ments of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
24 March
Opening of Fourth CSCE Follow-Up Meeting in
Helsinki. Croatia, Georgia and Slovenia become
CSCE participating States.
Signature of Open Skies agreement permitting
overflights of national territory on a reciprocal
basis.
1 April
NATO Defence Ministers meet with Cooperation
Partners and identify areas for further cooperation
in defence-related matters.
8-10 April
NATO Economics Colloquium on External Econ-
omic Relations of the Central and Eastern Euro-
pean countries.
10 April
First Meeting of the NATO Military Committee in
Cooperation Session with Chiefs of Defence and
Chiefs of General Staff of Central and Eastern
European States.
29 April
Appointment of US General John M. Shalikashvili
to succeed General John R. Galvin as Supreme
Allied Commander, Europe.
30 April
NATO's Naval On-Call Force for the Mediterranean
is replaced by a Standing Naval Force Mediter-
ranean (STANAVFORMED).
4 May
Visit to NATO by Japanese Minister of State for
Defence, Mr. Sohei Miyashita.
7 May
Meeting of Russian Secretary of State Gennady
Burbulis with Acting Secretary General of NATO
Amedeo de Franchis at NATO Headquarters.
11 May
Visit of the Foreign Ministers of Estonia, Latvia
and Lithuania to NATO Headquarters.
11-12 May
CEAC Seminar with cooperation partners at
NATO Headquarters on civil/military coordina-
tion of air traffic management.
15 May
Agreements signed at the fifth Summit Meeting
of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independ-
ent States in Tashkent include the apportionment of
rights and obligations between the 8 former Soviet
states concerned with respect to the CFE Treaty.
20-22 May
NATO Defence Conversion Seminar with cooper-
ation partners.
21 May
First formal meeting of the North Atlantic Council
with the Council of the Western European Union
at NATO Headquarters.
26-27 May
Ministerial Meetings of NATO's Defence Planning
Committee and Nuclear Planning Group. Defence
Ministers discuss NATO support for CSCE peace-
keeping activities.
2 June
In a national referendum Danish voters reject the
Maastricht Treaties on political and monetary
union by 50.7 to 49.3 per cent.
4 June
NATO Foreign Ministers, meeting in Ministerial
Session in Oslo, announce their readiness to sup-
port conditionally peace-keeping activities under
the responsibility of the CSCE on a case-by-case
basis. Foreign Ministers also issue statements on
the crisis in the territory of the former Yugosla-
via and on the crisis centered on Nagorno-
Karabakh.
5 June
Foreign Ministers and Representatives of the coun-
tries participating in the NACC, meeting in Oslo,
consult on regional conflicts and other major secu-
rity issues. Georgia and Albania are welcomed as
members of the NACC. Finland attends as ob-
server.
The Final Document issued at the conclusion of
an Extraordinary Conference held in Oslo in con-
junction with these meetings formally establishes
the obligations under the CFE Treaty of the 8
countries of the former Soviet Union with territory
in the area of application of the Treaty.
11-12 June
Seminar with cooperation partners conducted by
NATO's Verification Coordinating Committee on
implementation of the CFE Treaty.
16 June
Agreement is reached by US President Bush and
Russian President Yeltsin to cut nuclear warheads
on strategic missiles significantly beyond the limits
of the START Treaty.
1-3 July
High Level Seminar on Defence Policy and Man-
agement at NATO Headquarters, attended by
officials from 30 allied and cooperation partner
countries.
2 July
The United States notifies its Allies of the complet-
ion of the withdrawal from Europe of land-based
nuclear artillery shells, LANCE missile warheads
and nuclear depth bombs, in accordance with the
initiative announced on 27 September 1991, as well
as the removal of all tactical nuclear weapons
from US surface ships and attack submarines.
8 July
Visit to NATO by Mr. Leonid Kravchuk, President
of Ukraine.
10 July
At the conclusion of the Helsinki CSCE Follow-Up
Conference at Summit Level, leaders of the 51
participating nations approve a Final Document
(``The Challenges of Change'') addressing, inter
alia, support for CSCE peace-keeping activities by
NATO and other international organisations.
The North Atlantic Council in Ministerial Ses-
sion in Helsinki agrees on a NATO maritime opera-
tion in the Adriatic in coordination and cooper-
ation with the operation decided by the WEU, to
monitor compliance with UN sanctions imposed
on Serbia and Montenegro by Security Council
Resolutions 713 and 757.
16 July
WEU member countries meet in Rome with repre-
sentatives of Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Ireland,
Norway, and Turkey, to discuss steps towards
enlargement.
16-18 July
Official visit to Hungary by the Secretary General
of NATO Mr. Manfred Worner.
17 July
The CFE Treaty, signed on 19 November 1990,
enters into force provisionally, allowing verifica-
tion procedures to be implemented.
28 July
Signing in Naples of NATO-Spanish coordination
agreement on air defence.
26-28 August
London Conference on Yugoslavia.
2 September
The North Atlantic Council agrees on measures to
make available Alliance resources in support of
UN, CSCE and EC efforts to bring about peace in
the former Yugoslavia, including the provision of
resources for the protection of humanitarian relief
and support for UN monitoring of heavy weapons.
3 September
An Italian relief plane is shot down west of Sarajevo
in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
8 September
Czechoslovak Foreign Minister Jozef Moravcik
visits NATO.
12-13 September
UN begins monitoring of heavy weapons in
Bosnia-Hercegovina. NATO Allies express readi-
ness to support the UN in this endeavour.
20 September
In a national referendem French voters approve
the Maastricht Treaty on European Political and
Monetary Union with 50.82 per cent for the Treaty
and 49.18 per cent against.
22 September
The CSCE Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC),
established at the Helsinki Summit in July 1992, is
inaugurated in Vienna.
UN General Assembly votes to exclude Serbia and
Montenegro and rules that Belgrade must make an
application to be admitted to the United Nations.
23 September
Visit to NATO by Lithuanian President, Vytautas
Landsbergis.
29 September
The Swedish Foreign Minister, Margaretha af
Ugglas, is received at NATO by Secretary General
Manfred Worner.
Foreign Minister of Argentina, Guido di Tella,
visits NATO for discussions with Secretary Gen-
eral Manfred Worner.
1 October
US Senate ratifies START Treaty cutting US and
Russian nuclear forces by one-third.
2 October
NATO's new Allied Command Europe (ACE)
Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) is inaugurated at
Bielefeld, Germany, by General Shalikashvili
(SACEUR).
7 October
Visit to NATO by Poland's Prime Minister, Mrs.
Hanna Suchocka.
14 October
WEU Permanent Council meets at Ambassadorial
level with eight Central and Eastern European
countries.
The North Atlantic Council authorises the use of a
NATO airborne early warning force (AWACS) to
monitor the UN-mandated ``no-fly'' zone in effect
over Bosnia-Hercegovina.
20-21 October
NATO Ministers of Defence meeting in the Nuclear
Planning Group (NPG) at Gleneagles, Scotland,
focus on the implications of the Alliance's role in
peacekeeping activities for NATO's collective de-
fence planning. New political guidelines providing
for reduced reliance on nuclear weapons are also
adopted.
28 October
Finnish President Mauno Koivisto meets with
NATO Secretary General Manfred Worner in
Brussels.
1-4 November
Secretary General Manfred Worner visits Belarus,
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
3 November
Governor Bill Clinton, the Democratic candidate,
wins US Presidential election.
9 November
CFE Treaty officially enters into force after rati-
fication by all 29 signatory states.