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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.