Text File

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.