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1958-2008: 50 YEARS OF SCIENCE AT NATO

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“Prudent scientific diplomacy is a peace-keeping measure in its own right.”
Editorials, NATURE, 04 September 2008, no: 7208

The origins of the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme date to 1956, when a report by Foreign Ministers Halvard Lange of Norway, Gaetano Martino of Italy and Lester B. Pearson of Canada emphasized the importance of political, economic and scientific consultation for Allied security.

These “Three Wise Men” proved prescient indeed. The next year, the launch of Sputnik alarmed NATO countries by demonstrating the gap between Soviet and Allied missile technology. With the report’s recommendations in mind, the North Atlantic Council established the NATO Science Committee (SCOM) to increase Allied scientific co-operation. The Committee had its first meeting in 1958.  .

Later, during the period of détente, Allies grew increasingly conscious of common environmental problems that could threaten the welfare and progress of their societies. Consequently, the North Atlantic Council created the Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society (CCMS) in 1969.

The end of the Cold War opened avenues for scientific, political, and economic co-operation that had never existed before. Former Warsaw Pact adversaries gradually joined the Science Programme, some first as Partners and then as Allies. Mediterranean Dialogue countries also began to participate.

In 2006, a new era began when SCOM and CCMS combined to form the Science for Peace and Security Committee, in parallel with the formation of a new, comprehensive SPS Programme. The new committee combines the functions of the two former ones by focusing on initiatives in civil science and innovation related to defence against terrorism, as well as non-traditional threats to security. The aim is to contribute to security, stability and solidarity among nations through increased collaboration, networking and capacity-building in NATO, Partner and Mediterranean Dialogue countries.

            Among its many ongoing projects and activities, the SPS Committee is currently facilitating research in explosives detection and protection against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) agents; assisting in the destruction of hazardous chemicals in Partner countries, and helping to provide Internet access to the Afghan academic community in Kabul, as well as the eight countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus, through the “Virtual Silk Highway Project”.

            In the future, the SPS Committee will continue to scan the horizon for emerging threats and challenges while encouraging innovation in defence against terrorism. New priority areas of research include cyber-security, maritime and energy security, the stand-off detection of explosives, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The SPS Programme is also developing an implementation plan to expand the internet connectivity at universities in six other regions in Afghanistan as well as to start destruction of rocket fuel oxidizers (Mélange) in Uzbekistan.

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