National Armaments Directors focus on Alliance defence capability priorities

Facilitating multinational cooperation

The Conference met for the first time in Interoperability Platform (IP) format with partners. This format, established at the 2014 Wales Summit, is for partners interested in achieving better interoperability with NATO. With Allies and partners participating and the nature of activities addressed, such as standardization, the CNAD is a logical forum to discuss and promote interoperability.

The mission of the CNAD is to enable multinational cooperation on delivery of interoperable military capabilities to improve NATO forces’ effectiveness over the whole spectrum of current and future operations. Mr Patrick Auroy, Assistant Secretary General for Defence Investment and Permanent Chairman of the Conference, underlined the importance of multinational cooperation. “Multinational cooperative efforts continue to offer attractive avenues by delivering greater affordability and increased interoperability for the capabilities that are delivered,” he said.

Nations in the IP format exchanged points of view on the technological aspects of the Connected Forces Initiative, discussed the opportunities for collaboration with the NATO Science and Technology Organization, and were updated on multinational cooperation and Smart Defence efforts in member nations and at NATO.

CNAD support to capability delivery

Among member nations, National Armaments Directors (NADs) were briefed on the state of play of the major programmes governed by the CNAD: Joint Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Alliance Ground Surveillance, Alliance Future Surveillance and Control, and Ballistic Missile Defence.

NADs also received updates on the development of the Wales Capability Roadmaps, which are designed to facilitate the implementation of national targets and aid in the identification of areas where additional effort by nations could accelerate capability delivery. The roadmaps bring a more coherent view across the various strands of work, in the framework of the NATO Defence Planning Process.

The CNAD has an important role to play in ensuring that the Alliance is equipped with the required capabilities to meet current and future security challenges. NADs had an informal exchange of views on the impact of the Defence Investment Pledge (DIP) and its relationship to achieving Readiness Action Plan (RAP) requirements. The DIP and RAP initiatives were endorsed at the Wales Summit as part of NATO’s response to challenges in a changed security environment.

Mr Auroy encouraged National Armaments Directors to consider how multinational cooperation could address challenges arising from the RAP and added that the CNAD would assess how ongoing initiatives already existing under the Conference’s auspices could contribute to the solutions.

Enhancing the NATO-industry relationship in the run-up to Warsaw

As stated by NATO leaders in Wales, a strong defence industry across the Alliance is essential for delivering the required capabilities. The CNAD, through its NATO Industrial Advisory Group, is the principal venue for dialogue with industry. At their meeting, NADs directed the relevant CNAD bodies to increase the pace of efforts to enhance the involvement of industry in capability delivery.

“The CNAD will continue working toward implementing specific means by which to improve NATO’s relationship with industry,” Mr Auroy concluded.

The next meeting of the CNAD will be held in spring 2016.