NATO Deputy Secretary General: standardization makes interoperability amongst Allies possible

  • 29 Sep. 2020 -
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  • Last updated: 29 Sep. 2020 15:39

Today (29 September 2020), in an online event marking 70 years of NATO standardization, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană stressed the importance of standardization for NATO’s cohesion and effectiveness.

Without standardization, it is impossible to have interoperability across Allies, today 30 allies”, he said. “We need these common standards and common ways of working together. Standardization is part of NATO's DNA, and also is part of our brand, is part of our strength, is part of our identity”.

Looking ahead, Mr. Geoană encouraged the pursuit of an ever more inclusive and cooperative approach to standardization to capitalize on technologies that are critical to the Alliance and its primary responsibility to preserve peace and keep its population safe. “We will continue to work together with industry, with our partners in the academic world in a coordinated manner”, he insisted, “Standards have to be tried and tested across nations and sectors. The practical application of standards is a metric for our innovation”.

NATO’s common standards range from use of standardized fuels, ammunitions and radio communications to environmental guidelines, joint intelligence procedures and personnel recovery tactics.