Resource Policy and Planning Board

The Budget Committee and the Investment Committee report to the RPPB. The Budget Committee reviews and recommends civil and military budgets, while the Investment Committee is responsible for the implementation of the NSIP, which finances the provision of capabilities needed to support the roles of the two Strategic Commands.
 

Main roles and functions

Following the reform of NATO’s committees, the RPPB was established in July 2010 as the only resource committee reporting directly to the NAC. It succeeded the Senior Resource Board, which was created in the 1990s to optimise the allocation of military common-funded resources.

The RPPB is responsible for resource policy matters, including eligibility and affordability. The Board receives strategic guidance from the Council and, in turn, provides coherence and guidance to the work of its subordinate resource committees. It advises the Council on the resource implications of new initiatives, operations and missions, and on external audit reports.

The Board also reviews Capability Packages – and since 2018, Capability Programme Plans – prior to their approval by the NAC. A Capability Programme Plan encompasses programme-level capability plans, the associated resource requirements and delivery milestones. Its implementation is enabled by common funding, which can cover NATO-funded capital investments, related Operations & Maintenance costs, workforce or other associated costs. It can be complemented by nationally and/or multinationally funded assets. These elements, together with military forces and other essential requirements, enable NATO to achieve a specific military objective. The RPPB endorses the resource implications associated with these capabilities, and their eligibility for common funding.

Each year, the RPPB also recommends for the Council’s approval a comprehensive Common Funded Resource Plan, which sets financial ceilings for the following year and planning figures for the four subsequent years. As of 2022, this five-year plan consolidates the military and civil resource and financial plans and thus sets the parameters within which the Budget and the Investment Committees oversee the preparation and execution of their respective budgets and programmes.

Jointly with the Military Committee, the Board also produces an annual report, which allows the North Atlantic Council to monitor the adequacy of resource allocations in relation to requirements.
 

Working mechanisms

All NATO member countries are represented on the Board, which is headed by a national Chair.

Besides national representatives, representatives of the International Military Staff and of the NATO Strategic Commanders as well as the Chairs of the Budget and Investment Committees also attend the Board's meetings.

The Board is supported by the NATO Office of Resources.