NATO to conduct its annual crisis management exercise CMX 2004 from 4 to 10 march 2004

CMX 2004 is sponsored by NATO's Secretary General. It is jointly run by the International Staff and the International Military Staff, and the two NATO Strategic Commands - Allied Command Operations and Allied Command Transformation.

For the first time, the seven countries invited to join NATO will participate in a NATO CMX. They will observe the conduct of the exercise, which will provide them with an opportunity to familiarise themselves with crisis management procedures prior to their accession to NATO in Spring 2004.

The exercise is designed to practice crisis management procedures, including civil-military cooperation, in order to maintain and improve the Alliance's ability to manage crises.

The scenario for this exercise is hypothetical. It will depict a developing Article 5 situation within a threat environment that includes a terrorism and WMD dimension. (Article 5 of the Washington Treaty is the basic commitment to collective defence that nations make when they join the Alliance. It states that an armed attack on one or more of the Allies will be deemed an attack against them all). No actual troops will be deployed.

Participants in CMX 2004 will include civil and military staffs in national capitals, at NATO Headquarters, and in both Strategic Commands.