NATO Logistics Handbook October 1997

Chapter 1: NATO Logistics Introduction 101. There are many spheres of civilian and military activity which have a direct or indirect bearing on the common security of the member countries of the Alliance. The assistance available to defence forces to enable them to fulfil their roles includes, for example, providing shared access to the logistic support which they need if they are to function effectively. Each member country is responsible for ensuring, individually or through cooperative arrangements the continuous support of its own forces. Coordinated logistic planning is therefore an essential aspect of the efficient and economical use of resources. Examples of cooperative arrangements include the common funding of logistic facilities under the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP); the coordination of civil logistic resources under Civil Emergency Planning (CEP) arrangements; and logistic aspects of armaments production and procurement. It is through such arrangements that the availability of the necessary installations, storage and maintenance facilities, transport resources, vehicles, weapons, ammunition, fuel supplies, and stocks of spare parts can be coordinated. 102. Every nation has developed its own logistics organization, and practices. These have evolved as a result of the foreign and domestic policy, military experience, and geographic considerations of the nation concerned. NATO's principles reflect the additional requirements of operating together in a multinational Alliance.