NATO
Logistics
Handbook
October 1997
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Chapter 17: Standardization and Interoperability
Introduction
1701. Through NATO Standardization, Alliance nations
will enhance their capability to perform the whole range of
Alliance tasks and missions. NATO standardization also adds a
political value as an outward demonstration of cooperation and
solidarity. Therefore, NATO policy is to encourage nations and
NATO Authorities to develop, agree and implement common
concepts, doctrines, procedures, criteria and designs to enhance
the Alliance's operational effectiveness and improve the
efficiency in use of available military resources.
1702. The increasing need for Alliance cooperation in
the development and maintenance of multinational forces for
all missions demands more flexibility to meet broader,
less predictable risks, and to ensure a variety of military
crisis measures. Given the current emphasis placed on cooperation
in Peace Support Operations (PSOs), combined efforts, also
with Partners, should be made in the field of standardization.
For multinational formations the overall mutual cooperation
between all forces and units is essential. This requires a significant
level of standardization.
1703. Major changes in NATO involving new and
more delicate missions, Partnership for Peace (PfP) and
Enlargement will necessitate clearly defined standardization parameters
and require an appropriate level of standardization to
allow collaborative operations, training and exercises in NATO led
non-Article 5 operations (including PSOs, search and
rescue, humanitarian operations and crisis management). In
particular, the identification and implementation of
interoperability objectives for PfP nations will become increasingly
important, likewise the involvement and integration in the
standardization process.
1704. The production and maintenance of NATO
Standardization Agreements (STANAGs) and Allied Publications (APs) is
largely the responsibility of the Military Agency for Standardization
(MAS), the Conference of National Armament Directors
(CNAD) and the NATO Pipeline Committee (NPC) acting as
Tasking Authorities (TAs) for their associated working parties/groups.
In order to highlight the most important standardization
objectives (SOs) for the Alliance, a NATO Standardization Programme
(NSP) is produced containing key requirements and objectives.
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