NATO Logistics Handbook October 1997

Chapter 7: NATO Principles and Policies for Logistics Introduction 701. The Alliance's new Strategic Concept, the Military Committee Directive for Military Implementation of the Alliance's Strategic Concept, NATO Force Structures and the NATO Concept for Reinforcement all have implications for the logistic support of Alliance forces. A Senior NATO Logisticians' Conference (SNLC) report analysed the key characteristics of NATO's Military Strategy and Force Structures, and their implications regarding future logistic principles and policies. In essence, the report emphasized that nations and NATO Authorities have a collective responsibility for logistic support of NATO's multinational operations, that nations must ensure, individually or by cooperative arrangements, the provision of logistic resources to support their forces allocated to NATO during peace, crisis and conflict, including adequate provision for strategic mobility, transportation and movement of forces, and that NATO Commanders must have appropriate authority to control certain logistic assets. 702. The NATO principles and policies for logistics set out in MC 319/1 endorsed by the NATO Council apply to peace, crisis and conflict and include Article 5 operations as well as non-Article 5 operations. They provide sufficient flexibility for close cooperation with the United Nations (UN), the Western European Union (WEU), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They also apply to operations within the framework of the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) concept and for non-NATO nations in NATO-led operations.