The International Military Staff (IMS)

Six functional areas The IMS supports the Military Committee, with about The Military Committee oversees several of the IMS 400 dedicated military and civilian personnel working in operations and missions including the: an international capacity for the common interest of the Plans and Policy Alliance, rather than on behalf of their country of origin. ➤ International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF). Responsible for strategic level plans Under the direction of the Director General, Lt.Gen. NATO is operating throughout Afghanistan with about 130,000 and policies, and defence/force Jürgen Bornemann, the staff prepare assessments, military personnel there under its command. ISAF has responsibility for, among other things, the provision of security, planning, including working with evaluations and reports on all issues that form the basis nations to determine national military Provincial Reconstruction Teams and training the Afghan of discussion and decisions in the MC. National Security Forces, known as the NATO Training Mission – NATO’s Military levels of ambition regarding force goals and contributions to NATO. Afghanistan (NTM-A). Supporting the transfer of responsibility The IMS is also responsible for planning, assessing for security to Afghan Authorities will remain a priority. Operations and recommending policy on military matters for ➤ Kosovo Force (KFOR). Since June 1999 NATO has led a Operation Active Endeavour is NATO’s Committee Closely tracks current operations, consideration by the Military Committee, and for peacekeeping operation in Kosovo. Initially composed of 50,000 maritime surveillance and escort operation staffs operational planning, follows ensuring their policies and decisions are implemented following the March 1999 air campaign, the force now numbers in the fight against terrorism. Based in the NATO exercises and training, and as directed. This staff is the essential link between about 6,000, including the deployed Operational Response Force Mediterranean Sea, the force, which is provided by several nations, including for a focused on operations, responsible for issues involving NATO the decision-making bodies of the Alliance, the two Battalion, composed of around 500 personnel. time by Russia and Ukraine, has hailed more air defence. Strategic Commanders, national military delegations ➤ Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR (OAE), the Alliance’s only than 100,000 vessels. from NATO and Partner countries working in , Article V mission, conducts counter terrorism operations in the capabilities, cooperation, Cooperation and Regional Security and the civilian that support the Mediterranean with the participation of Partner nations and the Main military contact with the increasing involvement of the countries. and transformation 22 Partners in the Euro-Atlantic Secretary General and the . Partnership Council (EAPC), ➤ Operation OCEAN SHIELD (OOS), the Alliance’s counter piracy the NATO-Russia Council (NRC), mission in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin, is being the NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC), conducted with five ships and air assets, in close coordination the NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC), with many international actors. the 7 nations in the Mediterranean ➤ NATO also provides logistical support to the African Union Dialogue (MD), the 4 of the Istanbul Mission in Sudan (AMISOM). Cooperation Initiative (ICI), and with ➤ About 100 NATO military personnel in Sarajevo, Skopje and other non-member, non-Partner Belgrade also assist with defence and security reform. countries with whom NATO has relations or contact. Operations successfully concluded in 2011: Conducting counter-piracy operations in the ➤ Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR (OUP). In accordance with the Horn of Africa under Operation Ocean Shield. Logistics and Resources United Nations mandate, the Alliance conducted a 7 month air

All matters concerning logistics, (ISAF Photo) and maritime campaign to protect civilians and civilian-populated armaments, research and Zabul PRT personnel and 101st Airborne Division soldiers areas under attack and threat of attack in Libya. Overall, NATO development, medical, civil emergency speak with village elders from Bowlan Kalay and prepare to and partner jets flew some 26,000 sorties, including more than hand out humanitarian aid supplies. planning, and management of Alliance 11,000 strike missions. military financial resources and ➤ Training Mission – Iraq (NTM-I). Started in 2004 at the request personnel. of the Iraqi authorities, the Alliance contributed to Iraq security capacity by training around 5,000 military and 10,000 police Intelligence personnel and developing its training structures and institutions Provides strategic intelligence support, towards a more sustainable, multi-ethnic security force. GRAPHICS & PRINTING 0245-12 NATO including gathering, assessing and distributing intelligence received from member countries and NATO commands. International Military Staff

NATO Consultation, Command and For more information contact: Control the Public Affairs Office, International Military Staff, NATO HQ, 1110 Brussels – Gives advice on communications Afghan children from the village of Sayad Pacha in e-mail : dims.deppia@hq..int and information systems, standards, southern Afghanistan, use a water pump funded by the military’s civil-military cooperation section. products, and analysis. www.nato.int The Military Committee (MC) The NATO Military Decision-Making Process

NATO’s highest military authority is composed of the chiefs of Six steps to agreed military advice defence of all 28 member countries. They meet at least three times North Atlantic Council a year as a group. On a day-to-day basis, their work is carried out When NATO political authorities are considering Defence Planning Committee by permanent military representatives, mainly of three-star rank, at military action, such as the ISAF operation in Nuclear Planning Group Afghanistan, a critical part of the information NATO HQ in Brussels. They meet one to four times a week in formal [Secretary General] needed to make informed decisions that all and informal sessions to discuss, deliberate and act on matters of nations can agree to, comes from its military takes political decisions and gives political military importance, working in the best interests of the Alliance, at authorities. The North Atlantic Council receives guidance the same time representing national perspectives and positions. regular briefings and reports, and at each key 6 stage the Military Committee is called on to give The MC provides the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s highest political advice, and to provide direction to NATO Military authority, with consensus-based military advice - that is, advice Danish General Knud Bartels, current chairman of the Military Authorities. 1 Committee, is the most senior authority of the Alliance. agreed to by all chiefs of defence. It works closely with the two Nominated by NATO’s Chiefs of Defence, he chairs all the Political Committees Military Committee Step 1. The North Atlantic Council tasks the Strategic Commanders1 to bring plans, issues and recommendations meetings of the Committee and acts in an international capacity. [Chairman] forward for political consideration. In turn, it gives clear military NATO’s chiefs of defence meet at least three times a year, Military Committee to produce military advice that provide political advice and policy and on a day-to-day basis work through permanent military can be agreed by all 28 NATO chiefs of defence. guidance direction to the Strategic Commanders based on MC and North representatives in NATO HQ in Brussels. provides consensus-based military advice and translates political Atlantic Council decisions. Step 2. The International Military Staff, in support guidance into military direction of the Military Committee, translates the political 3 The MC represents a tremendous amount of specialised knowledge guidance into military direction and tasks one or and experience that informs Alliance-wide military policies, strategies both Strategic Commands for their best military and plans, and is a key part of the NATO decision-making process. advice on how to organise and conduct what has been asked for, including an assessment of the Working Groups 1 The overall planning and direction for all NATO operations rests with the Supreme Allied personnel and financial resources required. Commander Europe (SACEUR), who works from Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) headquarters in , Belgium. Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), national military delegations working from Norfolk, U.S., is responsible for enhancing NATO military capabilities, developing Step 3. The input from the Strategic work with IMS to troubleshoot concepts, policies, and joint NATO training. International Staff International Command(s) is provided to the Military Committee issues Military Staff 4 5 (i.e. to the nations) for consideration, usually with the executive agent an initial assessment by the International Military supporting Council and its the executive agent of The Committee’s principal role is to provide direction and Staff. committees the MC advice on military policy and strategy. It is responsible for The Role of the Chairman recommending to NATO’s political authorities those measures 4 considered necessary for the common defence of the NATO Step . The Military Representatives provide political-military coordination area and for the implementation of decisions regarding their response and advice from a national The Chairman of the Military Committee is elected by the NATO NATO’s operations and missions. standpoint. 28 views need to converge into chiefs of defence, normally for a three-year term. He represents consensus advice that can be passed to the North their consensus-based views as the principal military adviser to the Atlantic Council. 2 Secretary General, the North Atlantic Council and other senior NATO Strategic Commanders organisations. He guides the Committee’s agenda and deliberations, Step 5. Consensus is rarely immediately [SACEUR & SACT] listening to views and working to reconcile divergent national achieved on complex undertakings, and working groups meet regularly to troubleshoot and work positions or policy differences to fashion advice that all can agree to. give their best military advice to Each nation has an equal voice in the discussion and decisions, as through issues. Staff from national military the MC and the NAC delegations work under an IMS chairman and with all member nations provide the personnel and the financial resources subject matter experts. needed to conduct its operations and other activities. Step 6. The final agreed product, plus the initial As the Alliance’s top officer and most senior military spokesperson, advice from the Strategic Command(s), is then Operations Transformation Danish General Knud Bartels, the current Chairman, regularly visits sent to the North Atlantic Council to inform their operations and allied and partner countries to explain NATO’s role deliberations, consultations and decision-making. and military work, and to maximize NATO military capabilities and Lt.General Walter Gaskin (US Marines) , Deputy Chairman, Military Committee (left) talking with General Martin E. This is a continuous process for every activity, be efficiencies. He is assisted by the Deputy Chairman, U.S. Lt.-Gen. Dempsey, US Chief of Defence (centre) and Lt.General Walter E. Gaskin, Marine Corps. Juergen Bornemann (German Army), Director General of the it an operational plan, a conceptual paper or a Two-way arrows show continuous circle International Military Staff (right). policy proposal. of consultation and guidance.