Logistics Support for NATO Operations

Logistics support for NATO operations

February 2006

Logistics support for NATO operations

Logistics is of vital importance for any military operation. Without it, operations could not be carried out and sustained. This is especially evident with NATO’s out-of-area operations.

The new missions of the Alliance are radically different from those it faced during the Cold War. NATO has now been involved in out-of-area operations for over a decade. During the 1990s, these operations were still in Europe, but the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States led to NATO foreign ministers removing all geographical limits to NATO’s area of operations at their meeting in Reykjavik in May 2002.

This poses obvious logistic challenges and NATO logistics doctrine is evolving accordingly while at the same time various initiatives are underway to develop the required capabilities.

Logistics deﬁned

NATO deﬁnes logistics as the science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of forces. Under this agreed deﬁnition, logistics covers the following areas of military operations:

• design and development, acquisition, storage, transport, distribution, maintenance, evacuation and disposal of materiel; • transport of personnel; • acquisition, construction, maintenance, operation and disposition of facilities; • acquisition or provision of services; • medical and health service support.

These areas involve a wide range of services and responsibilities subdivided into the input and output sides of logistics:

• production or acquisition aspects of logistics (research, design, development, manufacture and acceptance of equipment). This is primarily a national responsibility. However, cooperation and coordination take place within NATO in many areas, largely under the auspices of the Conference of National Armament Directors and its subordinate bodies. • consumer or operational aspects of logistics concerned with the supply and support functions of forces, falling mainly under the responsibility of the Senior NATO Logisticians’ Conference and the NATO Pipeline Committee. Other bodies, such as the Committee of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services in NATO, advise the Military Committee on logistical matters in their speciﬁc areas of responsibility.

1 Evolution of NATO logistics doctrine

During the Cold War, NATO logistics was limited to the North Atlantic area. The Alliance planned the linear defence of West Germany with national corps supported by national support elements.

Lines of communication within Europe extended westwards and northwards to Channel and North Sea ports. Planning called for reinforcements and supplies to be sealifted from the United States and Canada to these same ports and to be airlifted to European bases to pick up pre-positioned equipment.

The NATO Pipeline System evolved to supply fuel to NATO forces in Europe.

The NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) was created in Luxembourg, initially to aid European countries in their Foreign Military Sales purchase of US combat aircraft in the 1950s.

NATO Pipeline System CEPS encompasses NATO assets for In order to support the new mis- the movement, storage and delivery sions of the Alliance, the emphasis The NATO Pipeline System (NPS) of fuel in Belgium, France, Germany, has shifted away from static pipeline was set up during the Cold War to Luxembourg and the Netherlands. infrastructure to the rapidly deploy- supply Alliance forces with fuel. These are known as the host nations, able support of NATO’s expeditionary Although collectively referred to with Canada and the United States activities. To this end, NATO has de- as one system, the NPS actually designated as user nations. CEPS veloped a modular concept whereby consists of ten separate and distinct is managed by the Central Europe all fuel requirements can be satisfi ed military storage and distribution Pipeline Management Organisation through a combination of 13 discrete systems: Iceland, Italy, Greece, (CEPMO). Collectively, the host and but compatible modules which can Turkey (two separate systems - east user nations comprise the member receive, store and transport fuel in and west), Norway, Portugal, the countries participating in CEPMO. any theatre of operation. The concept United Kingdom, the North European The system is designed and managed also enables both NATO and Partner Pipeline System (NEPS) located in to meet operational requirements in nations to combine their capabilities both Denmark and Germany, and the central Europe in peace, crisis and to provide a multinational solution to largest system, the Central Europe confl ict, but is also used commercially meet all fuel requirements. Pipeline System (CEPS) in Belgium, under strict safeguards, supplying jet France, Germany, Luxembourg and fuel to several major civil airports. The the Netherlands. day-to-day operation of CEPS is the task of the Central Europe Pipeline The NPS in total consists of some Management Agency located 11 500 kilometers of pipeline running in Versailles, France. through 13 NATO nations with its as- sociated depots, connected air bases, In addition to the above elements of truck and rail loading stations, pump the NPS, there are also fuel systems stations, refi neries and entry points. in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulk distribution is achieved using Poland and Spain. While those in the facilities provided from the common- Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland funded NATO Security Investment are national systems, NATO military Programme (NSIP). The networks are requirements have been incorporated controlled by national organisations, into NSIP-funded projects which are with the exception of CEPS, which is being implemented. The Spanish sys- a multinational system. tem is purely national.

In the 1990s, NATO recognized the changed security environment it was operating in as a result of enlargement, Partnership for Peace (PfP) and other cooperation programmes with Central and Eastern Europe, cooperation with other international organisations, and peace support operations in the Balkans. All these developments present signiﬁ cant and new challenges as well as opportunities to NATO’s logistics staffs.

2 NATO Maintenance and missile, the Multiple Launch Rocket NAMSA has developed modern Supply Agency System (MLRS), and the CL-289 materiel management and procure- un-manned aerial vehicle. In future, ment techniques, including the Stock NAMSA plays a key role in logistics. NAMSA will provide in service support Holding and Assets Requirements The agency is the executive arm for the deployable Medium Extended Exchange (SHARE) and Common of the NATO Maintenance and Air Defense System (MEADS). NAM- Item Materiel Management (COM- Supply Organisation, which provides SA is responsible for the depot level MIT). The Agency also provides sup- the structure for logistics support maintenance of the NATO Airborne port for the Group of National Direc- of selected weapons systems in Warning and Control System, the tors on Codifi cation, which manages the national inventories of two or Alliance’s largest commonly funded the NATO Codifi cation System and more NATO nations, through the programme, which is run by the NATO logistics support for deployed NATO common procurement and supply Airborne Early Warning and Control forces. Under the NATO Codifi cation of spare parts and the provision of Programme Management Agency System, items of supply are given a maintenance and repair facilities. in Brunssum, the Netherlands. single NATO stock number.

NAMSA’s task is to provide logistic NAMSA is in charge of the storage services in support of weapon and depot for the common equipment equipment systems held in common of a deployable Combined Joint Task by NATO nations, in order to pro- Force in Taranto, southern Italy, the mote materiel readiness, to improve main depot for all NATO’s deployable the effi ciency of logistic operations assets. The agency also procured and to effect savings through con- equipment for the Deployable Joint solidated procurement in the areas Task Force of the NATO Reaction ofof ssupply,upply, maintenance,maintenance, calibration,calibration, Force. procurement,procurement, ttransportation,ransportation, ttechni-echni- The agency shares responsibility calcal support,support, engineeringengineering servicesservices andand with the NATO Communications and conficonfi gurationguration management.management. Information Systems (CIS) Services Agency for stored common deploy- SinceSince itsits ccreation,reation, tthehe aagencygency hhasas able CIS equipment. NAMSA ensures providedprovided acquisitionacquisition supportsupport forfor thethe the commonality of non-CIS elements Nike,Nike, HawkHawk andand PatriotPatriot surface-to-airsurface-to-air like trucks used to carry shelters to missilemissile systems,systems, thethe TOWTOW anti-tankanti-tank house CIS equipment.

3 4 Balkan experience

NATO’s deployment of the Implementation Force (IFOR) to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Decem- ber 1995 revealed shortcomings in Alliance logistic support for peace support operations. The logistic footprint was very large, featuring redundant and inefﬁ cient national logistic structures. Experiences from IFOR resulted in major revisions to PfP and NATO logistic policies and pro- cedures and highlighted the need for greater multinationality in logistics.

IFOR’s 60,000 troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina were deployed and supplied nationally by road, rail, ships and aircraft over relatively short lines of communication. While the force was able to rely on some host nation support - civil and military assistance from neighbouring nations and even Bosnia and Herzegovina itself - it relied heavily on national support elements with redundant logistic support capabilities, reducing the overall efﬁ ciency and effectiveness of the overall force.

The Stabilisation Force (SFOR) which replaced IFOR and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) which deployed to the Serb province in June 1999 suffered from the same stovepiped national logistic support as IFOR. For example, KFOR had fi ve fi eld hospitals, which most NATO countries include in their logistic structures, one for each brigade, when fewer would have been suffi cient for the force.

Logistics for Afghanistan

After the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, NATO could no longer afford to do logistics in the same way it did in the Balkans. It is now planning to be able to conduct rapid deployments far out of area, stretching lines of communication. In addition, it is not necessarily expecting host nation support, civil and military assistance from nations in the area it deploys.

NATO already faces some of these limitations with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, which is land-locked and far from Europe. The long lines of communication inside the country are hampered by rough terrain, unpaved roads and security threats.

The force therefore relies heavily on airlift for movement, reinforcements and supplies. Most of its airlift requirements are provided by the United States or by Russian aircraft leased by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) through the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) in Luxembourg.

Tactical ﬁ xed and rotary-wing aircraft are crucial for the expansion of the ISAF mission beyond Kabul because it can take days to travel from the capital to the provinces by road, which can even be impossible in the winter if there is snow. This expansion began in January 2005 with the establishment of provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) north of the Afghan capital, followed by more of the mixed civilian-military teams to the west and now to the south of Kabul. Forward support bases in Mazar-e-Sharif in the north and Herat in the west act as “hubs” from which “spokes” emanate to the PRTs themselves. The expansion to the north of the country required the commitment by NATO nations of six medium lift transports equivalent to the C-130 aircraft, in addition to 18 helicopters.

5 Strengthening logistic capabilities

Rapid deployments out of area require deployable logistic support units within combat forma- tions, assured access to strategic lift and deployable logistic assets. These are being covered by the Prague Capabilities Commitment made by NATO leaders at their November 2002 summit in the Czech capital. One of the four major shortfalls this initiative aims to overcome is in deployability and sustainability. Speciﬁ cally, it seeks to improve NATO’s strategic air and sealift, air-to-air refueling, and combat service support capabilities.

Most progress has been made in the area of strategic lift. Two consortia have been set up, one covering airlift and the other sealift.

Airlift

The German-led airlift consortium includes Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. At the June 2004 Istanbul Summit, defence ministers of these 15 countries signed a memorandum of understanding aiming to achieve an operational airlift capacity for outsize cargo by 2005 using up to six chartered An-124-100 transport aircraft available on-call. In addition, the defence ministers of Bulgaria and Romania signed a letter of intent to acquire this capability. On 10 November 2005, the contract with Ruslan Salis, the commercial provider of the aircraft, was signed.

Sealift

Norway leads the Multinational Sealift Steering Committee, which includes Canada, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. The sealift agreement signed by their defence ministers in Brussels in December 2003 is based on four components:

• three ships available through assured access contracts; • one ship available on an ad hoc basis from Norway; • one or two ships on full-time charter from Denmark; and • the residual capacity of four British ships.

At the Istanbul Summit, the defence ministers of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Romania and Slovenia signed a supplementary letter of intent on strategic sealift.

6 © US DoD

NATO support for Rwandan, and one was Senegalese. the EU, coordinated incoming troops African Union in Darfur Six of these battalions were trans- on the ground in Africa. ported by NATO. The Alliance provided airlift and NATO also helped train AU personnel logistic support to the African Union The NATO airlift was coordinated in key headquarters functions, includ- (AU) deployment to Darfur as it by Supreme Headquarters Allied ing command and control, logistics expanded its presence in an attempt Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, and planning. to end the violence there. NATO, Belgium, while the EU airlift was along with the European Union coordinated by the European Airlift NATO extended its support of the (EU), airlifted seven battalions of AU Centre at Eindhoven airbase in the AU until May 2006 so that it can also troops, plus 49 civilian policemen, Netherlands. A special air movement airlift the rotation of peacekeepers starting in July 2005. Three of the cell at the AU headquarters in Addis out of Darfur as well as provide ad- battalions were Nigerian, three were Ababa, supported by NATO and ditional training.

Cooperation with Russia negotiated a ﬁ nal draft of the NATO- Under the 2005 Logistic Action Plan, Russia Framework Agreement on seminars and workshops looked at One of the areas of cooperation Air Transport, whose purpose is to such issues as logistic information within the NATO-Russia Council support humanitarian and rescue and e-commerce, common infor- (NRC) created in May 2002 is logis- missions, exercises and operations mation technology solutions, military tics. The NRC Ad Hoc Working Group authorized by the United Nations. medical support, fuels interopera- (AHWG) on Logistics is the forum for In Exercise Steadfast Move 2005, bility, operational logistics, maritime discussion and development of such held in Izmir, Turkey, in March 2005, logistics, and support for Operation cooperation. It was created in De- SHAPE and Russia examined pro- Active Endeavour, which Russia cember 2004 to replace NRC expert cedures for the use of Russian air will join in 2006. Activities for 2006 groups on logistics, air transport and transport assets. The re-sults fed will focus on the logistic aspects of air-to-air refueling. directly into the development of the defence against terrorism, multi- A memorandum of understanding on Air Transport Implementing Arrange- national logistic support solutions for logistics cooperation between Russia ments by SHAPE and the Russian peacekeeping operations, and logistic and the NATO Maintenance and Sup- Ministry of Defence. transformation. Furthermore, detailed ply Organisation is being ﬁ nalised, as planning will take place in 2006 is a NATO-Russia Framework Agree- The AHWG’s 2005 and 2006 Logistic leading to a fuels interoperability ment on Air Transport. Action Plans include the development demonstration in 2007 and an of a host nation support agreement to exercise in 2008. During 2004, Supreme Headquarters facilitate support to ISAF offered by Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) and Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Ministry of Defence currently being negotiated by NATO and Russia.

7 © SHAPE

Logistic support for engineers from Spain, Poland and Italy ters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) disaster relief with equipment to help clear roads in Mons, Belgium, through the NRF and set up facilities; a mobile, multi- headquarters, currently NATO’s joint In 2005, NATO provided logistic national medical unit; and three water headquarters in Lisbon. support for disaster relief operations purifi cation plants from Lithuania. Less well-known was NATO’s involve- in Asia and North America. It airlifted ment in the tsunami relief operation in aid to Pakistan after the September NATO aircraft delivered aid to the the Far East at the beginning of 2005. earthquake, to the United States after United States in September following This was mainly in the transport and Hurricane Katrina, and to Asia after the North Atlantic Council’s decision logistics area and included the char- the tsunami at the beginning of to help in the disaster relief effort tering by the NATO Maintenance and the year. following Hurricane Katrina, which Supply Agency of humanitarian relief NATO airlifted over 1,000 tons of struck the US Gulf Coast on 29 Au- fl ights from Russia and Azerbaijan for relief supplies to Pakistan from the gust. The Council decided to commit Austrian non-governmental organiza- UN High Commissioner for Refugees the NRF and the NAEW&C Force to tions. In January and February 2005, (UNHCR), Alliance member nations the relief effort. NATO established seven fl ights were organized using and other countries. The airlift was an air bridge between Ramstein and Russian Antonov and Azerbaijani conducted by NATO Airborne Early Little Rock, Arkansas, to deliver some Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft, which Warning & Control (NAEW&C) Force 189 tons of aid from Alliance member airlifted food, medical supplies, water Training Cargo Aircraft, US Air Force nations, which was coordinated be- purifi cation equipment, and vehicles C-17s, a Russian Antonov, and tween NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster from Vienna to Colombo, Sri Lanka. C-130s fl ying from air bases in Ram- Response Coordination Cell and the The Alliance donated 565 meters of stein, Germany, and Incirlik, Turkey. US Federal Emergency Management bridging equipment to Indonesia. NATO member nations provided Agency. The equipment was former British helicopters in Pakistan itself. and Dutch materiel stockpiled in Fifteen British, Greek and Italian Ploce, Croatia, to support NATO’s In addition, NATO deployed elements C-130 and French and German C-160 Stabilization Force (SFOR), whose of the NATO Response Force (NRF) transport aircraft assigned to the NRF mission was taken over by the Euro- to Pakistan. A Deployable Joint Task fl ew the aid to Ramstein, from where pean Union in December 2004. The Force headquarters from Joint Com- it was ferried to the US by NAEW&C Netherlands acted as the lead nation, mand Lisbon, which has operational Training and Cargo Aircraft, with British support, transferring command of the current rotation of a Canadian A310, a Turkish C-130, equipment by ship to Banda Aceh, the NRF, was sent to Islamabad to and an Antonov An-124 volunteered Sumatra, for use in the reconstruction help the UN High Commissioner for by Ukraine. effort there. The bridges are valued at Refugees with planning, command over six million euros. and control, and logistics. Other NRF The Hurricane Katrina and Pakistani elements sent to Pakistan include a earthquake relief operations were Spanish headquarters; a battalion of commanded by Supreme Headquar-

8 © SHAPE

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