NATO Military Structure NATObriefing Allied Allied Command APRIL 2007 Command Trans- Operations formation A new command structure for a transformed Alliance ATO’s new military command structure is leaner, more Nflexible, more efficient, and better able to conduct the full range of Alliance missions. This structure is a major compo- nent of the transformation of NATO. Closely related is the “NATO’s new military creation of a robust, rapidly deployable NATO Response Force command structure is (NRF). These are two major commitments made by Allied leaders at NATO’s November 2002 Prague Summit. leaner, more flexible, more efficient, and As before, there are three tiers of 13 headquarters have been reduced to command: strategic, operational, and only six. Coupled with reductions at the better able to conduct the tactical or component level. The second tier or operational level, there the full range of greatest reductions have been at the has been a total reduction from 20 to Alliance missions” third tier or component level, where 11 command headquarters. n Photo by P. Rasmussen, PhotoFOV P. by

Strategic commands The new command structure is Command Atlantic. The latter has Both commands are headed by dual- based on functionality rather than now become Allied Command hatted US commanders. SACEUR geography. At the first tier or strate- Transformation (ACT). Commanded continues to be dual-hatted as the gic level, there is now only one by Supreme Allied Commander commander of the US European Com- command with an operational func- Transformation (SACT), it is respon- mand, which shares many of the same tion, Allied Command Operations, sible for promoting and overseeing geographical responsibilities. SACT commanded by Supreme Allied the continuing transformation of is dual-hatted as the commander of Commander Europe (SACEUR). Alliance forces and capabilities, the US Joint Forces Command, which It performs the operational duties especially through training and devel- is responsible for US military transfor- previously undertaken by Allied opment of concepts and doctrine. mation, thereby linking NATO to US Command Europe and Allied efforts in this area. n Allied Command Operations

level consists of standing joint headquarters for NATO operations in “The new force commands in , the the Balkans. command structure Netherlands, and in Naples, Italy, simplifies command both of which can conduct operations The third tier or component/tactical arrangements for from their static locations or provide level consists of six joint force compo- a land-based Combined Joint Task nent commands, which provide NATO operations” Force (CJTF, see separate section) service-specific – land, maritime or headquarters, and a robust but more air – headquarters to the operational Allied Command Operations at limited standing joint headquarters, level. Although these component Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in , Portugal, from which a commands are routinely subordinated Europe (SHAPE), near , Belgium, deployable sea-based CJTF head- to the joint force commanders, they is responsible for all Alliance opera- quarters capability can be drawn. The can be allocated to operations under tions, ranging from the Straits of joint force command in Brunssum another commander as the need Gibraltar to Afghanistan. The com- now provides the headquarters, dictates. The joint force command in mand structure beneath SHAPE has minus the maritime component, for Brunssum has an air component been significantly streamlined, with a the International Security Assistance command in Ramstein, ; a reduction in the number of headquar- Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and the maritime component command in ters. The second tier or operational joint force command in Naples the Northwood in the ;

 and a land component command in support Allied air operations from operations are commanded from the Heidelberg, Germany. The joint force their fixed locations, while the operational level headquarters, with command in Naples, Italy, has an air deployable CAOCs will move where strategic direction from SHAPE. component command in Izmir, Turkey; they are needed. Thus, the Stabilisation Force which a maritime component command replaced IFOR in December 1996 in Naples; and a land component The new command structure simpli- (and was replaced by a European command in Madrid, Spain. fies command arrangements for Union force in December 2004) was NATO operations. While under the controlled operationally by the Joint Supporting the air component com- previous command structure, the Force Command in Naples and the mands are static and deployable Implementation Force (IFOR) in International Security Assistance Combined Air Operations Centres Bosnia and Herzegovina was com- Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan by the (CAOCs) to direct NATO air opera- manded directly by SHAPE from Joint Force Command in Brunssum. n tions. The static CAOCs can Mons, under the new structure, Allied Command Transformation

planning issues. There is a Joint focused on transformation in specific Warfare Centre in , a Joint military fields will support ACT. They Force Training Centre in , cover such areas as air operations and the Joint Analysis and Lessons analysis and simulation, tactical air Learned Centre in Portugal (see sepa- operations, command and control, rate sections). ACT Headquarters also civil-military cooperation, cold weather supervises the NATO Undersea operations, combined operations from Research Centre in La Spezia, Italy. the sea, cyber defence, defence There are direct linkages between ACT, against terrorism, explosive ordnance ACT, with its headquarters in Norfolk, NATO schools and agencies,as well as disposal, humanitarian demining, Virginia, is leading at the strategic the US Joint Forces Command, with mountaineering, naval mine warfare, command level the transformation which ACT Headquarters is co-located nuclear, biological and chemical of NATO’s military structure, forces, and with which it shares its double- defence, Partnership for Peace capabilities and doctrine. It is enhanc- hatted commander. This gives it a link training, and policing operations. n ing training, particularly of command- into US transformation initiatives and ers and staffs, conducting experi- fosters a two-way street between the ments to assess new concepts, and United States and Europe. “There are direct promoting interoperability throughout linkages between the Alliance. A NATO Maritime Interdiction ACT, NATO schools Operational Training Centre in Greece, and agencies, as well ACT has a number of elements out- associated with ACT, is also envisaged. side Norfolk, including a Staff Element as the US Joint at SHAPE, which is responsible In addition, a number of national and Forces Command” primarily for resource and defence multinational centres of excellence

 JFTC PIO ©

Joint Warfare Centre

Allied Command Transformation’s section) train in the JWC before officers and civilian staff with Iraq’s Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) in taking command of the NATO-led Ministry of Defence and Ministry of , Norway, formerly Joint International Security Assistance the Interior specially selected by the Headquarters North, provides a new Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The Iraqi authorities. n capability to conduct collective battle JWC also performs collective staff staff joint training for Combined Joint training for new NATO nations and Task Forces, the NATO Response Partnership for Peace members. Force (NRF), component command headquarters, and other NATO The Centre is training Iraqi security headquarters before they deploy for personnel in support of the Alliance’s operations. High Readiness Force training mission for Iraq. Iraqi (Land) Headquarters (see separate participants include senior military

Joint Force Training Centre

Whereas the JWC is responsible for One of its priorities is to support The JFTC aims to ensure that each operational-level training, the Joint NATO Response Force (NRF) joint NRF rotation becomes a truly Force Training Centre (JFTC) in and component commanders in integrated joint force, at a high state Bydgoszcz, the first NATO command training and exercising the force. It of training and able to deploy at short structure element in Poland, provides seeks to help ensure that each six- notice. This is intended to raise the combined joint training of Alliance and month rotation of the NRF achieves standards set for the NRF by SHAPE Partner forces at the tactical level to a high level of interoperability, in each cycle as new concepts and achieve joint tactical interoperability. flexibility and training as a combined lessons learned are continually fed It cooperates with national and and joint force in order to be fully back into training, thereby acting as Partnership for Peace training centres, combat ready. a catalyst for the transformation of as well as centres of excellence. all NATO forces. n

 1 International Military Staff * NATO Headquarters Brussels, Belgium

12 2 ACO ACT Commander SHAPE Norfolk, Virginia, USA USEUCOM Mons, Belgium Dual-hatted

3 7 8 JFC HQ Brunssum Joint HQ Lisbon JFC HQ Naples The Netherlands Portugal Italy

4 CC-Air HQ 5 CC-Mar HQ 6 CC-Land HQ 9 CC-Air HQ 10 CC-Mar HQ 11 CC-Land HQ Ramstein Northwood Heidelberg Izmir Naples Madrid Germany United Kingdom Germany Turkey Italy Spain

* The International Military Staff supports the Military Committee, which provides military advice to and answers to the .

1 International Military Staff * NATO Headquarters Brussels, Belgium

22 NATO Defense College Rome, Italy

2 12 ACO ACT Commander SHAPE Dual-hatted USJFCOM Mons, Belgium Norfolk, Virginia, USA

Future Capabilities ACT Joint Concept Education and Research and Forward Development Training Technology 

13 15 18 NATO Undersea 19 NATO School SACT Representative Joint Warfare Centre Research Centre Oberammergau, in Europe Stavanger, Norway La Spezia, Italy Germany NATO Headquarters Brussels, Belgium NATO 14 16 Joint Force 20 ACT Staff Element Communications Training Centre Mons, Belgium & Information Bydgoszcz, Poland Systems School Latina, Italy

17 Joint Analysis 21 NATO Maritime and Lessons Interdiction Learned Centre Operational Training Monsanto, Portugal Centre Souda Bay, Greece

Coordination with ACT required

* The International Military Staff supports the Military Committee, which provides military advice to and answers to the North Atlantic Council. 15

1/13

16 3 5 6 4 2/14 19

18

22 20 17 8/10 11 12 9 7

21

NATO member countries Partner countries

1 IMS 1 IMS (NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium) (NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium)

2 ACO 7 Joint HQ 12 ACT 18 NATO Undersea Research Centre (Mons, Belgium) (Lisbon, Portugal) (Norfolk, Virginia, USA) (La Spezia, Italy) 3 JFC HQ 8 JFC HQ 13 SACT Representative in Europe 19 NATO School (Brunssum, The Netherlands) (Naples, Italy) (NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium) (Oberammergau, Germany) 4 CC-Air HQ 9 CC-Air HQ 20 NATO Communications & Information (Ramstein, Germany) (Izmir, Turkey) 14 ACT Staff Element (Mons, Belgium) Systems School 5 CC-Mar HQ 10 CC-Mar HQ (Latina, Italy) (Northwood, United Kingdom) (Naples, Italy) 15 Joint Warfare Centre (Stavanger, Norway) 21 NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational 6 CC-Land HQ 11 CC-Land HQ Training Centre (Heidelberg, Germany) (Madrid, Spain) 16 Joint Force Training Centre (Souda Bay, Greece) (Bydgoszcz, Poland) 17 Joint Analysis & Lessons Learned Centre 22 NATO Defense College (Monsanto, Portugal) (Rome, Italy) Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre

The Joint Analysis and Lessons operations and exercises, and moni- The JALLC mainly produces analysis Learned Centre (JALLC) located in tors the process to implement the reports, NATO and PfP lessons Monsanto, on the west side of Lisbon, lessons learned. The Centre will even- learned databases and related reme- Portugal, conducts analysis of real- tually conduct analysis of 10-12 exer- dial actions databases, and other world NATO and Partnership for cises a year, mostly at the operational analytical documents. These products Peace (PfP) joint military operations and tactical levels and sometimes at are distributed via print media, CDs, and exercises, maintains a lessons the strategic or technical levels. and websites on the NATO-wide web learned database drawn from these and the Internet. n

Supporting the NATO Response Force

The new NATO command structure of duty following appropriate training NRF 3 and 4 between June 2004 plays an important role supporting and certification. and July 2005 were commanded by the NATO Response Force (NRF), the Joint Force Command in Naples. the Alliance’s rapidly deployable At the strategic level, SHAPE is in NRF 5 and 6 between July 2005 and multinational unit made up of land, charge of standards, certification of July 2006 were commanded by Joint air, maritime and special forces com- forces, and exercises for the NRF, Headquarters Lisbon. Starting with ponents. The force, which is on con- while ACT is responsible for adapting NRF 7 in July 2006, operational stant standby at high readiness, is future capabilities, including emerg- command of the force has alternated composed of national elements rota- ing technologies, and developing the among these headquarters every ting through it on six-month periods doctrine for the force and training the six months. NRF at its joint training centres in Norway and Poland. Operational and The land, air and maritime compo- component command of the NRF nents of the NRF can be commanded rotates every six months to share by the third-tier component com- the burden and to keep all head- mands, for six-month rotations. n quarters at the same level of training and readiness. “Operational Operational command of the NRF command of the alternates among the three second- NATO Response Force tier headquarters. Thus, NRF 1 and alternates among NRF 2, the prototypes of the force between October 2003 and June the three second-tier 2004, were commanded by the Joint headquarters” Force Command in Brunssum.

 Combined Joint Task Forces

The second-tier headquarters in reflect their readiness to make NATO on the command and control arrange- Brunssum, Naples and Lisbon are assets available, on the basis of case- ments for such operations. The role of being trained and equipped to gen- by-case decisions by the North Atlantic CJTF headquarters is therefore crucial. erate Combined Joint Task Forces Council, for operations led by the A CJTF headquarters will be formed (CJTFs). The NATO Response Force’s Western European Union, thereby sup- around core elements from selected air, land and maritime components are porting the building of the European parent headquarters of the NATO com- commanded by a CJTF generated by Security and Defence Identity. In addi- mand structure. It will be augmented one of these headquarters. tion, they linked the development of from other NATO headquarters and by the CJTF concept to practical political- nations and contributing Partner coun- A CJTF is a multinational (combined) military cooperation in the context of tries as necessary, using a modular and multi-service (joint) task force the Partnership for Peace programme. approach, in order to meet the require- organised for a specific mission (task) ments of the specific mission. and formed for the full range of the The need which the concept was cre- Alliance’s military missions requiring ated to fulfil, arose from the changing A number of trials of the CJTF concept multinational and multi-service com- security situation in Europe and the have been completed, for example, emergence of smaller but diverse and Exercise Allied Effort in November unpredictable risks to peace and sta- 1997, in which a number of Partner bility. In particular, it was agreed that countries participated as observers; future security arrangements would and Exercise Strong Resolve in March call for easily deployable, multina- 1998, in which Partner countries par- tional, multi-service military formations ticipated and were integrated through- tailored to specific kinds of military out the structure of the CJTF. The aim tasks. These included humanitarian of the trials was to validate the evolving relief, peacekeeping and peace CJTF headquarters concept. enforcement, as well as collective defence. The forces required would Based on these trials and other rel- vary according to the circumstances evant staff analyses, the Alliance and would need to be generated began the full implementation of the mand and control by a CJTF head- rapidly and at short notice. CJTF concept in 1999. This proc- quarters. It may include elements from ess, which included the acquisition of non-NATO troop-contributing nations. At the core of the CJTF concept which necessary headquarters support and evolved to meet these needs, are the command, control and communica- The CJTF concept was launched in command and control arrangements tions equipment, was evaluated at the late 1993 and was endorsed at the essential to allow such forces to oper- end of 2004. The implementation proc- January 1994 Brussels Summit, when ate effectively. The wide variety of cir- ess is taking fully into account lessons Allied leaders directed that the further cumstances under which CJTFs might learned from NATO-led operations in developments of the concept should operate places considerable demands the Balkans. n

10 Command of deployed operations Combined Joint Task Forces and the NATO Response Force

A Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) generate, when required, CJTF assets available, on the basis of is a multinational (combined) and headquarters able to command a case-by-case decisions, for opera- multi-service (joint) task force formed major joint operation and the new tions led by the Western European for a specific mission (task) from smaller non-standing, Deployable Union, thereby supporting the build- within the full spectrum of Alliance Joint Task Force (DJTF) headquarters ing of the European Security and military missions requiring multina- which commands the NRF. Both are Defence Identity. In addition, the tional and multi-service command generated from a core DJTF head- development of the CJTF concept and control by a CJTF headquarters. quarters staff element in each of the was linked to practical political-mili- It may include elements from non- three joint headquarters. It contains tary cooperation in the context of the NATO troop-contributing nations. The all the principal staff functions and Partnership for Peace programme. It NATO Response Force (NRF) is a the key elements of the command continues to evolve and now reflects, smaller but higher readiness and highly group. These headquarters will be together with the NRF, the transfor- capable combined joint force optimised augmented from other NATO head- mation of NATO from an era when for rapid intervention. Both require quarters, by Allies and as appropriate Article 5 (collective self-defence) dedicated command and control. by contributing Partner countries. dominated planning to the new, less predictable security environment and The second-tier headquarters in The CJTF concept, launched at the NATO’s readiness to conduct com- Brunssum, Naples and Lisbon are 1994 Brussels Summit, also reflected bined joint expeditionary operations being trained and equipped to Allies’ readiness to make NATO as and where necessary. n

For more information, please see • www..int/ims • www.nato.int/aco • www.act.nato.int

11 High Readiness Forces and Headquarters in the NATO force structure

Prior to building a new NATO command • 1st German-Netherlands Corps level of a NATO naval task force made up structure, Allies had already established Headquarters in Münster, Germany; of dozens of warships. Three such head- BRIEF-MCS-ENG-0407 as part of the new force structure six High • NATO Rapid Deployable Corps-Italy quarters have been certified by SHAPE: Readiness Forces (Land) Headquarters Headquarters in Solbiate Olona, close • Headquarters Commander Italian to Milan, Italy; Maritime Forces on board the Italian • NATO Rapid Deployable Corps-Spain Navy aircraft carrier Garibaldi; Headquarters in Valencia, Spain; • Headquarters Commander Spanish • NATO Rapid Deployable Corps- Maritime Forces on board the Turkey Headquarters in Istanbul, Spanish Navy landing ship dock Turkey; Castilla; • Rapid Reaction Corps- in • Headquarters Commander United Lille, France; Kingdom Maritime Forces on board • Eurocorps in Strasbourg, France, the British Royal Navy aircraft car- sponsored by Belgium, France, rier HMS Ark Royal. Germany, Luxembourg and Spain. modelled on the Allied Rapid Reaction Eurocorps has a different interna- Two more High Readiness Forces Corps (ARRC) and supplemented by tional military status than the other (Maritime) Headquarters are being other headquarters at lower readiness. five headquarters but has signed a prepared, one by France, for the These deployable headquarters can com- technical arrangement with Allied Commander French Maritime Forces mand and control forces from the size of Command Operations and can also initially on board the aircraft carrier a brigade numbering thousands of troops be committed to NATO missions. Charles de Gaulle and in future the up to a corps of tens of thousands. landing ship dock Mistral, and the other These headquarters are taking turns by NATO’s Naval Striking and Support SHAPE has certified seven High commanding the International Security Forces, NATO (Strikfornato), Readiness Forces (Land) Headquarters: Assistance Force in Afghanistan for six- which is dual-hatted with the US Sixth • ARRC Headquarters in Rheindahlen, to nine-month rotations. They also take Fleet, on board the command ship USS near Mönchengladbach, Germany, turns providing the six-month rotating Mount Whitney. STRIKFORNATO will with the United Kingdom as frame- land component command of the NATO be able to command an expanded work nation, providing nearly 60 per Response Force. NATO task force. n cent of the headquarters person- nel and assigning its two divisions to Deployable High Readiness Forces the corps, as well as combat service (Maritime) Headquarters can command and combat service support units; and control assigned forces up to the NATO 2007 NATO

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NATO Briefings address topical Alliance issues. They are published under the authority of the Secretary General and do not necessarily reflect official opinion or policy of member governments or of NATO.

NATO Public Diplomacy Division, 1110 Brussels, Belgium - Website: www.nato.int - Email: [email protected]