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Military organization and structures
NATOs military organization and structures comprise all military
actors
and formations that are involved in and used to implement
political
decisions that have military implications.
The key elements of NATOs military organization are the
Military
Committee, composed of the Chiefs of Defence of NATO member
countries, its executive body, the International Military Staff,
and the
military Command Structure (distinct from the Force Structure),
which is
composed of Allied Command Operations and Allied Command
Transformation, headed respectively by the Supreme Allied
Commander
Europe (SACEUR) and the Supreme Allied Commander,
Transformation
(SACT).
The Force Structure consists of organizational arrangements that
bring
together the forces placed at the Alliances disposal by the
member
countries, along with their associated command and control
structures. These
forces are available for NATO operations in accordance with
predetermined
readiness criteria and with rules of deployment and transfer of
authority to
NATO command that can vary from country to country.
Working mechanisms
In practice, the Chairman of the Military Committee presides
over the
Military Committee where each member country has a military
representative (or Milrep) for his/her Chief of Defence. This
committee,
NATOs most senior military authority, provides the North
Atlantic Council
and the Nuclear Planning Group with consensus-based military
advice that
is, advice agreed to by all of NATOs Chiefs of Defence.
The Military Committee works closely with NATOs two
Strategic
Commanders SACEUR, responsible for operations and SACT,
responsible
for transformation. They are both responsible to the Military
Committee forthe overall conduct of all Alliance military matters
within their areas of
responsibility.
On the one side, the Military Committee provides the Strategic
Commanders
with guidance on military matters; and on the other side, it
works closely
with the Strategic Commanders to bring forward for political
consideration
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by the North Atlantic Council, military assessments, plans,
issues and
recommendations, together with an analysis that puts this
information into a
wider context and takes into account the concerns of each member
country.
The Military Committee is supported in this role by the
International
Military Staff.
In sum, the Military Committee serves, inter alia, as a link
between the
political leaders of the HQ and the two Strategic
Commanders.
The capacity to adapt
Over and above these working mechanisms, there are two phenomena
that
have a direct impact on the military structure, the way it
functions and the
way it evolves: first and foremost, international developments
and events;
and secondly, the constant interaction between the political and
militarybodies.
Evidently, political events with far-reaching consequences such
as the end of
the Cold War and military operations such as ISAF in Afghanistan
do trigger
extensive reforms, especially within NATOs military Command
Structure.
To keep pace with all these changes and future challenges, the
Command
Structure and way of doing business is constantly evolving.
Additionally, the
permanent exchange of information and specialized knowledge
and
experience between military experts and the political actors at
NATO
Headquarters is a constant and continual means of mutual
education. Thisability of the military and the civilian to work
closely together makes NATO
a unique organization.
Military Command Structure
