Improving NATO’s capabilities

The Defence Capabilities Initiative (DCI) and the Weapons of Mass Destruction Initiative were launched at the April 1999 summit in Washington, D.C.

The DCI was refocused at the 2002 Prague Summit, and NATO adopted a three-pronged approach to improving its defence capabilities – launching of the Prague Capabilities Commitment, creation of the NATO Response Force and streamlining of the military command structure. Allies also adopted a Military Concept for Defence against Terrorism and initiated a new Missile Defence Feasibility Study.

Implementing the Prague capabilities package

Under the Prague Capabilities Commitment (PCC) member countries made firm political commitments to improve capabilities in more than 400 specific areas, covering the following eight fields:

• chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence;
• intelligence, surveillance and target acquisition;
• air-to-ground surveillance;
• command, control and communications;
• combat effectiveness, including precision-guided munitions and suppression of enemy air defences;
• strategic air and sea lift;
• air-to-air refuelling;
• deployable combat support and combat service support units.

In certain areas such as strategic sealift, strategic airlift and air-to-air refuelling, NATO countries are pooling their resources and multinational consortia with lead-nations have been formed.

Further development of capabilities

At the Istanbul Summit in June 2004, NATO leaders endorsed further measures to improve the Alliance’s ability to take on operations whenever and wherever necessary. These included changes to the defence-planning and force-generation processes, and “usability” targets aimed at increasing the proportion of member countries’ forces that can be deployed and sustained in NATO-led operations. A set of practical measures to strengthen the Alliance’s contribution to the fight against terrorism and efforts to improve intelligence-sharing were also agreed.

The Comprehensive Political Guidance (CPG) was adopted in 2006. At the Riga Summit in November of the same year, leaders inaugurated new initiatives such as efforts to increase NATO’s information superiority in operational theatres and endorsed a Special Forces Initiative, which aims to increase the ability of special operations forces from member countries to train and operate together.

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