The Defence Planning Process

• Force planning: the Defence Planning Committee;
• Nuclear planning: the Nuclear Planning Group.

The other planning disciplines are nominally under the North Atlantic Council, but have separate working bodies:

• Resources planning: the Senior Resource Board;
• Armaments planning: the Conference on National Armaments Directors;
• Logistics planning: the Senior NATO Logisticians' Conference;
• C3 planning: the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Board;
• Civil emergency planning: the Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee.

Finally, the other related disciplines that have a peripheral role in the defence planning process:

• Air defence planning: the NATO Air Defence Committee;
• Standardisation: the NATO Committee for Standardisation.
• Intelligence: NATO Headquarters Intelligence Steering Committee
• Operational planning: Policy Coordination Group

It needs to be recalled that NATO's military authorities are represented within each of these NATO bodies.

The committees related to the seven main planning disciplines are:

• The Defence Planning Committee

The Defence Planning Committee (DPC) is the senior decision-making body on matters relating to the integrated military structure of the Alliance. It also provides guidance to NATO's military authorities on a range of issues which can include operations. Importantly, it oversees the force planning process.

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• The Nuclear Planning Group

The Nuclear Planning Group (NPG) is the ultimate authority within NATO with regard to nuclear policy issues. Its discussions cover a broad range of nuclear policy matters, including the safety, security and survivability of nuclear weapons, communications and information systems, as well as deployment issues. It also covers wider questions of common concern such as nuclear arms control and nuclear proliferation. Its role is to review the Alliance's nuclear policy in the light of the ever-changing security challenges of the international environment and to adapt it if necessary.

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• The Senior Resource Board

The Senior Resource Board (SRB) is the senior advisory body to the North Atlantic Council on the management of military common-funded resources (it excludes resources covered by the Civil Budget). NATO members have reinforced NATO's management structure by promoting the development of capability packages, which identify the assets available to and required by NATO military commanders to fulfil specified tasks. They are prime means of assessing common-funded supplements as well as the civilian and military manpower required to accomplish the task. One of the main tasks of the Senior Resource Board is to review these packages and endorse them from the point of view of their resource implications prior to their approval by the North Atlantic Council.

• The Conference of National Armaments Directors

The Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) is the senior advisory under the North Atlantic Council dealing with production logistics. It promotes NATO armaments cooperation and considers political, economic and technical aspects of the development and procurement of equipment for NATO forces.

• The Senior NATO Logisticians' Conference

The Senior NATO Logisticians' Conference (SNLC) is the senior body advising the North Atlantic Council (NAC), the Defence Planning Committee and the Military Committee on consumer logistics matters. It is responsible for the assessment of Alliance consumer logistics requirements and for ensuring adequate logistics support of NATO forces. It is also responsible for the coordination of issues across the whole logistics spectrum with other NATO logistics bodies.

• The NATO Consultation, Command and Control Board

The NATO Consultation, Command and Control Board (NC3B) is a senior multinational body acting, on behalf of and responsible to the North Atlantic Council and Defence Planning Committee, on all matters relating to Consultation, Command and Control (C3) throughout the Organisation. This includes interoperability of NATO and national C3 systems, as well as advising the Conference of National Armaments Directors on C3 cooperative programmes.

• The Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee

The Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee (SCEPC) is the senior policy and advisory body to the North Atlantic Council on civil emergency planning and disaster relief matters. It is responsible for policy direction and coordination of Planning Boards and Committees.

The committees related planning disciplines with a peripheral role in the defence planning process:

• The NATO Air Defence Committee

The NATO Air Defence Committee (NADC) advises the North Atlantic Council and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council on all aspects of air defence, including tactical missile defence. It promotes harmonisation of national efforts with international planning related to air command and control and air defence weapons.

• The NATO Committee for Standardisation

The NATO Committee for Standardisation (NCS) is the senior authority of the Alliance responsible for providing coordinated advice to the North Atlantic Council on overall standardisation issues.

• The Political Coordination Group

This is a forum for consultation and an advisory body to the North Atlantic Council on politico-military matters, including crisis response operations, the development of the Combined Joint Task Force concept and the review of NATO's Strategic Concept.

The military authorities also have a role in the defence planning process:

• The Military Committee

The Military Committee is the senior military authority in NATO under the overall authority of the North Atlantic Council and the Defence Planning Committee. Among its many tasks, it assists in developing overall strategic concepts for the Alliance and prepares an annual long-term assessment of the strength and capabilities of countries and areas posing a risk to NATO's interests. The Military Committee has an important role in all defence planning disciplines.

• The Strategic Commanders

Both Strategic Commanders are also key players in the defence planning process since they translate the political decisions into practical implications. For instance, they identify the NATO military requirements for the Planning Targets and are heavily engaged in the formulation of Capability Packages. In addition, Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is responsible for the transformation of NATO's military capabilities. The Strategic Commanders have an important role in all defence planning disciplines.