International staff

The structure also includes the NATO Office of Security and the NATO Office of Resources, both headed by a Director; the Office of the Financial Controller and an independent International Board of Auditors.

1. The Office of the Secretary General includes the Deputy Secretary General, the Director and Staff of the Secretary General’s Private Office, the office of the Legal Advisor and a Policy Planning unit.
   
   
2. The Executive Management Division is tasked with running the Headquarters effectively, ensuring that NATO's international staff works efficiently, and providing support to all elements operating at NATO headquarters, including support and conference services, information management and NATO's human and financial resources.
   
   The Executive Management is divided into three principal branches: Headquarters Support Services, Human and Financial Resources, and Financial Control.
   
   This Division contributes to a better and more cost-effective alignment of the International Staff and co-ordinates personnel policy NATO-wide. In addition, it provides organisational, procedural and administrative support to Ambassadorial, Ministerial, and Summit meetings and task forces and organises special events at Council level and at NATO HQ and abroad.
   
   More specifically, the tasks of the Division of Executive Management include: preparing and defending the civil budget and maximising budgetary support by nations under Objective Based Budgeting (OBB); putting coherent personnel policies in place; ensuring internal staff communications and working methods are improved; liasing effectively with the Staff Association; managing NATO’s pension plan; and managing NATO HQ space operations. TOP
   
3. The Division of Political Affairs and Security Policy manages the political aspects of NATO's fundamental security tasks, including regional, economic and security affairs, relations with other international organisations and Partner countries.
   
   The Political Staff helps to prepare for meetings involving NATO and Partner Countries at all levels, and provides substantive and procedural support for the NATO-Russia and NATO-Ukraine Councils. The Staff also offers advice and support to NATO bodies promoting co-operation with Mediterranean partners (in the Mediterranean Dialogue programme.) TOP
   
4. The Operations Division oversees the operational capability required to meet NATO's deterrence, defence and crisis management tasks. Responsibilities include NATO's crisis management and peacekeeping activities and civil emergency planning and exercises.
   
   This Division is divided into two principle directorates: Crisis Management and Operations and Civil Emergency Planning and Exercises.
   
   In the operations sphere, the Division supports Operational Task Forces such as those created to oversee the role of NATO-led forces in the Balkans and in Afghanistan. Regarding arms control it maintains contact with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). TOP
   
5. The Division of Defence Policy and Planning has the lead role in the defence policy aspects of NATO's fundamental security tasks. This includes defence planning, the Alliance's nuclear policy and defence against weapons of mass destruction.
   
   The Division is organised into three principal directorates: Defense Planning and Capabilities, Force Planning and Nuclear Policy.
   
   This division is responsible for reviewing and updating NATO’s nuclear policy guidance, promoting public understanding of the nuclear elements of NATO strategy, as well as providing assistance in creating the NATO Response Force and helping with new military command. It also assists countries wishing to join NATO in developing appropriate military capabilities.
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6. The Division of Public Diplomacy is responsible for informing the wider public about NATO's activities and policies through contacts with the media, the NATO Web site and multimedia, exhibitions, seminars and conferences, as well as NATO's Science Programme.
   
   The Public Diplomacy Division is organised into seven sections: Press and Media, NATO countries, Outreach countries, Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, Threats and challenges / Collaborative programmes, Publications and exhibits, and Management support.
   
   As NATO’s main public interface, the Division works to raise NATO’s profile and draw attention to the Organisation’s achievements. It provides information about NATO and NATO programmes to member, Partner countries and audiences world-wide. The Division also works to promote security cooperation through a variety of programmes in NATO and Partner countries and contributes to a continuous process of international security debate. The most up to date information on NATO is provided through NATO’s web site.
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7. The Division of Defence Investment provides policy, technical, financial and procedural expertise to armaments; air defence, airspace management and NATO common-funded resources aimed at enhancing the Alliance's defence capacity. It is responsible for the investment in assets and capabilities that improve NATO’s defence.
   This Division is organized in three principle directorates: Armaments Planning, Programmes and Policy, and Air Defence and Airspace Management, plus the Security Investment Programme.
   In addition to its own members, the Division provides support relating to defence investment programmes for new members and Partners. It also provides advice to nations on the planning and effective implementation of the NATO Security Investment Programme. TOP
8. NATO Office of Security remains a distinct organisation responsible for co-ordinating, monitoring and implementing NATO security policy, overall security within NATO and the NATO Headquarters Security Service.
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9. An independent International Board of Auditors for NATO is responsible for auditing the accounts of the different NATO bodies and the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations from a financial perspective as well as for auditing expenditure under the NATO Security Investment Programme. The Board’s mandate includes not only financial but performance audits, therefore extending its role beyond safeguarding accountability to the review of management practices in general. The Board is composed of officials normally drawn from the national audit bodies of member countries appointed by Council and responsible for their work only to the Council. The principal task of the Board is to provide the North Atlantic Council and member governments with the assurance that common funds are properly used for the settlement of authorised expenditure and that expenditure is within the physical and financial authorisations granted. TOP
10. The Financial Controller is charged with ensuring that all aspects of execution of the budget conform to expenditure authorisations, to any special controls imposed by the finance committee and to the Financial Regulations and their associated implementing rules and procedures. He may also, in response to internal auditing, install such additional controls and procedures as he deems necessary for maintaining accountability. TOP
11. The NATO Office of Resources (NOR) provides integrated staff advice and support to the Senior Resource Board (SRB), the Military Budget Committee (MBC) and the Infrastructure Committee (IC) as well as their Chairmen. It also provides staff advice to the divisions of the IS and IMS, and other bodies as required, on NATO military resource issues. TOP