Missile defence

NATO is united on its missile defence approach and wants to ensure the indivisibility of Alliance security, so that all countries would be protected from any potential missile threats.

What does this mean in practice?

The Alliance is conducting three missile defence related activities:

• The Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence System (ALTBMD) capability: The Alliance has launched a project to develop an Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (ALTBMD) system to protect troops deployed on missions.
  
• Missile Defence for the protection of NATO territory: NATO has also approved the results of a study to examine options for protecting Alliance territory, forces and population centres against the full range of missile threats. At the Bucharest Summit in April 2008, Allied leaders recognized that the planned deployment of European-based US missile defence assets will help protect many Allies, and agreed that this capability should be an integral part of any future NATO-wide missile defence architecture. Options for a comprehensive missile defence architecture to extend coverage to all Allied territory not otherwise covered by the US system will be reviewed at NATO’s next Summit in 2009.
  
• TMD cooperation with Russia: under the auspices of NATO-Russia Council (NRC), work is ongoing to create the conditions for NATO and Russia to conduct joint TMD operations during crisis-response missions.

How did it evolve?

Two key policy documents provide the framework for NATO’s activities in the area of missile defence: NATO’s 1999 Strategic Concept and the Comprehensive Political Guidance which was endorsed by Allied leaders at the Riga Summit in November 2006.

Which NATO bodies have a central role?

The Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) is the senior NATO committee which acts as the tasking authority for the theatre missile defence programme. The ALTBMD Programme Management Organization, which comprises a Steering Committee and a Programme Office hosted by the NATO C3 Agency, directs the programme and reports to the CNAD.

The focal point for consultation on full-scale missile defence is the Reinforced Executive Working Group. The CNAD is responsible for conducting technical studies and reporting the outcome to the Group.

The NRC Ad hoc Working Group on TMD is the steering body for NATO-Russia cooperation on theatre missile defence.