Under the June 2011 reform, both strategic commands – ACO and Allied Command Transformation or ACT - will be maintained and links with the NATO Force Structure reinforced.
Operational level
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Two standing Joint Force Headquarters: Brunssum - Naples |
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The operational level will consist of two standing Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQs): one in Brunssum, the Netherlands, and one in Naples, Italy. Both will – for the first time in NATO’s history – deploy into theatre to command and control up to a major joint operation. They have regained their regional focus and have taken on additional tasks, as specified in the 2010 Strategic Concept. |
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Three static commands: Izmir - Northwood - Ramstein |
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The operational level will also include three static commands: |
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- a land command based in Izmir, Turkey. This command will be able to provide robust land competency and the core command and control capability for multi-corps land operations;
- a martime command based in Northwood, the United Kingdom; and
- an air command in Ramstein, Germany. This command will have the additional task of dealing with missile defence; it will be reinforced by component or tactical level elements, which are explained below.
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The NATO CIS Group |
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Additionally, there will be a NATO CIS Group based in Mons, Belgium that will provide deployable communications and information systems support for ACO. It will be supported by three NATO Signals Battalions located at Wesel, Germany, Grazzanise, Italy, and Bydgoszcz, Poland; these three will be complemented by various smaller elements elsewhere. The functions of this group may evolve once the Communications and Information Agency is set up. |
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STRIKFORNATO and NAEW&CF and AGS |
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Lastly, Striking Force NATO (STRIKFORNATO), which focuses on maritime operations, will be moved from Italy to Portugal. And final agreement from the North Atlantic Council is awaited for the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (NAEW&CF) and Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS). |
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Air C2 structure
The air command in Ramstein, Germany, will be responsible for three principal tasks:
- air policing and day-to-day activities such as defence against potential aggressors;
- air commmand operations, such as the one being conducted in Libya;
- air control function, which consists effectively of the execution level and conduct of operations.
In order to fulfill these functions, Ramstein will have at the component or tactical level:
- two deployable Combined Air Operations Centres (CAOCs): one located at Uedem, Germany, and the other in Torrejon, Spain. One part of these CAOCs will be static and will fulfill roles 1 and 2; the other part will be deployable, with a Deployable Air Operations Centre (DAOC), which will focus on role 3;
- one Deployable Air Command and Control Centre (DACCC): located at Poggio Renatico, Italy, which will have the capacity to be combined with the two DAOCs for the needs of an operation.
Evolution
The Supreme Allied Headquarters (SHAPE) was established on 2 April1951 in Rocquencourt, France, as part of an effort to establish an integrated and effective NATO military force. Supreme Allied Command, Atlantic (SACLANT) was created a year later, in April 1952.
In 1967, after France’s withdrawal from NATO’s integrated military structure, SHAPE was relocated to Casteau, Mons, Belgium.
The London Declaration of July 1990 was a decisive turning point in the history of the Alliance and led to the adoption of the new Alliance Strategic Concept in November 1991, reflecting a broader approach to security. This in turn led to NATO’s Long Term Study to examine the Integrated Military Structure and put forward proposals for change to the Alliance’s force structures, command structures and common infrastructure.
In essence, the Cold War command structure was reduced from 78 headquarters to 20 with two overarching Strategic Commanders (SC), one for the Atlantic, and one for Europe; there were three Regional Commanders under the Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic (SACLANT) and two under the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR).
During the 2002 Prague Summit, NATO’s military Command Structure was again reorganized with a focus on becoming leaner and more efficient. The former Allied Command Europe (ACE) became the Allied Command Operations (ACO). The Supreme Allied Commander Europe and his staff at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) situated in Mons, Belgium, were henceforth responsible for all Alliance operations, including those previously undertaken by SACLANT. The reform resulted in a significant reduction in headquarters and Combined Air Operations Centres – from 32 command centres down to 9 – and reflected a fundamental shift in Alliance thinking.
Today, restructuring is being taken a step further to ensure that military command capabilities are more flexible and affordable. At the Lisbon Summit, 19-20 November 2010, NATO leaders approved a generic model of the reform, which will enable the Alliance to meet the same level of ambition that it has today, providing command and control for two major joint operations and six smaller military operations.
