NSPA’s mission is to provide responsive, effective and cost-efficient logistics support services for systems and operations. This support is provided – in times of peace, crisis and war, wherever required – to the NATO member nations, the NATO Military Authorities and partner nations, both individually and collectively. In line with guidance provided by the North Atlantic Council, it aims to maximise the ability and flexibility of armed forces, contingents, and other relevant organisations to execute their core mission.
NSPA is organised into three business segments: the NATO Airlift Management Programme (NAM), the Central Europe Pipeline System Programme (CEPS) and Logistics Operations.
The NATO Airlift Management Programme acquires, manages and supports the airlift assets that nations can call upon to fulfil their national, NATO, European Union and United Nations commitments. It provides financial, logistics, and administrative services in support of the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW), a multinational military unit located in Hungary and responsible for operating the Airlift Management Programme-owned aircraft used to meet the requirements of the participating nations in accordance with a pre-agreed allocation of flying hours.
Members of the NAM Programme include Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States. The NAM Programme Board, acting in the collective interests of all NAM member nations, is the governing body for Programme execution.
The Central Europe Pipeline System Programme manages the operation, financing and maintenance of an integrated, cross-border fuel pipeline and storage system in support of NATO’s operational military requirements, including expeditionary operations. The CEPS Programme Office, located in France, coordinates and designs the planning of cross-border traffic and manages product quality control. It is responsible for operational, technical and financial control, as well as the coordination of business development. Operations run on a 24/7 basis, with the CEPS Programme Office serving as the intermediary between suppliers and national organisations, NATO authorities, and non-military clients.
Members of the CEPS Programme include Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United States. The CEPS Programme Board, acting in the collective interests of all CEPS Programme member nations, is the governing body for Programme execution.
The Logistics Operations segment is a grouping of multiple weapon and equipment systems support capabilities, some highly specialised. These are provided using multinational legal frameworks, as well as bilateral and multinational agreements, that enable the consolidation and centralisation of logistics management functions across NATO. All of these capabilities can be used to support NATO and member nations during exercises and during deployments under North Atlantic Council-approved operations.
The majority of the logistics support provided is outsourced to industry through international competitive bidding. The segment also has an in-house engineering and technical support capability covering a number of specific technologies, such as optoelectronics and calibration.
Logistics Operations maintains a Southern Operational Centre (SOC) in Italy. A number of its staff are deployed to operations and NATO commands to provide front line support.
