NATO - Smart Defence

Smart Defence

In these times of austerity, each euro, dollar or pound sterling counts. Smart defence is a new way of thinking about generating the modern defence capabilities the Alliance needs for the coming decade and beyond. It is a renewed culture of cooperation that encourages Allies to cooperate in developing, acquiring and maintaining military capabilities to undertake the Alliance’s essential core tasks agreed in the new NATO strategic concept. That means pooling and sharing capabilities, setting priorities and coordinating efforts better.

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NATO Secretary General and Smart Defence

PDF Library

Media Backgrounder - Multinational Projects
PDF / 257.23 kb
Media backgrounder: NATO Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD)
PDF / 1416.61 kb
Media backgrounder: Allied Ground Surveillance (AGS)
PDF / 278.04 kb
Smart Defence - Smart Tadic - 14 Oct 2011 - Background paper
PDF / 547.86 kb
Smart Defence - Smart Tadic- 14 Oct 2011 - Report
PDF / 758.66 kb
NATO Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (ALTBMD) (PDF/278Kb) - Media Backgrounder

Photo Galleries

NATO Maritime innovation and technology 13 Aug. 2012 The Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) is a NATO-owned high-tech research facility that organizes and conducts scientific research and technology development, centered on the maritime domain. CMRE's daily mission embodies the three components of Smart Defence: specialisation, prioritisation, and cooperation.

Smart Defence - AWACS 18 Nov. 2011 NATO operates a fleet of E-3 Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS) aircraft, which provide the Alliance with an immediately available airborne command and control capability, air and maritime surveillance and battlespace management functions. NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany, is home to 17 Boeing E-3A aircraft.

Smart Defence - C17 05 Oct. 2011 The C-17 Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC), based in Hungary, is a multinational initiative delivering a vital capability to the Alliance. It allows the ten participating NATO Allies and two partner nations to collectively own assets that would be prohibitively expensive to purchase individually.

Official Texts

Summit Declaration on Defence Capabilities: Toward NATO Forces 202020 May. 2012

Opinions

Smart Defence 04 Apr. 2012 Smart Defence is 'learning by doing'. But, with budgets down and risks up, the learning has to start soon. NATO Review looks into what this could mean for everyone.

Smart Defence - the political angle 04 Apr. 2012 How does NATO's top brass see the Smart Defence project? How much do they see the difficulties, opportunities and importance of it? NATO Review asked NATO's Deputy Secretary General - and Smart Defence envoy - Ambassador Alexander Vershbow to find out.

Smart Defence - the parliamentary angle 04 Apr. 2012 Smart Defence will suffer if it doesn't get the national parliaments to sign up to it. So how is the project seen in these nations? NATO Review asked NATO Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General David Hobbs for his view.

Smart Defence: what does it mean? 30 Mar. 2012 When it comes to explaining Smart Defence, there's probably nobody more qualified than Ludwig Decamps. He heads up NATO's Smart Defence team. Here NATO Review quizzes him on what the project means, how it could work and why it's important.

Smart Defence: the economic angle 30 Mar. 2012 Smart Defence is not all about the economy. But the economic crisis has certainly played its part. How does the economic landscape look now. And what effect could this have on the development of Smart Defence. NATO Review asks NATO's Senior Defence Economist for his insights.

Smart Defence for Greece and Turkey? 30 Mar. 2012 How easy would it be for two very different neighbours to engage in Smart Defence? One has economic problems while the other has growing influence in the region. Greek and Turkish analysts look at how and if this could work?

Smart Defence: the analyst's view 30 Mar. 2012 How do those outside see Smart Defence? And do they see it working? Dr Bastian Giegerich of the International Institute for Security Studies has already written a brief paper analysing Smart Defence. Here NATO Review asks him about the main points.

From finance to defence 22 Jul. 2009 From finance to defence: how did the financial crisis arrive - and where will it lead? NATO's Senior Economist Adrian Kendry gives a guided tour of the the paths linking the crisis with security.

What lies ahead? defence, budgets and the financial crisis 22 Jul. 2009 How will tighter belts affect the way military budgets are spent? And when will defence feel the pinch? Dr Derek Braddon examines the impacts for suppliers, customers - and alliances.

The financial crisis: a similar effect to a terrorist attack? 22 Jul. 2009 François Melese argues that the impact of the financial crisis on security cannot be underestimated. And he looks at whether it originated in the private or public sector.

Security and the effects of budgetary constraints 05 Jan. 2011 There has been little economic good news of late. Budgetary pressures are growing across NATO ’s 28 member nations. But, as NATO governments and parliaments contemplate savings, they should keep in mind the fundamentals of our free market economy; the importance of sharing the security burden within NATO; and the many possibilities for spending smarter, including by bringing NATO and the EU closer together.

Safety in numbers - NATO and its partners 14 Apr. 2011 Are NATO's partnerships becoming more or less important? Are they a cheaper way of offering security? And are they the key to a comprehensive approach to security? This video looks at how NATO's relationships are changing, why and who's benefiting.

What does it mean for the military 03 Mar. 2010 How will the timing of this new Strategic Concept affect the outcome? Will it be able to deal with threats for decades to come? How will it change the way international organizations work together? And what will its changes mean for the men and women in uniform? All of these questions come under scrutiny in this section.

Uniforms are getting greener 15 Jun. 2011 Green issues are no longer the preserve of hippies and tree huggers. The military knows just how important they are. The BBC's environment correspondent, David Shukman, recounts how climate has become part of defence planning.

Publications

Countering Terrorism 05 Sep. 2011 The essence of NATO's role in the fight against terrorism is protecting people. NATO offers a unique range of assets to the international community. This Briefing explains the scope and type of activities NATO is undertaking to fight the scourge of terrorism.

Tackling New Security Challenges 31 Jan. 2012 Some of the most important challenges facing NATO in the coming decades include terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cyber security, the threat of missile attack, energy security and piracy. This Briefing discusses the ways in which the Alliance aims to tackle these new security challenges.