Get it Together: NATO SMART Defence Solutions

The Centre for Military Studies has published the report “Get it Together – Smart Defence Solutions to NATO’s Compound Challenge of Multinational Procurement”. This report forms part of Centre for Military Studies’ research-based public-sector service of the Danish Ministry of Defence, and its purpose is to examine and further the follow-up to the Chicago Summit declaration on Allied military capabilities in 2020.

At the Chicago Summit in May 2012, NATO political leaders agreed to the Summit Declaration on Defence Capabilities: Toward NATO Forces 2020. The Smart Defence initiative is an important component of the declaration. Compared to earlier allied capability efforts, this initiative is unique given the high-level involvement and emphasis on a new mindset. This report proposes ways of institutionalising the new mindset through increased multinational procurement.

Some of the most difficult aspects of the Smart Defence efforts deal with outputs; that is with the integration of operational defence capabilities. We propose beginning instead by focusing on the input side. It is easier to agree on buying the same defence equipment together than to agree on buying and operating defence equipment together. But if enhanced multinational procurement appears to be less ambitious than other aspects of the Smart Defence agenda, it is not a straightforward task. It is in fact a compound international political problem with diverse and interlocked problem areas. The current system is therefore in a stalemate. This report assesses the stalemate and proposes a general approach and concrete initiatives at both NATO and national levels to create a positive spiral of enhanced multinational procurement in the Alliance.

Download the publication in PDF-format here.