The Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
The Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) – is an international foundation whose mission is to assist the international community in pursuing good governance and reform of the security sector. The Centre provides in‐country advisory support and practical assistance programmes, develops and promotes norms and standards, conducts tailored policy research, and identifies good practices and recommendations to promote democratic security sector governance. DCAF’s Gender and Security Programme works through research, policy and technical advice, and regional projects to support the development of security sectors that meet the security needs of men, women, boys and girls, and the full participation of men and women in security sector institutions and security sector reform processes.
The NATO Industrial Advisory Group
The NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) was established in October 1968 to support the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD), the senior NATO committee responsible for promoting the cooperation between countries in the armaments field) by facilitating cooperation between NATO and the Allies’ defence industries.
The NATO Industrial Advisory Group' aims to:
- Providing a forum for free exchange of views on industrial, technical, economic, management and other relevant aspects of research, development and production of armament equipment within the Alliance; based on current and updated information provided by relevant NATO bodies;
- Providing industry's advice to the CNAD on how to foster government-to-industry and industry-to-industry armaments co-operation within the Alliance;
- Providing optimal use of NIAG resources to assist Main Armaments Groups, and their subordinate bodies, in exploring opportunities for international collaboration, and seeking timely and efficient ways to satisfy NATO military requirements.
On 24 June 2017, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General, David Hobbs and the Chairman of the NIAG, Martin Hill, signed a letter of intent for collaboration between the Assembly's ESC, STC and DSC Committees and the NIAG at the strategic, planning and implementation levels.
The NATO Science and Technology Organization
At the Lisbon Summit, in November 2010, NATO leaders endorsed a new Strategic Concept, which states that the Alliance will “engage in a process of continual reform, to streamline structures, improve working methods and maximise efficiency.” Against this backdrop Allies agreed to streamline the 14 NATO agencies. This decision has been implemented through several phases to incrementally achieve increased effectiveness, efficiency and cost savings, while preserving capability and service delivery.
As a result the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) was established by bringing together the NATO Research and Technology Organization and the NATO Undersea Research Centre (NURC). The STO is a NATO subsidiary body to the North Atlantic Council (NAC), to which the NAC granted a clearly defined organisational, administrative and financial independence by approval of the Charter of the STO on 1 July 2012.
The NATO Science and Technology Board (STB), in which all NATO Science and Technology (S&T) stakeholders are represented at senior level, is the highest authority in the STO. The Board is chaired by the NATO Chief Scientist and exercises governance on behalf of the NAC to which it also reports on an annual basis. The STB’s main responsibilities are governing the STO and implementing NATO S&T unified governance.
The STO is composed of three executive bodies, the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) at NATO HQ in Brussels (Belgium), the Collaboration Support Office (CSO) in Neuilly (France) and the Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), the former NURC, in La Spezia (Italy). The NATO Chief Scientist is the Head of the OCS and the senior science adviser to the NAC and Alliance senior leadership.
The STO enables the Alliance to maintain its military and technological edge by generating and implementing a leading-edge science and technology programme of work and by providing advice that advance the defence capabilities of Allies, partners and NATO in support of the core tasks of collective defence, crisis management and cooperative security.
The scientific and technical committees of the STO, composed of subject matter experts from national and NATO bodies, form the largest known network of scientists, engineers and analysts. These so-called Panels and Group articulate and execute STO’s collaborative programme of work. The CMRE is customer funded, it organises and conducts scientific research and technology development, focussed on the maritime domain, delivering innovative solutions for the Alliance’s defence and security needs.
On 14 February 2015, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General and the NATO Chief Scientist signed a letter of intent for collaboration between the STO and the Assembly's Committees and Sub-Committees, in particular the Science and Technology Committee at the strategic, planning and implementation levels. The NATO PA cooperates with the STO primarily through the OCS at NATO HQ.
The Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA)
The Atlantic Treaty Association and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly have worked alongside each other since their inception in the 1950s. This long-standing relationship is based on shared objectives and complementary composition. Both organisations seek to promote the objectives and values of the North Atlantic Alliance, with the NATO PA being composed exclusively of parliamentarians while the Atlantic Treaty Association brings together non-governmental organisations and national voluntary bodies. The two organisations have well established mutual participation arrangements and also hold joint events.
Recently, they have further extended their cooperation by organising ATA outreach activities to coincide with certain Assembly activities. This process has been greatly facilitated by connections between the organisations’ institutional leadership, notably from 2010 to 2012 when Dr Karl A. Lamers held the Presidency of both bodies.