Military Concept

NATO's Military concept on defense against terrorism Nr. 472 states that the organization's vision for fighting terrorism acknowledges that primary responsibility rests with the individual member-states. NATO's goals are to help states deter, defend, disrupt and protect against terrorist threats from abroad, as and where needed.

NATO Exercises

There have been not many proposals calling for a closer integration of the NATO MS and their partners in the fight of terrorism. Cooperation to fight terrorism requires a multilevel approach, which is not easy to achieve. One of the major reasons is that it requires cooperation in sensitive areas, such as intelligence sharing, law enforcement or military assistance. One of the ways to test capabilities and work together is through exercises. NATO has conducted different types of exercises with all participating countries. Those exercises not only develop closer relationship and common standards, but also help to spot shortages, weaknesses and other loopholes. Some of the exercises conducted to respond to a hypothetical terrorist attack were:

*Joint Assistance Exercise, 9-13 October 2005, - a Chemical-Biological and Radiological (CBR)-consequence management field exercise was organized in Ukraine by the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre EADRCC in cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Security Service of Ukraine. The field exercise focused on response to a terrorist attack using chemical agents and was conducted in the area of L'viv ( Ukraine). More

*NATO-Russia disaster response exercise and seminar held in Kaliningrad- 22-25 June 2004 NATO-Russia disaster response exercise and seminar held in Kaliningrad - during those days Russia and partner countries tested their capabilities to jointly respond to a disaster situation. The main aim of the exercise and seminar was to examine existing national, regional and multi-national arrangements for consequence management and response to a mass casualty and environmental disaster situation caused by a terrorist attack. About 1000 personnel from 22 NATO and partner countries and international organizations (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, European Union, International Civil Defense Organization and industry representatives) participated in or observed the exercise. More

*Exercise "Dacia 2003" - 7-10 October 2003 Cooperation between NATO's strategic commands and the Eur-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center . It also included International Atomic Energy Agency, World Health Organization; 16 neighboring ( Romania ) countries participated; the on-site coordination and procedures were developed by the UN. The scenario of the exercise was based on a terrorist attack with the use of radiological dispersion devices, better known as "dirty bombs". The exercise focused on the consequences and emergency response to a radiological terrorist attack, including medical treatment as well as the psychological impact of such attack. More

*Exercise "Bogorodsk 2002" - 25-27 September 2002 - NATO and Russia hold their first-ever joint crisis response exercise in Noginsk, 70 km outside of Moscow. The exercise simulates an international response to a terrorist attack on a chemical plant. The aim of Exercise "Bogorodsk 2002” was to practice EADRCC procedures and EADRU capabilities in order to improve chemical biological radiological (CBR) agents consequence management. More

There were more exercises conducted with the participation of MS of NATO and their partners in PFP. Visit EARDCC website

Operation Active Endeavour

This maritime operation, launched in October 2001, aims to detect and deter terrorist activity in the Mediterranean . NATO ships patrol the area, monitor merchant shipping and, since March 2003, escort civilian shipping through the Straits of Gibraltar and board suspicious vessels. Initially, targeted at the Eastern Mediterranean region, the operation has been extended to the whole of the Mediterranean since March 2004.

Civil Emergency Planning Activities Under Partnership for Peace

At the same time, a large number of other international organisations also participate in Civil Emergency Planning activities. These include the Council of Europe, the European Union , the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Disaster preparedness and protection of the population have been common elements in many PfP Civil Emergency Planning activities. Attention has been directed on avalanches, chemical accidents, earthquakes, floods, nuclear accidents and the transport of dangerous goods. Much of this has been done in cooperation with UNOCHA and its project on the Use of Military and Civil Defence Assets in Disaster Assistance (MCDA).