2nd Workshop on Multi-National Cooperation on Civil-Military Interoperability

On 21 and 22 November, the senior civilian and military officials from NATO and Partnership for Peace Nations attended the Cooperation on Civil-Military Interoperability (CMIOP) workshop, hosted by the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence, to discuss improved civil-military interoperability in the face of disasters and emerging security challenges. The workshop was held at the “G. S. Rakovski” National Defence Staff College in Sofia.        

     

The Multi-National Civil-Military Interoperability initiative (developed by NC3A) aims is to explore specific solutions (tools and procedures) that will allow military and civilian authorities to rapidly share information and cooperate in the face of emerging international security threats and challenges, as well as disaster response.

 

“The modern security environment contains a broad and evolving set of challenges to the security of NATO and Nations. Acting alone, it is impossible successfully to meet many of them. The effective implementation of NATO comprehensive approach requires an enhanced cooperation and contribution of all major actors, including United Nations, European Union, Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations. In order to assure needed security, the NATO Lisbon Summit Declaration and Strategic Concept entrust the Alliance with three essential core tasks: Collective Defense, Crisis Management and Cooperative Security. Their execution requires NATO and Nations to find a proper way to respond and to enhance needed common capabilities for better civil-military interaction” said Mrs. Avgustina Tzvetkova, Deputy Defence Minister of Bulgaria, during her opening speech.

 

The workshop agenda included contributions from distinguished speakers from the Bulgarian MoD, NATO International Staff, ACT, NIAG and NC3A.

“Your multinational approach is exactly what NATO should promote now - in line with the multinational capability approach under the lead of ACT, the Voluntary Multinational Fund under the CNAD and with the support from the DAT POW. You would like to focus on interoperability: absolutely right because it is the core of the mission of NATO (which makes it possible to have 28 - or more - nations working together and succeeding) - the technical and capability dimension is essential. You want to focus your future projects also on crisis management and disaster relief: these are the most appropriate domains in which NATO can provide its expertise” Mr. Jamie Shea, Deputy Assistant Secretary General of the Emerging Security Challenges Division, stated during his VTC from Brussels.

 

The workshop outcome will be submitted to the NATO C3 Board for the Nations’ decision to carry on the initiative, in line with the already approved projects under the Multi-National Capability Development Approach to Smart Defence.