NATO UNIFORMS
November 14, 2008
NATO Membership
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO
NATO has added new members six times since first forming in 1949. NATO comprises twenty-six members: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
At the NATO summit in Bucharest (April 2008) Albania and Croatia were officially invited to start accession talks with the alliance, and signed the accession protocols on 9 July 2008.
Sweden, a neutral country, is not currently a member of NATO.
NATO Military Committee
The NATO Military Committee is made up of a senior military member from each member countries armed forces. representative from each membership country, Its principal role is to provide direction and advice on military policy and strategy. It provides guidance on military matters to the NATO Strategic Commanders, whose representatives attend its meetings, and is responsible for the overall conduct of the military affairs of the Alliance under the authority of the Council. Like the council, from time to time the Military Committee also meets at a higher level, namely at the level of Chiefs of defense, the most senior military officer in each nation's armed forces. The Defense Planning Committee excludes France, due to that country's 1966 decision to remove itself from NATO's integrated military structure.
The current Chairman of the NATO Military Committee is Giampaolo Di Paola of Italy (since 2008).
The NATO response Force
http://www.nato.int/shape/issues/shape_nrf/nrf_intro.htm
The launching of the NATO Response Force initiative was announced at the Prague Summit in November 2002.
The NRF’s main missions are those requiring the ability to react with the most capable forces in a very short time.
Deployed as a stand-alone force, it can be used to prevent conflicts from escalating into wider disputes; as an initial entry force, to facilitate the arrival of follow-on units; and as part of a larger force, to contribute to the full range of Alliance military operations.
Member nations commit forces to the NRF on a rotational basis so t hey can go through a process of training and certification, followed by an operational stand-by period of six months. In this way, the permanent existence of a combat-ready deployable NRF is guaranteed.
The three joint force commanders based in Brunssum, Naples and Lisbon take turns to command the NRF. They lead their respective forces throughout the whole process of their formation. Likewise, the commands of the land, maritime and air components of the NRF are held successively by the High Readiness Force headquarters of the NATO Command Structure. This system gives a reasonable balance between military efficiency and dissemination of experience throughout the Alliance.
When the decision to deploy is taken, member nations must transfer the authority for their committed forces to SACEUR, in order for the NRF to start its deployment within five days. Its components are to be tailored for the required mission and be capable of sustaining themselves without external support for one month.
Official NATO website:
PHOTOS:
1. Photos and bios of current NATO Military Representatives: They are each dressed in the uniform of the branch of the armed services in which they serve their member country.
http://www.nato.int/cv/milrep/cv-mlrp.htm
2. Photos of the NRF first military exercise at Doganbay, Turkey. Click on photo to enlarge.
http://www.nato.int/shape/graphics/2003/031121/031121.htm
http://www.nato.int/multi/photos/2003/m031120h.htm
http://www.nato.int/multi/photos/2003/m031120i.htm
http://www.nato.int/multi/photos/2003/m031120k.htm
http://www.nato.int/multi/photos/2003/m031120l.htm
3. Photos from Exercise Steadfast Jaguar 2006
http://www.nato.int/shape/issues/shape_nrf/sfjg_06.htm
4. Official NRF emblem and command flag:
http://www.nato.int/shape/issues/shape_nrf/emblems.pdf
5. NATO response for leaders meeting Allied Air Component Command Headquarters Ramstein, May 2007:
http://www.nato.int/SHAPE/graphics/2007/070504a/b070504c.jpg
6. Committee on Women in NATO forces, 2007: Click on photos to enlarge. Shows a variety of women’s uniforms as well as a good group shot of both male and female NATO military leaders.
http://www.nato.int/multi/photos/women2007.htm
7. New Uniforms for Latvia, September 2006: Features pixilated camouflage.
http://www.rigasummit.lv/en/id/gallery/nid/48/
