NATO COMMANDS

There are two major NATO commands:

  ALLIED COMMAND OPERATIONS (ACO)
  ALLIED COMMAND TRANSFORMATION (ACT)

 

COMPONENT HEADQUARTERS AT THE TACTICAL LEVEL
The component or tactical level will consist of six Joint Force Component Commands (JFCCs), which will provide service-specific - land, maritime, or air - expertise to the operational level.

ALLIED COMMAND OPERATIONS (ACO) 
  

Allied Command Operations, with its headquarters, SHAPE, near Mons, Belgium, is responsible for all Alliance operations. The levels beneath SHAPE have been significantly streamlined, with a reduction in the number of headquarters.

The operational level consists of two standing Joint Force Commands (JFCs) one in Brunssum, the Netherlands, and one in Naples, Italy - which can conduct operations from their static locations or provide a land-based Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) headquarters and a robust but more limited standing Joint Headquarters (JHQ), in Lisbon, Portugal, from which a deployable sea-based CJTF HQ capability can be drawn.

The current organisation of Allied Command Operations is as follows:
 

ACO Subordinate Commands

Immediate Reaction Forces (Maritime) - There are three Maritime Immediate Reaction Forces that provide NATO with a continuous naval presence and can be deployed NATO-wide, when required.

ACE Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) - The ARRC is prepared for deployment throughout Allied Command Europe in order to augment or reinforce local forces whenever necessary. The Headquarters of the ARRC are located in Rheindahlen, Germany.

NATO Airborne Early Warning Force (NAEWF) - The NATO Airborne Early Warning Force provides air surveillance and command and control for all NATO commands. It is based in Geilenkirchen, Germany, and Waddington, United Kingdom.

NATO Programming Centre (NPC) - The NATO Programming Centre maintains NATO Air Command and Control Software and provides system expertise to nations and NATO agencies and headquarters. It is located in Glons, Belgium.

COMPONENT HEADQUARTERS AT THE TACTICAL LEVEL

The component or tactical level will consist of six Joint Force Component Commands (JFCCs), which will provide service-specific - land, maritime, or air - expertise to the operational level. Although these component commands will be available for use in any operation, they will be subordinated to one of the Joint Force Commanders.

Joint Forces Command - Brunssum

Joint Forces Command - Naples

Static Command Air Operations Centres (CAOC)

In addition to the above component commands there will be  four static Combined Air Operations Centres with two more deployable as follows:

As the deployable CAOCs will need to exercise their capability to mobilise and deploy, the current facilities at Torrejon Air Base in Spain will probably be the primary site for training and exercising in that region.

A small NATO air facility support staff would be stationed at Torrejon to support this capability.

ALLIED COMMAND TRANSFORMATION (ACT)

In the future, Allied Command Transformation, with its headquarters in Norfolk, US, is overseeing the transformation of NATO's military capabilities. In doing so, it is enhance training, improve capabilities, test and develop doctrines and conduct experiments to assess new concepts. It will also facilitate the dissemination and introduction of new concepts and promote interoperability. There will be an ACT Staff Element in Belgium primarily for resource and defence planning issues.

ACT will command the Joint Warfare Centre in Norway, a new Joint Force Training Centre in Poland and the Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre in Portugal. ACT Headquarters will also supervise the Undersea Research Centre in La Spezia, Italy. There will be direct linkages between ACT, Alliance schools and NATO agencies, as well as the US Joint Forces Command. A NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre in Greece, associated with ACT, is also envisaged. In addition, a number of nationally- or multinationally-sponsored Centres of Excellence focused on transformation in specific military fields will support the command.