A NISRF's enhancement

Translated by Alessandra Fumagalli 

At the Washington Summit, during the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD), a new strategy was agreed: the aim is to enhance NATO’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Force (NISRF) with additional capabilities. This will strengthen the Alliance’s activities and missions in all its operative sections, like the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC), the Digital Ocean Initiative, the multinational initiatives for Remotely Piloted Aircrafts Systems (RPAS), and Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space (APSS). In particular, the last project is destined to significantly enhance NATO's Intelligence and Surveillance, giving essential support for the Alliance’s military missions. 

Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD)

The Conference of NAtional Armaments Directors (CNAD), established in 1966, is the senior NATO committee responsible for promoting multinational cooperation in the armaments field. Its main objective is to ensure that NATO forces have cutting-edge, interoperable equipment available at all times between the countries. The CNAD brings together the top national officials responsible for defense, reporting directly to the North Atlantic Council, the principal political decision-making body within NATO. 

NISRF: An Excellent Multinational Force 

The NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force (NISRF) is a multinational NATO Force established in 2015 as the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance Force (NAGSF) and based in Sigonella, Italy and acts under the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe’s directives (SHAPE), in accordance with the Allied Air Command (AIRCOM). NISRF’s first action is to give intelligence to NATO's decisional authorities and Member Countries, in order to improve the Alliance’s operational readiness. 

Difference between Surveillance, Recognition and Intelligence

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Recognition are the fundamental keys of all military operations, but an adequate difference is needed. Surveillance means monitoring an objective; Recognition focuses on data collection, aiming at tactical actions. These data, collected through different observations made by soldiers, who operate both on the ground or through the satellites, UAV, sensors, are analyzed in a second moment and transformed in Intelligence, which is the final product, which, together with other sources, is transmitted to the main responsibles for decisions. 

Data Collection Advance Systems 

NISRF is equipped with the appropriate systems to collect data. Among these, there is the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS), a fleet of five RQ-4D “Phoenix” UAV’ able to carry out radar reconnaissance and surveillance autonomously and independently of the weather, day and night. Moreover, NATO uses Airborne Warning & Control System (AWACS)’s surveillance plane, a fleet of E-3A Boeing, equipped with long-ray radar and passive sensors, in order to detect air or surface contacts in long distance. NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force (NAEW&C Force) is one of the few military means, indeed it is under the direct control of NATO, since the most part of the Alliance’s military capabilities belong to each country. 

Conclusion

The advanced system used by NISRF, as the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) and AWACS show NATO’s constant effort in the use of cutting-hedge technologies, in order to maintain international security and stability through an highly efficient Intelligent, Surveillance, and Recognition Force. 

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