NATO CALS Management Board

IMPORTANCE OF CALS TO NATO

     NATO post the cold war era, faces an unprecedented challenge in preserving force effectiveness in light of the radically altered and ever changing threat, substantially declining defense budgets, and changes in global development of technology.
      NATO will use a strategy entitled CALS as one way to decrease defence equipment life-cycle costs, ensure the readiness of its forces, and increase cooperation with industry and the international community. CALS provides these benefits by quickening the pace at which high-quality information flows within NATO and between NATO and its business partners and at the same time, providing an opportunity to reduce information management overhead costs. CALS does this by use of national and international standards and practices, business process improvements, and application of advanced technologies.
     The emerging role of NATO is one involving a new flexibility for the deployment of NATO systems, where a faster response to diverse locations is required with smaller, better equipped forces. Of equal significance, is the greater multinational integration within the newly formed force structures, such as the Rapid Reaction Corps and the allied NATO Air Force. This multinational context is becoming even more prominent as new friends of the Alliance are to be considered in a Partnership for Peace. Consequently it is vital that NATO concentrates on achieving greater cooperation in acquisition and greater operational interoperability in order to ensure that smaller, better equipped multinational forces are able to operate efficiently together.
     CALS can allow this to happen while, at the same time, benefiting NATO nations by reducing defence equipment life-cycle costs. Budgetary constraints and accelerating changes in information technology are principal for fundamental improvements in the way government and industry conduct business. Rapid development in information technology have propelled western economies into an era of global interdependence, where the major discriminating factor among these competing economies is the ability to develop and apply this technology. NATO therefore does not have a 'do nothing' option when considering the endorsement of CALS and the incorporation of CALS into functional process improvement. CALS is considered to be one prime contributor to increased sortie rates, reduced downtimes, enhanced logistic support, safer operations and increased interoperability in the field. In order to reach those benefits, NATO will have to consider upfront investments in CALS.