Nordic Coordinated Arrangement for Military Peace Support (NORDCAPS)
NORDCAPS Purpose, structure and History
Purpose of NORDCAPS
1. The overall purpose of NORDCAPS was to adapt and further develop Nordic co-operation
within the area of military peace support operations (PSO), utilising the proven ability of Nordic military interaction and enhancing the Nordic profile in such operations, in order to achieve more beneficial efforts to support international peace and security.
2. NORDCAPS aimed at strengthening and expanding the existing Nordic co-operation in the field of military peace support operations, focusing on the foreseen requirements for political as well as military timely consultations and co-ordination.
3. The practical aim of the co-operation was to develop concepts and mechanisms to ensure NORDCAPS as a flexible and timely organ for consultations and co-ordination of the Participants involvement in PSO. Co-operation would include the conducting of courses and education, competence development and training, particularly in areas such as Security Sector Reform, regional capacity development, and other areas of military support.
4. The Participants did not intend to establish standing forces or permanent command structures for the purpose of NORDCAPS. Any possible Nordic force under the NORDCAPS co-operation would have been subject to separate decision, case-by-case. This would not preclude the establishment of working groups or other arrangements necessary to plan and prepare for deployment.
5. NORDCAPS was a Nordic arrangement. Co-operation with third parties would have been based upon a pragmatic approach, as a result of a defined needs assessment.
NORDCAPS Structure
The Nordic Defence Ministers (or equivalent) constituted the top level providing the overall political guidance for NORDCAPS coordination. The Defence Ministers met regularly a few times per year.
The NORDCAPS Steering Group (NSG) was the politico-military level body guiding the NORDCAPS coordination on behalf of the Ministers of Defence. The NSG was made up of national representatives, on Director General or Deputy Permanent Secretary of State for Defence level. The NSG usually met bi-annually, but additional meetings could be arranged according to the requirements. The NSG Chairman was the NORDCAPS Point of Contact for new PSO’s. The chairmanship rotated between the nations on a one-year basis, according to the sequence of the English alphabet.
The NORDCAPS Military Co-ordination Group (NMCG) was the coordination body at the Defence Command level. It consisted of representatives from military headquarters. The NMCG´s main function as the main executive body was to prepare, plan and co-ordinate military activities within NORDCAPS. The NMCG provided military advice to the NSG and consulted the NSG in all politically related issues. The NMCG usually met 4-5 times per year, or when required. The NMCG Chairmanship rotated annually in synchronization with the NSG Chair.
The NORDCAPS Planning Element (PLE) provided staff functions, co-ordination and planning resources for the NMCG. The PLE, which was the only permanent body under the NORDCAPS framework, consisted of personnel from participating nations. The PLE was the Focal Point for day-to-day issues.
The NMCG would, as necessary, establish subordinate working groups or projects for coordination in specific issue areas, such as operations, education, training, communication and information systems (CIS), logistics and movement.
A number of persons within the Nordic nations were involved in NORDCAPS co-operation and co-ordination on a daily basis (e.g. planning for new operational engagements, NORDCAPS courses, movement and transportation and PSO Training Support to third nations and regions.
NORDCAPS organisational structure.
NORDCAPS History
The Nordic countries have been participating in UN Peacekeeping missions since the 1950s. Up to now some 200 000 Nordic peacekeepers have been deployed to various Peace Support Operations (PSO) mandated by UN and led by UN, NATO or EU.
Early on the arrangement for cooperation between four of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) was referred to as NORDSAMFN (Nordic cooperation group for military UN matters). The four nations agreed to a basic composition of Nordic Stand-by Forces at UN’s disposal in 1964, which led to the establishment of NORDSAMFN.
During the first three decades of its existence this Nordic arrangement was mainly a forum for: Regular meetings both at political and military levels for coordination and exchange of information and Coordination of PSO training including different UN courses provided to Nordic as well as third nation military personnel.
During the 1990s new challenges were met in Peace Support Operations. The various operations during the break-up of former Yugoslavia set demands for a new type of cooperation related both to the establishment of forces, deployment and operations in Theatre. In January 1993 the Nordic countries decided to establish a Nordic Battalion to the UN led operation in Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). As a preventive deployment, the operation in FYROM is recognized as one of the most successful UN led operations ever.
In Bosnia-Herzegovina the Nordic nations together with Poland established a Nordic-Polish Brigade Herzegovina in or the NATO led Implementation Force (IFOR), later the Stabilization Force (SFOR), in 1996.
This was the first NATO led PSO based on a UN mandate, and as such it was also a new type of operation with wider rules of engagement and force power. The cooperation in SFOR and later in the United Kingdom led Multinational Brigade Centre in Kosovo Force (KFOR) operation provided further impetus for the Nordic cooperation.
NORDSAMFN was no longer dealing with solely UN-led operations and the spectrum of cooperation was rapidly widening due to the requirements for an increasing number of troops, capabilities and more robust forces. As a result, the Nordic nations decided to reorganize the arrangement. Following the already existing reality the Nordic countries made a formal decision to extend Nordic cooperation in order to cover a larger spectrum of PSO’s and the Nordic Ministers of Defence established NORDCAPS in April 1997. A visible sign of the enhanced coordination was the establishment of NORDCAPS Planning Element in Stockholm in 2000, the only permanent structure within NORDCAPS. In the 1990’s also NORDCAPS PSO courses were introduced.
NORDIC MILITARY COOPERATION – a longstanding tradition –.
The work continued in 2006, and the main decisions were concluded when the Ministers of Defence signed the revised NORDCAPS MOU in Oslo 8 Nov 2006 transforming NORDCAPS into a future viable tool for PSO engagements and activities.
NORDCAPS has not only been used as an arrangement to coordinate real life operational PSO engagements, but also to cooperate on operational planning and coordination of logistical and movement, both on operational and strategic level. All the Nordic nations have been conducting common sustainment flights to the ISAF operation since spring 2002. This cooperation was initiated and furthermore maintained by NORDCAPS. In 2009 a planning started for an expanded cooperation between the Nordic nations in ISAF, primarily those within Regional Command North.
Initiating Procedures for NORDCAPS Engagement in PSO.
The arrangement has also been used to support the planning of common Nordic participation in a restructured Kosovo Force (KFOR), possible operations in Africa and Lebanon as well as support to the Nordic EU BG.
When units from more than one Nordic nation would take part in a new PSO, NORDCAPS could, when necessary, act as the coordinating authority for the Nordic countries concerning the operational preparations, the coordination of movement and transportation, and general management of matters of a common nature. In this context, there would be close liaison in order to lay down the general basis for calculating claims for compensation and the procedure for presenting these claims to the Department for peace Keeping Operations (DPKO) in UN HQ. The costs of participating in other than UN operations were to be paid by each contributing nation.
The NORDCAPS cooperation included conduct of courses, education, competence development, training, and exercises for Nordic personnel based on the needs of the Nordic countries. Seats for non-Nordic students were also available. NORDCAPS was supporting the development of PSO training through train the trainer programs in different areas. Multinational training, exercises, competence development, courses and other co-operative arrangements in order to improve interoperability between forces would be developed in support of operations on a case-by-case basis.
Nordic UN-Courses: The Historical Platform for NORDCAPS Courses Cooperation
One very well known tool for training units and individuals was the “NORDCAPS PSO Tactical Manual volume 1 and 2”. It was developed and revised by the Nordic countries as a NORDCAPS project based on Nordic PSO lessons learned.
Since 2005 NORDCAPS has been part of the Nordic Initiative providing Region-to-Region support within the Security Sector Reform area to the Western Balkans Region and a main decisions were concluded when the Ministers of Defence signed the revised NORDCAPS MOU in Oslo 8 Nov 2006 transforming NORDCAPS into a future viable tool for PSO engagements and activities.
The Region-to-Region Support included training of officers from the region at the Nordic Training Centres and export of the well-known NORDCAPS Courses to the Regional Training Centres. Part of this program is arranged by NORDCAPS as a "Train-the-Trainer Program" where officers from the Balkans PSO Education and Training Centres, or equivalent, were trained at the Nordic PSO Education and Training Centres with the aim of becoming instructors, mentors and course directors at their respective national PSO Education and Training Centres thereby enabling the Centres to gradually take over the responsibility for national and regional training within the PSO area.
The Region-to-Region support also included "Tailor-made" seminars with e.g. operational, legal and personnel issues.
NORDCAPS also supported the work in the Western Balkan Region to create a regional cooperation within the PSO Education and Training and when such cooperation was formed in 2010 NORDCAPS concluded the support to the Western Balkan Regional cooperation.
At the Nordic- Baltic Ministers of Defence meeting in 2005, a joint Nordic-Baltic Initiative towards Ukraine, which was launched. The purpose of this initiative was to enhance the practical cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries in supporting Ukraine’s efforts to reform her defence and security sector.
As a part of the Initiative NORDCAPS and the three Baltic States have provided support to the Multinational Staff Officers Centre in Kiev, Ukraine by assigning a Nordic PSO officer to the Centre for a period in 2007/2008.
In 2009 and 2010 NORDCAPS coordinated the Nordic support to MSOC in the following areas: a “train-the-trainer” programme, support MSOC with the review of their course curricula, support the MSOC by sending instructors, guest lecturers and/or Subject Matter Experts (SME).
When the Nordic-Baltic nations once again decided to second and officer for 2 years from summer 2010, NORDCAPS concluded its coordination of the support and the future support was to be conducted on bilateral basis.
The Nordic Defence Ministers agreed at their meeting at Bornholm on 11 November 2008 to support African Capacity Building (ACB) by providing support to the Eastern-Africa Standby Force. In addition to deciding on concrete projects the ministers also agreed on having a “lead-nation” for each project to ensure efficient implementation.
The following projects and respective lead-nation were agreed:
• Support to capacity building of the Land component (EASBRIG) (Lead-nation: DNK)
• Support to Maritime Capacity building (Lead-nation: NOR)Support to PSO courses and other PSO training (Lead-nation: FIN).
Based on recommendations from the NORDCAPS PLE the NSG decided in April 09 to establish a Nordic Advisory and Coordination Staff (NACS) in Nairobi, Kenya. NACS reached full operating capability on 1 October 2009 and the official inauguration ceremony was held on 29 October 2009. NACS is co-located with HQ Eastern-Africa Standby Force Command (EASBRIGCOM) in Nairobi and will in addition to coordinate the Nordic projects also provide strategic- and operational level military advice to HQ EASBRICOM and to its subordinate structures.
The coordination of the ACB activities has been handed over from the NORDCAPS PLE to the NORDEFCO Coordination Staff as of end of May 2010.
A more comprehensive Nordic defence cooperation A new MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed by the Nordic defence ministers on the 4 of November 2009 establishing the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO). This MOU came into effect on the 4 of December 2009. The new MOU is the platform for a restructuring of the Nordic Defence Cooperation, the cooperation was no longer to be divided into three separate pillars and consequently NORDSUP, NORDAC and NORDCAPS was terminated and the ongoing work was handed to NORDEFCO in 2010.