U.S.-NATO Command and Control: An AD HOC Relationship

Although the United States should be prepared to operate within the framework of an alliance or coalition under other-than-US leadership, American forces will probably be the most capable force and will therefore be expected to play a central leadership role. The standing NATO C2 structure, however, does not adequately account for disparities between U.S. and NATO military capabilities, the heightened requirement for U.S. operational security, or for divergences in national priorities. Without a codified C2 arrangement suitable to both the U.S. and NATO, an ad hoc arrangement will follow just as it occurred in Operation Allied Force. The best solution is for NATO to standardize and codify Combined Joint Task Forces (CJTF) for peacekeeping and to standardize and codify a different CJTF for major operations that will involve the U.S.