Transitioning to a New Science and Technology Organization for NATO

Foreword

by Dr. Robert S. Walker, Ph.D., FCAE Chairman, Research and Technology Board, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

It is my pleasure to introduce you to the 2011 Annual Report of the NATO Research and Technology Organisation, or RTO, NATO's premier forum for Research and Technology (R&T) co-operation among its Member Nations.

This Annual Report also serves as an important instrument for communicating the many significant scientific, technical and managerial accomplishments of the RTO to the NATO community at large.

This past year was very productive for the RTO: it delivered a solid and, indeed its largest ever Programme of Work (PoW) which materialised in a wide variety of activities, all driven by NATO and Nations' priorities. The organisation's leadership also contributed fundamentally to the definition of a way forward for NATO Science and Technology (S&T) Reform and for its implementation – the result of which will be the establishment of a successor organisation – the Science & Technology Organisation (STO) – in 2012.

Inside this Annual Report you will find an overview of the RTO and the many activities executed throughout 2011. The RTO is a unique and dynamic forum, delivering R&T of high value to the Nations and NATO. It is also the largest organisation of its kind in the world, with thousands of scientists, engineers, administrators and managers taking advantage of the fact that the RTO is an effective and proven forum for Nations to leverage their respective R&T programmes. They also benefit from the fact that the RTO helps build coherence and synergy among the Nations' R&T investments and develops R&T capabilities in areas critical to the Nations and NATO.

Since the inception of the RTO in 1998, the strategic environment has evolved significantly, as reflected in the New Strategic Concept for NATO. In the Fall of 2010, the RTO's governing body, the Research and Technology Board (RTB) recognised the need to adapt to this current environment and address the austerity being faced by the Nations. At the same time, a NATO Reform Agenda, both profound and ambitious, was launched at the Lisbon Summit in order to achieve the dual objectives of making NATO more effective and more affordable. All this led to the RTB recommending to NATO leadership that an S&T Reform be launched.

At the March 2011 Ministerial meeting, Ministers tasked the North Atlantic Council (NAC) to prepare a plan for S&T Reform, building on ideas advocated by the RTB. In June 2011, Ministers formally agreed to proceed with a NATO S&T Reform and provided guidance on the expected outcomes.

I was pleased and honoured that the Council tasked me, as the RTB Chairman, to define and lead the execution of an S&T Reform Implementation Plan. An implementation team was established, which was composed of representatives from the entire NATO S&T community and staff from both Nations and NATO, and which met all expected deliverables, including a draft Charter for the STO.

March 2012 will see the end of my three-year tenure as RTB Chairman. I am both pleased and proud to know that the way has been paved for the transition of the RTO into the STO, which has been positioned for success under new leadership. I am confident that the STO will meet the expectations for which it was designed – to enhance the contribution of S&T in affecting the decision-making of the Nations and NATO at strategic, operational and tactical levels that delivers mission success, identifies sound policy and strategy, informs balance-of-investment choices for new or improved capabilities and that builds enduring partnerships beyond current NATO membership which contributes to confidence, stability and security. The STO will also focus on NATO policy and strategy priorities consistent with the Secretary General's "Smart Defence" concept, whereby Nations working together within the NATO framework can achieve their national objectives at reduced cost.

NATO's scientific community is on the verge of implementing an important reform, and in so doing, will better position NATO S&T as a strategic enabler of the knowledge and technology advantage of the defence and security postures of the Nations and NATO in the true spirit of Theodore von Kármán, who was the impetus behind NATO's co-operative research efforts.

I wish all of you success in your future endeavours, and most of all, I wish the STO fair winds and following seas.

 

The RTA, Serving the Nations and NATO

 

by MGen. Albert Husniaux, Director, NATO Research and Technology Agency, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

The important commitment of the Nations and NATO to the RTO's Programme of Work testifies to the value that Nations and NATO place on the co-operative research and network of experts that comprise the RTO. As a forum where Nations can pursue their common defence research interests, the RTO provides an effective framework for the Nations to leverage their respective R&T programmes, contribute to the development of R&T capabilities in areas critical to the Nations and NATO, their R&T workforce, their tools, ideas and networks, and finally, help build coherence and synergy among the Nations' R&T investments and between the needs of the Nations and NATO.

The RTO, the RTA and their successors will continue to promote and foster not only a broad network of scientists and engineers from NATO Nations, but also an ever-growing group of experts from Partner Nations. Given the universal language of science and the rapid globalisation of threats, the RTO – and its successor, the Science and Technology Organisation – will continue to provide an excellent forum for engaging the security and defence science and technology communities of peace-seeking Nations to improve the mutual understanding of not just science and technologies, but also of cultures and values.

More than 3,000 technical experts, scientists and engineers from the Nations have been involved in the activities of the RTO on a voluntary basis, either executing the PoW or providing leadership and guidance at the various levels of the RTO.

These highly esteemed volunteers are able to rely on the permanent staff of the executive arm of the RTO, the Research and Technology Agency (RTA), located in Neuilly-sur-Seine (FRA), which is composed of NATO staff and highly qualified experts provided by the Nations. The RTA creates the fertile environment that makes the effective execution of the RTO's technical programme possible. It serves as an interface between the scientific community of the Nations and the military of NATO, and constitutes the central node of the NATO R&T network, managing scientific and technological knowledge exchange, facilitating all RTO activities, and providing support whenever and wherever it is needed.

In 2011, the RTA continued to improve on its ability to provide executive support to the RTO network as well as to other Alliance bodies requiring assistance. To that extent, the RTA continued to enhance its collaborative working environment, simplifying and extending the use of existing on-line workspaces, not only to the benefit of the RTO and its members, but also to the benefit of other NATO bodies and organisations, relying on the excellence of the RTA to deliver the collaborative environment needed to implement their activities.

2011 has been, without any doubt, one of the busiest years ever seen by the RTA. In addition to providing executive support to the largest ever RTO PoW, the RTA also provided executive support to all the RTB initiatives pertaining to the S&T Reform and to the definition of a new supply/demand relationship with all the stakeholders, thereby playing an instrumental role in the implementation of the S&T Reform, which was led by the RTB Chairman.

2012 will be an even more challenging year with the RTA transitioning its functions to the STO by 1 July 2012. While remaining in the familiar Neuilly-sur-Seine environment and by focusing even more so on its activities on the support to the RTO technical Panels and Group, it will see its tasks and structure evolve significantly.

I am confident that the hard work carried out by the RTA Staff in the preparation, definition and implementation of the S&T Reform will contribute significantly to a smooth transition into this new organisation.

Download the RTO Annual Report