The New SHAPE of the Atlantic Alliance

Abstract

The new streamlined military structure that has emerged under the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is a worthy successor to the organization which kept the peace for more than four decades. Today it has both a crisis response center and a joint operations center and provides oversight and guidance to components of Allied Command Europe (ACE), including Stabilization Force (SFOR) in Bosnia. In addition, SHAPE has developed a strong European security and defense identity (ESDI) within a broader transatlantic framework. This transformation did not occur overnight but has been underway over the last three years. Because of these changes SHAPE and ACE now can respond to crisis or conflict across a full range of contingencies--from humanitarian or peace operations to collective defense. SHAPE will ensure that the Alliance is not soft anywhere or anytime it is committed--from peace operations to collective defense. This article details changes in this dynamic headquarters and the role which it is now playing for the Alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA525572

Entities

People

  • George A. Joulwan

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alliances
  • Cold War
  • Command And Control
  • Cooperation
  • Crisis Management
  • Deployment
  • Europe
  • Guidance
  • International Relations
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Nato
  • Nato Forces
  • Radar Tracking
  • Security
  • Surface To Air Missiles
  • Training

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution