PRESS

such arrangements existed before the emergence of the
term. What is new is the high priority being placed on
pooling-and-sharing projects as a way to reduce costs
to individual nations, while ensuring the existence of
necessary military capacities.
At the same time, implementing pooling-andsharing
programs on a large scale is challenging. For
example, programs tied to logistics or to tactical intelligence
are relatively easy to implement. However,
activities that delve more deeply into operational capabilities
can become more politically and economically
complex. Further, nations considering pooling
and sharing can face difficult decisions regarding the
allocation of defense resources that impact national
defense industries and that rely on other nations to
provide necessary military capabilities in times of
crisis or conflict.
NATO POOLING AND SHARING
Pooling and sharing is a priority objective for
NATO and is included in its broad Smart Defence initiative,
which was launched by current and outgoing
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in
2011 and was affirmed at the 2012 NATO summit. 3
Pooling and sharing has a number of antecedents
within NATO. 4 The best known is the NATO airborne
early warning and control system (AWACS), which
became operational in December 1978. The force consists
of 17 E-3A aircraft and is supported by 18 participating
NATO nations, which share operational costs.
The UK makes an in-kind contribution of its E-3D
aircraft. The AWACS has proven to be a successful,
cooperative program that has provided an important
operational capability, including, most recently, its
deployment in the Afghan theater of operations.
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