PRESS

Separately, NATO operates a jet-fuel pipeline linking
13 NATO nations to provide for NATO requirements.
NATO also utilizes the NATO Support Agency,
which handles the organization’s logistics and
procurement. The pipeline and support agency are
examples of pooling-and-sharing initiatives launched
in the early days of the alliance.
A more recent cooperative program that fulfills a
key operational need for participating nations is the
SAC, a 12-member consortium that, at present, deploys
three C-17 transport aircraft. SAC aircraft are
available to contributing nations to meet their national
military needs, including those related to NATO and
European Union (EU) commitments. SAC consortium
nations include 10 NATO nations and NATO Partnership
for Peace members, Finland and Sweden. Based
in Hungary, SAC aircraft utilize multinational crews
and are supported by personnel from all participating
nations.
SAC members need the lift capability of large aircraft,
but most do not have the financial resources to
acquire or maintain such a major capability. Thus, the
SAC offers a cost-effective approach that permits participants
to purchase specific sets of flying hours as
needed. All SAC partners pay operational costs and
can utilize the SAC for any purpose such as airdrops
and assault landings. The consortium has already been
used for operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and
Libya, as well as for peacekeeping and humanitarian
relief operations.
The SAC also provides an alternative structural
model to the AWACS. While AWACS aircraft are
owned by NATO and are thus part of NATO’s overall
structure, SAC aircraft are owned by a legally separate
consortium of nations that includes both NATO and
290