The Challenge
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has 28 member states with its Operational Headquarters at Mons, Belgium. Planning, training and force generation for NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) takes place within NATO. Since 1998, NATO and its SOF have become more closely engaged in crisis response operations. Deployments in the Balkans and Afghanistan have drawn heavily on the special skills practised by SOF in areas of reconnaissance, surveillance and military training assistance of local forces.
Historically SOF have been composed of specialists, with a typical team comprising a linguist, a signaller, a medic and a demolitions expert. Today this degree of specialisation is being taken to greater levels as the need for civil and military training assistance grows. Many of the skills required are still vested in a few individuals, therefore their selection, management and deployment require detailed planning.
The Solution
Through a long term relationship with NATO and a range of other worldwide defence organisations, Allocate has gained a high-level understanding of the NATO Special Operations Forces HQ (NSHQ) requirements. As a result, Allocate was contracted to provide a software solution for an NSHQ project known as the Special Operations Forces Analysis & Planning System (SAPS). The solution now supports NSHQ in the planning, training and generation of SOF units and staff augmentation to the appropriate levels of readiness to meet current and future operational requirements.
The Benefits
NSHQ staff have commented that the adoption of the Allocate solution has:
- Significantly improved the training process
- Facilitated force generation
- Enhanced operational efficiency
- Improved equitable and predictive international burden-sharing
- Contributed to the improvement of staff processes
“I wanted to tell you that your team has done a remarkable job and we are extremely pleased. I think we now have a valuable mechanism to project combat power”
Col Stu Bradin
US Army, Chief of Staff NATO, Special Operations Forces Headquarters
