In
a meeting on 14 November 2011, the Government of Lithuania agreed to
the concept of establishing a NATO Center of Excellence for Energy
Security and to its principal action plan. It is projected to accomplish
key accreditation tasks by the NATO Summit to be held in May 2012 in
Chicago. In other words, a Lithuania-based international military
organization making a practical contribution to enhancing NATO‘s
capabilities in the area of energy security may start active operation
as early as the beginning of 2013.
‘Centers of Excellence’ in the Alliance: From idea to reality
A decision to streamline NATO’s command structure, in part through
the creation of NATO’S Allied Command Transformation (ACT), was taken
as far back as the 2002 Prague Summit. The command seeks to ensure that
the military alliance faces its future challenges by enhancing the
interoperability of capacities among the member countries, training
opportunities and by organizing exercises for testing new doctrines,
concepts and operational strategies. The NATO Defense College based in
Rome and the NATO School in Germany did not suffice to achieve these
goals – either new entities of education, training and analysis were
required or the relations between the Alliance and the existing entities
were to be strengthened. A decision was made not to establish new
schools or think-tanks but to try strengthening the existing ones in
NATO member countries in order to coordinate the activities of NATO
structures and to meet high quality standards in the areas of
strengthening scientific, training and specific expertise and to benefit
from national resources of this type.
In pursuit of this vision, the NATO Military Committee approved the
concept of the Alliance’s Centers of Excellence at the end of 2003. In
the short run, i.e. in 2005 and 2006, the first centers were accredited –
the Joint Air Power Competence Center based in Germany and the Center
of Excellence Defense Against Terrorism in Turkey respectively. Since
then, ACT has already accredited sixteen COEs operating in thirteen NATO
member countries. Poland, Slovenia and Italy develop the operation of
national institutions and seek their accreditation in the future. Two
COEs (in Norway and France) have remained national to this day, i.e.
only one country participates in their operation.
As an example, the country of Estonia made a proposal to establish a
Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) as early as
2004. While the Alliance was making a decision, Estonians set up CCDCOE
premises in conformity with the highest security standards, selected
staff and opened the center coordinating the country’s efforts in the
area of cyber security in 2006. A year later, negotiations with NATO
partners willing to join the activities of the center were initiated.
After the famous attacks on Estonian websites in 2007, Estonians issued a
report and started bringing forward cooperation projects within the
framework of the Alliance. The initiative of our Nordic neighbors proved
to be well-timed – it contributed to reaching a cooperation agreement
with six partners of the Alliance by the middle of 2008 and obtaining
NATO’s accreditation in October the same year. Some countries chose a
different way – for instance, in 2009 the Center of Excellence for
Military Medicine in Hungary was simultaneously founded by several
countries (Hungary, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands
and Romania) and was accredited by NATO in the same year.
Thus, Centers of Excellence are nationally or multinationally
sponsored entities that train and educate specialists from NATO member
and partner countries through seminars and conferences, assist in
doctrine development and set standards, identify lessons learned,
improve interoperability, enhance NATO’s capabilities, and test and
validate concepts through experimentation. The Centers of Excellence
offer expertise and experience in specific areas which are of benefit to
the Alliance, while avoiding the duplication of activities already
present within NATO headquarters. Nearly all of them are international
military organizations, and the establishment, accreditation,
preparation for accreditation, coordination of activities and assessment
of future centers falls to the responsibility of Allied Command
Transformation based in Norfolk, Virginia in the United States.
Formally, Centers of Excellence are not part of the NATO command
structure and the Alliance does not finance their activities directly,
therefore, the COEs are sponsored by Framework Nations, Sponsoring
Nations and Contributing Nations. On the other hand, the COEs are part
of the network of a wider institutional structure supporting the
operation of NATO’s strategic commands and headquarters, through the
implementation of agreements, expansion of capacities, etc.
‘Centers of Excellence’ accreditation: What do we need and what do we have?
For a new entity to gain approval, it must first prove its capacity
to create added value in the area important to the Alliance’s
transformation process. Two aspects play a role in this context – an
institution must act within NATO’s responsibility limits and showcase
its faculty to create added value. In this context, we may note that
energy-security related topics have been on the agenda of the Alliance
for a long time; today, NATO does not consider “whether it is necessary”
but “how” to contribute to the solution of energy security problems.
For instance, at the NATO Summit held in November 2010 – its final
declaration provides for a commitment to integrate energy security into
NATO’s activities. Hence, Lithuania’s idea to seek NATO’s approval for
the center which will monitor processes, organize training and research,
carry out expert seminars and exercises, prepare methodical material
of response to threats, strengthen the capacities of energy crisis
management and the commitments of collective defence, definitely falls
within this context.
The requirement for the creation of added value is no less important –
with a view to pursuing accreditation. A COE must not only declare
its intentions and programs but also have the required experience and
specialists capable of executing work in pursuit of strengthening NATO’s
capacities for reacting to the most relevant challenges to security.
On the one hand, we must admit that we do not have many energy security
specialists in Lithuania; they are scattered across individual
scientific institutions and public bodies. On the other hand, the
problem can be solved by coordinating the activities of such
specialists. Professionals meeting high standards of competence can be
found at universities, institutes, centers, ministries, authorities and
departments – the consolidation of their activities and those of their
colleagues from abroad is among the most important objectives of the
NATO Center of Excellence. Yet another aspect should not be forgotten –
as a rule, not only local scientists or strategists shaping policy and
capabilities create added value in an organizations of this type but
value is also added by military officers assigned by the armed forces
(in particular – in the organization of training courses and exercises,
preparation of concepts, strategies, documents of tactical and
operational significance), as well as by diplomats (in coordination of
cooperation with partners) and specialists in other areas.
Currently, eight persons are employed at the national Energy Security
Center under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is used as the
basis for the future NATO Center of Excellence. After accreditation, the
human resources of the NATO Center of Excellence should increase to
approximately 30. Lithuania expects to employ 10 people and to cover
all administrative costs. Lithuania’s financial contribution may amount
to LTL 1.3 million (370,000 Euro); the total budget of the COE will
depend on the number of participating countries and the level of
ambition of participants. The funding of the equivalent institution in
Tallinn is based on a similar scheme – over one million litas per year
is collected from participating countries for operations alone (i.e.
exclusive of salaries, maintenance of buildings, etc.); the center might
be able to earn additional income to cover the expenses of its
activities. Hence, it is obvious that with a view towards pursuing NATO
accreditation, Lithuania will not only have to convince partners to join
this initiative but to allocate solid financial resources for the
maintenance of the center. While there remain a number of
administrative steps and hurdles to overcome, Lithuania hopes that, if
successful, the NATO ENSEC COE will be put into operation as of 2013.
Key challenges
On his visit to Lithuania in November 2011, NATO’s Assistant
Secretary General Gábor Iklódy expressed his support for Lithuania’s
position asserting that today the issues of energy security are not the
matter of concern of individual countries but for the Alliance in
general. According to him, “solidarity on the issue of energy security
is severely needed in the Alliance.” In the meantime, NATO member
countries tend to approach the issues of energy security from different
perspectives; they have their peculiar, often diverging, approaches that
rely on national interests. Energy security is often considered an
issue of national economic policy, the solution to which the countries
tend to associate with their exclusive responsibility. Furthermore, some
countries see a more active NATO role in the area of energy security.
Still others see NATO engagement on energy security as an attempt to
militarize an essentially economic issue. Finally, the issues of energy
security is tightly linked with NATO partners – the dependence on energy
resources from partner countries, the energy policy of these countries,
etc. In the context of NATO members’ varying intensity of energy
[import] dependence and in lieu of other cooperation initiatives with
partners, diverging positions on NATO’s role and priorities may emerge.
To convince member countries to join Lithuania’s initiative by
coordinating their diverging approaches is the first challenging task
for Lithuania.
The second potential obstacle to successful accreditation –issues of
energy security are already a matter of concern for a number of
international organizations, starting with the EU, the International
Energy Agency, the IAEA and ending with the OSCE. NATO’s endeavor to
contribute additional capacities are often seen by these organizations
as an aspiration to take over a share of their responsibilities in the
field of energy security. Nevertheless, NATO’s New Strategic Concept
should at least partially contribute to solving this problem: the
concept enumerates at least several areas where NATO could create added
value – the protection of critical energy infrastructure, the military
application of energy innovations and the promotion of international
cooperation. In these areas a NATO ENSEC COE could try to develop and
lead certain communities of interest which would contribute to
improving cooperation between NATO institution and subdivisions, to
develop and execute training courses, to initiate research activities,
to organize conferences and exhibitions, and also to work on exercises
and do other relevant activities. Many of these activities are already
part of the ESC Work Program: in 2011 the ESC started with several
periodical publications, organized conference and exhibition on energy
innovations for military needs (IESMA 2011), and later contributed to
existing international military training activities, etc.
Potential focus areas for the NATO Center of Excellence for Energy Security
With regards the promotion of energy innovations in the military
area, the Alliance implements the Science for Peace program, with
discussions on scientific achievements regularly held at the NATO
Research and Technology Organization within its framework. In the
meantime, member countries invest hundreds of millions of Euros per year
in research which could reduce the costs and contribute to the saving
of fossil fuel (oil products) used in operations and exercises. Either
independently or in cooperation with Ministries of Defence, scientists,
researchers and manufacturers already work in several areas analyzing
possibilities for replacing conventional fuels intended for military use
by alternative fuels and fuel-blends.; they create and test energy
(fuel, heat) saving technologies, develop technologies contributing to
strengthening the security of fuel transportation and storage, etc. The
latter area is of particular relevance today – the fuel intended for
operations increasingly becomes the target of terrorist or pirate
attacks, which is a significant constraint on military missions.
However, innovations in other two areas could result in tangible
benefits as well: they would enhance the security of soldiers
participating in military operations, contribute to the solution of
climate change problems, decrease the dependence on resources through
efficiency measures, or reduce the cost of overall Alliance operations.
In other words, with the resources available, NATO could operate more
safely and achieve better results.
Recent years have brought another alarming tendency to the fore: the
infrastructure of transportation, storage, recycling and management of
energy resources is becoming a popular target of criminal acts committed
by terrorist groups, maritime pirates and hackers. Furthermore, as
illustrated by the conflicts in Georgia, Libya, Nigeria and elsewhere,
the destruction of energy infrastructure may become targeted during
conflict. Successful attacks against these assets may delay the supply
of oil, gas, electricity and water required for soldiers in theaters of
military operations or may affect civilians in large urban areas;
attacks may impair communication systems and challenge the reputation of
countries exporting or transporting energy resources. In response to
such tendencies, the members of the Alliance could join efforts in
ensuring the protection of infrastructure located on their territory or
the territory of the countries that are not members of the Alliance.
In a broad sense, NATO’s activities in the area of protection of
critical energy infrastructure may not only imply physical assurance of
security by military measures but also may include the exchange of
intelligence information, national experience and technologies. In other
words, the Alliance could become a place where after extensive
consultations essential decisions are taken in regards to the
identification of threats to energy infrastructure assets, the
development of military units for the protection of infrastructure, the
distribution of costs for the “protection” of particularly vulnerable
transport corridors, the future of the NATO pipeline system, the
development of relations with the partners, etc. Also, the Alliance
could contribute to the liquidation of damage in the case of accidents,
install cyber and other energy infrastructure protective measures
preventing activities targeted against energy infrastructure from ever
taking place.
The “internationalization” of the issue of energy security is yet
another equally important potential focus area of the Center of
Excellence to be founded in Lithuania. It is self-evident that human and
financial resources impose a significant limitation on the objectives
of the national governments in the area of strengthening energy security
– few countries can invest in energy innovations, infrastructure,
relations with alternative suppliers to the extent that would make them
feel safe or safer. Nevertheless, it is possible to achieve at least
partial solutions to these problems through cooperation with countries
holding similar interests for instance in the case of lessening
dependence on a single or several suppliers, resources, and
transportation routes. Multinational cooperation may be particularly
important, i.e. cooperation that would involve the most influential
international organizations dealing in one way or another with energy
today (EU, NATO, UN, OSCE, WTO, World Bank). Once the issue of
relegating heretofore bilateral agendas relating to energy suppliers to
the EU is achieved, it may be possible to create conditions for
competition (reducing the cost of resources) and encourage the
application of innovations (contributing to energy savings, the use of
alternative resources, etc.). The Center of Excellence for Energy
Security could contribute to maximizing the potential for international
cooperation – helping member countries “rediscover” the benefit of the
NATO consulting mechanism, ongoing alliance transformation and consensus
decision-making procedures.
Contributor Ambassador Audrius Brūzga, is the Director of Energy
Security Center under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Lithuania
Source:
http://www.ensec.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=344:nato-center-of-excellence-to-be-opened-in-lithuania&catid=123:content&Itemid=389
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