Interoperability and standardization in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are receiving strong emphasis in defense circles throughout the alliance. Both are seen as ways to improve performance on the battle field and to promote better management of defense budgets. Interoperability requires two or more weapon systems, used for the same military purposes, to be sufficiently similar to enable them to operate with common supplies such as fuel or ammunition. Standardization envisions even greater commonality. In codevelopment all participants can derive economic and technological benefits from sharing the cost of development and the ensuing production. The formation of consortia to develop weapon systems entirely within the European community has been gathering momentum because of Europe's desire for technological advancement. If the United States and Europe continue to develop different weapons to meet common needs, the results could be serious setbacks for standardization. The European community still desires American participation in developing weapons for the European market to take advantage of American know-how. Europe has experienced some problems in its move toward multinational codevelopment of weapon systems. One of the most difficult stumbling blocks has been in getting a project started properly. The principal impediments Europeans see are: that the United States, because of its size, will tend to dominate in a joint venture relegating Europe to a junior partner status; U.S. arms export policies may restrict third country sales; government restrictions on technology transfer may impede or block the free flow of U.S. technology to Europe; and doubt as to whether the United States would be willing to compromise on some of its weapon system acquisition practices.

Interoperability and standardization in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are receiving strong emphasis in defense circles throughout the alliance. Both are seen as ways to improve performance on the battlefield and to promote better management of defense budgets. Interoperability requires two or more weapon systems, used for the same military purposes, to be sufficiently similar to enable them to operate with common supplies such as fuel or ammunition. standardization envisions even greater commonality--in some cases, the fielding of identical systems.

Warns of the growing disparity in combat capability between European and U.S. forces over the exploitation of the revolution in military affairs (RMA). The consequences of this transatlantic rift could undermine NATO. This book dissects the problem of a growing disparity and rejects its inevitability. Instead, it lays out a multitiered strategy for its solution which is specific and practical, including processes and procedures for implementation. Chapters: assessing the problem; a shared strategic outlook; building compatible forces for RMA operations; creating a Transatlantic system of systems; creating a Transatlantic RMA market.

This publication presents the results of an intensive 11-month program for three military research fellows. The Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition) (USD (A)) chartered the Defense Systems Management College (DSMC) Military Research Fellowship Program in 1987. The program brings together selected officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force for two primary purposes: first to provide advanced professional and military education for the participating officers; and second, to conduct research that will benefit the Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition community. This report focuses on transatlantic cooperative programs. Cooperation with Europe was chosen because of the important political, military, economic, and historical transatlantic ties, but most important, because America's relationship with Europe is rapidly evolving. There is substantial concern about a "Fortress America - Fortress Europe" syndrome. Political leaders and the public both here and in Europe are attempting to come to terms with the meaning of the NATO alliance in the post-Cold War era. European assertiveness and unity are clashing with dated perceptions about Europe held by Americans. Our intended audience is both the U.S. defense acquisition workforce and policy makers. For the former, we hoped to produce a useful guide that will make them more effective as members of a cooperative team. For the latter, we attempted to provide an updated comprehensive view of the salient features of transatlantic armaments cooperation and some ways in which the context is changing.