Editing NATO (section)

==Structure==
{{Main|Structure of NATO}}
[[File:NATO Ministers of Defense and of Foreign Affairs meet at NATO headquarters in Brussels 2010.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|The North Atlantic Council convening in 2010 with a defence/foreign minister configuration]]

All agencies and organizations of NATO are integrated into either the civilian administrative or military executive roles. For the most part, they perform roles and functions that directly or indirectly support the security role of the alliance as a whole.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

The civilian structure includes:
* The [[North Atlantic Council]] (NAC) is the body which has effective governance authority and powers of decision in NATO, consisting of member states' permanent representatives or representatives at higher level (ministers of foreign affairs or defence, or heads of state or government). The NAC convenes at least once a week and takes major decisions regarding NATO's policies. The meetings of the North Atlantic Council are chaired by the [[Secretary General of NATO|secretary general]] and, when decisions have to be made, action is agreed upon by consensus.<ref>{{cite web | title=Topic: Consensus decision-making at NATO | website=NATO | date=5 July 2016 | url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49178.htm | ref={{sfnref | NATO | 2016}} | access-date=25 February 2022 | archive-date=25 February 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225212946/https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49178.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> There is no voting or decision by majority. Each state represented at the Council table or on any of its subordinate committees retains complete sovereignty and responsibility for its own decisions.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=CX1ZDwAAQBAJ |title= Encyclopedia of Military Science |first= G. Kurt |last= Piehler |publisher= SAGE Publications |date= 24 July 2013 |isbn= 978-1-5063-1081-7 |pages= 991–995 |access-date= 23 July 2023 |archive-date= 23 July 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230723205346/https://books.google.com/books?id=CX1ZDwAAQBAJ |url-status= live }}</ref>
* The [[NATO Parliamentary Assembly]] (NATO PA) is a body that sets broad strategic goals for NATO, which meets at two session per year. NATO PA interacts directly with the parliamentary structures of the national governments of the member states which appoint Permanent Members, or ambassadors to NATO. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is made up of legislators from the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance as well as thirteen associate members. It is however officially a structure different from NATO, and has as aim to join deputies of NATO countries in order to discuss security policies on the NATO Council.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8951/ |title= NATO Parliamentary Assembly in brief |website= The House of Commons |date= 30 June 2023 |accessdate= 23 July 2023 |archive-date= 23 July 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230723205347/https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8951/ |url-status= live }}</ref>
* [[NATO headquarters]], located on Boulevard Léopold&nbsp;III/Leopold III-laan, B-1110 Brussels, which is in the [[Brussels (municipality)|City of Brussels]] municipality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nato.int/|title=NATO homepage|access-date=12 March 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326073647/http://www.nato.int/|archive-date=26 March 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The staff at the Headquarters is composed of national delegations of member countries and includes civilian and military liaison offices and officers or diplomatic missions and diplomats of partner countries, as well as the International Staff and International Military Staff filled from serving members of the armed forces of member states.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_49284.htm|title=NATO Headquarters|publisher=NATO|date=10 August 2010|access-date=22 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913014616/http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_49284.htm|archive-date=13 September 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Non-governmental groups have also grown up in support of NATO, broadly under the banner of the [[Atlantic Council]]/[[Atlantic Treaty Association]] movement.<ref name="Paper">{{cite web|url=http://www.nato.int/acad/fellow/96-98/small.pdf|title=The Atlantic Council—The Early Years|last=Small|first=Melvin|date=1 June 1998|publisher=NATO|access-date=15 November 2015|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170512/http://www.nato.int/acad/fellow/96-98/small.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_69053.htm |title=Atlantic Treaty Association and Youth Atlantic Treaty Association |date=7 April 2016 |publisher=NATO |access-date=11 March 2022 |archive-date=30 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030102644/https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_69053.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{NATO commands}}

The military structure includes:
* The [[NATO Military Committee|Military Committee]] (MC) is the body of NATO that is composed of [[Member states of NATO|member states]]' [[Chief of Defence|Chiefs of Defence]] (CHOD) and advises the [[North Atlantic Council]] (NAC) on military policy and strategy. The national CHODs are regularly represented in the MC by their permanent Military Representatives (MilRep), who often are two- or three-star flag officers. Like the council, from time to time the Military Committee also meets at a higher level, namely at the level of Chiefs of Defence, the most senior military officer in each country's armed forces. The MC is led by [[Chairman of the NATO Military Committee|its chairman]], who directs NATO's military operations.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49152.htm |title= Chair of the Military Committee |website= NATO |date= 31 March 2023 |accessdate= 23 July 2023 |archive-date= 26 June 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230626161908/https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49152.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> Until 2008 the Military Committee excluded France, due to that country's 1966 decision to remove itself from the [[NATO Military Command Structure]], which it rejoined in 1995. Until France rejoined NATO, it was not represented on the Defence Planning Committee, and this led to conflicts between it and NATO members.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/17/france.nato/|title=France to rejoin NATO command|publisher=CNN|date=17 June 2008 |access-date=4 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205111043/http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/06/17/france.nato/|archive-date=5 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Such was the case in the lead up to [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Thomas|last=Fuller|title=Reaching accord, EU warns Saddam of his 'last chance'|newspaper=International Herald Tribune|date=18 February 2003|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/02/18/eu_ed3__1.php|access-date=15 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012115843/http://iht.com/articles/2003/02/18/eu_ed3__1.php|archive-date=12 October 2007}}</ref>
* [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe|Allied Command Operations]] (ACO) is the NATO command responsible for NATO operations worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |title=About us |url=https://shape.nato.int/about |publisher=[[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe]] |access-date=6 March 2022 |archive-date=8 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308080129/https://shape.nato.int/about |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The Rapid Deployable Corps include [[Eurocorps]], [[I. German/Dutch Corps]], [[Multinational Corps Northeast]], and [[NATO Rapid Deployable Italian Corps]] among others, as well as naval High Readiness Forces (HRFs), which all report to Allied Command Operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_50088.htm|title=The Rapid Deployable Corps|publisher=NATO|date=26 November 2012 |access-date=4 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910135843/http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_50088.htm|archive-date=10 September 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Allied Command Transformation]] (ACT), responsible for transformation and training of NATO forces.<ref>{{cite web |title=Who We Are |url=https://www.act.nato.int/who-we-are |publisher=[[Allied Command Transformation]] |access-date=6 March 2022 |archive-date=6 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306193652/https://www.act.nato.int/who-we-are |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Legal authority of NATO commanders===
[[File:The Foreign Secretary Attends NATO FM's Meeting in Brussels (52793288103).jpg|thumb|Flags of NATO member countries outside the NATO headquarters in [[Brussels]].]]

NATO is an alliance of 32 sovereign states and their individual sovereignty is unaffected by participation in the alliance. NATO has no parliaments, no laws, no enforcement, and no power to punish individual citizens. As a consequence of this lack of sovereignty the power and authority of a NATO commander are limited. NATO commanders cannot punish offences such as failure to obey a lawful order; dereliction of duty; or disrespect to a senior officer.<ref name="terla">{{cite journal |last1=Randall |first1=Thomas E. |title=Legal Authority of NATO Commanders |journal=NATO Legal Gazette |date=July 2014 |issue=34 |pages=39–45 |url=https://www.act.nato.int/application/files/1016/0999/3864/legal_gazette_34.pdf |access-date=29 August 2021 |archive-date=29 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829212244/https://www.act.nato.int/application/files/1016/0999/3864/legal_gazette_34.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> NATO commanders expect obedience but sometimes need to subordinate their desires or plans to the operators who are themselves subject to sovereign codes of conduct like the [[UCMJ]]. A case in point was the clash between General [[Mike Jackson (British Army officer)|Sir Mike Jackson]] and General [[Wesley Clark]] over [[Incident at Pristina airport|KFOR actions at Pristina Airport]].<ref name="gsmjdt">{{cite news |last1=Jackson |first1=General Sir Mike |title=Gen Sir Mike Jackson: My clash with Nato chief |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1562161/Gen-Sir-Mike-Jackson-My-clash-with-Nato-chief.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1562161/Gen-Sir-Mike-Jackson-My-clash-with-Nato-chief.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited |date=4 September 2007}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

NATO commanders can issue orders to their subordinate commanders in the form of operational plans (OPLANs), operational orders (OPORDERs), tactical direction, or fragmental orders (FRAGOs) and others. The joint rules of engagement must be followed, and the [[Law of Armed Conflict]] must be obeyed at all times. Operational resources "remain under national command but have been transferred temporarily to NATO. Although these national units, through the formal process of transfer of authority, have been placed under the operational command and control of a NATO commander, they never lose their national character." Senior national representatives, like [[Chief of the Defence Staff (disambiguation)|CDS]], "are designated as so-called red-cardholders". Caveats are restrictions listed "nation by nation... that NATO Commanders... must take into account".<ref name="terla"/>