Cooperation in Radio Frequency Management

Cooperation in Radio Frequency Management

Cooperation between NATO member countries in the use of radio frequencies for defence purposes is underpinned by a common commitment to collective security and defence. The availability of radio frequencies is essential for the armed forces' operational readiness and effectiveness and the NATO-wide standardisation and coordination of frequency allocations is vital to ensure interoperability among multinational forces. Moreover, the military is facing increased commercial competition for the allocation of frequencies as a result of the liberalisation of the telecommunications market.

NATO's senior specialised body in this area is the Frequency Management Sub-Committee of the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Board. Set up in 1997, this sub-committee acts as the NATO Frequency Authority. It succeeded the Allied Radio Frequency Agency, which was formed in 1951.

The need for cooperation on military use

Armed forces are equipped with a wide range of assets that make use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Adequate access to the radio spectrum by the armed forces is therefore key to fully exploiting operational capabilities. Radio communication systems, radar and weapons control devices, radio navigation aids and identification systems operate on land, at sea and in the air. Satellite and "high altitude platforms" are of increasing importance. Military operations, exercises and routine training would be severely constrained without sufficient radio frequencies made available to support this wide array of military equipment.

NATO-wide standardisation and coordination of common frequency allocations is essential to ensure interoperability among multinational forces in NATO-led peacekeeping operations, where even non-NATO contingents participate, and to ensure the mobility and deployability of NATO assets. International cooperation in this area is therefore mandatory within the Alliance and with Partner countries

Since radio waves do not stop at national borders, international cooperation in line with world-wide agreed rules and radio regulations is also vital to ensure both that NATO forces cause no harmful interference and that they themselves are not exposed to such interference from other sources. Certain systems, such as long-range radio communication (HF) or radio satellite communication and navigation systems, require frequency coordination over large geographical areas.

Radio frequencies are a scarce resource of increasing commercial value and each nation reserves the right to set its own rules for granting access to the radio spectrum and for allocating its use in telecommunications, radio and TV broadcasting, aviation or governmental services. The same rules apply to the use of radio frequencies for defence purposes. Given that the availability of radio frequencies is essential for the armed forces' operational readiness and effectiveness and that the military is facing increased commercial competition for the allocation of frequencies as a result of telecommunications liberalisation, Allied leaders agreed at NATO's 1999 summit in Washington that "NATO nations will collectively develop a common view on military requirements for access to the radio spectrum and should ensure this access is protected" as part of the Defence Capabilities Initiative.

Frequency management world-wide

The international forum for world-wide agreement on the use of the radio spectrum and satellite orbits is the World Radiocommunication Conference. Organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) of the United Nations Organisation every two or three years, this conference seeks to make the most efficient use of the radio spectrum and to regulate access to it internationally, taking account of emerging radio communication needs arising from technological, economic, industrial and other developments.

With increasing demand for access to the radio spectrum for commercial, scientific development and other purposes, this conference is an important event for telecommunication providers, TV and radio broadcasting and equipment industries. It is equally important for the military, as defence capabilities are largely dependent on the provision of sufficient frequencies. Well in advance of each conference, consultations in the Frequency Management Sub-Committee allow NATO member states to adopt common positions on each agenda item affecting the military, in order to protect Alliance interests in the use of the radio spectrum for military purposes.

Cooperation in Europe

Regional coordination of the radio spectrum in Europe is carried out by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT). The coordinating body covering the United States and Canada is the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission. Frequency managers based at NATO headquarters are actively involved in the work of the European Radiocommunications Committee (ERC) of the CEPT and provide advice on NATO's interests in the military use of radio frequencies.

During recent years, the legal framework for frequency management has undergone considerable change in most European countries due to telecommunications liberalisation. EU directives have led EU member states to give up their monopolies in telecommunications, including radio spectrum management. NATO contributed to drafting the European Union's Radio Spectrum Policy with a view to maintaining a balance between commercial frequency demands and military spectrum requirements. The European Commission increasingly influences regulatory developments concerning the use of the radio spectrum through licensing and frequency pricing. Therefore, to ensure that spectrum pricing does not undermine Alliance military capabilities, the North Atlantic Council endorsed the NATO's Policy on Radio Spectrum Pricing in February 2000.

Radio spectrum cooperation in NATO

Alliance nations cooperate in many areas of radio spectrum planning and use, including the development of policy for all parts of the radio spectrum used by the military. The Frequency Management Sub-Committee meets regularly with representatives from the national Civil Administrations responsible for managing the radio spectrum in their respective countries. The NATO Joint Civil/Military Frequency Agreement, approved in 1995 by the North Atlantic Council, sets out agreed military spectrum requirements. These have been incorporated as far as possible in national frequency allocation tables, as well as in the European Table of Frequency Allocations and Utilisation which is maintained at the CEPT/ERC.

Partner countries have also been encouraged to voluntarily adapt their national frequency tables to this NATO standard in order to achieve maximum interoperability with NATO forces. They are invited to attend certain meetings of the Frequency Management Sub-Committee and its subordinate working groups. Issues of mutual interest are also discussed with Partner countries during CEPT meetings and the Alliance enjoyed their public support at the last World Radiocommunication Conference.

A particularly important policy is the one governing the military management of the "NATO UHF-Band" (225-400 MHz), which is the responsibility of the Frequency Management Branch at NATO Headquarters. In line with agreements reached in the Frequency Management Sub-Committee, the 225-400 MHz band is used NATO-wide for:

military aircraft communications in general;

naval military communications;

military satellite communications;

tactical air functions such as airborne surveillance and control data transmission and air-to-air communications;

tactical ground communications serving as one of the backbone frequency bands for land forces.

NATO's Frequency Management Branch is authorised by member states to make all the frequency assignments related to military air activities in NATO's European treaty area, so as to guarantee NATO-wide standardised use of these frequencies. Close liaison is maintained with national military frequency management authorities as well as with EUROCONTROL. Within NATO, the Frequency Management Sub-Committee works closely with the Air Traffic Management Committee and the Air Defence Committee, which are subordinate to the North Atlantic Council.

The NATO Military Authorities are responsible for making the best and most efficient use of the radio spectrum provided by national authorities for military applications. There are frequency management experts at the Strategic Command level and beyond. A database is maintained of all frequency assignments for permanent use within NATO as well as those generated for temporary use in contingent areas, such as SFOR and KFOR in the Balkans.