NPA, Alm.del - 2013-14 - Bilag 3: Politik-anbefalinger tilsluttet ved NPA-forsamlingen i 2013

RESOLUTION401........................................................................................................................... 1FURTHERING STABILITY AND THE EURO-ATLANTIC PROSPECTS OF THEWESTERN BALKANSRESOLUTION402........................................................................................................................... 4AFGHANISTAN: A RENEWED SECURITY, POLITICAL, AND ECONOMICROADMAP FOR 2014 AND BEYONDRESOLUTION403........................................................................................................................... 7THE ECONOMIC AND STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS OF THE UNCONVENTIONALOIL AND GAS REVOLUTIONRESOLUTION404........................................................................................................................... 9THE GROWING STRATEGIC RELEVANCE OF ASIA-PACIFIC: IMPLICATIONSFOR NATORESOLUTION405......................................................................................................................... 11THE CRISIS IN SYRIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE REGION AND BEYONDRESOLUTION406......................................................................................................................... 13IMPROVING THE SURVIVABILITY OF NATO GROUND FORCESRESOLUTION407......................................................................................................................... 15NEW ENERGY IDEAS FOR NATO MILITARIES: BUILDING ACCOUNTABILITY,REDUCING DEMAND, SECURING SUPPLY

FURTHERING STABILITY AND THE EURO-ATLANTIC PROSPECTSOF THE WESTERN BALKANSThe Assembly,1.Reiteratingits firm commitment to NATO’s “Open Door” policy andinspiredby theunambiguous success of the previous rounds of NATO enlargement;2.Convincedthat the accession to NATO of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia,Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1as well as the accession tothe European Union of all the aspiring countries, once they have met membership criteria,are essential steps towards fulfilling the vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace and keyelements in fostering the stability of the region and its political and economic development;3.Notingthat NATO membership is subject to the ability of aspirant countries to creategenuinely democratic societies, to contribute to Euro-Atlantic security, and to cultivateconstructive relations with neighbours, and that no third country can veto the enlargementdecisions;4.CongratulatingCroatia and its people on joining the European Union andconvincedthat this historic event provides a positive example and incentive for the entireregion;5.Commendingthe milestone agreement between Belgrade and Pristina of19 April 2013 andwelcomingthe European Union’s decisions to open accession talks withSerbia and to sign a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Kosovo, which open newstabilisation and co-operation perspectives for the entire region;6.Underliningthe importance of nurturing harmonious inter-ethnic relations and fullyfunctioning multi-ethnic societies which resonates with the fundamental values NATO Alliesand EU member states share;7.Aware ofpersistent challenges in the region with regard to fighting corruption andorganised crime and ensuring transparent administration and independence of the judiciaryand the media;8.CommendingKFOR for providing security and safety to all individuals andcommunities in Kosovo andwelcomingKFOR’s readiness to assist the implementation ofthe 19 April Agreement;

9.Stressingthe urgent need for comprehensive constitutional reforms inBosnia and Herzegovina, both at state and entity levels, as a basis for the emergence ofefficient and transparent institutions in the future;10.Welcomingthe progress made by Bosnia and Herzegovina in the defence sectorand its decision to increase its contribution to the International Security Assistance Force(ISAF) in Afghanistan, whileregrettingpersistent blockages on the issue of immovabledefence property;11.Commendingthe progress the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has made inthe sphere of domestic reforms and particularly its efforts to build a multi-ethnic society, andpraisingits substantial contribution to operations led by NATO, the EU and the UN;12.Regrettingthat the unresolved ‘name issue’ remains an important obstacle to theEuro-Atlantic integration of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;13.WelcomingMontenegro’s impressive efforts to meet the Euro-Atlantic membershipcriteria andpraisingits contributions to NATO-led missions;14.a.URGESthe governments and parliaments of the North Atlantic Alliance and the EU:to reaffirm their commitment to the Euro-Atlantic perspective of the Western Balkansand Georgia and to consider taking the next steps in the process of NATOenlargement at its 2014 Summit, taking into account that the accession process isperformance-driven and not calendar-driven, and that each candidate is judged on itsown merits in accordance with criteria and preconditions set by NATO;to continue to provide incentives for further efforts undertaken to implement domesticreforms and to improve relations with neighbours;to maintain an international military and civilian presence in Bosnia and Herzegovinaand in Kosovo for as long as the situation requires;to encourage regional political leaders to accelerate necessary constitutional andother internal reforms and to cultivate a culture of compromise and open constructivedialogue with domestic opponents and regional partners;to step up technical and expert assistance aimed at further strengthening civilsociety;to facilitate inter-ethnic dialogue and to support the creation of peaceful multi-ethnic,multi-cultural, and multi-religious societies in the region;

URGESthe government and Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina:to reach an agreement on a meaningful constitutional reform, which ensures the fullimplementation of the European Court of Human Rights’ judgement in theSejdić-Finci case;to promptly resolve the issue of immovable defence property;URGESthe relevant authorities in Kosovo and Serbia to remain fully and genuinelycommitted to the implementation of the 19 April Agreement;URGESthe government and Parliament of the former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia to foster constructive dialogue among all political stakeholders and toensure the independence of the judiciary and the freedom of the media;CALLS UPONboth Skopje and Athens to redouble their efforts to solve the ‘nameissue’, thus strengthening Euro-Atlantic integration as well as stability and prosperityin the region; and,URGESthe government and Parliament of Montenegro to further implement securitysector reforms, to strengthen the rule of law, to enhance the administrative capacitiesof state institutions, and to raise public awareness about NATO and the rights andresponsibilities of membership.

The Assembly,1.Underliningthat NATO and its partner countries’ strategic goals in Afghanistan areto ensure that the Afghan state will not again become a safe haven for terrorism, and toassist its government in bringing peace and stability to a war-weary population and atroubled region;2.Convincedthat Afghanistan, with the uninterrupted help of the International SecurityAssistance Force (ISAF), is on the pathway to achieve these goals, with progress continuingto be made at all levels on the ground;3.Applaudingthe achievement of ‘Milestone 2013’, which marks the official handoverof security responsibility for the entire territory of Afghanistan from ISAF to the AfghanNational Security Forces (ANSF), as well as ISAF’s continued efforts as a Security ForceAssistance (SFA) mission to train, advise, and assist the ANSF;4.CommendingtheInteqaltransition programme, particularly the progress of theANSF in their struggle against insurgent forces and their success in providing security for theAfghan people, butexpressing concernfor the rising casualty tolls seen over the past year;5.Underscoringthat long-term stability in Afghanistan depends on continued political,social and economic progress, as well as on the ANSF’s capacity to reflect and protect thediversity of the Afghan population;6.Supportingthe Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program (APRP) in its effortsto reintegrate insurgents who renounce violence and their ties to armed groups and terroristorganisations;7.Recallingthe necessity for organising a credible, inclusive, and transparentpresidential election in 2014 andstressingthe importance of the international community’scommitment to support democracy and pluralism in the Afghan institutions and among itspolitical leaders;8.Recognisingthe progress the Afghan government has achieved in building durablestate institutions, a sustainable civil society and anti-corruption mechanisms, butstressingthat additional efforts are needed;9.Emphasisingthe imperative of renewed negotiations between the Afghanistan HighPeace Council (HPC) and the designated Taliban representatives and other insurgentsoperating in the country, butsupportingPresident Karzai’s stated preconditions forreconciliation endorsed by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions: disarmament,breaking of ties with international terrorist organisations, including al-Qaeda, and acceptanceof the Afghan Constitution;

URGESmember governments and parliaments of countries contributing to ISAF:to express unequivocal political and economic support to the Afghan people after thedrawdown in December 2014; and, to work with the government of Afghanistan as anequal partner and to create a mutually beneficial relationship based on trust;to commit themselves to maintaining Alliance cohesion, drive, and desire for asuccessful security transition to Operation Resolute Support, including the provision ofa reserve rapid reaction force to protect it;to work diligently to negotiate and sign a post-2014 Status of Forces Agreement(SOFA) outlining the legal framework for foreign troops in the country afterDecember 2014;to give financial, technical, and security assistance to the 2014 presidential election;to remain ready to advise and assist Afghan government institutions in thedevelopment and implementation of their border security policies, particularly thoseaddressing illegal migration, drug trafficking and other threats to our societies;to build upon the Tokyo framework and to set clear and achievable benchmarks for thecontinued improvement of the strength, transparency, and efficacy of all Afghan stateinstitutions, particularly the ANSF;to encourage the Afghanistan HPC in its negotiations with the designated Talibanrepresentatives and other insurgents to establish a lasting peace in Afghanistan;to prepare their publics for the range of possible outcomes of the Peace andReconciliation Process, while simultaneously convincing them of the need to reinvestin the future security and prosperity of the Afghan state;to continue to promote respect for human rights and gender equality in Afghanistanbeyond 2014 by encouraging a diverse and sustainable civil society;to support broad co-operation with relevant regional structures, in particular in thesphere of fighting drug trafficking from Afghanistan, extremism and challenges forregional stability;to include in all negotiations and agreements with Afghan authorities the commitmentto maintain and improve progress in the domain of the rights of Afghan women andgirls, to establish a mechanism for the assessment of this obligation and to makesupport conditional to compliance.

CALLS UPONthe government and Parliament of Afghanistan:to work diligently with the United States and NATO to develop a mutually beneficialand feasible post-2014 SOFA;to recognise the vital importance of partnering with NATO and its partner countries tocontinue training and assisting the ANSF after 2014;to continue to strengthen and diversify the ANSF to ensure that they:i.ii.iii.maintain the balance of power in the fight against the insurgency;continue with their insurgent reintegration programmes;represent the rich ethnic diversity of the country;

to step up their efforts to negotiate a durable and peaceful resolution of the conflictwith insurgents;to continue to build a robust democratic political sphere, dedicated to pluralism throughcontinued electoral reform in order to represent the true will of all of the Afghan people;to continue to fight persistent institutional corruption; and,to expand their existing efforts to improve relations with neighbouring countries,particularly Pakistan, as well as other international actors working to develop a stable,strong, and independent Afghanistan.

The Assembly,1.Acknowledgingthat revolutionary advances in hydraulic fracturing and horizontaldrilling have dramatically reversed the decline in oil and natural gas production inNorth America;2.Affirmingthat the continued expansion of unconventional gas and oil production inNorth America and elsewhere could dramatically alter regional and global energy marketsand the energy security outlook of many countries;3.Appreciatingthat if extracted with proper environmental safeguards, such as thoseoutlined in the IEA’s (International Energy Agency) Golden Rules, unconventional oil andgas production can generate a range of economic and security benefits;4.Concernedabout potential environmental damages and adverse social impacts linkedto under-regulation or improper oversight of these emerging industries;5.Recognisingthat this industry, like some renewable industries, has not always beenentirely transparent about the potential environmental and other costs to regions where thedrilling is occurring;6.Worriedthat overreliance on the promise of unconventional oil and gas could divertpolitical attention and financial resources from the development of more sustainable andcleaner energy technologies that have a far lower carbon footprint at a time when prices ofthese secure and clean energy sources are beginning to fall;7.Cognizantthat resistance to the shale oil and gas industry is widespread in someAllied countries, sometimes because of strong lobbying, sometimes for perfectly justifiedreasons, including population density and water shortages;8.Notingalso that Europe faces a potential competitive shock if its energy prices remainso much higher than those of North America as this will drive up the relative costs ofproduction in Europe when these costs are plunging on the other side of the Atlantic;9.Recognisingthat Allied nations in Europe and North America have an objective needto diversify energy supplies and to lessen energy dependencies on sole or oligopolisticsuppliers;10.Concernedthat some European countries lack the know-how, investment capital,legal, regulatory and organisational structures needed to exploit unconventional energyendowments in an economic fashion;

11.Concernedthat countries enjoying very powerful positions in supplying oil and gasto Europe will undertake measures to discourage the development of unconventional oil andgas industries in the countries that they are currently supplying;12.Acknowledgingthat the development of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) export andreception facilities will help globalise the trade in natural gas, further align highlydifferentiated regional prices, and provide a number of countries with new opportunities fordiversifying their energy supplies;13.Understandingthat the boom in unconventional gas and oil might begin to challengethe traditional structure of the global energy industry which has long been dominated bycartels, oligopolies and state-run producers;14.a.URGESmember governments and parliaments of the North Atlantic Alliance:to work together to enhance energy security and to see environmentally responsiblehydraulic fracturing as one but certainly not the only means of doing so;to pursue reforms that encourage energy efficiency by adopting sensible standards,employing emerging energy saving technologies and developing regulatoryframeworks that will further lower the ratio between energy costs and GDP growthwhile enhancing energy security;to develop a more integrated and transparent marketplace for energy with theappropriate infrastructure and policies to make this possible;to work towards greater energy diversification through the development not only ofunconventional oil and gas industries but also a range of sustainable energytechnologies which will provide clean, safe and secure energy in the future;to develop a comprehensive energy policy that incorporates both CO2emissionreductions and targets for renewable energy use;to ensure that externality costs are reflected in energy prices; and,to reach out to publics to explain in a transparent fashion the costs and benefits ofhorizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing and to determine a publicly acceptable pathforward in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

The Assembly,1.Recognisingthat today's security threats - including failed or failing states, regionalinstability, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, cyber security, andmaritime piracy - are not confined to the Euro-Atlantic region but are global in nature;2.Understandingthat the Asia-Pacific region is of growing importance to the securityand economic well-being of NATO member states andnotingthat the countries of theAsia-Pacific region and the Alliance share a host of security challenges;3.Strongly condemningthe Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) pursuitof a nuclear programme in defiance of its international commitments as well as its belligerentrhetoric towards its neighbours, including the United States, an Alliance member, as well asthe Republic of Korea and Japan, two NATO partners;4.Awarethat various partner countries already co-operate with NATO in different waysand that partners have the option of engaging in a variety of flexible formats, based oncommon interests;5.Emphasisingthat through training and military-to-military contacts, NATO can helppartner countries to improve their ability to safeguard their own regional security and tomanage and prevent crisis situations in their neighbourhood;6.CommendingNATO partners, including partner countries in Asia-Pacific - Australia,Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and Singapore - for their important contributionsto NATO-led missions, in particular in Afghanistan;7.Remindinggovernments and parliaments of NATO member states that the2010 Strategic Concept identifies co-operative security through maintaining a global outlookand partnerships as one of the three core tasks for NATO in the 21stcentury;8.Commendingthe progress already achieved in co-operating with Asian partners,notably in areas such as managing crisis situations, disaster relief, counter-terrorism,counter-piracy and cyber defence;9.Convincedthat future NATO engagements in Asia-Pacific would not include a militarypresence in the region, but would focus on harmonising positions on regional crises, onconfidence-building measures and binding the maximum number of partners into astructured security community through consultations, information exchange, military trainingand maintaining force interoperability;

URGESmember governments and parliaments of the North Atlantic Alliance andNATO:to develop further NATO’s partnerships, including with countries in Asia-Pacific, andidentify new areas of joint interest and collaboration, while preserving the ability ofeach partner to form tailored co-operative relationships with the Alliance;to devise a partnership policy that institutionalises the close operational co-operationwith partners in Asia-Pacific that share the values of the Alliance, thereby allowing tomaintain the military interoperability that has been achieved;to explore ways to foster dialogue with Asia-Pacific countries which do not want toengage in a formal relationship with NATO;to consider establishing a structured dialogue with China to promote openness, trustand information exchange; and,to co-ordinate their policies in order to achieve a diplomatic solution to ending theDPRK’s nuclear weapons and missile programmes.

THE CRISIS IN SYRIA:IMPLICATIONS FOR THE REGION AND BEYONDThe Assembly,1.Recallingits Resolution 399 onDevelopments in Syria: Security Implications for theRegion and Beyond,adopted in November 2012, andreiteratingits policyrecommendations;2.Condemningthe brutal and indiscriminate use of force against innocent civilians andthe extensive and persistent violations of human rights by the regime of Bashar al-Assadand other parties to the conflict, which have resulted in the death of tens of thousands ofSyrians, including many women and children, and in the displacement of over six millionpersons, including two million refugees in neighbouring countries;3.Outraged atandstrongly condemningthe use of chemical weapons against anunprotected civilian population in the Damascus suburbs on 21 August 2013, which left wellover 1,000 people dead and thousands injured, including infants, children and women;4.Notingthat the information available from a wide variety of sources implicates theSyrian regime as responsible for the use of chemical weapons in this attack;5.Affirmingthat this attack constitutes a blatant violation of international law, andtherefore a war crime and a crime against humanity;6.Condemningthe shelling of locations inside Turkey by the Syrian regime's forces,andexpressingsolidarity with Turkey in the face of these flagrant violations of itssovereignty;7.Warningthat the longer the conflict in Syria endures, the more likely it is to attracteven more extremist groups whose goals are fundamentally undemocratic and profoundlythreatening to regional stability and international security;8.Concernedthat the economic and institutional collapse of Syria is causing enormoushuman suffering that will affect the country and its citizens for decades;9.Bearing in mindthat NATO’s New Strategic Concept and the Chicago SummitDeclaration underline NATO’s commitment to crisis prevention and to support for countriesin crisis;10.CommendingTurkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq for hosting the bulk of the refugeesfrom Syria andrecognisingthat the flow of refugees to these and other countries isstraining their infrastructure, water supplies, medical capacities, and economies;

11.Applaudingthe agreement between the Russian Federation and the United Statesof America on a framework for the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons andwelcomingformal accession of the government of Syria to the Convention on the Prohibition of theDevelopment, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on theirDestruction;12.Welcomingalso andfully supportingUnited Nations Security Council Resolution2118 which requires the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles, calls forreconvening the Geneva peace talks and endorses the establishment of a transitionalgoverning body in Syria with full executive powers;13.a.URGESmember governments and parliaments of the North Atlantic Alliance andNATO:to monitor the situation in Syria closely in order to contain the dangers posed to theregion, particularly to Turkey;to assist the moderate forces in the Syrian opposition to overcome current divisions,foster inter-ethnic and inter-sectarian reconciliation, curb the influence of extremistgroups, and put an end to human rights violations and to the cycle of reprisals; and,to increase humanitarian aid into Syria and to provide more material aid to all countriesthat are now hosting approximately two million Syrian refugees;CALLS UPONall relevant parties in Syria:to recommit to the Geneva Process;to enter into negotiations to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict; and,to create a viable political framework for Syria to engage and protect all factions of thepopulation, including minorities; and,to install a transitional government with full executive powers, on a basis of mutualconsent, with a view to establishing a political system that meets the democraticaspirations of the Syrian people;URGESthe member countries of the UN Security Council:to encourage and facilitate a Syrian-led and inclusive political process that could leadto a peaceful settlement of the conflict;to consider, in consultation with relevant UN agencies, the League of Arab States andSyria's neighbours, measures to aid those fleeing horrific violence within Syria;to ensure full implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction by theSyrian regime; and,as provided in UN Security Council Resolution 2118 to take measures underchapter VII of the United Nations Charter to respond to cases of non-compliance,including the potential renewed use or transfer of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal byany party in the conflict.

IMPROVING THE SURVIVABILITY OF NATO GROUND FORCESThe Assembly,1.Convincedthat NATO remains pivotal in securing peace, prosperity, and stability inthe Euro-Atlantic area;2.Commendingthe performance and dedication of member states’ soldiers whorepresent the backbone of the Alliance, andhonouringthose who have lost their lives orwere physically or mentally injured in support of NATO missions;3.Applaudingthe contributions of the Alliance’s armed forces, government services,families, and volunteer organisations to helping soldiers and veterans recover from physicalinjuries and rehabilitate from service-related mental injuries;4.Affirmingmember states’ duty and commitment to ensure the best chances forsurvival in military operations and for recovery and rehabilitation after deployment;5.Consciousthat Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) remain a severe threat toarmed forces and civilians in current and potential operational environments;6.Salutingthe significant progress on all aspects of soldier survivability over the lastdecade, in particular in Counter-IED and combat casualty care; butrecallingthat manylessons needed to be learnt or re-learnt at great cost for the soldier;7.Awareof the challenges of sustaining excellence in survivability in an environment ofsevere fiscal pressures and declining operational experience, especially after successfultransition of security across Afghanistan by the end of 2014;8.Underliningthat NATO and its member states have a strong set of institutions inplace that maintain and improve survivability;9.Highlightingthe decisive contribution of national military trauma registries inmonitoring injury care processes to improve soldier survivability, andrecallingthe technicalfeasibility of a NATO Trauma Registry;10.a.URGESmember governments and parliaments of the North Atlantic Alliance:to fully embed lessons learnt and best practices regarding soldier survivability,including through NATO standardisation processes;to better understand the IED threat, fully prepare the armed forces for it, and activelyundermine IED networks;to continue to improve multi-national and national Counter-IED efforts, including theNATO Counter-IED Action Plan;presented by the Science and Technology Committee and adopted by the Plenary Assemblyon Monday 14 October 2013, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

to maintain vigilance and imagination in analysing future threat scenarios in order toavoid strategic surprises threatening soldier survivability;to increase funding for research and development on technological innovations thatcan improve survivability, and to initiate further research efforts at the NATO Scienceand Technology Organizations Human Factors and Medicine Panel;to actively pursue multinational solutions on survivability, including through NATO’sSmart Defence and the European Union’s Pooling & Sharing initiatives;to strengthen co-operation with the defence industry and NATO partners in improvingsurvivability;to continue to provide Allied soldiers with optimal body armour and armoured vehiclesmeeting the full threat spectrum, in particular the IED threat;to ensure that female soldiers receive optimal body armour fitting their morphology;to reduce the weight and increase the configurability of body and vehicle armour whilemaintaining or improving protection levels;to maintain the medical skills of soldiers and military personnel through adequatetraining;to fully transfer military medical innovations to the civilian setting;to pursue the establishment of a NATO Trauma Registry;to adequately fund the care for injured soldiers and veterans after deployment; and,to intensify studies of early intervention and preventive health programmes to mosteffectively improve the quality of life of injured soldiers and veterans and mitigatesecondary and tertiary effects of their injuries.

NEW ENERGY IDEAS FOR NATO MILITARIES:BUILDING ACCOUNTABILITY, REDUCING DEMAND,SECURING SUPPLYThe Assembly,1.Acknowledgingthat NATO militaries’ energy consumption has reachedunprecedented levels and that military energy requirements will continue to soar in the yearsto come;2.Recognisingthat, in times of austerity, high levels of military energy consumptioncontribute to undermining the financial solidity of Allies;3.Convincedthat current levels of Allies’ military energy consumption areunsustainable in the long run;4.Concernedabout the negative impact of growing military energy dependence on thesecurity of NATO soldiers and military installations;5.Consideringtherefore the implementation of new energy ideas for NATO militariesan economic, environmental, and strategic imperative;6.Commendingrecent efforts by NATO and certain Allies to increase military energyefficiency both at home and in theatre;7.Recognisingthe successful launch of the NATO Energy Security Centre ofExcellence and its great potential to contribute to the military energy efficiency of NATO;8.Emphasisingthe need to take a much more active approach to developing energyefficiency measures in future NATO operations;9.Recallingthe commitment undertaken by Allies at the 2012 Chicago Summit to worktowards significantly improving the energy efficiency of their military forces;10.Affirmingthat NATO’s ability to promote new energy ideas among Allies will requireactive support and collaboration of member states;11.Bearing in mindthat NATO can help exchange best practices based on the normsestablished at national and European levels;12.Underliningthat activities aimed at increasing military energy efficiency shouldrevolve around building accountability, reducing demand, and securing supply;13.Welcomingthe recent Danish-Lithuanian initiative aimed at strengtheningNATO’s “Green Defence” dimension;

URGESmember governments and parliaments of the North Atlantic Alliance:to make available sufficient resources for research on improving military energyefficiency, in spite of financial pressures;to create coherent national political frameworks and single points of contact onmatters of military energy efficiency;to build even greater energy consumption accountability within their militaries byfostering energy awareness, promoting energy leadership and ownershipmechanisms, and creating reliable benchmarking tools;to reduce military energy demands at fixed installations and in operations, includingfor training, moving, and sustaining military forces and for powering military platforms;to devise strategies aimed at diversifying energy supplies, putting a premium onpursuing renewable energy sources;to use off-the-shelf solutions available in the private sector whenever possible;to create a political framework at NATO-level in support of NATO Smart Energyinitiatives, which should facilitate information exchange among NATO stakeholdersand guide NATO towards practical, short-term results;to institutionalise current Smart Energy initiatives, such as NATO’s Smart EnergyTeam, if they prove effective;to ensure that NATO-owned assets and installations, including the new NATOheadquarters, are energy efficient;to avoid duplication of NATO and EU activities and to strengthen NATO co-operationwith the EU and other regional organisations and groupings in the area of militaryenergy efficiency; and,to strengthen NATO’s political dialogue and technical co-operation with partnercountries on issues of military energy efficiency.