By Col. Carlos Ardanaz
Director of the Spanish CBRN School Col. Carlos Ardanaz discusses a collaborative NATO project to create a network of CBRN defense facilities across Europe.
In 2023, the ministers of defense of Belgium, Greece, Italy, and Spain signed a memorandum of understanding to create a network of CBRN defense facilities.
This memorandum was the result of efforts that began two years ago when the Multinational Capability Cooperation Unit of NATO’s Defence Investment Division – belonging to the International Staff – promoted several cooperation initiatives, one of which was the constitution of a network of CBRN specialized facilities among different nations.
These cooperation initiatives were called High Visibility Projects, and were not limited exclusively to CBRN defense. They also covered several areas such as fighter pilot training, RPAS, and artillery ammunition, among many others.
The initial step in this process was the consultation of all allies on their interest in these projects, which would later be ratified by the signing of a letter of intention by ministers of defense in 2021.
Another high visibility project in the field of CBRN defense sought to facilitate joint procurement of materials such as individual and collective protective equipment and CBRN sensors through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency based in Luxembourg. This project was intended to achieve financially advantageous mass procurement for participating countries, but this initiative did not come to fruition.
Although the letters of intent were signed by a significant number of ministers – ten ministers for protective equipment, and nine ministers for protective equipment – as negotiations progressed, several countries dropped out. In particular, the departure of countries with higher CBRN capabilities meant that mass procurement was not going to be as advantageous, because expectations of procurement figures would be much lower. It was a good idea that unfortunately failed.
Nevertheless, the CBRN facilities project went ahead, possibly because it had no significant economic implications, it did not affect business decisions or a country’s autonomy, and brought many benefits.
Diverse CBRN Facilities and Courses
The network of CBRN facilities is very diverse in nature, ranging from teaching institutions to laboratories, medical facilities, and testing grounds. Its main benefit is the elimination of administrative barriers to using a facility in another country, which previously had to be achieved through lengthy bilateral negotiations far in advance.
The memorandum of understanding is structured around a collegiate body called the “Steering Committee” with a chairperson, a coordinator who acts as the secretariat, and representatives of participating nations. All members of the Steering Committee have a voice in the matters to be discussed at each meeting, but the national representatives are the only ones who have a vote in the decisions to be taken.
The Steering Committee meets twice a year, in spring and autumn, and several routine activities are carried out during meetings. However, the main function is to allow nations to submit requests to use the facilities of the other participating countries. The meetings also allow countries to anticipate time frames for such activities, and to specify the type of activity such as education, training, visits, exchange of experts, and so on.
As mentioned above, the facilities are very varied and offer many possibilities. In the network there are teaching centers such as the Joint CBRN School in Belgium, the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre on the island of Crete, Greece, the Spanish CBRN Defence School, and the Spanish Navy’s Safety and Firefighting Training Center.
All these centers offer a variety of courses. To give just one example from each country, Belgium offers the COLPRO Marshall course, Greece offers the WMD maritime interdiction operations course, and Spain offers CBRN analysis software courses.
There are laboratories of reference in the network as well, such as the Defensielaboratoria – Laboratoires de la Défense in Belgium (DLD) and INTA Marañosa in Spain, both designated laboratories by Organization of Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The network’s laboratories allow the scientists and expert personnel to exchange procedures and experiences. In addition, these laboratories also offer training courses, such as the DLD’s “Scientific Acquaintance” course and INTA Marañosa’s exercises and scenarios for SIBCRA equipment.
Another laboratory in the network is the Spanish Defense Institute of Toxicology, which is dedicated to the analysis of biomedical CBRN samples, and is currently trying to achieve OPCW designation.
Also in the network are other Spanish facilities such as the 22nd floor of the Defence Hospital “Gomez Ulla”, with a high isolation unit for infectious disease; the Defense Pharmacy Center, dedicated to the production and storage of antidotes and orphan drugs related to CBRN defense; and the Spanish Army’s and Military Emergency Unit deployable laboratories.
CBRN Defense Protection Cluster
There are other organizations dedicated to fostering relationships and improving CBRN defense capabilities in NATO, such as the CBRN Defense Protection Cluster. The clusters were the result of another NATO initiative called the Framework Nation Concept, which sought to invigorate many defense capabilities both among NATO allies themselves and with NATO partners.
Undoubtedly, the CBRN Defense Protection Cluster is the largest and most active of all the Framework Nation Concept clusters, with a headquarters in Bruchsal, Germany, very close to the German CBRN Joint Defence Command, and with both full-time and part-time staff.
The CBRN Defense Protection cluster strongly supports the network of CBRN facilities by playing the role of coordinator in the Steering Committee meetings. Thanks to their experience and contacts, they avoid duplications and facilitate access to information in their possession.
Advantages and Risks
One year since the signing of the memorandum of understanding that regulates the operation of the network, one can see the advantages and risks of the project.
The main advantage is the ease of access to facilities in the project’s database, filling national gaps in training, qualifications, or in-house capabilities, which could otherwise be very expensive to meet from a purely national perspective. The bureaucratic burden is minimal, and support can be requested twice a year.
Regarding risks, the network of CBRN facilities must avoid duplication with other collaborative efforts while simultaneously maximizing benefits. The costs that may be involved in the use of another country’s facilities is a matter that is specified during Steering Committee meetings, whether it be school fees, food, lodging or whatever each nation deems appropriate to impose.
The Way Ahead
Considering the way ahead, the main ambition of the network is to expand it with other allies or partners. There are allies and NATO partners with significant and high-tech facilities which are not currently participating in the network. The CBRN Defense Facilities memorandum of understanding is open to NATO’s partners such as the Partnership for Peace program, Mediterranean Dialogue forum, Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, and partners across the globe.
It is clear that the network of facilities will support an increasing number of armed forces and, consequently, will improve the CBRN defense capability of all its members. Unfortunately, because the CBRN threat is often trivialized, it is necessary to address the dangers and respond to tough times with strong minds.
Prospects such as a nuclear attack, or an attack with toxic industrial chemicals or pharmaceutical-based agents, are neither desirable nor pleasant. However, they require us to prepare ourselves to increase our deterrence capacity and improve the resilience of our societies.
Col. Carlos Ardanaz is the Director of the Spanish CBRN Defense School.
