The phrase "NATO Alliance Commitments" or "Capability Targets" is now heard more frequently in the media. This article will therefore explain what Alliance Commitments are, how they are created, and outline the current and future commitments of the Czech Republic.

What are Alliance Commitments?

In NATO terminology, Alliance Commitments are referred to as Capability Targets (CTs) and translated into Czech as Capability Development Objectives. CTs fall into two categories: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative CTs specify the desired characteristics of military capabilities such as interoperability, readiness, lethality, resilience and sustainability. Quantitative CTs express the number of specific units, weapon systems and/or capabilities that a NATO member should have available to meet the Alliance's ambitions.

How are alliance commitments created?

NATO uses the NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP) to develop capabilities, ensuring that member states collectively have the necessary capabilities, especially for deterrence and common defence. The NDPP has five steps, which are repeated in four-year cycles. In the first step, member states agree on the Alliance's political and military ambitions. These ambitions are then endorsed by consensus by the North Atlantic Council and the defence ministers of all Alliance members. In a second step, the Alliance will identify the set of minimum capabilities it needs to achieve these ambitions. In a third step, NATO will distribute the set of minimum capabilities to the member states, i.e. assigning each state a share of the collective defence in the form of a CT. In the fourth step, Alliance members implement the received CTs in their national defence plans and begin their implementation. The fifth step is evaluative, where NATO assesses every two years how each state is meeting its commitments.

How does the Alliance allocate commitments?

The Alliance applies two principles when allocating CTs to its members. The first is the principle of equitable burden sharing, which ensures an even distribution of roles, risks and responsibilities among Member States in accordance with their capabilities. The second is the principle of proportionate challenge, which adapts commitments to the economic, financial and staffing capacities of each country. For example, the Czech Republic, as a landlocked state, will not receive naval CT, but will receive more commitments for land forces.

Can an alliance member refuse a commitment?

No, the Alliance allocates CT, not proposes it. However, a member state can challenge the allocated commitments in the third phase of the NDPP. The challenge is then decided by a vote of the other NATO members. The peculiarity of this vote is that the decision is taken by majority, not by consensus of all members, while the state that challenged the CT does not vote. Even if the Alliance votes to withdraw the commitment from a member state, it does not cease to exist and must be taken over by another member of the Alliance.

What are the Czech Republic's current alliance commitments?

The Czech Republic currently has more than 100 2021 commitments in the land, air, cyber and space domains and functional areas such as logistics and healthcare. Among the most well-known commitments is the building of a heavy brigade. The exact list of CTs is not public, but includes such elements as combat and transport aircraft, air defense assets, logistics, medical, and more. Due to the underfunding of the military over the past two decades, the CT has not fulfilled many of its commitments. The reality is that spending of 2% of GDP is not even enough to achieve CT 2021, as pointed out by the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army, Lt. Gen. Karel Řehka.

What can be said about the future alliance commitments of the Czech Republic?

In June 2025, the Alliance will adopt new CT 2025, which respond to the significant deterioration of the global security situation and will therefore be significantly higher. The CT 2025 will represent a significant increase in commitments for the Czech Armed Forces, especially for ground forces, air forces and logistics. As noted by the Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Armed Forces, in order to achieve CT 2025, the Army will need to increase the number of soldiers by 7,500 and defence spending above the level of 3% of GDP. These changes will also require a revision of the "Concept of Development of the Army of the Czech Republic 2035".

Conclusion

Alliance commitments represent the Member States' share of collective defence. They ensure that NATO has forces and capabilities ready to respond to crises and defend its members in the event of attack. The Alliance allocates these commitments to its members according to the principles of fair burden-sharing and proportionate challenge, taking into account the size and economic strength of states. The Czech Republic is not meeting the current CT 2021, while the upcoming CT 2025 will be significantly higher. This will require an increase in investment in national defence and the expansion of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic.