No. 218: NATO’s Framework Nation Concept

Author(s): Martin Zapfe, Rainer L. Glatz
Editor(s): Christian Nünlist
Series Editor(s): Christian Nünlist, Matthias Bieri
Series: CSS Analyses in Security Policy
Issue: 218
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich
Publication Year: 2017

According to this analysis, NATO’s Framework Nations Concept (FNC) currently serves as a practical guideline for defense cooperation within the Alliance. But what does the FNC, with its emphasis on national sovereignty, actually mean for defense cooperation? To help provide an answer, this article reviews 1) the three different FNC approaches that exist within NATO; 2) the opportunities and limits of the FNC; and 3) how the FNC’s approach to cooperation might be especially attractive to states that are not NATO members.

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Graphics:

FNC Groups (Partners and Observers), as of November 2017