 |
|||||
|
Department of
Transportation Maritime Administration |
||||
| MARAD Home | Text Version | Site Map | Contact Us | DOT Home | |
|
|||||
|
Department of
Transportation Maritime Administration |
||||
| MARAD Home | Text Version | Site Map | Contact Us | DOT Home | |
NATO
AND THE PLANNING BOARD GENERAL The Maritime Administration is the United States representative to NATO’s Planning Board for Ocean Shipping (PBOS). Additionally, MARAD’s Office of National Security Plans provides the Secretariat for PBOS and the Associate Administrator for National Security currently serves as the Chairman of PBOS. PBOS was established by the NATO North Atlantic Council (NAC) in 1950. It is one of nine NATO Planning Boards and Committees (PB&Cs) responsible in peacetime for coordinating and monitoring National and NATO arrangements for civil emergency preparedness and crisis management. The Planning Board is responsible for developing and maintaining plans for civil shipping support to the Alliance in crisis and war. PBOS planning takes into account the international character of merchant shipping and seeks to facilitate access to worldwide shipping. Its planning responsibilities include planning for the provision of shipping resources to support military lift requirements through appropriate shipping crisis management arrangements, and planning for the availability of marine war risks insurance for merchant ships supporting the alliance. PBOS plans for the use of merchant shipping in crises or wars affecting the interests of the Alliance. All other sealift activities in peacetime are solely a national responsibility. PBOS ORGANIZATION PBOS meets annually in Plenary Session in early Fall. It meets at 19, with NATO members only in attendance, and it meets with representatives from the Partnership for Peace (PfP) Nations in an enlarged format. The PfP Nations participate in the work of PBOS, but are not involved in the decision making process. The Planning Board reports to the Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee (SCEPC) and through the SCEPC to the North Atlantic Council (NAC), the highest political body in the Alliance. Most of the work of PBOS is carried out by the PBOS Working Group (PWG) which is its permanent subordinate working group. |
- |
Contact the Office of Congressional & Public Affairs (email pao.marad@marad.dot.gov) for information about the Agency and/or the maritime industry.
