Resilience Objectives
The "Seven Baseline Requirements for Civil Preparedness" are guidelines established by NATO with the aim of strengthening the resilience of member countries. These requirements cover essential areas to ensure that a nation can continue to function during a crisis situation, such as crippling hybrid attacks, natural disasters or other national security emergencies. Each requirement addresses a specific pillar, from government continuity and energy security to critical infrastructure protection and communication capacity in extreme situations.
These requirements, while not mandatory and binding, serve as a standard for member countries to assess, improve and harmonise their resilience capacities. They are then designed to ensure that member states can protect their population and critical infrastructure, collaborate effectively with allies and respond quickly to threats.
In addition, the ‘Seven Baseline Requirements for Civil Preparedness’ promote interoperability between NATO nations, facilitating a joint response to crises that may transcend borders. By complying with these guidelines, countries align themselves with a common vision of preparedness and defence, ensuring that they are ready to face modern challenges and that their populations are protected. For all these reasons, it is understood that they are a central element of NATO's collective resilience strategy.
In more detail, the Seven Baseline Requirements for Civil Preparedness are as follows:
a. Continuity of government: Ensuring that essential government functions remain active even in crisis situations. This involves setting up alternative command systems, secure communication protocols and leadership replacement plans. The CPG leads efforts to coordinate local and national authorities, carrying out regular simulations to test the effectiveness of the plans;
b. Energy resilience: Working to diversify energy sources and ensure continuous supply in crises. Led by the EPG, it includes strengthening energy networks, adopting renewable energy technologies and protecting against cyber threats;
c. Uncontrolled movement of people: Managing mass migrant displacement during any type of crisis, creating resilient reception systems and transport networks. The JHG and TG are primarily responsible for establishing these capacities;
d. Food and water security: Ensuring the continuous production and distribution of food and drinking water during crises. Led by the FAPG, this objective encompasses the creation of strategic reserves and the strengthening of supply chains;
e. Capacity to deal with mass casualty scenarios: Ensuring that national health systems are able to deal with health emergencies such as pandemics, bioterrorism or any other event that is expected to cause a high number of casualties. Led by the JHG, it covers increasing bed capacity in hospitals, training doctors for crisis situations and ensuring that there are sufficient and safe stocks of equipment and medicines;
f. Resilient civil communications: Ensuring that communication systems remain functional in crisis situations. Led by the CCPG, this objective includes the development of redundant communications systems, which should allow prioritisation of access to national authorities. In addition, this objective also addresses protection against cyber attacks and warning and alert systems for the population;
g. Resilient transport network: Ensuring that NATO forces can quickly cross the entire territory of the Alliance and that civilian services can take advantage of the transport network, even in crisis situations.
