Transatlantic Cooperation in Developing Weapon Systems for NATO--A European Perspective

Interoperability and standardization in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are receiving strong emphasis in defense circles throughout the alliance. Both are seen as ways to improve performance on the battle field and to promote better management of defense budgets. Interoperability requires two or more weapon systems, used for the same military purposes, to be sufficiently similar to enable them to operate with common supplies such as fuel or ammunition. Standardization envisions even greater commonality.