NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Civil/Military Spectrum Panel 3 (NATO C3B¹ CaP3²) is the group responsible for spectrum issues within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance made up of 28 member countries³ with a defensive purpose. The CaP3 group, supporting the defence capabilities of the Atlantic Alliance, aims to provide sufficient spectral resources so that:

• NATO military forces have access to the spectrum required for their mission;
• military use of radio frequencies can be harmonised among NATO Allies;
• cooperation with EAPC⁴ / PfP⁵ countries can be pursued with a view to identical use of the radio spectrum.

NATO C3B CaP 3 is the only committee with competence to decide on questions of civil/military spectrum management. Among other responsibilities, it ensures harmonisation of the spectrum required for military use in NATO countries and, in coordination with national spectrum management authorities, prepares positions to be advanced by NATO and military authorities at the world radiocommunication conferences of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), seeking to safeguard military interests.

As one of the founding members of the Alliance, Portugal takes part in discussions on NATO’s spectrum planning and management through both military (EMGFA) and civil (ANACOM) representation.

Further information:

• NATO https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/index.htm