Number: RS20907
Title: NATO's Defense Capabilities Initiative
Authors: Carl Ek, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: At the 1999 NATO summit in Washington, D.C., the alliance launched the Defense Capabilities Initiative (DCI), an effort intended to better enable NATO to deploy troops quickly to crisis regions, to supply and protect those forces, to provide them with appropriate communications, and to equip them to engage an adversary effectively-all with greater compatibility. To meet the DCI's goals, however, most allied countries will need to increase their individual defense budgets, a step many have been reluctant to take. In addition, many policymakers are concerned over possible conflicts between DCI and the European Union plan to field an all-European force.
Pages: 6
Date: Updated May 22, 2001