Spain, host country of the 46th Asset Tracking Working Group meeting of NATO

Participants in the meeting

The facilities of the "Gran Capitán" logistics residence in Cordoba have hosted the meeting of the 46th Asset Tracking Working Group (ASTWG) of NATO, held during the first week of March. With Spain serving as the host country, the Logistics Support Command of the Army (MALE) has been responsible for regulating and coordinating the actions related to the organization, preparation, and development of this meeting. This working group is led by Allied Command Transformation, under the authority of the Military Committee Land Standardization Board, and aims to develop standardization documents in land operations doctrine.

As part of the scheduled activities during the meeting, a visit to the facilities of Wheel Vehicle Maintenance Park and Center No. 2 was included, where members of the ASTWG attended a demonstration of technology for logistics resource tracking and the current methods implemented with reader devices. Likewise, taking advantage of the opportunity to gather a multinational forum of this level, a brief overview of the future Army Logistics Base project was offered.

Asset Tracking Working Group

The ASTWG holds two meetings per year and focuses primarily on establishing a standardized method for collecting and transmitting information about assets to the competent authority, ensuring that the NATO Operational Commander can track assets committed to operations. The ASTWG also develops doctrine and procedures, from the tactical to the strategic level, which are essential for current and future NATO operations.

The collective responsibility of NATO logistics demands an optimized distribution system in which a networked asset tracking capability enhances visibility of the logistics chain and Command and Control (C2). Nations and NATO must exercise their asset tracking capabilities in a manner that is integrated and interoperable, demonstrates transformative value for the NATO Commander, and is available in the required readiness to support all NATO missions.