The aim of civil-military cooperation

Civil-military cooperation and coordination are vital elements in the efficient use of airspace. By means of successful civil-military coordination, it is possible to gain benefits for both civil and military aviation despite their obvious different needs and interests.

The ultimate goal of efficient civil-military use of airspace is, at the same time, to safeguard the ability of military authorities to fulfil the demands of their statutory tasks and to provide civil aviation with adequate services and contributing to the required cost reductions. For that to happen, there is a need to strive for optimizing the balance between flexibility and predictability in airspace management.

The foregoing will be made possible only by close and transparent civil-military cooperation at all levels.  

Civil-military cooperation in NEFAB governance

Supporting the NEFAB Council, the Civil Military Committee (CMC) has been established. The CMC is also represented in other NEFAB committees with the aim of ensuring that civil-military cooperation is taken into account throughout the whole NEFAB governance.

The CMC coordinates positions between civil and military aviation and defines areas of cooperation in order to enhance the use of airspace in NEFAB, taking into account the needs of military aviation. With this in mind, the Committee in particular focuses on military mission effectiveness, efficient and consistent application of the FUA (flexible use of airspace) concept, and arrangements for military training activities - in particular cross-border.

In 2013, the CMC established a Military-Military Expert Group (MMEG). The purpose of this subgroup is to provide the CMC with a pure military view for the Committee’s decision making. The MMEG is also an important element in safeguarding the collective military needs of the NEFAB States.