Staff Officer; Counter Terrorism

Post Context

ACT contributes to preserving the peace, security and territorial integrity of Alliance member states by leading, at Strategic Command level, Warfare Development required to enhance NATO’s posture, military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines.

The Strategic Plans and Policy Directorate (SPP) acts on behalf of SACT to formulate policies, strategies, engagements, ACT contributions to NDPP, and analytical practices that enable the Commander to provide strategic foresight, planning, strategy and policy advice, concepts, and strategic engagement to NATO’s political and military leadership. Principal outputs include but are not limited to: long term strategic foresight, strategic level concepts, situational awareness/strategic anticipation, Minimum Capability Requirements, Draft Capability Targets, Suitability Assessment of Allies and NATO Defence Plans, and regional and functional to security related environments.

The Branch provides SACT with advice pertaining to strategy and policy matters at the political and military levels. It coordinates the development of unfettered military advice and Transformation and Adaptation Plans and Policy, ensures coherence of ACT’s internal work strands in relation to overarching NATO policy and strategy, and supports the Commander’s engagements in areas relevant to policy and strategy. The Branch maintains a persistent relationship with the NATO Strategic Direction (South) Hub on Deterrence & Defence matters.

Within the Policy and Plans Branch, the Counter-Terrorism Threats SME is responsible for ensuring that terrorist threats to the Alliance and Euro-Atlantic security are understood, coordinated, and incorporated through all associated ACT strands of work and policy.

• Provide input and direction for all ACT pillars on issues specifically relating to terrorist threats. Develop and maintain an understanding of terrorist groups through research and develop reports, briefings and presentations, papers, or other deliverables that contribute to a better understanding of their intentions and capabilities.
• Conduct analysis and identify trends relating to terrorist group activities.
• Coordinate with SALT and STRATFOR to endure SPPs provides coherent terrorist analysis for ACT.
• Contribute to cross-functional projects and programs with summaries, research papers, and other written products or briefings.
• Directly support the 4 Star Supreme Allied Commander Transformation in the development of military advice related to terrorist threats. The CT SME ensures that coherent, blunt, reasoned, clear and when necessity dictates blunt advice is delivered. The CTT SME must have intimate knowledge of the Strategic Commander’s Long-Term Vision and the realities of NATO decision making at the political and military level.
  
  The CTT SME must also have comprehensive knowledge of extant NATO policy and procedures. A lack of such a detailed knowledge would result in a significant reduction in HQ SACT effectiveness;
• Provide direct support to the 2 Star DCOS SPP for the day-to-day interaction with the NATO HQ and other stakeholders in the strategy and policy community, informing the inclusion of transformational positions in NATO strategy, strategic plans and policy.
• There is a high-level impact from a broad perspective across the NATO strategy and policy community.
• Must be able to contribute to the development/review/update of terrorist threat elements of NATO Military Strategy & NWCC, ACT or Bi-SC policy papers, concepts, action plans, and input to NATO Military Authorities (NMA`s) advice to the North Atlantic Council (NAC) on issues related to terrorist threats through close interaction with NATO HQ and ACO/SHAPE when required
• Ability to participate in conferences and meetings representing ACT and provide terrorist threat subject matter expertise when and where required
• Guide and prepare Initial Progress Reports (IPRs), background briefs, presentations, and point papers for HQ SACT on terrorist threats
• Maintain close contact with NATO HQ International Staff (IS) Emerging Security Challenging Division (ESCD) to understand current terrorist threats posture, and…