Resources – the UK contribution 

NATO does not generate income of its own, but depends on contributions from member states, both in cash and kind. Members' contributions differ, with the UK being one of the largest contributors, paying over £150 million into the common funded Civil and Military Budgets and the NATO Security Investment Programme in 2007. This helps fund the existing NATO HQ, the new HQ development, the capital and running costs of military HQs and operational deployments. A large number of the NATO civilian and military staff are British, and the UK contributes further by loaning personnel with particular expertise to NATO when needed. The UK airborne early warning aircraft fleet also complements the NATO fleet, undertaking 25% of the overall NATO tasking. 

Reform and Modernisation 

As a major contributor of both cash and people to NATO, it is natural that the UK wishes to ensure these contributions are spent efficiently and effectively.
 
The UK is at the forefront of the wider reform programme within the resources area to ensure better budgetary management.  The UK is heavily involved in the introduction of modern, objective based budgets, which will give greater transparency and allow nations to measure value for money and monitor the effectiveness of the spending.
 
The UK is also actively encouraging improvements to the quality of working conditions within NATO by promoting more modern equal opportunity and management policies. These policies promote a working environment free from discrimination which recognises and rewards contributions made by staff.

To promote awareness of NATO as a career, internships are offered by NATO.  

A New Headquarters for the 21st Century

At the Prague Summit in November 2002, NATO announced plans for a new HQ development in Brussels. The winning design concept was unveiled in January 2003. The UK is very supportive of the project and is happy to share the expertise and experience we have from undertaking similar large government projects. We believe that this project provides the perfect opportunity to see beyond a simple building project and deliver a true business transformation, allowing a wholesale rethink of how a Head Office environment should operate and how it will serve NATO's needs in the future.  Development of the design should be completed later in 2008, so that construction tenders can be issued.

Business opportunities

As well as paying a substantial sum to build and maintain NATO infrastructure and operations, the UK Delegation proactively works with British industry to help them secure contracts and other business opportunities within the NATO environment. More information can be found on our Business Opportunities pages.