In September 2026, NATO published detailed Basic Requirements for the Resilience of Member States for the first time in the public domain. The document sets out objectives for governments, the healthcare sector, the energy sector, communications, transport and supply chains in the event of a crisis or armed conflict. It provides for the evacuation of the population, preparedness for mass casualties and the continued functioning of government bodies and key services.
Briefly about the main points
- Detailed requirements regarding the resilience of NATO member states have been made public for the first time.
- Evacuation systems must be capable of handling the movement of more than 2% of the population.
- The healthcare sector must maintain secure records of its resources and build up reserves.
- Governments must ensure continuity of government and establish contingency crisis centres.
- Border security and transport must ensure the movement of Alliance forces.
Detailed guidelines have been drawn up for the seven areas of sustainability
Seven key areas of civil resilience Alliance set out as far back as 2016. NATO has now published a detailed document setting out specific tasks for governments and explained that the publication is intended to involve government bodies, the business sector and civil society in the planning process.
The requirements cover the continuity of public administration, energy supply, mass evacuation, food and water, healthcare, civil communications and transport. They are designed to address not only natural disasters or cyber-attacks, but also physical attacks on the population and infrastructure, acts of sabotage and prolonged disruptions to essential services.
Evacuations and military transport should be planned together
Countries should draw up in advance plans for the controlled evacuation of civilians from crisis-hit areas and areas of hostilities. Such systems must be able to cope with a flow of displaced people exceeding 2% of the country’s population.
Where necessary, the authorities must have mechanisms in place to temporarily restrict movement in the interests of public safety. A separate challenge is to determine traffic priorities in advance when both evacuees and military units are using limited road and other transport infrastructure at the same time.
The healthcare system, water supply and energy sector must be able to withstand a prolonged crisis
General medicine must continue to operate in the event of mass casualties and large-scale crises in the healthcare sector. NATO provides for the secure tracking of available civilian and military medical resources, plans for responding to a mass influx of casualties, and joint exercises involving medical organisations.
Countries must build up sustainable stocks of medicines, medical equipment, pharmaceutical ingredients, blood and blood components. Contingency plans, alternative supply mechanisms and the capacity to maintain systems during wartime are required for water supply and food.
In the energy sector, the document recommends taking into account potential disruptions and critical dependencies, and putting in place mechanisms for rapid repair and restoration. Priority energy supplies should be allocated to critical facilities and the armed forces.
The authorities and the communications sector must ensure that systems remain controllable under all circumstances
Each Alliance country must ensure an uninterrupted chain of command and a leadership succession plan in the event that part of the government is unable to carry out its functions. The requirements also include secure crisis centres, alternative government working locations, redundancy for critical systems and the ability to make decisions in crisis situations.
Civil telecommunications require backup systems for telephone, digital and other forms of communication. These must enable the public to be warned of danger, support emergency services and provide priority access to government bodies and NATO forces. States must also analyse the networks’ dependence on equipment suppliers, foreign companies and critical components.
To ensure the mobility of NATO forces, countries must coordinate border operations
Countries must introduce rules that will enable NATO forces to cross national borders within the timeframes set out in military planning. A single national centre should be established to coordinate ministries and agencies.
The document was discussed following a meeting of NATO officials on resilience policy in Brussels. Representatives from the water supply, telecommunications and energy sectors took part in the discussions, whilst the Ukrainian authorities shared their experience of maintaining critical services under sustained attack.
These requirements are aimed at government systems, infrastructure, businesses and civil-military cooperation mechanisms. They are not intended as personal guidance for citizens, such as a checklist of items for an «emergency kit».
