United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1996-05-06 monographic deposited born digital 35 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-96-92 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-92 P0b002ee180388349 f:ns96092 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-92 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-92 NSIAD-96-92 International agreements NATO military agreements International cooperation NATO standardization Foreign military assistance Foreign governments Developing countries Military interoperability agreements NATO military forces NATO Partnership for Peace Program NATO North Atlantic Cooperation Council Program DOD Warsaw Initiative DOD Foreign Military Financing Program International Military Education and Training Program JCS Joint Contact Team Program DOD Military-to-Military Contact Program DOD Excess Defense Articles Program Bulgaria Czech Federal Republic Estonia Hungary Latvia Lithuania Poland Romania Slovak Federal Republic Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Georgia (Formerly Soviet Union) Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Moldova Russia Letter Report NSIAD Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) future enlargement and plans to include the newly democratic states of the former communist bloc, focusing on: (1) actions NATO plans to take to enlarge itself; (2) U.S. bilateral assistance programs that enhance the military operations and capabilities of aspiring NATO members; and (3) the potential costs of enlargement to NATO and the new members.<p/>GAO found that: (1) in accordance with its 1991 strategic concept, NATO has implemented two outreach programs to former communist states to enhance cooperation on issues of mutual interest, such as political stability and crisis management; (2) NATO has not established a timetable for its expansion or decided on the countries to which it will extend membership; (3) NATO believes that enlargement would enhance military interoperability, civilian control of militaries, commitment to democratic values, and the resolution of ethnic and territorial disputes in former communist states; (4) in 1995, five U.S. bilateral assistance programs provided $54 million to Partnership for Peace (PFP) program participants to improve their interoperational capabilities; (5) except for PFP, the assistance programs predated NATO consideration of expansion; (6) the United States plans to provide about $125 million in fiscal year 1996 bilateral assistance; (7) because requirements have not been defined, NATO and the United States do not know the total costs of enlargement to existing and new members; (8) support for new members' infrastructure would be limited to high-priority, eligible items to make their militaries compatible; and (9) NATO members may have to increase their assistance to new members because the new members are expected to bear many of the expansion costs and normal membership costs as well as the cost of making their militaries interoperational with NATO forces. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-92/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-92.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-92/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-92.pdf GAO/NSIAD-96-92 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-96-92 Letter Report GAO/NSIAD-96-92; NATO Enlargement: NATO and U.S. Actions Taken to Facilitate Enlargement; International agreements NATO military agreements International cooperation NATO standardization Foreign military assistance Foreign governments Developing countries Military interoperability agreements NATO military forces NATO Partnership for Peace Program NATO North Atlantic Cooperation Council Program DOD Warsaw Initiative DOD Foreign Military Financing Program International Military Education and Training Program JCS Joint Contact Team Program DOD Military-to-Military Contact Program DOD Excess Defense Articles Program Bulgaria Czech Federal Republic Estonia Hungary Latvia Lithuania Poland Romania Slovak Federal Republic Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Georgia (Formerly Soviet Union) Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Moldova Russia