Annex 4 of the FSC Journal No. 49
(Text adopted on 1 December 1993 in Rome)
The participating States, acting in accordance with paragraph 7 of the Programme for Immediate Action, set out in the Helsinki Summit Declaration of 1992, have adopted the following measures:
DEFENCE PLANNING
I. EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
1. General provisions
The participating States will exchange annually information as specified below in paragraphs 2 to 5, to provide transparency about each CSCE participating State's intentions in the medium to long term as regards size, structure, training and equipment of its armed forces, as well as defence policy, doctrines and budgets related thereto, based on their national practice and providing the background for a dialogue among the participating States. The information will be provided to all other participating States not later than two months after the military budget, referred to in paragraph 5.1, has been approved by the competent national authorities.
2. Defence policy and doctrine
In a written statement participating States will address:
2.1 their defence policy, including military strategy/doctrine as well as changes occurring thereto;
2.2 their national procedures for defence planning, including the stages of defence planning, the institutions involved in the decision-making process as well as changes occurring thereto;
2.3 their current personnel policy and the most substantial changes in it.
If the information under this point has remained the same, participating States may refer to the previously exchanged information.
3. Force planning
In a written statement participating States will address in the form of a general description:
3.1 the size, structure, personnel, major weapon and equipment systems and deployment of their armed forces and the envisaged changes thereto. In view of the reorganization of the defence structure in a number of participating States, similar information will be provided on other forces, including paramilitary forces, on a voluntary basis and as appropriate. The scope and the status of the information on such forces will be reviewed after their status has been further defined, in the process of reorganization;
3.2 the training programmes for their armed forces and planned changes thereto in the forthcoming years;
3.3 the procurement of major equipment and major military construction programmes on the basis of the categories as set out in the United Nations Instrument mentioned in paragraph 4, either ongoing or starting in the forthcoming years, if planned, and the implications of such projects, accompanied by explanations, where appropriate;
3.4 the realization of the intentions previously reported under this paragraph.
In order to facilitate the understanding of the information provided, the participating States are encouraged to use illustrative charts and maps, wherever applicable.
4. Information on previous expenditures
Participating States will report their defence expenditures of the preceding fiscal year on the basis of the categories as set out in the United Nations "Instrument for Standardized International Reporting of Military Expenditures" adopted on 12 December 1980.
They will provide, in addition, any appropriate clarification, if necessary, as to possible discrepancies between expenditures and previously reported budgets.
5. Information on budgets
The written statement will be supplemented with the following information, where available:
5.1 On the forthcoming fiscal year
5.1.1 budget figures on the basis of the categories as set out in the United Nations Instrument mentioned in paragraph 4;
5.1.2 status of budget figures.
The participating States will furthermore provide the following information in as far as available:
5.2 On the two fiscal years following the forthcoming fiscal year
5.2.1 the best estimates itemizing defence expenditures on the basis of the categories as set out in the United Nations Instrument mentioned in paragraph 4;
5.2.2 status of these estimates.
5.3 On the last two years of the forthcoming five fiscal years
5.3.1 the best estimates specifying the total and figures for the following three main categories:
- operating costs,
- procurement and construction,
- research and development;
5.3.2 status of these estimates.
5.4 Explanatory data
5.4.1 an indication of the year which has been used as the basis for any extrapolation;
5.4.2 clarifications of the data as specified in paragraphs 4 and 5, especially with regard to inflation.
II. CLARIFICATION, REVIEW AND DIALOGUE
6. Request for clarification
To increase transparency, each participating State may ask any other participating State for clarification of the information provided. Questions should be submitted within a period of two months following the receipt of a participating State's information. Participating States will make every effort to answer such questions fully and promptly. It should be understood that these exchanges are informational only. The questions and replies may be transmitted to all other participating States.
7. Annual discussion meetings
Without prejudice to the possibility of having ad hoc discussions on the information and clarification provided, the participating States will hold each year a meeting for a focused and structured dialogue to discuss the issues relating to defence planning. The Annual Implementation Assessment Meeting as foreseen in Chapter X of the Vienna Document 1992 could be used for that purpose. Such discussions may extend to the methodology of defence planning and the implications originating from the information provided.
8. Study visits
To increase knowledge of national defence planning procedures and promote dialogue, each participating State may arrange study visits for representatives of other CSCE participating States to meet with officials at the institutions involved in defence planning and appropriate bodies such as government agencies (planning, finance, economy), ministry of defence, general staff and relevant parliamentary committees.
Such exchanges could be organized within the framework of military contacts and co-operation.
III. POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
9. Participating States are encouraged to provide any other factual and documentary information relating to their defence planning. This may include:
9.1 the list and, if possible, the texts of major publicly available documents, in any of the CSCE working languages, reflecting their defence policy, military strategies and doctrines;
9.2 any other publicly available documentary reference material on their plans relating to paragraphs 2 and 3, e.g. military documents and/or "white papers".
This documentary information may be provided to the CPC Secretariat, which will distribute lists of received information and make it available upon request.
The participating States have decided that the aforementioned measures, which build upon and add to paragraph 16 of the Vienna Document 1992, are politically binding and will come into force on 1 January 1994.