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ABCA – Working With Our International Partners
14 August 2007
ABCA – the American, British, Canadian and New Zealand Armies’ programme began in 1947 between the USA, UK and Canada. Australia joined in 1963 with New Zealand becoming an observer in 1965. New Zealand became a full member in 2006 with the US Marine Corp also joining as an observer in 2004.
The aim of ABCA is to optimise interoperability, standardise capabilities and enhance mutual understanding of ABCA Armies in coalition operations. It is focused on delivering products that will close interoperability gaps between the participating nations. The programme does this through meetings, VTC, email and in some cases exercises and seminars. The products produced include agreed standards covering a range of materiel and non-materiel issues, ABCA publications, databases and reports, common language use and information exchange between experts in certain subjects.
The programme is directed by an Executive Council and managed by a permanent office in the USA. The Deputy Chief of Army, Brigadier Phil Gibbons represents New Zealand on the council, and the New Zealand Army provides a staff officer, currently LTCOL Terry Kinloch, to work in the Programme Office in Virginia. ACGS Capability, Colonel Phil Collett is the National Director of New Zealand’s ABCA, with the programme being managed by Director Army Training Lt Col Evan Williams.
There are five Capability Groups: Command, Sense, Shield, Act, and Sustain. There are also three support groups, Exercise and Experimentation, Lessons, and Futures. New Zealand also participates in a Reserves Information Sharing Group. The teams usually hold a meeting each year and each has agreed objectives. Between the groups there are currently over 40 objectives and products for 2007. Some examples that New Zealand is leading on include a database on legal policies for troops on multi-national operations, a Force Protection chapter for the ABCA Coalition Operations Handbook, a publication on convoy operations, and a report on standardising Service Support functions in stability operations.
“ABCA is the NZ Army’s most important multi-lateral intentional engagement forum,” says Colonel Collett.
“New Zealand plays its full part in running the programme, hosting the 2005 Annual Meeting and up to four group meetings each year”. He said the commitment to ABCA enables the NZ Army to “leverage the experience and work of other much larger Armies. This directly benefits capability development in NZ and operational interoperability with these important nations.”
This page was last reviewed on 24 August 2007 and is current.
