O-136 MSIAC Audit Procedures of IM & IM/HC Testing Organizations' Capabilities & Competences

A step towards certifying organizations carrying out Munitions Safety Tests

NATO is now an Alliance of 28 nations together with more than 30 Partners.  Such an Alliance can only work effectively together if there is a common set of standards to professionally execute joint and combined operations.  In addition, the Alliance is involved more and more in out-of area expeditionary operations using forces from numerous member nations and Partners who all have different backgrounds.  This common set of standards can be achieved by the development and use of one specific NATO Standardization Agency (NSA) product: the Standardization Agreement (STANAG).  STANAGs and their associated documents are the main tool used to achieve interoperability and interchangeability because they provide uniform politics and procedures.
However, there is a need to ensure that results requested in those standards can be trusted as the requirement for weapon manufacturers to meet government developed performance-based specifications has removed the military from direct control of their activities and placed reliance on the manufacturer’s capability to produce the weapons, and to demonstrate conformance.  Accreditation of organizations demonstrating conformance to standards is one way of ensuring that National and NATO needs are met.
This issue was raised at the MSIAC Steering Committee (SC), which agreed to create a Work Element to address Certification for Munitions Safety Testing at Member Nation Test Ranges.  It was also agreed that the initial phase would limited itself to IM testing. Accordingly, MSIAC has developed a procedure to audit capabilities of organizations carrying out IM tests.  The SC also agreed to share this procedure with all member Nations of the CNAD Ammunition Safety Group (CASG), Allied Committee 326 (AC/326).