O-077 Rev3 NIMIC in a Transition Phase - The transition to MSIAC Final Steps

Following a Pilot NIMIC phase that started in 1988, NIMIC became a NATO Project Office in 1991. NIMIC is an Information Analysis Center (IAC) dedicated to Insensitive Munitions, and over the years has effectively supported the development and implementation of IM technologies.

The NIMIC Nations now see the development and fielding of Insensitive Munitions becoming a normal part of the continuous improvement of Munitions Safety. Hence, they decided that what they needed now was an Information Analysis Center that would cover not only Insensitive Munitions, but also the broader scope of Munitions Safety throughout the lifecycle of munitions. They called this new Project Office MSIAC (Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center) and decided to transition NIMIC into MSIAC.

However, in line with the current number one NATO priority “Defence Against Terrorism”, the NIMIC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) amendment that describes the transition to MSIAC makes it clear that advancing IM issues will remain one of the main objectives of MSIAC.

A Pilot-MSIAC operation was created within NIMIC on 1 January 2003, to help monitor the progress of the transition. The full transition from NIMIC into MSIAC was estimated to take at least two years, so that MSIAC was not expected to become operational before 1 January 2005, at the earliest.

This paper presents a brief history of NIMIC, and the goals and status of the transition from NIMIC to MSIAC.