Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center

NATO Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center
Centre d'information et d'analyse sur la sécurité des munitions de l'OTAN

Formation	1991 (1991)[1]
Type	NATO project
Headquarters	Bruxelles, Belgium
Membership	13 states Australia Belgium Canada Finland France Germany Italy Netherlands Norway Spain Sweden United Kingdom United States
Official language	English French
MSIAC Steering Committee Chairman	Lt Col Tony Heron
MSIAC Project Manager	Dr Michael W. Sharp
Website	http://www.msiac.nato.int

Introduction

Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center, also referred to as MSIAC, is a NATO project funded directly by its member nations, not all of which are NATO members. There are currently 13 member nations: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States.

History

Pilot-Nato Insensitive Munition Information Center (Pilot-NIMIC)

On May 26, 1988 the NATO nations France, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom and the United States based on a Memorandum of Understanding decided to create Pilot-NIMIC (NIMIC = NATO Insensitive Munitions Information Center). The organization was intended to assist national and international programs to develop insensitive munitions (IM).^[2] The idea for NIMIC was born at the NATO AC/310 “Workshop on Insensitive Munitions Information Exchange” in 1986 and was actively supported by the Chairman of AC/310, IGA M. Thévenin and Principal US Member of AC/310, Dr. R. Derr.^[3] The founding of this organization was promoted by former NATO Group AC/310 (Safety and Suitability for Service of Munitions and Explosives) in an effort to support munitions developers located in NATO countries. The PILOT-NIMIC office was located at Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) of Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland, USA. The initial team comprised a project manager and five technical specialists - basically the same structure MSIAC shows today (see below). Soon after its foundation Canada joined the project in late 1989.

NIMIC Move to Brussels and Growth

After its first successful two years of operation the project moved to NATO Headquarters Brussels and officially became NIMIC on May 1, 1991. Spain and Australia entered the project in 1994, Portugal and Italy became members in 1995. In 1998 Portugal decided to leave NIMIC. Denmark entered the project 1999 but left soon after in 2004.

Merger of AC/258 and AC/310 and Transition to MSIAC

In May 2003 the Conference of National Armament Directors (CNAD) Ammunition Safety Group (AC/326) (CASG) was formed by a merger of former AC/258 Group of Experts on the Safety Aspects of Transportation and Storage of Military Ammunition and Explosives and the former AC/310 Group of Safety and Suitability for Service of Munitions and Explosives.^[4] With a given broader emphasis on Munitions Safety it was decided to modify NIMIC's scope to take this change into account. Hence its transition to Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center (MSIAC) began with the Pilot MSIAC phase in Spring 2003. The successful transition was accomplished by late 2004 and MSIAC was officially operational on December 15, 2004. Germany finally entered the project in 2005. Belgium entered MSIAC in 2013.

Organization

The MSIAC Project Office consists of a Steering Committee, National Focal Point Officers (NFPO) and an Information Analysis Center (MSIAC). The Steering Committee is made up of one voting representative from each member nation and an elected chairman. It is responsible for implementing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that established MSIAC and for developing its policy. This policy is carried out on a day-to-day basis by the MSIAC Project Manager.

Tasks

The NATO Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center (MSIAC) (Centre d'information et d'analyse sur la sécurité des munitions de l'OTAN (CIASM) in French) provides technical consultancy services to its member nations in the area of munitions safety. Areas with which MSIAC is concerned include:

• Energetic materials - high explosives, gun propellants, rocket propellants and pyrotechnics;
• Warhead Technology – design, production, testing, terminal effects, fuzing systems;
• Propulsion Technology – design, production, testing, ignition/initiation systems;
• Munitions Systems – weapon system integration, threat and hazard analysis, safety and suitability for service, demil and disposal;
• Munitions Logistics – safety principles and regulations for transport and storage, hazard classification and risk analysis;
• Material Sciences - understanding structural materials and their influence on safety and functionality of ammunition.

Within these areas, MSIAC performs the following functions:

• Develop the MSIAC internal database of technical information;
• Provide technical advice;
• Respond to inquiries from governmental agencies and industry of member nations;
• Anticipate inquiries and prepare state-of-the-art reports to deal with them;
• Organize technical lectures^[5]
• Develop and distribute software tools and databases,;^[6][7]
• Organize Round Robin Tests;^[8]
• Develop and maintain networks of experts, through the sponsorship of workshops and seminars and the creation of e-Working Groups.

List of officials

Chairmen of the NIMIC & MSIAC Steering Committee

#	Name	Country	Duration
1	Dr. Ron Derr	United States	1991–1998
2	Anthony Melita	United States	1998–2005
3	CPT RAN Jacqui King	Australia	2005–2008
4	Dr. Jerry Ward	United States	2009-2011
5	GPCPT Wade Evans OBE	Australia	2011–2014
6	LtCol Tony Heron	Canada	2014–to present

PNIMIC, NIMIC, & MSIAC Project Manager

#	Name	Country	Duration
1	Henry F. Hege	United States	1989
2	George M. Starken	United States	1989
3	Edward Daugherty	United States	1990–1991
4	GEN Marc Défourneaux	France	1992–1995
5	GEN Michel Thévenin	France	1995–1998
6	Dr. Peter Lee	United Kingdom	1998–2002
7	BGN Patrick Touzé	France	2002–2010
8	Roger L. Swanson	United States	2010 – 2013
9	Dr. Michael W. Sharp	United Kingdom	2013 –

References