Global Exchange of Military Information (GEMI)

Overview

Potential Facility Impacts

Current Activities

Overview

Purpose and Background

The Global Exchange of Military Information (GEMI) is a politically-binding transparency measure obligating the Participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to report their military force structures. GEMI thereby serves as a confidence and security-building measure (CSBM) promoting openness and preventing conflicts potentially resulting from misinformation or a misunderstanding. GEMI entered into force on January 1, 1995, and the first data exchange occurred on July 1, 1995.

GEMI evolved from a proposal in the 1992 Helsinki Document’s Program for Immediate Action. As a CSBM, GEMI is part of the OSCE’s broad political-military transparency framework, which also includes agreements such as the Vienna Document 1999 (VDOC99) and the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) . However, GEMI is unique in its global scope. Participating States discuss issues relating to GEMI implementation, including grievances, in the OSCE’s Forum for Security Cooperation (FSC). The FSC hosts the Annual Implementation Assessment Meeting (AIAM) every March to evaluate the implementation of all OSCE CSBMs, which include GEMI and VDOC99.

Potential Facility Impacts

Key Verification Measures

GEMI includes no on-site inspection provisions. However, at the AIAM, OSCE Participating States may request clarification of information provided by another state in its annual data declaration.

Data declarations under GEMI are submitted annually by April 30 and contain information current as of January 1 of that year. States are obligated to include information on its military command structure and personnel, as well as information on major weapons and equipment systems holdings. The information is divided into land forces and other forces. Land forces are reported down to the division level and other forces are reported down to the army or equivalent level. All force totals, both inside and outside the state’s territory, are reported.

Data reported concerning the military command structure includes information on general staff locations and peacetime personnel strengths. Personnel strength information includes conscripts, enlisted personnel and officers by rank, reserves, and those serving under UN or OSCE mandates. Major weapons and equipment systems subject to reporting include: battle tanks; armored combat vehicles (armored personnel carriers, armored infantry fighting vehicles, and heavy armament combat vehicles); armored vehicle launched bridges; anti-tank guided missile launchers; self-propelled and towed artillery; aircraft (combat, military transport, and primary trainer aircraft); helicopters (attack, combat support, and military transport helicopters); surface warships; and submarines.

For each type or class of weapon, states are obligated to provide technical data and relevant photographs. The numbers of new weapons or equipment systems entering into service either through national production or as an import are also required to be reported each year.

Current Activities

Recent Developments

The 18^th AIAM was held March 4-5, 2008, in Vienna, Austria, to review the implementation of GEMI, VDOC99, and other OSCE CSBMs. Fifty-two states participated in the GEMI data exchange of April 30, 2007, which was the highest ever level of compliance with the deadline.

The 19^th AIAM was held March 3-4, 2009 in Vienna, Austria. At this meeting, participating States discussed the present and future implementation of agreed CSBMs, including GEMI and VDOC 99.