NATO: capabilities and timelines

This article on force generation at NATO makes an interesting point about coalition warfare:

Force Generation is a continuous process involving two main factors. First: requirements, or capabilities. Second: a time line as to when those capabilities will be required. It could be described as filling in a large spreadsheet with capabilities up the left hand column, and time across the top row. For example, the first line would be the commander of the mission, and across the columns would be the nation contributing and when. This aggregate information is called the Combined Joint Statement of Requirements, or CJSOR.

It’s important to note that NATO doesn’t generally request specific numbers or types of troops or equipment, it identifies capabilities. For example, a requirement might be determined for infantry battalions as opposed to groups of 800 or 1000 troops. Air support would not specify aircraft types and numbers, but the ability to generate the support required at any given time. Understanding this is key to avoiding incorrect information regarding specific numbers. It’s up to the nations to translate the capabilities requested to numbers based on their national unit composition, equipment types and capabilities, doctrine and other factors. [my highlight]

This is why the Manley panel's recommendation (pdf) was worded as follows:

This commitment is contingent on the assignment of an additional battle group (of about 1,000 soldiers) to Kandahar by NATO and/or other allies before February 2009. [my emphasis]

The panel asked for a capability (a battle group) and put an approximate troop number to it just to clarify things for the reading public.

I don't envy the folks at NATO; when participation is voluntary, getting hard commitments must be like herding cats, or nailing Jello to a wall. This seems like the only way - short of standardizing everyone's training and equipment, and compelling them to employ it as NATO sees fit - to cobble all the pieces of the coalition puzzle together.