NATO publishes WMD policy

BRUSSELS, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- NATO made public its new comprehensive strategic policy for the proliferation of and defending against weapons of mass destruction.

The North Atlantic Council, the highest governing body in the alliance, released its policy for preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and defending against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

"The document is comprehensive in scope," said Jacek Bylica, the top WMD official at NATO, adding its directives are guided by a clear vision of the threat posed by WMD.

"It provides high-level political guidance for our future activities in support of international arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaties and regimes, as well as for military planning and capacity-building for defending against the threats posed by these weapons," he said in a NATO release.

The directive allows "enablers" to work with partners to the NATO alliance to share intelligence and share efforts at public diplomacy and strategic communication.

"A balanced mix of forces, response capabilities and strengthened defenses is needed in order to deter and defend against the use of WMD," the document reads.

NATO at a 2006 summit in Latvia said WMD and their possible spread by terrorists was one of the gravest threats facing the alliance during the next decade.

The WMD document was endorsed in April 2009.