324. NATO, through its interoperability directive, has recognized that widespread interoperability is a key component in achieving effective and efficient operations. In many of the operations world-wide in which NATO nations are engaged, they participate together with a wide variety of other organizations on the ground. Such organizations include coalition partners from non-NATO nations, Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs - e.g. Aid Agencies) and industrial partners. The NATO Interoperability Standards and Profile (NISP) provides the necessary guidance and technical components to support project implementations and transition to NATO Network Enabled Capability (NNEC).

325. The purpose of this document is to define an Interoperability Standards Profile to support the Afghanistan Mission Network (AMN) and transition from today's legacy systems to NNEC be defining a basic level of system interoperability in order to enhance the exchange of information within and across the AMN. To support the goal of widespread interoperability the AMN Profile defines a minimum profile of services and standards for Technical Interfaces ^[5], Data Interchange Standards ^[6] and Application Profile Standards^[7] that are sufficient to provide a useful level of interoperability. The AMN Profile is structured along the new NNEC Framework developed by Allied Command Transformation and NC3A.

326. The AMN Profile focuses primarily on the upper two OSI layers and assumes that all participants are using IP v4 packet-switched, routed networks (at least at least to their network boundaries). Interoperability will be supported through Network Interconnection Points (NIPs) between component networks and systems providing a limited set of automated information exchange C2 information including but not limited to: Chat / Instant Messaging, E-mail with attachments, Web publishing/access, File transfer, VTC and Voice over IP telephony.

327. This profile will be used in the implementation of NATO Common Funded Systems. Nations participating in AMN agree to use this profile at Network Interconnection Points (NIPs) and at other Service Interoperability Points as applicable.

328. NNEC Services must be able to function in a network environment containing firewalls and various routing and filtering schemes; therefore, developers must use standard and well-known ports wherever possible, and document non-standard ports as part of their service interface. Service developers must assume network behavior and performance consistent with the existing limits of these networks, taking bandwidth limitations and potentially unreliable networks into account.