STANAG 3879
STANAG 3879 wildlife strike prevention
NATO nations and the airbases and units that operate NATO Air Forces aircraft
STANAG 3879 is NATO's agreement committing member nations to implement AFSP-1.4, the Allied publication covering wildlife strike prevention at NATO airbases.
- Edition
- 9
- Published
- 2024-12-16
What it is
What STANAG 3879 covers
STANAG 3879 is the NATO standardization agreement that gives force to AFSP-1.4, Edition B, the Allied publication on wildlife strike prevention. A STANAG is not itself a technical specification: it is the agreement by which NATO nations commit to implement one, and the actual procedures sit in the Allied Publication it covers. This STANAG responds to an interoperability requirement stated plainly in the document: "to standardize the measures for NATO wildlife strike prevention at NATO airbases and during national and international operations with NATO Air Forces aircraft." AFSP-1.4 itself "adopts the ICAO Doc 9137 (Airport Services Manual - Part 3 - Wildlife Hazard Management) as the standard for wildlife strike prevention."
This is Edition 9, promulgated 16 December 2024. It supersedes STANAG 3879, Edition 8, dated 26 March 2013.
Who ratifies it, and how it takes effect
The mechanism that matters here: a STANAG binds a nation, not a supplier. Nations "are invited to examine their ratification of the STANAG and, if they have not already done so, advise the NSO of their intention regarding its ratification and implementation," and the national response is recorded in the NATO Standardization Documents Database (NSDD) through the electronic reporting tool. Once ratified, "this STANAG is effective upon receipt for use by the participating nations and NATO bodies." AFSP-1.4 "is considered implemented when a nation has issued the necessary orders/instructions putting the procedures detailed in this standard into effect." An airbase or unit meets AFSP-1.4 only where a contract, a tender or a national instruction brings it in by name, not because the STANAG exists on its own.
What implementation involves
To reach that point, the document sets out four actions entities must take: "review and, if necessary, update their procedures for assessing and reporting wildlife strikes, managing the habitat and harassing hazardous wildlife"; review and update their training programmes for wildlife control personnel and train them accordingly; "inventorize and, if necessary, acquire and make available wildlife control devices"; and review and update their procedures for sharing information about bird migration with other nations.
Reporting and review
Nations report ratification and implementation through the NSDD's electronic reporting tool. The STANAG "is to be reviewed in accordance with AAP-03," with the result "recorded within the NSDD."
How it's evaluated
No certification exists here, and the document names none. What it describes is a national ratification, implementation and review cycle run through NATO's own machinery, not an audit against this STANAG as such. How well an airbase actually manages wildlife hazards is a matter for its own procedures, training and equipment, and for whatever a nation's own inspection regime or a customer's quality clause checks.
How we help
STANAG 3879 and AFSP-1.4 describe an operational airfield safety procedure, not a management system: the work of preventing wildlife strikes, managing habitat, controlling hazardous wildlife and training personnel sits in day-to-day airbase operations, not in software. What that leaves to evidence is the paperwork around it: procedures that correctly reference AFSP-1.4 and this STANAG, an inventory of the wildlife control devices an airbase holds, training records that show wildlife control personnel have been trained against the current edition, and the trail an internal or customer audit asks for afterwards.
ComplyTrain holds that evidence as a modern, auditable system: version-controlled procedures, a record of wildlife control equipment and training tied to named individuals and dates, and corrective actions when a gap turns up, all searchable when an inspection or a customer's quality clause asks for it. It does not manage wildlife hazards on an airfield, does not decide how a nation implements the agreement, and does not replace the ratification and reporting nations carry out themselves through the NSDD.
The applicable tier here, and whatever else it comes with, is set by the contract and the customer's quality clause. If you are working out what sits alongside STANAG 3879, the standards explorer covers the related NATO air standardization publications, and we are glad to talk through what that means in practice.
Questions
Is STANAG 3879 mandatory?
Not in general. It binds a nation once that nation ratifies it, and it reaches an airbase, unit or supplier through a contract, a tender or a national instruction that names AFSP-1.4 or this STANAG, not by existing on its own. Whether it applies to a given site or contract is set by the tasking or contract in front of you.
What is the difference between STANAG 3879 and AFSP-1.4?
STANAG 3879 is the agreement: the letter of promulgation, the ratification record, and the reporting and review machinery. AFSP-1.4 is the publication itself, which adopts ICAO Doc 9137 (Airport Services Manual - Part 3 - Wildlife Hazard Management) as the standard for wildlife strike prevention. The STANAG is the cover; AFSP-1.4 is the content.
What edition is current, and what did it replace?
Edition 9, promulgated 16 December 2024. It supersedes STANAG 3879, Edition 8, dated 26 March 2013.
Is ComplyTrain certified against this agreement?
No. There is no accredited certification for STANAG 3879 or AFSP-1.4 to hold, and ComplyTrain does not claim one. What we support is the evidence trail around wildlife-hazard procedures, training and equipment, at an informational level.
How often is STANAG 3879 reviewed?
The document says it is to be reviewed in accordance with AAP-03, with the outcome recorded in the NATO Standardization Documents Database. It does not itself set a review-due date.