STANAG 5636 NATO core metadata specification (NCMS)

What it is

A NATO agreement to implement ADatP-5636

STANAG 5636 is the NATO standardization agreement covering ADatP-5636, the NATO Core Metadata Specification (NCMS), Edition A. Like every STANAG, it is not itself the technical specification: the document states its aim is "To define the core set of metadata elements that should be used to support interoperable information exchange," and it agrees, on behalf of participating nations, to implement the standard it names as "ADatP-5636, Edition A." The metadata elements themselves live in ADatP-5636; STANAG 5636 is the ratified commitment to use it.

That distinction matters because a STANAG binds nations, not suppliers. It becomes relevant to a supplier only where a contract, a tender, or a nation's own system specification requires ADatP-5636 conformant metadata handling - the STANAG itself creates no obligation on a company reading it.

Who it addresses, and how it binds

STANAG 5636 "is effective upon receipt for use by the participating nations and NATO bodies," not suppliers or manufacturers. It binds through ratification: 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." Ratifying and implementing are tracked separately, both reported through NATO's electronic reporting system. It is supervised under the authority of the C3 Board (C3B).

What counts as implementation

The document is specific about the test a national system has to pass. A nation has implemented STANAG 5636 when it "has integrated into any national system that interfaces with any NATO communications and information system the required mechanisms or processes" that both "binds the requisite metadata to finite data objects exchanged among such systems, in accordance with ADatP-5636" and "processes the requisite metadata bound to finite data objects received from such systems, in accordance with ADatP-5636." In practice that is two separate capabilities: producing the metadata binding on data going out, and reading it on data coming in.

There is no NATO Effective Date attached to this STANAG - the document records "NATO EFFECTIVE DATE (NED) Not applicable" - so timing runs entirely through each nation's own ratification and implementation, not a fixed calendar date. This edition does not supersede an earlier one: "This STANAG does not supersede any document." It is reviewed periodically, "in accordance with AAP-03," with the outcome recorded in NATO's own standardization database.

Related agreements

The document lists two related agreements under "OTHER RELATED DOCUMENTS": STANAG 4774 (confidentiality metadata label syntax, carried in ADatP-4774) and STANAG 4778 (the metadata binding mechanism, carried in ADatP-4778). Both inform how metadata of this kind is labelled and bound, but neither is a requirement of STANAG 5636 itself: STANAG 4774, ADatP-4774, STANAG 4778 and ADatP-4778. ADatP-5636 itself is the specification this STANAG commits to. STANAG 5636 is reviewed under AAP-03.

How it is checked

There is no certification against STANAG 5636 in any accredited sense. NATO does not audit a supplier or a product; nations self-report both their ratification and their implementation "through the electronic reporting tool (e-Reporting)," and the review outcome is likewise recorded rather than certified by a third party.

Standards it references

• STANAG 4774Background
• ADatP-4774Background
• STANAG 4778Background
• ADatP-4778Background