Boxer Support Partnership holds first meeting

The NATO Support and Procurement Agency's (NSPA’s) Support Partnership for the Boxer 8x8 multi-role armoured vehicle held its first committee meeting recently. 

Originally established in 2013 under the Land Combat Vehicle Support Partnership before being made a standalone Support Partnership in 2018, the Boxer partnership provides its member nations with logistics support. It ranges from the initial concept phase to in-service support, and eventually even the retirement of the system. It also provides a legal framework for aiding multinational cooperation. 

Currently there are more than 500 Boxer vehicles being used by the three member nations of the Support Partnership – Germany, the Netherlands and Lithuania. Another 2,000 vehicles are expected to be added to that number as the three nations look to expand their fleets and new nations join the programme.

The NSPA, in addition to providing in-service support to the German and Dutch Boxer fleets since 2013, also manages and maintains the central direct exchange and national stocks, as well as performing brokerage activities for the user nations. 

The Boxer Support Partnership Committee meeting was attended by the three member nations, along with Australia and the UK - which have the Boxer CRV and Boxer vehicles on order respectively - as observer nations. The next meeting is planned in September 2019.