Part V Case Studies, 46 Alternative Approaches to Certain Deployments: Agreements Conferring Status Similar to the Status of Administrative and Technical Staff of Embassies (A&T Agreements)

Subject(s):

Military assistance — Military matters

This chapter discusses ‘A&T agreements’, which are a type of Visiting Forces agreements. It explains the unique nature, purpose, and intent of such agreements, and discusses particular provisions commonly found in such agreements. A&T agreements have become a common fixture in the practice of many nations in support of short duration military deployments, especially in support of exercises and humanitarian activities. As a form of A&T agreement, the Global SOFA Template (GST) in particular is valuable to study for its ‘best-case’ language, although in practice it would be best to tailor the language to the situation at hand, giving due consideration for the legitimate interests of the receiving state. Regardless, the increasing acceptance of A&T agreements is a positive development which makes the negotiation of status arrangements for deploying forces increasingly simple.