Members states are asked to provide a range of information, including their response time when a need emerges, their overall capabilities, readiness and resources, and their air and sealift capacity and equipment requirements. Countries remain responsible for the training of their personnel, though the U.N. can provide some guidelines, training manuals and assistance under a separate stand-by training initiative. The more details provided in advance, the better the U.N. is able to assess capabilities, plan operations, and enable nations to prepare their troops or equipment. For example, added data on the port of departure, the level of self-sufficiency, and political or military preconditions further assist in planning peace operations. Information provided to the U.N. Standby Arrangement System and stored in the database is provided by member states on a voluntary basis.
All data is confidential.
It follows that a standby arrangement does not constitute an automatic obligation on the part of the participating Member State to contribute. While nations list resources which they may provide to a U.N. operation, they also can chose to restrict their use by the United Nations. Since its beginning in 1993, the Stand-by Arrangements System has made significant progress. Sixty-six countries have officially expressed their willingness to participate in the system as of August 1, 1997. The United States, however, has not provided further details or specifics about what it could provide.