Two squadrons of F-16s are ready at Aviano Air Base in Italy

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- NATO must follow an eight-step process before it can launch airstrikes against Serbian targets for Yugoslavia's failure to comply with a U.N. mandate ordering all Serbian troops out of Kosovo province.

The NATO process is now at stage three.

Here is a list of the eight steps:

Step one: "Activation warning" -- The Supreme Allied Commander of NATO (SACEUR) and the NATO commander of the Atlantic area of operations (SACLANT) must send a message to NATO nations that "warns of possible execution of a (military) plan and advises (NATO nations) of potential requirements" for implementation.

Step two: "Force prepare" -- The response from NATO nations to the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, in which NATO nations say whether they'll commit troops, military aircraft and other necessary machinery and firepower to military action.

Step three: "Activation request" -- Request from the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and the NATO commander of the Atlantic to the North Atlantic Council (NAC), or NATO ambassadors. The NATO commanders are requesting the ambassadors' approval for execution of a military plan. Step three includes the answer from the North Atlantic Council.

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Step four: "Activation order" -- The order comes from the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and the NATO commander of the Atlantic to all NATO nations. It "establishes an execution date for a plan" which has been selected, approved and made available to the military commanders.

Step five: "Order of battle & transfer of authority" -- From all NATO nations to the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. The order "acknowledges (the) date of execution for a plan. Transfers control from nations to SACEUR." Normally prepared by NATO's U.S. European Command.

Step six: "Rules of engagement request" -- A request for the North Atlantic Council to approve "specific rules of engagement." The request comes from the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and the NATO commander of the Atlantic.

Step seven: "Rules of engagement authorization" -- Approval of the "rules of engagement;" from the North Atlantic Council (NAC) to the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.

Step eight: "Rules of engagement implementation" -- An order from the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO to the forces aligned to take action, which implements the agreed upon military action.

"The Fall of Yugoslavia: The Third Balkan War" by Misha Glenny "From Plato to NATO: The Idea of the West and Its Opponents" by David Gress "NATO and the United States: The Enduring Alliance, Vol. 1" by Lawrence S. Kaplan "Beyond NATO: Staying out of Europe's Wars" by Ted Galen Carpenter Click here for additional reading on NATO