CSU2 (CIMIC support unit)

CSU2 stands for CIMIC support unit. It is a NATO abbreviation, and CIMIC itself means civil-military cooperation. NATO's glossary of acronyms and abbreviations lists CSU2 with the French equivalent unité de soutien CIMIC.

The glossary ties the entry to AJP-9, a NATO allied joint publication. The term belongs to NATO military terminology, not to Canadian federal procurement vocabulary. This page explains what the entry says, how to avoid confusing it with a similar NATO abbreviation, and how a supplier should treat it.

How NATO's glossary records CSU2

The entry appears in AAP-15, the 2013 Glossary of NATO acronyms and abbreviations. The glossary is bilingual. It gives the English expansion, CIMIC support unit, and the French expansion, unité de soutien CIMIC, and it cites AJP-9 as the associated reference.

NATO also maintains NATOTerm, its official terminology database. NATOTerm holds non-classified military terminology and is maintained by the NATO Terminology Office. It is the place to check NATO's own wording for a term.

CIMIC and NATO's Centre of Excellence

CIMIC is the first half of the abbreviation, and it means civil-military cooperation. NATO treats it as a distinct area of activity. NATO's page on Centres of Excellence identifies a Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence as a NATO-accredited centre.

A CIMIC support unit is therefore a unit named for that field. The glossary's reference to AJP-9 places the term within NATO's allied joint publications.

CSU2 is not the same as a CIS Support Unit

NATO uses the abbreviation CSU for a different concept. The NATO Communications and Information Agency describes CIS Support Units, which support NATO networks, services, exercises and IT infrastructure. Its pages on the agency and on support to forces use that meaning.

The two terms share letters but not meaning. CSU2 is the CIMIC support unit. A CIS Support Unit is a communications and information systems unit. If a document uses CSU or CSU2, read the surrounding text and the cited reference before assuming which one applies.

Where NATO opportunities appear on CanadaBuys

CanadaBuys is the Government of Canada's tendering service. It publishes opportunities from PSPC, other federal departments and agencies, broader public-sector organizations and NATO, as described on its tenders support page.

CanadaBuys also explains, in its guide to finding tender opportunities, that the NATO Support and Procurement Agency buys goods and services on behalf of NATO nations. Canadian businesses can bid on many of those opportunities. Suppliers can search current notices on the tender opportunities page.

What CSU2 means for a supplier

CSU2 is a NATO terminology entry. The CanadaBuys pages above describe how NATO opportunities are published and who can bid. They do not define CSU2 as a Canadian buyer classification, a contract deliverable or a supplier qualification.

• If a NATO or Canadian solicitation uses CSU2, read it as CIMIC support unit and check the cited publication, AJP-9.
• Do not confuse it with a CIS Support Unit, which is a communications and information systems term.
• Use the CanadaBuys search tools to find NATO opportunities and read each notice's own requirements.