INTRODUCTION Metadata is essential for dealing with geospatial data. On printed maps the user can find information about the content@ its product specification@ the currency of the data sources@ the producer@ the distributor@ scale and other relevant data important for the usage of the map. For digital geospatial data this metadata has to be provided additionally to the actual data. Digital metadata needs to be structured@ i.e. metadata elements@ their value types@ obligations and multiplicities of occurrences have to be defined. While metadata has been used in the past to facilitate the interchange of geospatial data@ it becomes a core component of the emerging civilian and military spatial data infrastructures. Interoperability of the different components of a spatial data infrastructure implies: A standard metadata structure; Standard interchange mechanisms; Well defined vocabularies. Each spatial data infrastructure remains specific in terms of users@ requirements@ practices@ cultures and policies. If the adoption of standards is a challenge from this perspective@ it becomes a necessity when there are requirements to interface different spatial data infrastructures. The military community is adopting widely the civilian metadata standards (ISO 19115@ ISO/TS 19139@ ??) and there is a growing requirement to develop a general metadata profile for the military community harmonising the existing practices and addressing emerging requirements. The development of this general metadata profile is conducted by the Defence Geospatial Information Working Group (DGIWG) in close cooperation with the NATO Joint Geospatial Standard Working Group (JGSWG). There is an urgent need to address metadata requirements of the NATO Command Structure. The first version of STANAG 2586 meets this requirement proposing a standardized minimum set of metadata elements. It is anticipated to proceed to a revision of STANAG 2586 when the general metadata profile for the military community will be available. There is a dependency of the general metadata profile with the ongoing revision of the ISO standard on geospatial metadata ISO 19115. Therefore@ the first version of STANAG 2586 is published only with the core elements required for geospatial business processes in the NATO Command Structure@ to be amended by a more general military profile taking national requirements into account once the ISO standard on geospatial metadata is finalized.