North Atlantic Treaty Organization
August 8, 2013
Busy autumn ahead for NATO Response Force training
F-16s during NATO exercise
NATO will conduct a series of dynamic and demanding exercises this autumn that will put both troops and commanders from the NATO Response Force (NRF) to the test. The Alliance has ambitious plans to increase training activity over the next few years to maintain readiness and interoperability. This will include more ambitious and frequent exercises, a broader range of scenarios and a comprehensive training plan to cover the full range of Alliance missions.
“The NATO Response Force is a key-component of NATO’s collective defence capabilities,” said General Philip Breedlove, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander (SACEUR) . “The NATO Response Force is also essential in maintaining and enhancing the ability of forces from across the Alliance to work together, which will be increasingly important as our mission in Afghanistan winds-down and we prepare to meet future challenges.”
The first of these exercises to test the skills and interoperability of the NRF will be Exercise Brilliant Arrow, which will involve around 50 military aircraft and approximately 800 exercise participants in the central region of Norway from 25 August to 5 September 2013. Nine other NATO members, including France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Turkey and the United Kingdom will also participate. The exercise will be conducted by NATO’s Allied Air Command, which is headquartered at the Ramstein Air Base, Germany. One of the key priorities for NATO is maintaining the unparalleled level of interoperability among Allies and partners as a result of recent and intense operational experiences.
Maritime and land components of the NRF will conduct separate exercises. Maritime manoeuvres will be conducted in late September and early October during Exercise Brilliant Mariner. The NRF training for 2013 will culminate with Exercise Steadfast Jazz, which takes place in early November in a number of Allied nations including the Baltic states and Poland. Air, land, maritime and special forces components will all be exercised as well as military headquarter staff from Joint Force Command Brunssum which will be expected to lead NATO joint operations next year. As the operational tempo is expected to decrease after the combat mission in Afghanistan is completed at the end of 2014, NATO will step up training to maintain readiness and interoperability.
NATO Defence Ministers in February 2013 endorsed plans to revitalise NATO’s exercise programme. This will include more ambitious and frequent exercises, a broader range of scenarios, and a comprehensive training plan out to 2020 to cover the full range of Alliance missions. Nations will also be encouraged to open national exercises to NATO participation, which will provide further opportunities to enhance Alliance interoperability.
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