NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Greece
June 15, 2015
Exercise GORDIAN KNOT ’15 – NRDC-GR High Readiness Force “Combat Ready”
By Public Affairs Office
Exercise GORDIAN KNOT ’15 (GOKT-15) has reached its “aiming for excellence”, featuring high intensity scenario operations with an intensive battle rhythm, presenting challenges and opportunities to all participants, and supporting Allied and National entities in the area of Thessaloniki in Macedonia region of Northern Greece.
The exercise, running from Tuesday, June the 2nd through Friday the 12th, brought together a total of 1628 military personnel from 20 NATO nations, representing 40 NATO and National Headquarters, for training and further improvement of skills and capabilities, in a clear multinational posture and mindset. The exercise, used as a vehicle to promote and sustain our nations’ common interests and the Alliance’s commitments to the collective defense principles, challenged by a Combat Readiness Evaluation (CREVAL) as it was scheduled with an evaluation team provided by NATO Land Command (LANDCOM) and monitored by SHAPE.
The exercise placed the HQ in a war fighting scenario, forcing the whole team to tackle the kind of issues featured in news headlines around the world. In order to find solutions in a rigorous and complex operational environment new system capabilities and strategies were pushed. The scenario of the exercise deals with the activation of the collective defense under Article 5 of the Alliance.
NRDC-GR Commander’s Lieutenant General Ilias LEONTARIS’ vision as it was pointed out states that our headquarters will remain a key player within the Graduated Readiness Forces (Land) community and will sustain its credibility and reputation within the NATO environment. At the same time NRDC-GREECE will be used a training tool by transferring knowledge and promoting techniques and NATO procedures to the Greek and Allied personnel of the HQs and will be used as a pool of well-trained Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in the field of NATO Doctrine, Training, Procedures and evaluation domains, available to Armed Forces and NATO Command Structure/NATO Force Structure Headquarters.
He added that he recognizes this event as a high value target and as a milestone for the evolution of this HQ towards Joint Command and Control Capabilities (JC2C) and as a useful tool to secure the commitment of Greece to the Alliance. Starting from the 2nd semester of 2015 and in close coordination and cooperation with the Framework Nation and Troop Contributing Nations (TCNs), NRDC-GREECE will start the evolution process to transform into JHQ in order to be ready to assume the Joint Task Force (JTF) HQ role in the future.
Commander LANDCOM and Chief of the Evaluation Team Lt. General (USA) John NICHOLSON highlighted during his final evaluation report, “I am very confident that NRDC-GR is ready to undertake any command and control of NATO operations.” “An exceptional commander and an excellent staff well-trained and contributing at a higher level, led to an excellent performance that reflects internal and external collaboration,” the General added. In his remarks on the Exercise’s penultimate day, he praised the preparation and cross staff coordination of the participants, saying that they demonstrated professionalism, will, and were “overall excellent.”
Lt. General Ilias LEONTARIS, in his following remarks, highlighted, “I am very satisfied with the results of Ex. GOKT 15, and I am proud of my staff. We could not reach our objectives without the participation of all Troop Contributing Nations, and we promise that we will continue this effort.” He ended stating, “The future belongs to them that work for it and NRDC-GR is working for the future”.
On the Distinguished Visitor’s Day, on the 12th of June 2015, a press conference took place in the Exercise Area, where a NATO Media Operations Center established for the purpose of the exercise. General NICOLSON reconfirmed during his interaction with the media representatives the declaration of “Combat Ready” for NRDC-GR HQ and the strong bond between the two HQs, LANDCOM and NRDC-GR. The GORDIAN KNOT 15 has been a great success. It was an important step for the way ahead of NRDC-GR towards the allied goal of “NATO FORCES FOR THE FUTURE”.
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