North Atlantic Treaty Organization
October 14, 2013
Sweden to join NATO Response Force and exercise Steadfast Jazz
Swedish Gripen warplane of the sort that participated in NATO’s six-month air war against Libya in 2011
Sweden is to join the NATO Response Force (NRF), and to join the Alliance’s largest exercise of the last seven years, Steadfast Jazz, after the North Atlantic Council approved the Swedish contribution on Monday 14 October. “I welcome Sweden’s participation, alongside that of Finland and Ukraine. Our relationship is already strong, and this will make it even stronger,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
Sweden has offered to send staff officers to exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013. With the approval by NATO Allies, the Nordic nation becomes the third partner country to join Steadfast Jazz, alongside Finland and Ukraine.
Steadfast Jazz will be conducted in a number of locations across the Alliance in early November, with the largest elements being hosted in Latvia and Poland. It is the culmination of a series of demanding exercises designed to test and certify the NRF, NATO’s rapid-reaction formation.
“The NATO Response Force is the spearhead of this Alliance: a rapid-reaction group able to defend any Ally, deploy anywhere, and deal with any threat. Exercise Steadfast Jazz will make sure that the spearhead is sharp, and ready to use,” the Secretary General said.
The NRF is made up of land, air, naval and special forces units committed by NATO nations for a twelve-month period. Partner coutries can contribute to the NRF once their participation has been approved by the North Atlantic Council and the forces designated meet the required NATO standards. They reinforce the contribution of NATO Allies to the NRF, but do not replace them.
NATO’s Connected Forces Initiative, launched by the Secretary General, foresees a reinforced programme of exercises in the coming years – and reinforced cooperation with partners.
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Sweden has offered substantial forces to the next four rotations of the NRF, including aircraft, ships and land forces. Sweden is thus the fourth partner to join NRF, following Finland and Ukraine, who will make forces available for the NRF in 2014, as well as Georgia, who offered to contribute to the NRF in 2015.
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