Steadfast Defender 2021:Looking to Reinforce Europe and Quickly Respond to Attacks

Currently underway is flagship NATO Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021, focused on securing the Atlantic to enable reinforcement of Europe by North American NATO Allies.In the drills,F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters, Cyber and Space capabilities, and warships from 11 countries will demonstrate their ability to secure the strategic lines of communication across the Atlantic Ocean from Seabed to Space.Participants include the HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group and the US Navy Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, making up some of the 17 warships,80 aircraft and 15,000 troops from the more than 20 Allies taking part.More than 650 pieces of equipment will also be used to enact the Article V scenario of an attack on one being an attack on all.SD 2021 will improve NATO'S capability to respond collectively to an attack, refecting NATO'S resolve to deter and defend across the entire Euro-Atlantic continuum by practising military mobility to and throughout Europe.* Key to the drills are two new NATO commands:Joint Support and Enabling Command (logistics),or JSEC,out of Ulm, Germany, and the Atlantic-oriented Joint Force Command Norfolk,or JFCNF, out of Norfolk, Virginia.SD 2021 brings North America and Europe together in today's more challenging threat environment.Both JFCNF and the U.S. 2nd Fleet are under the command of VADM Andrew Lewis,US Navy. The dynamic NATO maritime live exercise phase (LIVEX) began off the coast of Portugal on 20 May.It posits the rapid reinforcement of NATO'S European Allies by North American forces.VADM Lewis explained that: This challenging mission serves to demonstrate the unity of NATO Allies and our readiness to deter conflict and aggression.It showcases our abilities,as an Alliance, to maintain freedom of navigation, rule of law and to effectively deter adversaries around the globe.* The drills are a test of NATO'S capability to move large numbers of troops, equipment and supplies across the Atlantic and Europe in response to the Article V scenario.A prompt deployment of forces from North America, their movement across the European continent, and the integration of multinational troops will strengthen the readiness and deterrence posture of Allied Command Operations,JFCNF said.The serialised programme over the course of two weeks will allow Allied submarines, surface ships and aircraft to work together in a dynamic environment, preparing them for challenging, high-end operations against near-peer competitors.. Command and control platform for the LIVEX is the USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), with the embarked U.S. 2nd Fleet staff under RADM Steve Waddell, Royal Canadian Navy,who is Vice Commander of U.S. 2nd Fleet.RADM Waddell noted that: The USS Mount Whitney plays a pivotal role with its communications capability.Second Fleet's role as the MCC (Maritime Component Commander) for the exercise demonstrates the United States' ironclad commitment to NATO, and the U.S.'s dedication to further revitalize its relationship with the Alliance.* The USS Mount Whitney is a Blue Ridge-class amphibious command ship, normally serving as flagship of U.S. 6th Fleet.It has a complement of 150 enlisted personnel,12 officers and 150 Civilian Mariners of the US Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC).The vessel can receive, process and transmit large amounts of secure data from any point on Earth through HF,UHF,VHF,SHF and EHF means, enabling Mount Whitney's Joint Intelligence Center to gather and fuse critical information while underway.She incorporates various elements of the most advanced Command, Control, Communications, Computer and Intelligence (C4I) equipment, giving the embarked Joint Task Force Commander the capability to effectively command widely dispersed air, ground and maritime units in an integrated fashion,U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet said.* Part 2 of the Exercise involves the enablement of Supreme Allied Commander Europe AOR, Military Mobility and the Deployment of the NATO Response Force.The NRF is a high readiness and technologically advanced multinational force comprised of land,air, maritime and Special Operations Forces components.It can be deployed quickly anywhere it is required by security challenges ranging from crisis management to collective defence. Within the NRF is a spearhead force, the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). The NRF is part of NATO'S Readiness Action Plan to improve responsiveness to changes in the security environment and strengthen collective defence.SACEUR is commander of the NRF, but it can only be deployed by the North Atlantic Council, NATO'S highest level political authority.*