Exercise Brilliant Jump is underway

British Army prepares for Nato's biggest show of force since Cold War - YouTube - Forces News

A large display by the British Army occurred as they mobilised for a call-up to the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).The total number of military personnel in the VJTF is 6,000.They are NATO's spearhead force.With 500 troops and 162 armoured and protected mobility vehicles,including Foxhounds,Jackals and Land Rovers,the bustle surprised residents of the East Midlands,England.Their destination is Poland,where they will participate in Exercise Polish Dragon,one of 11 Exercises comprising Exercise Steadfast Defender 24.

Deterrence and Defence:NATO's New Plan for the Eastern Flank

According to NATO,the Alliance has increased its military presence in the Eastern Flank as a direct result of Russia's behaviour,which reflects a pattern of aggressive actions against its neighbours and the wider transatlantic community.Russia is the most significant and direct threat to Allies' security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.* Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,Allies reinforced the existing Enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroups.It was decided to form four more Battlegroups in Bulgaria,Hungary,Romania and Slovakia.This has brought the total number of multinational Battlegroups to eight,and has effectively doubled the number of troops on the ground and extended NATO's forward presence along the Alliance's Eastern Flank,from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south.* At the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid,the Allies decided to scale up the multinational Battlegroups from Battalion (US Army 100-1,000 troops under a Lieutenant Colonel) up to a Brigade (US Army 2,000-5,000 Soldiers under a Brigadier General or Colonel) where and when required.This scaling up of rapidly available forces would take place during a crisis and is being practised in drills.* Besides this capability,Allies have sent additional ships,planes and troops to NATO territory in Eastern Europe,further reinforcing the Alliance's Forward Defence and Deterrence Forces.The Battlegroups are not identical;their sizes and compositions are tailored to specific geographical sectors and threats.Forces from contributing nations rotate in and out of the Battlegroups at any given time.They may be deployed to Battlegroups or stationed in their home countries with the ability to deploy rapidly if needed.* All eight Battlegroups are integrated into NATO's command structure to ensure necessary readiness and responsiveness.The rapid reinforcement strategy ensures that Forward Defence and Deterrence Forces will be reinforced by NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF),the broader NATO Response Force (NRF),Allies' additional high-readiness forces and NATO's heavier follow on forces as needed.* Also at the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid,Allies agreed a new NATO Force Model that represents a broader expansion of our higher-readiness forces potentially available to NATO when and where required.The NATO Force Model is still being developed for implementation later in 2023.Further measures to boost NATO's ability to reinforce include developing more pre-positioned equipment and weapon stockpiles;more forward-deployed cacpabilities,including air and missile defence systems;strengthened Command and Control;and upgraded regional defence plans,with specific forces pre-assigned in the defence of specific Allies.The pre-assigned forces will work with in-place forces-both national home defence and Allied forward presence forces-and become familiar with local terrain,facilities and pre-positioned stock so that they can reinforce the Allies even faster.* At the 2023 NATO Vilnius Summit,Allies approved a new generation of regional defence plans,which will significantly improve coherence of NATO's collective defence planning with Allies' national defence planning of their forces,posture,capabilities and Command and Control.The Alliance will continue to ensure that its posture remains credible,coherent and resilient,able to act immediately in response to any aggression.

Defending the Northern Flank:Dynamic Mongoose 2023

NATO exercise Dynamic Mongoose 2023 opens on 24 April and runs until 4 May.Iceland is the primary host nation.Other participants include Canada,Denmark and the Faroe Islands,France,Germany,the Netherlands,Norway,Poland,Portugal,Spain,the UK and the US.The drills will take place in the waters between Norway,the Faroe Islands and Iceland,the expansive waters of the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap (GIUK).Thus they will demonstrate NATO's ability to operate in the area,maintaining freedom of navigation for the international maritime community.The exercise contributes to the security,stability and NATO's situational awareness in the North Atlantic.The high-tempo training will include dynamic scenarios to test all units' ability to confront any threat in the subsurface domain-skills that are inreasingly relevant as the Alliance continues to adapt to new security challenges,according to NATO Maritime Command (MARCOM) in Northwood,UK.* Taking part in the drills will be 14 warships,4 submarines and 6 aircraft.Airbases across the region will host the Maritime Patrol Aircraft.The vessels will venture into Faroe Islands waters and may dock at Faroe Islands ports.The Faroe Islands are an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.They are located 320 km/200 mi north-northwest of the UK,or halfway between Norway and Iceland.The purpose of the exercise is to hone NATO's ability to counter the threat posed by adversary submarines approaching NATO's Northern Flank.It will also include Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW) Tactics,Techniques and Procedures (TTPs).The drills demonstrate the readiness and mobility of the maritime component of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF),the spearhead of the NATO Response Force (NRF).* The Faroe Islands have a population of 54,000 (2022).There is some difficult,rocky terrain found among the 18 major islands.Denmark handles their defence and foreign affairs,but the Faroe Islands,a parliamentary democracy,negotiate their own trade deals.They do not belong to the EU.They have their own flag and national anthem.* During the course of Dynamic Mongoose,naval officers will stand watch in the combat information centre,observing and coordinating battle group actions as the submarines and warships take turns hunting and being hunted.*

Dynamic Manta 2023:Anti-Submarine Warfare in the Mediterranean

NATO Exercise Dynamic Manta 2023 began on 27 February and continues through 10 March.It provides complex and challenging maritime warfighting training to all nine participating Allies:Canada,France,Germany,Greece,Italy,Spain,Turkiye,the UK and the US.The techniques,tactics and procedures (TTPs) emphasise anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and surface warfare in the context of Anti-Access/Area Denial operations in the Central Mediterranean Sea.The drills are meant to shape a collectively trained and interoperable force ready to operate as the maritime component of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).According to NATO,its maritime power relies on the capability to combine NATO Standing Forces with high capability national forces to deliver effects whenever and wherever needed.In this iteration of the exercise,Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2) provides surface warfare assets. SNMG 2 currently consists of the flagship,US Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95);Spanish Armada ESPS Juan Carlos I,an amphibious assault ship/aircraft carrier that can launch the AV-8B Harrier II or the F-35B Lightning II;and frigates Hellenic Navy HS Psara (F 454),Italian Navy ITS Carlo Margottini (F 592),and Royal Canadian Navy HMCS Fredericton (FFH 337).* Dynamic Manta 2023 is conducted under NATO Maritime Command (MARCOM) headquartered in Northwood,Hertfordshire,UK.Said US Navy Rear Admiral Stephen Mack,Commander Submarines NATO:Strategic defense of the Alliance must incorporate a planned,multi-threat response.* DM 23 involves submarines from Greece,Italy,Turkiye and the US.Air assets,including Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA),are being provided by Canada,France,Germany,Italy,the UK and the US.Host nation Italy is providing support at Catania and Augusta harbours;Naval Helicopter Base Catania;Naval Air Station Sigonella and Trapani;and Augusta Naval Base.* In one drill,Italian Navy Todaro-class submarine ITS Scire (S 527) conducted a Special Operations Forces exercise with Hellenic Navy frigate HS Psara (F 454).For its part,the UK deployed two Poseidon MRA1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft from CXX Squadron,and associated communications and engineering specialists,out of RAF Lossiemouth,Scotland to NAS Sigonella and Trapani,Italy for DM 23.The MPA will coordinate with warships and submarines at searching for and locating submarines.During DM 23,submarines and surface combatants take turns hunting and being hunted.*

NATO's Trident Juncture 2018 at Full Force

The largest NATO exercise in recent memory is now fully engaged in overcoming wintry challenges in Northern and Central Norway.Trident Juncture 18 got underway with the US Marines doing preliminary training in Iceland in mid-October.This was followed by the Live Field Exercise beginning on 25 October and extending to 7 November.
The Marines have provided the biggest contingent from the US military at the drills.Landing in Iceland via the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter from the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) amphibious assault ship,dozens of Marines secured Keflavik Air Base on 17 October and set up a communications relay point before turning the base over to Icelandic National Police armed with automatic weapons.On 19 October,the Marines marched inland to a cold weather training site attired in watch caps,gaiters and snow/mud boots.
Altogether,more than 14,000 US troops from the Army,Navy,Marines and Air Force are participating in TJ 18.
On 29 October,the Marines from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit went on to conduct an amphibious assault in the Landing Craft Air-Cushioned at Alvund,Norway.*
Operationally,the focus of the drills is qualifying the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) 2019 and testing the Alliance's follow-on forces.Norway is learning how to host these reinforcing Allied troops.
The importance of the Bundeswehr to NATO is being emphasised at the exercise.A brigade of German troops initiated TJ 18,and Germany is leading the VJTF 2019 with its 9th Armoured Demonstration Brigade,Munster (tanks).In all,some 8,000 German personnel will field 200 armoured vehicles and 20 Leopard 2 Combat Tanks in the drills.*
The 65 warships in TJ 18 are interacting with the aircraft carrier USS Harry 
S Truman (CVN 75).*
All 29 NATO Allies are involved in the drills,as are partner nations Sweden and Finland,whose airspace is being utilised.The scenario involves a NATO Ally invoking the Article V collective defence clause when an enemy attacks.The VJTF responds first and is then reinforced.NATO's land forces in Norway are being led by Canadian Forces LTGEN Christian Juneau.
NATO is testing its total defence concept at freezing point,conducting collective defence with all-domain warfighting just below the Arctic Circle,while dealing with such conditions as ice,mud,rain and snow.

Groundwork for War:NATO Partner Sweden Prints Leaflets as Alliance Readies Massive Exercise

Sweden,appalled by Russia's illegal and unprincipled acts of recent years,such as the invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014,has recently printed and mailed 4.7 million leaflets to all its households entitled "If Crisis or War Comes." The leaflet advises:
Think about how you and people around you will be able to cope with a major strain.*
The publication recommends steps such as the following:
Stock up on non-perishable food such as canned sardines and energy bars.
To combat the cold,darkness and communications blackout during a power failure,obtain woolen clothing,sleeping bags,as well as candles and lanterns,battery-powered radios and a mobile phone charger adaptable to automobiles.*
It also covers where to find clean water and bomb shelters in Sweden.Besides conventional war,the leaflet covers cyber and terrorist attacks,natural disasters and major accidents.*
According to a 4 April 2018 article in NATO Review magazine by Dr.Bjorn van Sydow,Swedish Defence Commissioner and Head of Sweden's delegation to NATO's Parliamentary Assembly:
There is now a growing realisation among NATO members and partners that challenges to European security and the rules-based international order must be met by rapidly transforming our defence postures and preparing our societies for the harshness of armed conflict.Deterrence and reassurance built on increased cooperation and joint action are necessary steps,but,on the national level,every country must also improve their societal preparedness to meet this new security environment.Consequently,the key printing of the present Swedish Defence Bill,passed in 2015,is to enhance the warfighting capability of the Armed Forces.This includes the development of a Total Defence concept encompassing both military and civilian defence in a whole-of-society approach to security.*
For its part,NATO Joint Forces Command Naples is already preparing Exercise Trident Juncture 2018,the largest NATO drill,which is held every three years.The live portion of the drills is sited in Northern and Central Norway in October 2018,while JFC Naples and designated subordinate commands will be seeking certification as NRF 2019 during the command post exercise in November.More than 30 countries will take part in TJ 18.The scenarios will train the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force,or VJTF,and its parent,the NATO Response Force 2019.
Admiral James Foggo,US Navy,Commander US Naval Forces Europe,US Naval Forces Africa and JFC Naples,explained:
We are not an offensive Alliance;we don't go looking for a fight;but we will defend our territory and we will deter any adversary who takes action against us.So we're going to prove that here in October when we do Trident Juncture 18.*
Consequently,JFC Naples has deployed its Operational Liaison and Reconnaissance Team to Bodo,Norway.This small unit will liaise with Norwegian authorities along with military and civilian counterparts as the environment surrounding the exercise scenario develops.*
TJ 18 will involve nearly 40,000 troops;70 ships;and 130 aircraft.

Dateline Finland:NATO and EU Inaugurate Counter-Hybrid Warfare Centre in Helsinki

On 2 October 2017 in Helsinki,Finland,NATO and the European Union inaugurated their European Centre of Excellence,or CoE,for Countering Hybrid Threats.Eleven nations are contributing to the Centre,including the US.Attending the ceremony were NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg;EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini;Finnish President Sauli Niinisto;and Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila.The Centre aims to better understand modern,complex threats and to strengthen our societies against them.
Meeting with the Finnish leaders,Mr.Stoltenberg praised Finland for its contributions to international security,especially airspace security in the Baltics,and expressed gratitude for Finland's close partnership with NATO.He also emphasised the close cooperation between the EU and NATO:
Our relationship has never been closer.*
NATO and the EU have agreed to 42 measures on the hybrid challenges,cyber defence,and security in the Mediterranean Basin.Both organisations hope to expand cooperation into even more areas later this year.*
Mr.Stoltenberg pointed out to the media that Finland's border with Russia is longer than that of all the NATO Allies and partners combined,so Finland offers NATO and the EU special insight and expertise regarding Russian activities and on relations with its giant neighbour.
Last November,Finnish President Sauli Niinisto became the first Finnish president to visit NATO headquarters in Brussels.Finland contributes to NATO missions and operations in the Balkans,Kosovo,and Afghanistan.They participate in NATO exercises and the NATO Response Force.Mr.Stoltenberg noted that:
This year was the hundredth anniversary of Finland's independence from Russia.And you know better than I,that those hundred years is very much about Finland's relationship to the neighbour to the east,to Russia,in good times and in bad times.*
We use the phrase "hybrid" to cover actually many things,Mr.Stoltenberg explained:normally a kind of mixture of military and non-military means of aggression;a combination of covert and overt operations and measures,everything from propaganda,from disinformation,actually the use of regular forces,from tweets to tanks;sometimes soldiers in uniforms,sometimes soldiers without uniforms;and sometimes something that happens in cyber space and sometimes things that happen at our borders.And this combination of so many different things at the same time with the aim to hide the real intention,that has got the name "hybrid threats."And it's a kind of buzzword I hear everywhere I go now.
We have responded in close cooperation with the EU,responded in close cooperation with countries like Finland:
1.We have improved our situational awareness,established a new division within NATO only working with intelligence:improved situational awareness to be able to foresee and understand what is going on;
2.significantly increased the readiness of our forces,tripling the NATO Response Force to 30,000 troops,including the new VJTF,Very High Readiness Joint Task Force,a brigade that can react in a few days.We have deployed four battle groups to the three Baltic countries and Poland,and also strengthened our presence in the Southeast of the Alliance.If we see small,green men showing up somewhere they should not show up,NATO will be there;
3.the third thing is to increase our resilience in infrastructure,energy security,but in particular cyber.There is no military activity;there is no military conflict without a big cyber dimension.So we have to be able to support and defend our own networks.
And I strongly believe that to have a Centre like this as a hub for sharing information,for sharing experiences,for learning from each other,for organising training,and for also doing some practical work and looking into how we can address specific hybrid threats,will be of great advantage both for the EU,for NATO,and of course for all our member states,including Finland,NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg concluded.*
Even on the plane out of Helsinki,Mr.Stoltenberg and Ms.Mogherini were photographed continuing their dialogue.

NATO's Eastern Flank:Deterrence Strategy Unfolds

At the NATO Wales Summit in 2014,the Alliance's deterrence framework for its Eastern Flank was set forth as the Readiness Action Plan,or RAP.The Baltic States of Lithuania,Latvia and Estonia,who are most exposed to Russian military power,welcomed the plan,and it continues to evolve today.Currently the plan revolves around the trip-wire concept provided by small rotations of Allied forces such as the Baltic Air Policing Mission.Sixteen NATO Allies are participating in this long-running mission,which began in 2004 and is based at Lithuania's Siauliai Air Base.Yet this mission can now be scaled up using the air bases at Amari,Estonia and Malbork,Poland.*
In 2017,the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force,or VJTF,comes into full operation with 5,000 Allied troops.Besides the VJTF,the US is studying the possible deployment of a 5,000 troop combat brigade to continuously rotate through the three Baltic States plus Poland,Bulgaria and Romania.As well,the UK is sending more ships to the Baltic Sea,including a destroyer;frigate;and 3 minesweepers;plus 100 ground troops to the Baltic States.Gemany will also rotate forces through the Baltic States and Poland.*
NATO's relations with its Nordic partners Finland and Sweden have been stepped up in recent years in light of Russia's aggression in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine,accompanied by its bomber flights along Nordic airspace and its unannounced land manoeuvers with thousands of troops.This new closeness between the Nordic Defence Cooperation,NORDEFCO,and NATO involves joint assessment of Baltic Sea Region security;expanded information sharing,including on hybrid warfare;coordinating training and exercises;and developing improved joint situational awareness.*
In another example of the rotational approach to deterrence,Standing NATO Maritime Group 1,with its 3 core vessels,frigate and flagship ESPS Alvaro de Bazan (F-101);combat supply ship ESPS A-15 Cantabria;and frigate HMS Iron Duke (F234),made a port call at Riga,Latvia.Following the visit,during which citizens were invited to tour the ships,they will continue patrolling and exercising in the North and Baltic Seas.Earlier in the mission,they were joined by Norwegian coastal corvettes HNoMs Storm (P-961) and HNoMs Steil (P-963).