NATO Response Force

Inception of the NRF concept - NRF Exercise Steadfast Jaguar.

NATO Response Force – NRF

The NATO Response Force (NRF) is a force that can be tailored to meet the needs of a specific mission and is able to move quickly whenever and wherever it is needed. NATO Heads of State and Government approved the establishment of the NRF at the 2002 Prague Summit. The NRF was inaugurated at JFC HQ Brunssum on 15 October 2003.

The NRF provides a mechanism to generate a high readiness and technologically advanced force package made up of land, air, sea and special force components that can be deployed quickly on operations wherever needed.

Any decision to use the NRF is a consensual political decision, taken on case by case basis by all 28 Allies in the North Atlantic Council (NAC).

Objectives

Each rotation of the NRF has to prepare itself for a wide range of tasks. These tasks could include for example:

• contributing to the preservation of territorial integrity,
• making a demonstration of force,
• peace support operations,
• disaster relief,
• protection of critical infrastructure,
• security operations,
• as part of a larger force, conducting initial entry operations.

Organisation

The leadership of the NRF is rotated between NATO's Joint Force Commands (JFC) Brunssum, Naples and Lisbon. Joint Force Command Brunssum is in the lead of NRF 2012.

The very high readiness element, known as the Immediate Response Force (IRF) consists of approximately 13,000 personnel; however there are no limits to the numbers, which nations can contribute. The forces are held in a Response Forces Pool (RFP) and used depending upon the operational commitments at the time. The Immediate Response Force has:

• brigade-sized land component based on three Battle Groups and their supporting elements
• maritime component based on NATO's Standing Naval Maritime Groups and Standing Naval Mine Counter Measures Groups,
• combat air and air support component,
• special forces,
• CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) defence task force.

JFC Brunssum's role

For every rotation, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) will give his specific guidance to the nominated JFC to train, prepare and certify the IRF and the elements designated in the RFP.

The revised NRF construct is built on the operational command and control that includes: Deployed Joint Staff Element (DJSE), the IRF with pre-designated forces and the RFP which complements the basis.

The DJSE was introduced in 2008, aiming to improve the NATO Command Structure by increasing its flexibility and mobility.

The DJSE and initial elements of the forces are required to be ready to move on 48 hours to 30 days notice, and sustain themselves for operations lasting 30 days or longer if resupplied. With NRF-15 JFC Brunssum was first to run NRF with DJSE concept in 2009.

Participation in the NRF is preceded by a six-month NATO exercise programme in order to integrate and standardise the various national contingents.

NRF Exercise Steadfast Jaguar.