OSLO
–
The NATO Response (NRF) conducted
its largest, deployment exercise of the year in Allied nation Norway
from February 28 to March 17, 2022.
Exercise Brilliant Jump 2022 took place in challenging winter conditions with approximately 2,500 troops deployed to support. These ground troops were reinforced by air assets drawn from NATO members and by 10 warships operating off the coast.
Under the command of NATO's Joint Force Command Brunssum, Exercise Brilliant Jump demonstrated the readiness and mobility of the NRF. Through rapid deployment the exercise also enabled Allies to hone interoperability, readiness and cohesion of their Forces. The exercise was long planned and in accordance with the Vienna Document, made widely transparent to nations, including Russia.
"We are capable to deploy on short notice, a capable force and we were able to deploy those forces in the right sequence, in the right time, combat ready to conduct whatever is necessary," General Vollmer summarized.
Command of the NRF rotates annually between two operational-level NATO headquarters: Allied Joint Force Command Naples in Italy and Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum in the Netherlands. For 2022, JFC Brunssum is leading the NRF.
This year, the forces deployed for the exercise will remain in Norway to participate in the follow on Norwegian-led Exercise Cold Response 2022 (CR 22), a large-scale, bi-annual winter warfare exercise conducted in the northern part of the country. CR 22 is also a purely defensive exercise under a simulated NATO Article 5 scenario. The aim is to train the reinforcement of Allies and partners under challenging climatic conditions, enhancing the readiness and capabilities of participating forces.
The NRF, launched in 2002, is a highly ready and technologically advanced, multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and Special Operation Forces components that the Alliance can deploy quickly, wherever needed. Of course, in any crisis NATO efforts will continue to include diplomatic activities as part of a wider comprehensive approach and the leveraging of international community actors to convince a potential enemy to change its course.