Valencia, Spain – Commander JFC Brunssum, General Salvatore Farina, participated in the 11th Allied Land Command Corps Commanders’ Conference on 16-18 October 2017, hosted by Lieutenant General Darryl A. Williams, Commander Allied Land Command (LANDCOM).
General Farina was invited to give the participants – commanders and senior leaders from throughout the NATO Command Structure (NCS) – a comprehensive overview of the overall NATO adaptation with regard to the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) way ahead and to share his vision as an operational Commander.
The aim of this semi-annual conference, organised by LANDCOM, was to bring together Corps Commanders and leaders from the NCS for collaboration, development and refinement of NATO’s land strategy. In particular, the shared objective for the 11th edition of this forum was to develop the land adaptation strategy using the theme ‘Command and Control: How we fight’.
Commander JFC Brunssum presented his operational vision on the Alliance’s enhanced Forward Presence, described as a ‘catalyst for progress’, and emphasized the theme of joint enablement of the battlegroups - as the land component of NATO’s deterrence and defence posture at its Eastern flank - with the progressive integration of air and maritime assets in their support. He indicated the 5 lines of effort that JFC Brunssum would pursue to achieve this, including Capability and Requirement Development, Cross Domain Collaboration and Contribution, Training and Exercise Synchronization, Integrated Defence Planning, and Joint Situational Awareness.
The General then shifted to the ongoing work related to the NATO Command Structure Adaptation process, clarifying the JFCBS contribution to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). During the presentation he emphasized the importance of Regional Focus, the increased role of the NATO Force Structure (NFS) in the proposed outline design, the need to link JFC HQs to contingency plans and NFS elements, and on the fundamental concept of addressing all NATO core tasks.
He welcomed US Army Europe Vice Commander’s proactive work to enhance integration and interoperability, and the numerous Corps Commander’s contributions to the land domain perspective.
Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, spoke on the 2nd day of the conference, giving his thoughts on NATO Command Structure Adaptation, the ongoing effort to ensure all NATO elements are "fit for purpose", and how that will affect the NATO Land Headquarters.
Story by Public Affairs Office JFC Brunssum