Home  /  Newsroom  /  News  /  Archive  /  2020  /  Exercise Brilliant Bonus puts JFCBS' Operational Capacity to the Test

Brunssum, the Netherlands – All of this week, Allied Joint Force Command Headquarters Brunssum (JFCBS) has been taking part in the Command Post Exercise Brilliant Bonus 20 (BRBO20). This exercise is designed to test the operational capacity of JFCBS in the lead up to a possible Article 5 crisis, and to continue defining and overcoming the challenges that could be faced in a real life situation of comparable magnitude.

General Vollmer, Commander JFC Brunssum, stated:

The Battle Staff Training was based on a crisis unfolding in the Baltic States and challenged us in the continuum from vigilance to crisis to war. Such kind of training serves as an excellent tool to build on teamwork and to allow us to reach the aim and to improve the decision making process.

The training was also oriented towards bringing the newcomers at JFCBS up to NATO’s own high criteria for operational readiness and to ensure that the level of cohesion and interoperability between all of the different branches of service, nationalities, and cultures is to the highest standards possible.

The exercise was planned in advance to test the HQ’s ability to safely operate in a COVID-constrained environment; social distancing was carried out in tandem with a host of other COVID mitigation measures all geared towards the protection of the staff working at JFCBS during these difficult times.