NATO’s exercise Brilliant Jump II 2020, designed to increase and demonstrate the readiness and mobility of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), kicked off on Monday, 28th September 2020 in Northern Europe. Brilliant Jump II 2020 is divided in two parts: a primarily maritime phase from 28 September to 02 October, followed by a deployment phase over land from 28 October to 06 November.
During Brilliant Jump II 2020, NATO’s Allied Air Command, the NATO Command Structure Joint Force Air Component Headquarters (JFAC), will monitor the Crisis Response Measures related to the activation of the VJTF. NATO’s Allied Air Command works closely with the JFAC for NRF 2020. The United Kingdom JFAC, based at High Wycombe, monitored Brilliant Jump II 2020 activities and conducted their readiness training before the follow-up United Kingdom exercise Joint Warrior 20-2.
NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), Spanish Maritime Force (SPMARFOR) and Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), comprised of the three frigates NRP Corte-Real from Portugal, HMCS Toronto from Canada and BNS Leopold I. from Belgium, participated in part one. This group, together with other Standing Naval Forces, make up the maritime element of the VJTF.
"Our exercises seize opportunities for NATO and Allied nations to sharpen warfighting skills by focusing on high-end capabilities,” said Vice Admiral Keith Blount, Commander of Allied Maritime Command. He continued:
…Exercise Brilliant Jump II 20 showcases that we remain prepared for operations in peace, crisis and conflict and that we are always ready to deploy our forces wherever needed, quickly and effectively
NATO is committed to transparency and risk reduction. The exercise was long-planned and announced in advance. NATO respects all its international obligations with regard to military exercises.
Exercise Dynamic Mariner
Also, this week, seven NATO Allies began participating in the NATO exercise Dynamic Mariner-20 (DYMR20) off the coast of France. Dynamic Mariner is designed to test NATO’s Response Force Maritime Component (NRF/M) and it’s interoperability with NATO forces, enhancing flexibility and improving the ability to work together among Allied nations. It runs between 28 September and 08 October 2020.
NATO's maritime strength lies in the ability of the Standing Forces and National Response Force elements to rapidly join with high readiness, high capability national forces and task groups. Regular training between these groups is a force multiplier and provides a collectively trained and interoperable capability that NATO can confidently deploy if necessary.
The exercise brings together 31 surface ships, one submarine, three Maritime Patrol Aircraft and other air assets as well as personnel from Belgium, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States.
NATO begins cooperation with Danish Joint Arctic Command in Greenland
As part of strengthening its Arctic cooperation, NATO’s Maritime Command (MARCOM) has established a new operational coordination arrangement with the Danish Joint Arctic Command (JACO) in Greenland, which took effect yesterday, 01 October.
JACO's main tasks are surveillance and enforcement of sovereignty and the military defence of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Other tasks include fishing vessel inspection, search & rescue, maritime pollution prevention, hydrographic surveys, and miscellaneous support to civilian society. As a territorial command its area of responsibility extends geographically from the Faroe Islands to the Greenland Sea and the Arctic Sea to the North, and across the Denmark Strait and the Irminger Sea to the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay between Canada and Greenland.
German Deployable Control and Reporting Centre to Augment NATO Architecture in all three Baltic States
The German Air Force, in support of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, has set up a Deployable Control and Reporting Centre (DCRC) at Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania. This Centre is ready to support the other ground control elements, the static Control Reporting Centres (CRCs) in Latvia and Estonia, and ensure the high standard of air policing capacity continues.
The DCRC is a vital tool for Allied air defence coordination and will greatly increase the capacity of NATO to provide practical defensive air measures in the Baltic Sea region.
German DCRC deployment takes place in support of NATO’s Assurance Measures, introduced six years ago to demonstrate NATO’s commitment to the Allies along the eastern flank of the Alliance.