Oct 29 2021

Northern Europe Operational Update Weeks 41/42 2021

Brunssum, The Netherlands – At JFC Brunssum Exercise Steadfast Jupiter 2021 was successfully conducted from 19 to 28 October with the objective to certify the HQs as the standby command for the NATO Response Force 2022; a task that will be passed from JFC Naples to JFC Brunssum starting from 01 January 2022. Approximately 5000 personnel participated in this Exercise, drawn from 26 Nations, working in 18 different NATO locations.

In Riga, Latvia, NATO Special Operations Senior Leaders convened for a Conference to discuss issues under the banner: "Evolving NATO Special Operations Forces (SOF) in Line with Today's Security Environment" from 19 to 21 October. More than 30 Alliance and Partner nations participated in the conference, co-hosted by Latvian Special Operations Command and NATO's Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ), to discuss a wide range of SOF-related topics.

In Lithuania, the biggest Exercise of the year, Iron Wolf, ended on 23 October. Equipped with nearly 1100 vehicles and a number of aircraft, approximately 3000 servicemen and women from 14 nations demonstrated their skills during the two-week Exercise. A key participant was NATO's enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup based in Lithuania which demonstrated its fully operational status and ability to effectively repel any aggression towards Alliance allies. In order to remain one step ahead of the opposing forces, the German drone "LUNA" was launched to get an overview of the battlefield; this proved of great reconnaissance value.