Major General Dominic Biddick, Chief of Staff (COS) UK Field Army, and Major General Daniel Reeve, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1st UK Division, were welcomed to HQ Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS), Wednesday 24th April 2024.
They were greeted by Major General Mark Pullan, JFCBS Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS) Plans, on arrival. Their visit then consisted of a programme of briefings focused on the planning and operations conducted at JFCBS.
The UK’s Field Army comprises all of the deployable elements of the British Army and has troops operating globally. It currently supports the NATO Response Force (NRF) with the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps HQ (ARRC HQ) and the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land), (VJTF (L)). It also provides the Forward Land Forces Brigade committed to Estonia. The Forward Land Forces Brigade, made up of national and multi-national NATO forces, is key in the deterrence from aggression, and protection of NATOs Eastern Flank.
“The purpose of the British Army is to fight and win wars on land, and the NATO Alliance is central to all that we do.” Said Maj. Gen. Biddick. “Our commitment to the NATO Response Force, Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land) and Forward Land Forces in Estonia are all an essential part of NATO’s deterrence and present opportunities for us to continue to develop our interoperability with NATO Allies.”
1st UK Division is the United Kingdom’s (UK) global response division of the UK Field Army, tasked with rapidly responding to any need, from humanitarian assistance to security operations and crisis response. Alongside their national role, they contribute a light mechanised brigade to the NRF and will become the lead land element when the NRF transitions to the Allied Response Force (ARF) later this year. This change, a response to changing security threats, is focused on further enhancing NATO’s ability to rapidly deploy troops to meet any challenges across Alliance territory.
The purpose of the British Army is to fight and win wars on land, and the NATO Alliance is central to all that we do.
“The ability to rapidly deploy forces as part of the Allied Response Force, is key to our ability to protect NATO populations and deter potential aggressors” said Maj. Gen. Reeve.
The general’s concluded the visiting by meeting UK Army personnel assigned to HQ JFCBS.