Northwood headquarters The centre of British military interventions
Situated in the London suburb of Northwood, conveniently accessible for activists via the Metropolitan Line, is Northwood Headquarters, also known as HMS Warrior. From the outside it is not immediately apparent that the HQ plays a crucial role in the increasingly interventionist mili- tary strategies of Britain - or more generally NATO and the Western countries. This article takes a closer look at the role of Northwood; looking at its role within the NATO command structure; next months sequel will look at its role as the UKs Permanent Joint Forces Headquarters.
ACLANT ACE Norfolk, Mons, US BE
STRIK- SUBACT- SUBACT- SOUTH- EASTLANT AFNORTH AFSOUT FLTLANT LANT LANT LANT Northwood, Brunssum, H Sea based Norfolk, US Norfolk, US Lisbon, PO UK NL Naples,
NAVNORTH AIRNORTH JC NORTH JC NORTH- JC CENT Northwood, Ramstein, Stavanger, EAST Heidelberg, UK GE NO Karup, DE GE
Northwood HQ is not just Atlantic Command moved to Component Command Naval resources. The uncontrolled one headquarters - it consists Northwood. Nowadays Forces North under Regional movement of large numbers of several HQs all with spe- Northwood plays a double Command North. of people, particularly as a cific roles. Currently they are: role within NATO's command According to NATO, this consequence of armed con- 1) NATO Regional Command structure (see graphic): As link is a crucial element of flicts, can also pose problems East Atlantic (RC EAST) NATO Regional Command NATO's ability to conduct for security and stability 2) NATO Component East Atlantic (RC EAST) it is joint operations effectively in affecting the Alliance. (6) Command Naval Forces part of the Allied Command Europe. (4) And: In Northwood is part of the North (NAVNORTH) Atlantic (ACLANT), based in response to the end of the response to these security 3) British Permanent Joint Norfolk, Virginia, USA. Cold War and the advent of risks, and plays a crucial role Forces Headquarters (PJHQ) According to the NATO web- Partnership for Peace (PfP), for NATO operations within (1) site, the primary task of NATO reviewed its infra- Western Europe. This might The National Command of ACLANT is to contribute to structure and defence plans to become even more important Fleets (CINCFLEET) was security in the Atlantic area prepare it to face the rather in the near future, when the based at Northwood too, but by safeguarding the Allies sea more diverse risks inherent to European Union develops its moved to new headquarters at lines of communication, sup- the post-Cold War period. military wing, which probably Whale Island, Portsmouth. porting land and amphibious This has led to expanded will involve the use of NATO Only a few staff remain at operations, and protecting the roles and tasks for the com- assets for EU military opera- Northwood. (2) deployment of the Alliance's bined Regional Headquarters tions. Northwood then will be sea based nuclear deterrent. East Atlantic and part of European Union mili- Northwood & NATO (3) Headquarters Allied Naval tary interventions. NATO's history with In addition, Northwood is Forces North. (5) . Northwood began in 1952, part of the structure of the These more diverse risks when the NATO Eastern Allied Command Europe are described in NATO's new Continues over... (ACE), based in strategy, which was passed Notes: (1) Mons, Belgium. during NATO's war on http://www.eastlant.nato.int/Your_ ACE is responsible Yugoslavia in 1999. Community/your_community.htm and for the whole area Besides war, nuclear and http://www.eastlant.nato.int/hq_info from the Northern conventional weapons, and /structure.htm; (2) ttp://www.navynews.co.uk/arti- tip of Europe to access to natural resources, cles/2002/0204/0002043001.htm; the South, includ- NATO defines security risks (3) and (4) http://www.eastlant.nato.int/hq_info ing the whole as follows: However, Alliance /structure.htm Mediterranean security must also take (5) http://www.eastlant.nato.int/hq_info region from the account of the global context. /eastlant_history.htm; (6) The Atlantic coastline Alliance security interests can Alliance's Strategic Concept, Approved by the Heads of State and to the eastern bor- be affected by other risks of a Government participating in the der of Turkey. wider nature, including acts of meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Washington D.C. on 23rd A spontaneous blockade of Northwood Here Northwood terrorism, sabotage and and 24th April 1999, Press Release in March. Photo: d10 has a sub-regional organised crime, and by the NAC-S(99)65, 24 Apr. 1999 responsibility as disruption of the flow of vital "As well as 24 surface ships creation of the Permanent term joint planning didn't mately the recovery of the and two nuclear-powered sub- Joint Headquarters. It recom- happen. In 1996 PJHQ put an assigned forces. In addition it marines, more than 2,000 mended permitting "a proper, end to this (3). Joint has to be proactive and British troops have already clear, and unambiguous con- Command & Control responsive towards the been deployed in Oman, a fig- nection between [govern- Structures Ministry of Defence and sup- ure that will rise to 24,000 ment] policy and strategic The PJHQ are commanded porting commands (2). nearly a quarter of the British functions and the conduct of by the Chief of Joint army by the end of the operations at the operational Operations. The role of Outlook month. They will be support- level to be achieved". In July Northwood is "to be responsi- If which we all hope won't ed by 400 armoured vehicles, 1994, the creation of a single, ble for the planning and happen in some squadrons of fighter- permanent joint headquarters execution of UK-led joint, months/weeks time the US bombers, and a Commando under a chief of joint opera- potentially joint, combined, and Britain will attack Iraq, brigade. Their role will be to tions (CJO) was announced. and multinational operations, then PJHQ at Northwood will intervene in a war that began At the same time the forma- and for exercising operational be the centrepiece of the in the early hours of July 9 tion of a rapid deployment command of U.K forces British part of this aggres- when the first hostile tanks force was announced. Both assigned to combined and sion. The plans are drawn up crossed the border, their should become operational by multinational operations led now at Northwood. tracks thunder April 1996 (2). by others, in order to achieve If we want to stop a war ing across the sweltering Phase 1 of these develop- military strategic objectives." on Iraq and I hope we do then desert plains of northern ments was completed in 1999. (2) Northwood is one important Oman." (1) What Jamie Culmination of phase 2 devel- In order to be able to do so, "target" for our activities. Not Wilson and Richard Norton- opment of the full capability Northwood permanently only it is conveniently accessi- Taylor describe here in a was supposed to be Exercise plans and evaluates. It classi- ble via the Metropolitan line, Guardian article was Britain's Saif Sareefa. If this exercise fies conflicts in four categories but even more so because it
Joint Force Headquarters Deployments
Operation Location Timeframe Operation Location Timeframe Caxton Montserrat Mar 1996 Ladbrook Congo Aug-Sept 1998 Purposeful Central Africa Nov -Dec 1996 Desert Fox Middle East December 1998 Determinant Congo/Zaire March-June 1997 Basilica Sierra Leone Jan -Feb 1999 Alleviate Albania June-July 1997 Agricola Kosovo June 1999 Bolton Kuwait Feb-April 1998 Langar East Timor Sept-Dec 1999 Carrick Indonesia May-June 1998 Barwood Mozambique Feb-March 2000
Source: Connaughton 2000, page 90 Palliser Sierra Leone May-June 2000 biggest ever military exercise, went ahead as planned after quiescent, stirring, quicken- plays the crucial role in any called Saif Sareefa, and 11 September 2001 is not ing, and surfaced which then British military operation marked the full operationalli- known to me. lead to three categories of overseas. Northwood is the ty of the Permanent Joint "Jointery" is the new interest. At the lowest level heart of the (military) beast Forces Headquarters in buzzword, and the Permanent which probably includes the meet you soon at Northwood? Northwood, and the Joint Joint Headquarters is one of whole world "intelligence is This briefing originally Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF). the consequences. While joint maintaining a watching brief appeared in the July and It might not be a coinci- operations are not entirely on areas of operational inter- August issues of Nonviolent dence that this huge war new the Falklands war was a est and creating a priority Action and was prepared by a game and commando exercise joint operation but before list". If it is evident that a cri- member of The d10 Group took place in Oman, a desert 1996 the command structures sis is emerging, then a multi- Notes: (1) British forces flex military region with a climate similar for joint operations were disciplinary contingency muscle for £93m 'desert war'. The to Iraq. always set up on an ad hoc planning team is organised, Guardian, 3/11/2001 (2) Richard M Connaughton: basis, with those in command which is expected to master Organizing British Joint Rapid Effective military who seemed to be most appro- the situation in order to Reaction Forces. Joint Forces Quarterly, Autumn 2000, p87-94 interventions proate. The Falklands war advice the entire chain of (3) Jeremy R. Stocker: Jointness in Northwood the PJHQ is the was commanded from the command. The third level of Defence of the Realm. Joint Forces result of efforts to improve Fleet Headquarters, then at interest and we can be sure Quarterly, Spring 1997, p137-140 effectiveness of military oper- Northwood, and the Gulf Iraq is on that level right now ations. The 1994 Defence War 1991 was commanded by involves the formation of an Contact: D10, Box 666, c/o Cost Study lead to the the Royal Air Force Strike operations team. Their role is 5 Caledonian Rd, London requirement to separate poli- Command Headquarters at to deal with the details of N1 9DY, email: cy from operations, a conse- High Wycombe. This was command, deployment and [email protected]; quence of which would be the often inefficient and long- sustenance of forces, and ulti- www.northwood.cjb.net