MAGAZINE FOR HQ JFC BRUNSSUM - AUGUST 2020

NATO’S LARGEST EXERCISE SERIES IN THE BALTIC SEA THE ALLIANCE OPERATIONAL READINESS REMAINS UNDIMINISHED

THIS MONTH’S FOCUS : COM JFCBS INTERVIEW « EFFICIENCY CREATES SECURITY »

• NATO’S STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS IN AGHANISTAN • NATO FIGHTER SAFEGUARD BALTIC SKIES JFC• BRITISH ARMED FORCESBRUNSSUM WE FOCUS ON CARS.

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CONTENTS AUGUST 2020 EDITORIAL STAFF Col. Frank Warda (DEU Army) 3 COMMAND GROUP CORNER Editorial Director Cpt Aouatef Zimrani (FRA Army) 4 JFCBS INTERVIEW Chief Editor

7 NATO’S STRATCOM IN Cpt Tobias Luckau (DEU ) Assistant Editor 10 DEFENDER 20 EXERCISE Adj Leo Roos (NLD Army) 14 EXCHANGE OFFICER STORY EFP BATTLEGROUP LATVIA Assistant Editor Veerle Dandoy (BEL Civ) 15 BALTOPS EXERCISE Assistant Editor

18 DYNAMIC MONGOOSE EXERCISE Sgt Maj Peter van Bastelaar (NLD ) Assistant Editor 20 BALTIC AIR POLICING WO Marc Andre Gaudreault (CAN Army) 21 F35 FIGHTERS IN Assistant Editor CONTRIBUTORS: 22 SECURITY FORCE ASSISTANCE SEMINAR Knut Peters, JFCBS COMMS MPA Lt Colonel Benjamin Sakrisson, JFCBS COMMS MPA 23 THE COMING OF AGE OF THE JLSG Major Mark Peebles, eFP BG LATVIA Commander Hanns-Christian Klasing, 24 BRITISH ARMED FORCES JFCBS COMMS MPA MARCOM PAO Petty Officer Jakob Østheim, Standing NATO maritime 26 VISITS AND ACTIVITIES Group One Manfred Reudenbach, Public Affairs 28 WE ARE JFCBS : JUSTYNA FROM POLAND Office Cdr Michel Loic, JFCBS J7 DLL Lt Colonel Alessandro CONCARI JFCBS J7 DLL Lt Commander Dave Jones, JLSG Brunssum Commander Travis Tonkin, JFCBS COMMS IO

PHOTO CREDITS: British : POA Carl Osmond; Dan Rosenbaum, HMS Kent ABOUT THE COVER Standing Nato Maritime Group 1 : Petty Officer Jakob Østheim

BALTIC SEA (June 16, 2020) Sailors onboard U.S. Marine Corps : Sgt. Pete Thibodeau ENS Wambola (433) with German U.S. Navy : Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kyle Steckler Navy FGS Werra (A-514) in the Baltic Sea during BALTOPS 2020. BALTOPS is the premier annual UK Ministry of Defence's maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic region, enhancing flexibility and interoperability among British Royal Navy allied and partner nations. (Photo courtesy of the POA Carl Osmond Estonian Navy) ©BAE Systems ©Crown Copyright 2014 / Photographer: Andrew Linnett

Italian Air Force eFP BG Latvia

www.jfcbs..int

Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum The NORTHERN STAR is a publication, published with Submissions to the Northern Star can be e-mailed to @jfcbs the assistance of ‘t Swarte Schaap, in co-operation with [email protected]. Articles should be in Microsoft and at no cost to HQ JFC Brunssum. Opinions herein Word format and, whenever possible, should be no JFC Brunssum (@NATO_JFCBS) do not necessarily reflect official NATO or HQ JFC longer than 300 words. Photographs should be in high Brunssum policy. The appearance of advertisements, quality JPEG or in TIFF format. including inserts, does not constitute endorsement by Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum NATO or HQ JFC Brunssum of the products or services (jfcbrunssum) offered. Deadline for articles, advertisements and photographs is on the Monday at close of business NATO JFC Brunssum prior to the week of publication.

To place an advertisement in the Northern Star, please For more information, call Published by ’t Swarte Schaap call ’t Swarte Schaap and ask for Rob Schaap, ext. 2687 or +31 (0)45 526 26 87. Sint Franciscusweg 36-3 Sint Franciscusweg 36-3, The editor reserves the right 6417BD Heerlen 6417 BD Heerlen, The , to edit submissions. +31 (0)45-571 61 16 telephone: +31 (0)45 571 61 16, [email protected] or e-mail: [email protected]. media & more www.tswarteschaap.nl Our address: Rimburgerweg 2a in Brunssum ROADCRAFT Pick up and deliver phone number: 045-5256296 DIPLOMATIC / MILITARY

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Opening hours: Mo-Sa 08.00-12.00 and 16.00-19.00 Sundays and holidays closed for bringing in or picking-up. Hochstrasse 2 [email protected] 52525 Heinsberg Germany www.frauenarzt-heinsberg.de Vogelzankweg 230 • NL-6374 AH Landgraaf • Tel +31 (0)45 531 72 17 Tel.: +49-2452-91110 www.dierenhotelabdissenbosch.nl (also in English) COMMAND GROUP CORNER MAJOR KEES MATTHIJSSEN DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF (PLANS)

I consider it is a great privilege to have the specifically, in Europe is not guaranteed and opportunity to share some background it does not come by itself. Accordingly, JFCBS and my thoughts in this ‘Command Group has the responsibility to plan, execute and sup- Corner’. I am Kees Mat- port NATO’s three core tasks, collective defence, thijssen and I started in this HQ in No- crisis management and cooperative security, in vember 2019 as the Deputy Chief of Staff the Northern European theatre. This theatre is Plans. I currently live in Koolwijk, a very a dynamic environment and requires a resilient small village in between Nijmegen and ‘s Joint Headquarters that continually coordinates Hertogenbosch in the province of Noord- NATO’s efforts, provides plans and conducts Brabant. I am married and we have a son, joint operations across all domains. a daughter, a one year old granddaugh- ter, and, recently announced, a grandson To obtain the best possible results from working to be born in November. Throughout the in our wide network, a coherent Command and working week, I stay in Landgraaf and I Control (C2) construct is used with specific roles am quite fortunate that I am able to enjoy and responsibilities in our HQ. This C2 construct the countryside in this region since cy- provides the framework to work together in a cling is one of my hobbies. constructive and collaborative way which then allows us to be even better prepared to defend Throughout my career, I have served mostly in the Alliance and to deter possible aggressive ac- combat units. That includes deployments too, tors. Good planning is the key to success and lays just like most of us. I have been privileged to have the foundation for conducting and supporting served as a commander at three different levels the core tasks in the Northern European Thea- in my deployments. I was a company command- tre, C2 is a vital part of that planning. Neverthe- er in 1995 in Srebrenica as part of the United less within formal C2 constructs, it is always the Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) mission effort of us military men and women to make it in Bosnia Herzegovina. I was commander of a work in the best possible way. Battlegroup in 2004 in Iraq in the Stabilisation Force Iraq (SFIR) mission and I had the honour To gain and maintain situational awareness and of being commander of the brigade-sized Task to have the best possible understanding of our assigned forces. Training and exercises provide Force Uruzgan in 2008-2009 in the ISAF mis- mission and its actors, we actively synchronise the opportunity to test and evaluate plans and sion in Afghanistan. As a result of my operational and coordinate the use of the Military Instru- concepts. Furthermore exercises encourage pro- experience, I always, in whatever job, focus on ment of Power (MIoP). Our main purpose is to fessional debate, they facilitate innovation and ‘the mission on the ground’, realising precondi- further improve regional security and stability, transformation, improve unit cohesion, enhance tions for those actually ‘making things happen’, contesting any destabilisation activities in Im- unity of effort and unity of understanding. We very conscious of the complexity of each and plementation Area North. should also understand that exercises are part of every mission. What I appreciate and encourage As JFCBS, our primary tool is the MIoP however, NATO’s deterrent ‘bigger picture’ and messaging in daily work is cooperation. Working together in we need to recognise that we will always operate as part of that. Further alignment with Nations an open and pleasant atmosphere is important. in an environment with a wide variety of non- and Partners is also achieved, especially when It is never about the individual, in our military military actors and that the MIoP is an instru- those exercises bring us close(r) to any potential profession it is always a team effort. Nobody is ment to achieve and support political aims. reality. Understanding the abovementioned val- more important than the team. I prefer solution- It is therefore vital to have a thorough under- ues of training and exercises are crucial for our oriented approaches and encourage initiative fol- standing of that environment and the fact is that mindset! lowing the principles of Mission Command. we must be able to connect, communicate and To be ready for future challenges we need to an- likely work with relevant military and non-mil- ticipate developments. We should ask ourselves As the Senior National Officer of the Kingdom itary actors on various levels. In that perspective constantly what the implications of recent and of the Netherlands I hope you and your families Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) is a tremen- emerging developments and concepts mean to feel welcome in our country and especially in this dous force multiplier and the Civil-Military In- us and how we can anticipate preserving security region. If you have any questions please feel free teraction mindset needs to be an essential part of and stability. That is exactly what we strive for to address them to your Dutch comrades in this our thinking and planning. within the Plans Directorate! HQ and on Prins Hendrik van Nassau Camp. The Having contingency plans is important but we Kingdom of The Netherlands has a lot to offer, Cherishing and building our relations with Part- will have to keep working together with other but especially this region is excellent in that it ners and Allies remains a cornerstone for collec- entities and nations to ensure that our ‘family of allows you to easily travel to Germany, , tive success. Progress can only be made together plans’ will become better integrated with other and Luxemburg. COVID-19 restrictions because success requires team effort, trust, - plans. It is also necessary to have sufficient flex- have limited those opportunities but luckily they chronisation, collaboration and coordination. ibility for predicted contingencies and unpre- are being relaxed. But, do pay attention still; Engagement with military non-NATO partners dicted incidents. although the numbers of infected people in the is why there is a Military Partnership Branch Netherlands shows positive progress, the virus within our J9 Division. Serving in NATO is more than just work. NATO still is there. I ask you to please remain vigilant Engaging with partners that have their specific is a fascinating and dynamic organisation, con- in order to protect everyone. Whilst staying vigi- role for our common interests is vital for regional sisting of 30 Nations. I always say, in whatever lant, please enjoy our country, the Province of and cooperative security. crisis or conflict you end up in, it is us military Limburg and the wider region! The Gender Advisor within J9 has specific roles that need to make it work in order to make a dif- and responsibilities. All of us now are acutely ference collectively for the sake of better secu- aware of the hugely positive effect women cre- rity and peace. That is what we do within NATO. After being in this HQ for almost 9 months, I ate and accordingly the Gender Advisor assists We make it work, that is our added value! That guess it is appropriate to mention that I have a us to further develop our understanding of the makes the difference and helps us to preserve very good ‘first impression’. I would like to take significant role women play in the modern world peace and stability in Europe. But, let us not only the opportunity to mention that I am extremely and how plans and/or policies may dispropor- do what is necessary, we should also enjoy work- grateful to be able to closely work together with tionally affect women. The gender perspective ing together as one. Every day we can learn from so many dedicated and professional Subject Mat- reminds us that this security and stability cannot one another and that is a real pleasure! Many ter Experts from so many nations within the divi- be maintained and strengthened without taking nations, one team! sions. Let me also use the opportunity to elabo- 50% of the world population into account. This rate on the work within the Plans directorate. includes the necessity to further build upon the Major General Kees Matthijssen already robust network. Only collaborative ef- Within the Plans Directorate we have three Divi- forts also in this domain will allow us to maintain DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF (PLANS) sions, J5 (Plans), J7 (Training & Exercises) and and strengthen security and stability. J9 (Civil-Military Cooperation, Military Partner- ship and the Gender Advisor). Let me try to ar- Being ready requires training, both individual ticulate the contribution of the Plans Directorate. and collective. Training and exercises are crucial Security and stability in the world and, more to maintain the readiness of our HQ and of our 3 EFFICIENCY CREATES SECURITY

QUESTIONS TO AND ANSWERS FROM COM JFCBS REGIONAL FOCUS

General Vollmer, you have now jor challenges and I am confident that we check which restrictions remain necessary served for more than one hundred will prevail. Privately, my wife and I really and which can be adjusted gradually. It is days in charge as Commander JFC enjoy living in the Dutch province of Lim- an ongoing dynamic process and I am con- Brunssum. As this headquarters is burg. So, this is truly a great place to be. vinced that a normal life as we knew it from no longer new to you, what are the before the lockdown will not come back any most important experiences and per- The pandemic has changed not only time soon. We are still in a learning phase sonal impressions you have gained the whole of public life, but also that which requires us to develop a new normal. since April? of soldiers and there is no end in I think we are already on the right track sight. How do you deal with that? here. Wherever possible under the current I was received with a very warm welcome hygiene rules, we are now again at full man- and I am grateful for that. Assuming com- As soldiers, we are trained to remain calm, ning. mand under the conditions of the pandemic cool, collected and above all focused on the has been a unique experience as it had to be mission when a situation gets tense. This How efficient can NATO be under conducted in a video transmitted ceremony has paid off again in recent months. After these conditions with regard to your virtually for the first time in the history of the outbreak of the pandemic, our head- tasks in the Baltic Sea region? NATO. It worked really well and I would quarters quickly adapted to a shift system like to commend everyone involved. From allowing staff members to work from al- NATO's efficiency can only be measured by the very beginning I was impressed by the ternate duty location. This offered the best security. It is not only a question of main- outstanding professionalism and dedica- possible protection against further spread taining military resources and the respec- tion “Team Brunssum” provides. So, I am of the virus and also ensured that we re- tive infrastructure for deployment, but also glad to say that I found excellent working main operational. of demonstrating the corresponding politi- conditions. This again proves why HQ JF- cal will. After all, NATO is a political alli- CBS enjoys a high reputation in NATO. Sol- Our internal measures at JFCBS at all times ance founded to defend its member states. diers and civilians from 26 NATO member fully complied with the national regula- We have been doing this for more than 70 states and four partner nations in Brun- tions of our host nation, the Netherlands. years and have more than enough reason to ssum are well aware that we are facing ma- It remains an enduring task to constantly be proud of it.

4 In the Baltic Sea region, we are physically In Afghanistan, a political agree- Of course force protection always has to be present and sending a strong signal to those ment between the and our first priority, in particular as the level of who joined NATO since the end of the Cold the on force reduction is in violence in Afghanistan still remains unac- War: We stand by you. We are ready to place since February. Your head- ceptably high. protect you. Any potential adversary has to quarters is responsible for acknowledge. He also needs to know that RESOLUTE SUPPORT mission there. The Arctic also belongs to your area we are able to quickly activate and show What are the operational conse- of responsibility. The importance of up with reinforcements. Therefore, even quences of these developments? sea routes in this region is growing in times of the pandemic, we proceed with due to climate change. How relevant our exercises and underline our ability to is this for your work? act. But don’t let me be misunderstood: We Above all, we have to adapt to change. have no intention to escalate. It's not about This new agreement and the prospect for That is of great importance for our work. moving large armies. Visibility is way more intra-Afghan negotiations remain the best JFCBS’ area of responsibility covers a important. Our mission is to ensure the hope for peace that Afghanistan has had for large part of the Arctic from Greenland via protection of NATO members particularly 40 years. It is designed to agree on a per- Iceland to Scandinavia. In this region, we in times of crisis. manent ceasefire and a political roadmap. are experiencing in a special way the con- NATO stands ready to help the Afghans sequences of climate change as it affects pave their way towards a political settle- security policy. It is not difficult to predict During those challenging times of the pan- ment of the conflict. that maritime trade routes in the near fu- demic we continued our tasks. The eFP- ture will shift more and more to the north. Battlegroups were always combat ready. A new competition is emerging there and The necessary rotations were conducted As the out-of-theater RSM headquarters, this affects the security of all neighboring as planned and without delay. Air Policing it is our task to facilitate the conditions countries. For these reasons, we are moni- continued without any restrictions. BAL- needed at the Hindukush to be successful toring closely what is happening in the Arc- TOPS could proceed as in the past 49 years. in all military fields of operations, from per- tic. In this context, I am grateful that here To cut a long story short, I am proud of all sonnel to logistics and medical care. JFC in Brunssum we can also rely on the advice our soldiers, airmen and sailors who ful- Brunssum continues to support the Train of experts from our non-NATO partner na- filled their tasks as required. Advise and Assist activities for the ANDSF. tions, and Finland.

5 How would you describe your per- common security. Any decision making deploy troops over large distances. sonal leadership style? has to be based on sophisticated mission analysis. When preparing decisions in such In addition, it is important to me to further Mutual respect, sensitivity for other cul- processes, every one of us must be able to develop personal contacts. Success is based tures and trust in the expertise of profes- respond to the “why”. on trust and confidence. Therefore, it was sionals are the three essential prerequisites very crucial for me to have personally met for good leadership. What are your most important pro- relevant political and military leaders in We are only successful when we work as a jects in the second half of 2020? Poland, Latvia, , Estonia and Nor- team. Very often it is a team of teams. We way this summer. always need to stay focused to get out of our Since it is our job to provide security and boxes and out of our comfort zones. We are remain operational, some exercises are JFC Brunssum serves as the face of NATO responsible for the deterrence and defense high on my priority list. So this year in au- for the political and military leaders in our of Northeastern Europe. The nations rely tumn we will conduct an exercise to activate area of responsibility. Therefore I would on us. So, every day, we have to ask our- NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task like to meet our allies and partners person- selves what we have done to improve our Force (VJTF) in the Baltic Sea region and ally, wherever possible.

6 THREE WARS AT ONCE NATO’s Strategic Communications in Afghanistan SUPPORT RESOLUTE

STORY BY COLONEL KNUT PETERS (GERMAN ARMY) JFCBS, COMMS MPA / (NATO SPOKESPERSON HQ RESOLUTE SUPPORT, SEPTEMBER 2018 - AUGUST 2019)

You’d better let Afghans talk to the pictures, raised too many unrealistic expec- tion day. Civilians queued in long lines de- Afghans. I knew that because I had tations and had no real chance to get fix our spite heavy rain to cast their ballots, men had the privilege to get to know them messaging and our image. and women, young and elderly, some even long before. eight months pregnant, some disabled. But Afghanistan teaches you a lesson every I had already spent more than one year of day. “The media are right as long as they The Taliban had desperately tried to cause my life there when I came back to Kabul in cannot be proven wrong”, one of our local shock and despair among the Afghans but September 2018. As a reserve officer and Afghan cultural advisors told me one early they failed. Instead, they adopted new tac- former radio journalist, I had covered the morning in a chat about the current media tics and began to spread conspiracy theo- war and the suffering of the Afghan people update and he added another remarkable ries on social media, on the internet and by since 2002. I had trained local Afghan radio point: “You have to view this mission from rumors. The aim of their malign propagan- journalists as a NATO civilian consultant. It at least three different angles. Information da was to make Afghans believe their Gov- was clear that the Afghans were sick and space, political space and security sector ernment, NATO and Americans were sup- tired of what we had been telling them over are closely linked, interactive and interde- porting ISIS-K terrorists in order to keep and over again for all these years. So, my pendent.” This guy was a man of true wis- Taliban away from power and to maintain role as NATOs military spokesperson and dom. What he had just told me meant war an occupation regime. Director Strategic Communications at the on three battlefields in parallel. Headquarters of RESOLUTE SUPPORT re- Rumor, gossip, hearsay have a long history quired a new approach. A new idea of how The Taliban kept us under fire on all three in Afghanistan as this has been a traditional to operate in the Afghan information space during the months of fall 2018. They com- way to pass on information for centuries. had to be developed. mitted horrible acts of violence day and The Taliban took advantage of this. We had night, killing not only Afghan soldiers and to acknowledge they were on the offensive Being deployed to speak on behalf of a police but also thousands of innocent civil- in the information space in fall 2018. NATO four-star-command in-theatre was ians. Their aim was to disrupt the parlia- by far the peak and greatest honor in my mentary election scheduled for late October In security space at the same time, they military career. I didn’t fully understand then. In the information space they openly continued to launch numerous kinetic at- that when I arrived. I had thought my task threatened to kill everyone who would tacks on Afghan army and police. Concur- would be to gain more airtime on TV and dare to approach a polling station. But rently in political space, they met for their radio as well as and more print headlines the brave Afghans withstood. Trained, ad- first talks with U.S. Special Representative in Afghan and western media in order to vised and assisted by NATO, Afghan forces Khalilzad and exploited the news in an at- better explain our mission and our achieve- successfully provided security on that day. tempt to delegitimize the Afghan govern- ments. ment. Afghan communicators were strug- I was wrong. I soon realized that NATO was For the first time ever, they did it in their gling to strike back effectively. struggling with a reputation issue in Af- own responsibility. No NATO troops were ghanistan. We had painted too many rosy out in the streets of Afghanistan that elec- 7 The situation required a new course of ac- Having noticed and understood this impor- To achieve a lasting peace, an intra- tion. It required networking in Afghan-led tance, Afghan political leaders, generals, Afghan dialogue is required that involves and Afghan-owned operations. Within few governors, police , religious all relevant groups. More than ever, it takes weeks, RESOLUTE SUPPORT StratCom dignitaries and highly recognized other Afghans talking to Afghans to end all three assets were regrouped and tasked to “TAA opinion makers from civil society became wars – at once, because the Afghan people to the need”. So-called shuras (conferenc- personally present on twitter. Their state- demand peace. es) were initiated for the purpose of train- ments began to widely resonate in journal- ing, advising and assisting (TAA) key com- istic media as they matched with the desire For us in Brunssum as the out-of-theatre municators from all relevant institutions in of Afghans for competent, capable and operational headquarters tasked to enable Kabul and on regional command level. empathetic leaders. They even got uninten- RSM, after now more than 18 years since tionally commended by the Taliban. Dur- NATO had stepped up in Afghanistan, it is In a comprehensive approach including ing spring 2019, the group for the first time crucial to conduct a proper and sober mis- InfoOps, PsyOps, Key Leader Engagement openly complained about Afghan Govern- sion analysis. There can be no doubt that and Public Affairs, our Afghan partners ment institutions “spreading confusing and we have written history, including remark- were introduced to the “Golden Hour” con- discrediting messages to the people”. By able successes as well as obvious failures. cept. In short, it follows the rule that “no doing so, they gave proof that Afghan army, lie is too small to not be refuted”. Refuting police and government communicators had In my personal view, the achievements faked news and rejecting false allegations turned the tide and regained initiative in outweigh by far the setbacks. Over a period within 60 minutes after impact in the infor- the information space. of almost two decades, a total of some 45 mation space is as crucial on this battlefield nations had deployed troops to engage in as it is in every information environment all the fight for a better future in Afghanistan. over the world. Amidst all that, the kinetic battle kept on- It is worth to recall how many non-NATO going. Taliban as well as ISIS-K terrorists partners were forming that global coalition, Social media turned out to be the most ef- and others continued to carry out horrible with New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, fective tool in StratCom’s armory. A single attacks against Afghan forces and civilians. Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, tweet may cost lives but another tweet also Until today, this hasn’t stopped, despite the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Sweden, can save lives. NATO’s train, advise and as- political agreement they signed in Febru- Finland, Ireland, South Korea, Bosnia & sist efforts gained traction as the Afghans ary 2020. Since then, OPERATION FREE- Hercegovina and Switzerland alongside began to strike back during the winter pe- DOM’S SENTINEL (OFS) acting under a with now 30 NATO members. riod 2018/2019. Results soon became en- national U.S. mandate and complimentary couraging and it was mainly twitter to pro- of NATO’s RESOLUTE SUPPORT MIS- It is also worth to remind ourselves of the vide evidence. SION (RSM) has begun to downsize. fact that millions of refugees returned to Afghanistan since 2002, investing their few With only some 150,000 accounts regis- savings in new businesses and founding tered in Afghanistan, twitter reaches less NATO’s StratCom task in this challenging new families. A whole new generation has than 0.5 percent of the country’s popula- phase of RSM remains to support our Af- grown up since 2002, giving great evidence tion. But this comparatively small group ghan partners on their way towards a po- of the milestones we reached. has gained a status that cannot be overes- litical settlement of the conflict. By doing timated: They are news generators whereas so, we are protecting our homelands. Our As a Berliner, I remember what the city of traditional journalistic media, i.e. TV, radio mission objective remains to not allow Af- Kabul looked like then. It was almost ex- and print, are more and more limited to a ghanistan becoming a safe haven for terror- actly like Berlin 1945. The Afghan capital role as news distributor. ists again. was lying in ruins with no water supply, no 8 power, no sanitation, no food, no health it doesn’t depict the full truth. Afghanistan fied. In particular, this applies to trained care, no education and no security at all. still is a war torn country with an unac- StratCom personnel deployable on short Not a single traffic light existed. Kabul was ceptable amount of daily bloodshed. In my notice. Burden sharing is the buzzword. I like hell and impassible. The same applied view, this marks one of NATO’s continu- am convinced that NATO, comprising of to almost all other major Afghan cities. ing challenges in StratCom since 2002. It’s now 28 European and two North American about paying appropriate attention to the nations, can do better in StratCom when it Having been down to some 500,000 inhab- other side of the coin and how this affects gets to showing a more European face in itants then, Kabul today is home to almost our reputation. theatre. five million people. Wedding halls of shiny I am grateful for the privilege of having glass and concrete are shaping the face of But this must not mean to give it all up and served in a mainly American team of out- the capital. You won’t make a three miles get back home. On the contrary, we have to standing professionals, together with re- distance in downtown Kabul by car in less keep on addressing all relevant audiences grettably few British, Polish, Italian, Roma- than one hour on a normal working day be- with messages reassuring the Afghans that nian, Danish and Icelandic comrades who cause you will get stuck in a series of traffic we will not let them down, even beyond were all equally dedicated to the mission. jams. military support. Having turned the tide in the Afghan infor- You may ask now whether this is really Though it is premature to draw final conclu- mation space for the benefit of the Afghans true. Isn’t that just another rosy picture? sions, the improvement of NATO’s ability since 2018 is an achievement our Alliance The answer is yes. It is true, but only one to quickly adapt to changes in the informa- can be proud of. I am grateful for the honor side of the coin. It is a rosy picture because tion space is on my list of lessons identi- of having been NATO’s spokesperson.

9 “US DEFENDER 20” EXERCISE ADAPTATION TO THE COVID CRISIS REGIONAL FOCUS

STORY BY LT COL BENJAMIN SAKRISSON, CHIEF MEDIA PLANS JFCBS COMMS MPA

The US Army leaders revealed de- Initial expectations were that the 20.000 After the last US tanks left Germany in tails on 16 October 2019, regarding deployed US soldiers would link up with 2013 as part of a drawdown, the US Army a massive exercise named “Defen- 17.000 other US soldiers and NATO for- began nine-month rotations of “brigade der 20” where they would deploy ces already located in Europe for a total of combat teams” to bolster its presence 20.000 US soldiers to project US 37.000 participants. Likewise, to support and practice rapidly deploying units to military power in Europe the fol- these forces, 20.000 pieces of equipment Europe. The US military also built up lowing spring in combination with would be shipped from the US, and another prepositioned equipment stocks in sup- NATO allies and other US partners. 13.000 pieces would be drawn from preposi- ply depots on the European continent tioned stocks from supply depots in Europe. to provide ready-equipment to inco- The exercise which was officially designated ming units in the case of a contingency. “Defender-Europe 20” was slated to be the This year’s exercise was intended to kick off largest deployment of US-based soldiers for a new Defender series of exercises for US Previously, in March, as a test case of this an exercise in Europe in 25 years. The par- forces, which will be conducted in the Pa- concept, an emergency deployment rea- ticipants were anticipated to conduct force cific region on alternate years, to rehearse diness exercise sent an armoured unit of projection and readiness training across large movements on opposite sides of the over 1.500 soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, 10 countries on the European continent globe. From a US perspective, the exerci- to Europe. In less than two days, the unit through the entirety of the coming summer. ses were intended to operationalize the US was able to assemble on site, gather their National Defence Strategy, which asserts prepositioned stocks, and travel to Po- The named-exercise, “Defender 20”, actu- Russia and China as near-peer adversaries. land for a live-fire exercise, Cavoli said. ally served as an umbrella designator for the linkage between several exercises in "We are starting it with a bang," said Lt “We've been practicing this strategy of the region, such as “Allied Spirit”, “Swift Gen Christopher Cavoli, commander of power projection for about three to four Response” and a “Joint Warfighting As- US Army Europe, at the time, during a years now into Europe,” he said, in Octo- sessment”, and the deployment of for- panel discussion at the Association of the ber. “Now it's time to practice it at scale.” ces to those separately named exercises. US Army Annual Meeting and Exposition. From the onset, Defender 20 was en-

10 visioned to consist of five phases with rity with NATO personnel and opportuni- As US troops began to arrive in Europe, they several key objectives across Europe. ties for public outreach events in Europe. were expected to fan across the continent and participate in the following “Defender The first phase included a Reception, Sta- "Defender really helps us enhance rela- 20” linked exercises with Allies and Partners: ging, Onward movement and Integra- tionships," said Lt Gen J.T. Thomson, tion, or RSOI, of a division-sized element commander of Allied Land Command, “Allied Spirit XI”, which is a regularly oc- while many other units, including a US which oversees NATO land forces. More curring 7th Army Training Command National Guard brigade, will draw prepo- than half of NATO's member states, exercise. This year “Allied Spirit’’ was sitioned stocks in Belgium and Germany. he said, will play a role in the exercise. expected to include a river crossing tied to the Command Post Exercise portion. In the second phase, an immediate res- "Cohesive multinational forces give us a ponse force from the US Army’s 82nd Air- competitive advantage, no doubt about it," ‘’Dynamic Front 20’’, another regu- borne Division would conduct joint for- Thomson said during the panel. "When you larly occurring 7th Army Training Com- cible entries into the country of Georgia. look at our adversaries, they do not enjoy the mand coordinated live fire exercise. This advantages we have and the power of syner- year ‘’Dynamic Front’’ was expected to The third phase would be composed of a gy that comes from good, trusted friends." include simulated live fire activities in- division command post exercise that would tegrated into the Joint Warfighting As- have units spread out across the continent. While there are similarities to the “RE- sessment Command Post Exercise. It would also involve a Joint Warfighting As- FORGER” exercise, or ‘Return of Forces to sessment, a simulated command post com- Germany’, which practiced deploying Army ‘’Joint Warfighting Assessment 20’’ (JWA), puter exercise, to test multi-domain ope- units into Europe during the , lea- which is a US Army Chief of Staff's capsto- rations as well as other capabilities being ders say that Defender will be more complex. ne event that provides the Army a venue pursued by the US Army Futures Command. to achieve training readiness, future force "We cannot fail prey to nostalgia of “RE- development, and interoperability with Soldiers would then conduct a river cros- FORGER” and think Defender Europe is multinational partners. JWA was anti- sing in Poland in the fourth phase, as well just a reincarnation," Thomson said. "Our cipated to evaluate and assess 38 future as forward passage of lines and a mari- security environment has changed signi- army concepts and capabilities set in a time prepositioned force off-load mission. ficantly in terms of geography and bor- notional 2028 operational environment. ders [and] in terms of allies and partners." Finally, the fifth phase would con- ‘‘Saber Strike 20’’ is a training event oc- solidate US Army forces and rede- Technology and doctrine, he noted, is also curring every two years that prepares ploy them back to the US mainland. different, as well as threats in the region. allies and partners to respond to re- gional crises and meet their own se- In order to complete the mission, Defen- On Wednesday, 22 January 2020, the curity needs by improving the secu- der 20 planned to involve deployed US US Army announced that preparations rity of borders and countering threats. Soldiers from five divisions - 1st Cavalry, for “Defender 20” would begin the next 82nd Airborne, 1st Armoured, 1st Infan- day when participating units would load ‘’Swift Response 20’’, a regularly oc- try and 3rd Infantry - as well as 11 Natio- vehicles, heavy equipment and mate- curring exercise that demonstrates the nal Guard and seven Army Reserve units. riel for rail transport and onward ship- strategic employment of the Global Res- ping. The equipment would originate ponse Force and validates US Euro- The exercise would have a huge geo- from Fort Hood, Fort Bliss and Fort Ste- pean Command's ability to send high graphic span, covering 4.000 kilo- wart with shipping through late February. readiness forces into a designated area. metres of convoy routes and corres- pondingly would rely on 10 European It was announced that “Defender 20” and Finally, “Trojan Footprint”, an annual US countries to host exercise activities. its associated exercises would increase stra- Special Operations Command Europe-led tegic readiness and interoperability by exer- exercise that brings together US, allied Allies and partners would also get incre- cising the US military's ability to rapidly and partnered special operations units. ased opportunities to train alongside US move a large, combat-credible force of sol- soldiers, increasing interoperability within diers and equipment from the United States Although the majority of troops expected the NATO alliance and likewise providing to Europe and, alongside its allies and part- to participate in the exercise were US for- the US soldiers a chance to gain familia- ners, to quickly respond to a potential crisis. ces, “Defender Europe 20” also was ex-

11 pected to allow NATO Allies and Partner of equipment, including tanks, other trac- Then plans abruptly chan- nations, to train, build readiness and deter ked vehicles and more than 1.200 wheeled ged due to the COVID-19 virus. potential threats throughout the continent. vehicles and trailers and a team of soldiers from the US Army’s 2nd Brigade Combat On 16 March 2020, the US Army an- “The planning in itself is deterrence becau- Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Savan- nounced that “Defender 20” would se it teaches our [troops] what’s involved nah, Georgia, to the port at Bremerhaven. be modified in size and scope. when you start to embrace an activity of this magnitude and what you have to be Likewise, on Friday, 21 February 2020, In response to the current outbreak of the prepared to do to successfully pull it off. the first US Army soldiers from the st1 Ca- COVID-19 virus and recent guidance by the The overarching goal of the event is to de- valry Division arrived in Nuremberg, Ger- US Secretary of Defense, as of 13 March, monstrate the ability of the US to lift and many, on the way to Poland and the Baltic all movement of personnel and equipment shift a division-size force over long distan- States. The US Army Europe Band and from the United States to Europe ceased. ces,” said Supreme Allied Commander Eu- Chorus played a concert in Gdynia, Po- The health, safety and readiness of mili- rope, General Tod D. Wolters, in February. land as part of the Defender 20 outreach tary personnel, civilians, and family mem- tour. The purpose of the outreach tours bers were cited as the primary concern. The arrival of British Forces and equip- across Europe was to introduce the parti- ment in Antwerp, Belgium, just one of cipants of Defender 20, explain the exer- In the aftermath, the goal was to balance the dropping points in the build up to cise to locals, and manage expectations the need to preserve the readiness of US the exercise, was planned to allow for during different phases of the exercise. and NATO forces while maximizing ef- convoys to travel across the continent forts to advance alliances and partnerships. to preposition equipment and other re- Convoys continued to transport troops sources. The convoys were slated to tra- While appropriate adjustments to “De- and equipment across Europe; mainly car- vel a total of approximately 4.000 kilo- fender 20” were being decided, it was an- ried out at night on the motorways to mi- metres to stage for the exercise proper. nounced that the linked exercises to “De- tigate the impact on the local population. fender 20” – “Dynamic Front”, “Joint The focus of the purely defensive exer- Warfighting Assessment”, “Saber Strike” cise was to practice the rapid deployment To prepare for the river crossing in Po- and “Swift Response” – would not be of large-scale forces across the Atlantic land later during the exercise, staff officers conducted. However, the armoured bri- into Europe where they are then sup- from NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps gade combat team already deployed to ported by participating Allied and Part- (ARRC) visited British Royal Engineers in Europe was anticipated to conduct gun- ner nations. During the initial phases of Minden, north-western Germany, to learn nery and other combined training events the exercise, nations were scheduled to about amphibious engineering. The NATO with Allies as part of a modified “Allied stage equipment in 14 air and seaports officers witnessed the troops from the Bri- Spirit” exercise. Forces already deployed across eight European countries in pre- tish Army’s 23 Amphibious Engineer Squa- to Europe for other linked exercises were paration for the exercise proper to begin. dron rehearse 'wide wet gap' crossing drills directed to return to the United States. on their M3 Amphibious Rigs at their Ger- Initially, all went according to plan. On Fri- man base on the River Weser. The Royal Prior to the notification of exercise modifi- day, 21 February 2020, the first armoured Engineers were expected to play a key role cation, “Defender 20” exercised the ability vehicles, and soldiers from the US started during the exercise in Poland in May when to coordinate large scale movements with to arrive in Bremerhaven, Germany. The US they would come under the command of Allies and partners. Till then, the US Army ship “Endurance” carried over 2.400 pieces the UK-based multinational NATO corps. had already deployed approximately 6.000

12 Soldiers from the United States to Europe environment,” said Brig Gen Brett Sylvia, In addition to water crossing events, medi- including a division headquarters and an commander of 1st Cavalry Division. “We’ve cal evacuation flight operations were per- armoured brigade combat team. It had also gone to great lengths to ensure the safety formed by the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, moved approximately 9.000 vehicles and of this training for our soldiers, and all the which included hoist and litter carries pieces of equipment from Army Prepositi- people in the local area. As a result, 100% of to and from a UH-60 Black Hawk . oned Stocks and approximately 3.000 pie- the participating Soldiers and civilians were ces of equipment via sea from the United tested to ensure they were COVID free.” US Army Europe is planning additional States. Also, in coordination with Allies and exercises over the next few months. These partners, movement of soldiers and equip- The exercise, modified in response to CO- exercises are slated to utilize many of the ment from multiple ports to training areas VID-19, operated in accordance with the original “Defender 20” training objectives in Germany and Poland were completed. guidance directed by the Department of De- to enhance readiness and interoperability fense and the government of Poland. All US between US, Allied, and partner militaries. As part of a modified “Defender 20 soldiers and civilians involved in the exer- Plus”, linked exercise “Allied Spirit” cise completed a 14-day quarantine and “US-Defender-Europe 20” was designed with about 6,000 US and Polish sol- were tested for COVID-19 upon arrival with as a deployment exercise to build strate- diers at Drawsko Pomorskie Training additional health screenings if necessary. gic readiness in support of the US Nati- Area, Poland, successfully concluded af- onal Defense Strategy and NATO deter- ter 15 days of training on 19 June 2020. The water crossing exercise consisted of rence objectives for the Alliance’s eastern a bridge crossing constructed by Polish flank. Exercises like “Defender 20” con- The exercise, which commenced on 05 soldiers with the 12th Mechanized Bri- tinue to demonstrate NATO Allies and June 2020, consisted of the following key gade. The crossing was utilized by the 2nd partners stand stronger together, and the objectives: conduct a deliberate river cros- Armoured Combat Aviation Brigade, to US commitment to NATO is iron clad. sing with a division-sized element, de- facilitate the movement of approxima- monstrate US Army Europe's ability to tely 100 US Bradley Infantry Fighting “Like the rest of the world, COVID-19 integrate with joint, alliance and host na- Vehicles and High Mobility Multipur- has shaped everything we do here as US tion capabilities, and to enable an effective pose Wheeled Vehicles across the river. Army Europe,” said Brig Gen Chris Nor- common intelligence operational picture. rie, commander of 7th Army Training Throughout the training event, the NATO Command. “But our Soldiers are great at Approximately 6.000 US and Polish soldiers Allies were able to combine capabilities adapting to every obstacle placed before participated in the exercise. Of those were while fostering mutual respect for how them, just like they did for the past 245 approximately 4.000 US soldiers from the they tactically complemented each other. years. No matter the challenges we face 1st Cavalry Division (Forward) and 3rd Infan- “This is a great chance for Polish soldiers as a nation, the US Army will always ans- try Division, as well as approximately 2.000 to gain new experience and skills wor- wer the call.” The US stand side-by-side Polish soldiers from the 6th Polish Airborne king alongside our US Allies,” said Brig with her NATO Allies to ensure their in- Brigade, 9th Polish Armoured Cavalry Bri- Gen Slawomir Dudczack, General Com- dependence, sovereignty, and security. gade and 12th Polish Mechanized Brigade. mander of the Polish 12th Mechanized Brigade. “Polish soldiers have been ser- “This training is important for many rea- ving with Allied troops for more than 20 sons. It allows us and our NATO allies years. The Defender exercise provides a to demonstrate to the world that we have great opportunity for the interoperability the capability to train safely in this COVID and cooperation between our two forces.”

13 IT’S A SMALL, COHESIVE WORLD DEFENDING THE BALTICS

ALLIED EXCHANGE OFFICERS FIND THEIR MIRROR IMAGES IN NATO’S ENHANCED FORWARD PRESENCE IN LATVIA AND ESTONIA REGIONAL FOCUS

pointed out the novelty of working with the Canadian LAV-6 Infantry Fighting Vehi- cle and the learning curve associated with employing it in the most effective way.

For Cyr, the transition to a dif- ferent platform was more dramatic.

“Myself, personally, I've had a background in reconnaissance and cavalry as an ar- moured officer, and the Queen's Royal Hus- sars who I'm working with now are a heavy armour Challenger 2 - that would be the biggest difference for me,” he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected both eFP Battle Groups, along with many other NATO units this year, but both contin- ued training and maintained their readi- ness levels. Captain Dryburgh pointed out that even with the restrictions and changes to their training schedule, they were able to conduct valuable training.

“The guys have managed to really enjoy what we've achieved since we've been here, and it's a memory that I am going to take STORY BY MAJOR MARK PEEBLES, EFP BATTLEGROUP LATVIA home,” he said. “Obviously, it being an op- erational deployment, there are some more The multinational character of NA- restrictions on being here. I'm not able to TO’s enhanced Forward Presence The degrees of separation between these go skiing every weekend. However, it's been (eFP) in the Baltic region took an even two exchange officers grew even smaller a really enjoyable deployment compared deeper meaning in June when two Al- last June, when Captain Cyr and the Brit- to my previous times away from home.” lied exchange officers encountered ish armoured squadron went to the Adazi each other - in each other’s home na- training area to conduct live-fire training “Definitely being able to travel around be- tion army – in Camp Adazi, Latvia. 13-21 June. While the Latvian eFP Battle tween Estonia and around Latvia has been This unusual instance exemplifies Group did not participate in the live-fire one of the highlights,” added Captain Cyr. the multinational cohesion among exercise run by their eFP Estonia brethren, “As well, the opportunities to train as a Allies defending the Baltic nations. the two captains were surprised to learn of battle group complete on both dry and live each other’s existence as mirror-image de- ranges have been excellent so far. The guys Captain Matt Dryburgh had no idea he ployments when they met in Camp Adazi. I've deployed with have been fantastic to would deploy to Latvia when he arrived work with so far, and we've had an excellent as an exchange officer at the 2nd Battal- “I was aware that there are other exchange time training and getting to see the Baltics.” ion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light officers who have gone to other regiments Infantry two years ago. The British infan- in , and I was super happy that he As multinational as their deployments to try officer from The Rifles worked with his was able to make the exchange and to de- Latvia and Estonia have been, both of- Canadian unit during its high-readiness ploy with the Fusiliers Battle Group to ficers highlighted the cultural immer- training last year, and only at the end eFP Estonia,” said Captain Dryburgh. sion they have experienced as exchange were they informed that they would de- officers with each other’s armed forces. ploy to Camp Adazi as part of the Canadi- Both eFP Battle Groups have taken NATO an-led NATO eFP Battle Group in Latvia. interoperability to unparalleled levels – “It's been a fantastic opportunity to come down to the platoon level in some cases. across to Canada for the past two years, and “Going away and working internation- The eFP Battle Group in Latvia incorpo- Latvia for the last six months,” said Captain ally with the Canadian Battle Group as rates nine different allied nations: Canada, Dryburgh. “I managed to learn a lot and real- a British officer was going to be are- Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, , Czech ly got to immerse myself in Canadian culture ally cool experience and the opportunity Republic, Albania, Spain and Montene- and the Canadian Armed Forces as a whole.” to work with all the other sending na- gro. For its part, the eFP Battle Group in tions that are forming the eFP,” he said. Estonia comprises personnel from five Captain Dryburgh’s tour in Latvia comes NATO nations: The , to an end in July, when the Battle Group Likewise, Captain Andre Cyr did not know , Belgium, France and Iceland. leadership from Lord Strathcona’s Horse he would be deploying anywhere when he The additions of Captains Dryburgh and (Royal Canadians) rotates back to Can- joined The Queen’s Royal Hussars last year Cyr technically bump those Battle Group ada and is replaced by the 2nd Battal- as an exchange officer from Canada’s Royal totals to 10 and six nations respectively! ion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. As Canadian Dragoons. Yet he found himself for Captain Cyr, he will remain in Esto- in Tapa, Estonia last November with the Both officers note that working with units nia with the Queen’s Royal Hussars un- British-led NATO eFP Battle Group in Es- from Commonwealth nations has made til they re-deploy in mid-September. tonia as part of its Challenger 2 squadron. the transition from one army to another smoother. That said, Captain Dryburgh 14 NATO MARITIME EXERCISE BALTOPS 2020

IN TIMES OF CORONA MARITIME

STORY BY CDR HANNS-CHRISTIAN KLASING, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER JFCBS COMMS MPA

From 07 – 17 June 2020, NATO, to- France; Germany; ; Italy; Latvia; The first part of the exercise, the Combat En- gether with partner nations, con- Lithuania; The Netherlands; ; Po- hancement Training and Force Integration ducted the 49th Baltic Operations land; Portugal; Spain; ; the United Training (CET/FIT) phase, lasted until 12 (BALTOPS) exercise in the Baltic Sea. Kingdom; and the United States. The par- June. During that time, participants worked BALTOPS is a recurring annual na- ticipating partner nations were Finland and through the basics and aligned themselves val exercise, held and sponsored by Sweden. For the first time in the exercise se- under the command and control network. the Commander, United States Naval ries’ history, BALTOPS was led from a land- Then, the forces split up into a Blue Team Forces Europe, since 1971, in the Bal- based headquarters – Naval Striking and and an Orange Team, who confronted each tic Sea and the regions surrounding Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) other in a free-play phase. it. Its purpose is to train surface war- Headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal – instead fare, anti-submarine warfare, mari- of from aboard a Command and Control Last year’s iteration was heavily focused time interdiction, tracking & Ship like as in previous years. on amphibious warfare, with the exercise interception, mine countermeasures, serving as a testbed for new sophisticated amphibious operations, replenish- This year, the exercise focused on naval amphibious warfare tactics and a demon- ment at sea, seamanship, search and warfare at sea, partly by design and partly stration of the newly formed, amphibious- rescue, and scenarios dealing with in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. So focused UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force potential real world crises and mari- the amphibious warfare part, by nature in- (Maritime). This year the idea was to focus time security. cluding land based operations, was not ex- on naval warfare, and with the global pan- ercised this time to prevent possible cross demic adding another burden to that plan- NATO maintains four permanent maritime contamination of the troops involved. ning, the participating countries agreed that task groups, which are manned by the mem- no landing operations, no ashore pre-sail ber states and, together with air and land “It’s a little bit different this year because conferences and no personnel transfers be- forces and special units, form the NATO RE- we are operating with distributed command tween ships would take place. SPONSE FORCE, which was established in and control. So the forces are being com- 2002. Two of these four permanent NATO manded from Lisbon, and it actually has a “What we’ve been able to do is change the maritime squadrons, Standing NATO Mari- little bit more of a real-world operational exercise such that we don’t have forces go- time Group One (SNMG1), composed main- feel because in the real world it’s usually ing ashore – for example last year we had ly of surface combat vessels, and Standing something that happens quite quickly and several Marines from different countries NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One not something that you can prepare for storming beaches; we don’t have that this (SNMCMG1), composed mainly of Mine months,” as Captain Cassidy Norman, Com- year. We also don’t have many forces trave- Hunters, participated in this year’s exercise. manding Officer of USS Mount Whitney, ling to other countries. The staff that is explained at the start of the exercise: “So controlling this exercise is staying in their BALTOPS 2020 included 17 NATO allies right now we’re focusing on the distributed headquarters in Lisbon,” Capt. Norman and two partner countries, bringing togeth- command and control to make sure that all stated. “There’s a lot that we still can do, er 28 ships and submarines, and 28 aircraft of the ships at sea are integrated with par- operating as a combined allied and partner with, in total, approximately 3.000 person- ticipating aircraft in order to maximize our force on the sea – for example, we have sev- nel. The following NATO nations partici- ability to counter any regional instability eral each on different ships, and pated in 2020: Canada; Denmark; Estonia; before it emerges.” those helicopters can still fly into different 15 locations, different countries, and can even Centre in their Headquarters in Lisbon,” ‘Donald Cook’ and the combat support ship practice landing on different ships. The only Capt. Norman further explained. “So I don’t USNS ‘Supply’ to the exercise, along with difference is they don’t get out of the heli- believe it was planned for them to command circa 100 personnel supporting Navy and copter, they don’t go and give a high five to and control remotely from their headquar- Air Force aircraft crews and about 500 per- the deck crew of the ship they’re on. They ters, but it actually unexpectedly gave them sonnel on the exercise staff and performing stay basically in their bubble so that all of an opportunity to try out that command and other support functions. our crews that worked so hard to maintain control center for the first time.” healthy and operational conditions can stay One of the highlights of such exercises in their bubble. So it does limit some of the The Command and Control Centre was re- normally is the Distinguished Visitors Day face-to-face activity that is usually associ- designed with stadium-type seating, better (DV-Day), usually an occasion, where par- ated with BALTOPS.” displays, and new capabilities such as an ticipants of the exercise, military command- improved recognized maritime picture air ers of higher echelons, representatives of Additionally, last year’s exercise included command and control, NATO common op- the diplomatic world, high ranking politi- about 50 ships, two submarines, three doz- erational picture feeds, network-integrated cians and media meet for presentations of en aircraft and about 8.600 personnel, com- real-time information services, logistic the military capacities and achievements. pared to 28 ships this year. Though smaller functional area services, video collabora- Usually some live firing exercises, fly past than in the past, the participants and plan- tion and information sharing tools, joint of aircraft and dynamic and static displays ners managed to create “a very dynamic targeting systems for operational planning, of weaponry and equipment are conduct- response to the global pandemic” whilst, at and a tactical data link to communicate ed, followed by a reception. For this year’s the same time, supporting peace and stabil- with allied ships at sea. Hence state-of-the BALTOPS, due to Corona, the DV-Day took ity in this region, as Capt. Norman pointed art features that allow the running of such place in a virtual format. On Monday, 15 out. a complex operation in three dimensions. June, General Jörg Vollmer, Commander “The redevelopment of the Headquarters Joint Forces Command Brunssum, ad- Though no-one could have foreseen the infrastructure and the overhaul of the Joint dressed senior key military leaders of NATO global pandemic when the planning began, Operations Centre has been a major project and allied participating nations in a video the need to be separate actually fitted well during my time at STRIKFORNATO,” Rear conference. General Vollmer underlined into the task of practicing distributed com- Adm. Robinson said in the news release. “I that BALTOPS is a visible demonstration mand and control. By coincidence STRIK- am delighted to now see it up and running, of NATO’s commitment to promote peace FORNATO renovated its Joint Operations delivering enhanced capability and under- and security in the region by exercising the Centre just in time to lead BALTOPS 2020 pinning our delivery of BALTOPS 20.” forces that can rapidly respond in a time of from ashore during a pandemic where crisis. The exercise will enable forces to en- in-person contact had to be limited, with Capt. Norman said it’s a different skill-set hance combat readiness, so that collectively STRIKFORNATO and US 6th Fleet Com- to command an exercise from a ship at sea NATO Allies and partners can respond to mander Vice Lisa Franchetti oper- versus a headquarters ashore on the other any threat. NATO partners are an integral ating from Italy, STRIKEFORNATO Deputy side of the continent. “It’s just different component to the success of the Alliance, Commander UK Royal Navy when you are far away and you have lines and are critical to the Alliance’s ability to Guy Robinson, leading from Lisbon, and the of communications via telephones and ra- project stability beyond its borders. ships operating at sea. dios and video teleconferencing; it’s a little bit different than when you’re on the com- “BALTOPS is a unique opportunity to the “I think it was a fortuitous opportunity. Last mand ship … and commanding the whole NATO community; training and exercising autumn the Naval Striking and Support exercise when you’re in the middle of it a significant level of interoperability, con- Forces NATO staff were on the USS Mount and can look out and see the horizon, and firming that Allies remain strong in support Whitney, and we were able to pick them up you can see other ships around you,” he of each other and that they stand firmly, side in Lisbon, and then they had a very impor- said. “It’s sometimes harder when you’re by side, in deterring potential adversaries,” tant exercise in which they qualified to be in the headquarters several thousand miles General Vollmer pointed out in his address. an expanded NATO task force, which is the away to understand what the effect is of the highest certification that they had earned in weather, or what the scenario looks like out Although, by design, a maritime exercise, no their 63 years as a staff. They did a great job. the window.” The captain said it requires all such scenario would be efficient in a modern Once they finished that and earned their participants to be more disciplined and or- world warfighting environment without in- certification, we drove them all the way back ganized in their communications with each volving air assets. During this year’s event to Portugal and dropped them off – and as other and with headquarters. again, NATO’s Air Surveillance and Control funny as that might sound, it saved them System ensured NATO Air Power assets money that, subsequently they were able In addition to the USS ‘Mount Whitney’, could execute coordinated and efficient air to use for their new Command and Control the US Navy contributed the destroyer USS interoperability missions enabling realistic

16 training. For some years now Combined tion in a large scale exercise. What we did part of a bigger task force with more com- Air Operations Centre (CAOC) Uedem has in BALTOPS 20 was a key part of our mis- plex scenarios has really given SNMCMG1 been the main actor coordinating and con- sion, specifically the command and control great training outcomes”, said the Norwe- trolling NATO Air Power in support of the function in support of maritime operations. gian Commander of SNMCMG1, Cdr Hen- BALTOPS exercise series on behalf of Allied Basically, we acted as a flying command and ning Knudsen-Hauge. Air Command. control centre and provided battle manage- ment functions that link the air and mari- The ‘big brother’ of SNMCMG1, Standing “During the exercise we controlled fighter time domains,” he explained. NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1), is aircraft, airborne early warning aircraft, composed of four frigates, destroyers and refuelling aircraft and helicopters, and “The other part of the AWACS mission is a logistical ship. The Commander of the ensured their missions were deconflicted the surveillance function; in this role, one task group, Norwegian Yn- with maritime air assets,” said Major Jani AWACS aircraft can monitor an area of gve Skoglund, reiterated the importance of Åkerman of the Finnish Air Force and liai- more than 312,000 square km and detect the BALTOPS exercise for the region: “The son officer at the CAOC responsible for the low-flying targets within 400 km, and me- Baltic Sea is an important area for NATO's BALTOPS support. “Our team in the Air Op- dium-altitude targets within 520 km. NATO maritime forces in Northern Europe. Our erations Centre was connected to the sen- AWACS is an excellent force multiplier to partners in the region and the Baltic nations sors of the control and reporting centres and naval operations, since our radar has the rely on the freedom of access and trade had direct communication channels with advantage of looking over the battlespace within the Baltic Sea; and this exercise aims the navy controllers at STRIKFORNATO in from 9.000 meters, whereas a ship’s radar to demonstrate to these nations that NATO Lisbon, and a lot of our daily business was is close to sea level. NATO AWACS provides stands with them to protect their interests.” deconflicting and prioritising missions,” he a truly impressive and critical early warning added. “BALTOPS is always an invaluable capability to NATO,” he adds. The Baltic Sea accounts for 15 percent of the opportunity to practice air and maritime in- world's maritime trade - making it the only tegration in a large scale exercise.” “I was really excited to support BALTOPS 'wet' supply route for NATO Allies in Poland 20 at the CAOC, as my colleagues from the and the Baltic States, a lifeline with only one The CAOC team built on the experience and air force participated in natural access through Danish waters. The from previous BALTOPS iterations as they the exercise,” said Major Åkerman from freedom and security of these routes are have now supported the exercise for a fifth the CAOC. “Together with Sweden, we have of strategic interest. This year’s BALTOPS time. A dedicated team at the NATO unit been traditional partners in the maritime- again demonstrated the determination and was assigned to BALTOPS 20 as the 24/7 led major international exercise - and it is cohesion of the Alliance and deepened the mission of the CAOC overseeing NATO’s only natural given our geographic location cooperation with partner states. It showed Air Policing mission north of the Alps. One on the shores of the Baltic Sea and our in- that NATO Allies and partners stand united asset the CAOC employed to execute its terest in contributing to peace and security and ready to deter conflict and defend the control role was the NATO Airborne Early in this area with our friends and colleagues sovereignty of the Baltic nations through Warning and Control Force (AWACS) at in the NATO and air forces,” he con- sea control and power projection, and to Geilenkirchen, Germany. cludes. defeat any acts of aggression in this strategi- cally important region. “We had a certain number of NATO AWACS As mentioned, Standing NATO Mine Coun- missions that we flew for BALTOPS to termeasures Group One (SNMCMG 1) also Sources: provide airborne command and control took part in the exercise, working closely https://news.usni.org/2020/06/11/ in support of CAOC Uedem and our Navy together with non-NATO partners. The baltops-2020-will-only-hold-at-sea-events- colleagues. These missions included direct Finnish minehunter ‘Purunpää’ fully inte- with-ships-commanded-from-shore control of NATO and partner aircraft dur- grated into the task group that consisted of ing various scenarios such as simulated seven mine countermeasures vessels, two https://mc.nato.int/media-centre/ air defence and anti-surface warfare,” said unmanned drones and one logistical ship news/2020/baltops-2020-successfully- Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Cepeda, Director from five different nations. “It is good to see concludes-this-week of Flying Operations for the NATO AWACS the successful integration of one of NATO’s Component. partner countries. We communicated on https://ac.nato.int/archive/2020/BAL- the same frequencies and operated with TOPS20_WrapUpato-air-power-during- “BALTOPS is always an invaluable oppor- the same NATO-procedures, making for baltops-20 tunity to practice air and maritime integra- smooth integration. The experience of being 17 DYNAMIC MONGOOSE EXERCISE : HUNTING WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE MARITIME

STORY AND PICTURES BY PETTY OFFICER JAKOB ØSTHEIM,SNMG1, The needle in the haystack would be old, a specialist who has been hunting he explains it, it still just looks like chaos. easy. A submarine hundreds of me- submarines since 2006. With his noise-cancelling headset, to ex- ters underwater, in an area the size of clude all room noise, he listens to the ocean. Denmark is something else. “All we really do is send loud nois- The noise is visualised in front of him at the es into the water, and listen to its same time. The ocean sounds a bit like a The operations room, the room you never echo”. 20-year-old TV with no signal. get to see pictures from, is the frigate´s brain. It´s almost like in the movies, with He makes it sound simple. It’s not a new And how does a submarine sound? A bit like walls covered in monitors, and dozens of concept either, it’s been used since World the same TV, with a slightly different pitch. computer consoles. At the screens, there are War II. But actually finding a modern sub- All vessels in the world, no matter how simi- spinning, scrolling and mes- marine is anything but easy. lar they were built, have their own distinct sages flashing. Gus sits in one of the cor- sound, or signature, as the professionals ners, hunting for submarines. Gus, who is There is a seemingly random array of hun- call it. That means they can identify a ves- actually named Terje Gustavsen, is 33 years dreds of dots on his monitor. Even when sel only based on the noise they project into the water.

“It takes a bit of experience to get good at it”, Gus explains.

“A lot of experience”, says his com- panion, smiling – “I want that in the article”.

An untrained ear would not be able to hear any difference in the noise, if you weren’t warned that it was coming.

And then there’s the active sonar, the best way to find a submarine. The noise would scare any submarine crew. It sounds a bit like the first seconds of a fire fighter siren, but varying in pitch every time it comes around. It’s loud, and the water carries the The active sonar, being towed behind the ship, is their most effective sensor sound far. This is the sound from which they for submarine hunting. hear the echo, if there is anything lurking under the surface. 18 The torpedoes are specially designed for anti submarine warfare, and are shot out from the side of the ship with air pressure.

Grandpa survived “A wrench hitting the deck can be “Anti-submarine warfare has re- enough to be spotted, with fatal con- ally increased in the last 5-6 years, sequences. That means that there with a lot of focus and commitment ASW. Anti-Submarine Warfare, also known may be less comfortable times on to the field. Its also very important as Awfully Slow Warfare is a test of patience board, but this is what we are built for Norway, with large maritime and focus. Submarines were a big threat for”. areas”. in World War II, and still are today. Gus´ grandfather was a sailor in the Norwegian Working together The Norwegian Nansen-class frigate Gus civilian shipping fleet during the war. He works at is especially designed for subma- was a steward, but had a second job as a rine hunting. It’s very quiet, with competent gunner on the anti-aircraft guns on deck. Effective submarine hunting rarely happens crew and advanced sonars. No less than three times was he torpedoed, alone. Multiple frigates working together and survived all. Twice by a submarine, and with planes and helicopters, give the best “I would say we are “up there”, we once by a plane. If he was inside the Galley range and endurance. A plane can drop a are lucky to have complex training and not on deck, he would have died. sonar buoy from the air, and listen to the conditions at home that we work signals far out of range of a submarine, and in all the time. We also hunt our Today’s naval wars are a little different. Mis- a helicopter will “dip” its sonar from a wire Norwegian submariner colleagues siles flying three times the speed of sound hanging underneath the helicopter. whom are very quiet and small, that are effective, but the torpedoes are still the makes larger submarines less diffi- biggest threat. “We back each other up. A plane can cult to find”, finished Gus of with a cover huge areas in short amounts confident smile. “You may have the vessel still float- of time, and surface ships have the ing after a missile strike, but if a tor- endurance to stay put for weeks”. pedo hits you, no chance”. Exercise Dynamic Mongoose, where we are And since everything is about noise, it ef- now, is an opportunity to train all this syn- fects the crew as well. When in a threat area, chronised in a realistic scenario. It is one of you have to walk quietly, and close every the biggest anti-submarine warfare exer- door as quietly as possible. Anything rat- cises NATO has, with five surface vessels, tling or vibrating needs to be taken care of. five submarines and five maritime patrol Gus calls them noise shorts. aircrafts.

19 NATO AIR SAFEGUARD BALTIC SKIES

BY MANFRED REUDENBACH, ALLIED AIR COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE

When Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined Detachments deployed from 1 May to 31 hanced integration and interoperability. NATO in 2004, the Alliance incorporated August. The Spanish Air Force leads the 53rd The BAP mission continues even in times of the coronavirus pandemic, as NATO’s ability to their airspace on the Baltic Sea shores into BAP rotation with an F-18 detachment stationed conduct operations has not been undermined, its Air Policing Area. Since then, 17 Allies in Lithuania. For the seventh time Spain has de- ployed fighter aircraft to the Baltic mission: three the forces remain ready and the crucial work have provided their fighter jet detach- times as lead nation in 2006, 2016 and 2020; goes on. In order to contain the spread of the ments to patrol the skies over and adja- and four times as augmenting nation in 2015 and virus as much as possible, all participating Al- cent to the Baltic Sea shores under a mis- 2017 stationed in Estonia, 2018 and 2019 in Lith- lies, i.e. sending nations and host nations have sion dubbed Baltic Air Policing (BAP). The uania. The “Vilkas” detachment is commanded by established preventative measures such as strict present 53rd rotation of this long-standing Lieutenant Colonel Jesús Gutiérrez Gallego and hygiene and separation, quarantining staff and wearing face masks. peacetime mission demonstrates NATO’s the F-18 fighter jets’ home base is Zaragoza Air Base. Initially the detachment was comprised of cohesion and solidarity and the commit- 150 fighter jets. The Air Policing mission in the Baltics is based ment to protect the integrity of the Allies’ on the same tactics, techniques and procedures airspace on the north-eastern flank. The Royal Air Force deployed a Typhoon detach- as the sending nations’ home turfs. The Spanish, ment to Siauliai under enhanced Air Policing. British and French fighter jets are on 24/7 stand- NATO Air Policing is a peacetime collective de- This is the sixth time, the United Kingdom has by to be launched by NATO’s Combined Air Op- fence mission involving the use of the air surveil- deployed to the Baltic mission: Leading the BAP erations Centre (CAOC) at Uedem in northwest lance and control system, air command and con- mission in 2004 and five times as augmenting Germany in order to safeguard the airspace and trol and appropriate air defence assets, including nation in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020. The protect territorial integrity. interceptors, for the purpose of preserving the commanding officer of the Typhoon detachment integrity of the NATO airspace part of Alliance from 6 Squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth is Since arriving the three Allied detachments have airspace. For NATO nations that do not have the Wing Commander Stu Gwinnutt. The mission each conducted several intercepts of Russian necessary air capabilities e.g. Estonia, Latvia and for the RAF personnel is dubbed “Operation Azo- flying in international airspace Lithuania, agreements exist to ensure a standard tize”. close to or approaching the territory of the Bal- of airspace security within SACEUR’s area of re- tic Allies. The vicinity of the Russian enclave of sponsibility. Last, but not least, the French Air Force augments Kaliningrad, wedged between Lithuania and Po- the mission as an enhanced Air Policing nation land, is one reason for frequent Russian military Since March 2004, with the beginning of NATO’s with a Mirage 2000-5 detachment stationed at air activity; others being training activities or in- Baltic Air Policing, Šiauliai Air Base in Lithuania Ämari. For the eighth time France has deployed telligence collection. Oftentimes Russian military has been the main operating base for the mission to the Baltic mission: Five times as lead nation planes do not fly in compliance with international and Lithuania has hosted NATO fighter detach- in 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2016, respectively aviation rules, e.g. they do not have valid flight ments consecutively. Since April 2014, Ämari and three times as augmenting nation in 2004, plans, do not use their transponders or are not in Air Base in Estonia has been the second basis for 2018 and 2020. The detachment commander of contact with the relevant civilian air traffic con- Allied fighter detachments. At the time, NATO the Mirage 2000-5 aircraft from Luxeil Air Base trol agencies. In such cases, the CAOC may decide introduced its assurance measures and started is Lieutenant Colonel Mathieu Courtaban. The to order either a Spanish F-18, a British Typhoon its enhanced Air Policing mission in response to squadron is also called the “Cygognes” or Storks. or a French Mirage 2000-5 to launch and investi- Russian illegal annexation of Crimea to demon- gate the situation. strate collective resolve of the Allies and the de- Three detachments in Baltic Air Policing provide fensive nature of the Alliance. for an enhanced capability and such a constella- At about half-time of their BAP tours, the three tion provides increased flexibility in employing Allies continue their many activities showcasing A second Air Policing detachment at Ämari, Es- assets to safeguard NATO airspace in the region NATO’s presence in the region together with the tonia was established with the introduction of and improved training opportunities with other eFP Battlegroups. Until the end of August the NATO’s enhanced Air Policing posture in 2014. Allied detachments, Host Nation or other Allied Allied fighters will continue to keep the airspace This was part of NATO’s reaction to Russia’s ille- training activities e.g. with the enhanced Forward of the Baltic Allies Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania gal acts in Ukraine since April 2014 Allied fighter Presence (eFP) Battlegroups. Such opportunities safe and secure. From early September on, a new jet detachments have continuously augmented demonstrate NATO’s ability to exploit the flex- set of Allied fighter jets is already lined up to take the BAP mission under the eAP concept. The lead ibility and responsiveness of Alliance airpower, the over 24/7 peacetime defensive mission at nation is always at Šiauliai, while augmenting na- enhancing the joint force, improving proficiency Šiauliai and Ämari. tions fly out of Ämari. in multi-domain operations and showcasing en- 20 ITALIAN AIR FORCE F-35 FIGHTERS IN ICELAND FOR AIR THEIR SECOND NATO DEPLOYMENT

BY MANFRED REUDENBACH, ALLIED AIR COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE

On June 9, 2020, six Italian Air Force scrambled for the first time for a real-world inter- engagement is an alternative to bring the mission F-35 fighter aircraft landed in Keflavik Air cept during the NATO mission in Iceland. In the to the media and to showcase Alliance cohesion Base, Iceland, for a six- week NATO de- early morning that day a group of Russian mili- and cooperation and to demonstrate the mission ployment safeguarding the airspace over tary aircraft flew into NATO’s area of responsi- of safeguarding NATO airspace continues un- and near the Ally in the High North. bility in northern Norway. The CAOC scrambled changed. several Quick Reaction Alert fighters in the North "Air Policing is a very important duty for the Alli- Atlantic to intercept the Russian aircraft operat- The second Italian Air Force F-35 deployment to ance. In that regard, even in these difficult times, ing over international waters off Norway, Iceland Iceland ended with a closing ceremony on July Italy is deploying F-35 fighters to Iceland to ful- and the United Kingdom. Besides the Italian 5th 20. The 130-strong team of Colonel Cesario have fil its task,” said Colonel Michele Cesario, Com- generation fighters, Royal Norwegian Air Force once again demonstrate the solidarity and cohe- mander of the Italian F-35 detachment in Iceland F-16 from Bodø Air Station, and Royal Air Force sion of Allies in this strategically important re- after the arrival of the fighter aircraft at Keflavik Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth and a Voyager gion in the High North. Air Base. “We are very pleased to be back, and we tanker aircraft were to escort and monitor the have been able to continue to build our relations Russian aircraft until they left NATO’s area of re- The special arrangement for Iceland started in with our hosts from the Icelandic . sponsibility. The Russian military planes, had not 2008, since the NATO has maintained the mis- This operation represents another excellent ex- complied with international aviation rules. The sion "Airborne surveillance and interception ca- ample of the cohesion among NATO members ", collective and concerted intercept showcased Al- pabilities to meet Iceland’s peacetime prepared- he added. lied readiness and responsiveness when it comes ness needs”. to safeguarding the airspace. For the second time after the spring of 2019, Italy While Iceland provides a 24/7/365 air surveil- deployed its fifth-generation fighter aircraft to the Another highlight of the deployment was a vir- lance posture with its four remote radar and com- Allied mission providing interceptor capabilities tual press tour NATO and Allied Air Command munication sites, NATO Allies make interception to safeguard Icelandic airspace. In 2013, 2017 offered to several international journalists to capabilities available by deploying fighter aircraft and 2018, Italy deployed their Eurofighter air- learn more about the Italian Air Force F-35 de- to Keflavik Air Base (typically around three to craft in support of the mission in the High North. ployment to Iceland. The journalists were linked four weeks, three to four times a year with a mini- into a virtual press conference together with mum of four aircraft. NATO’s Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) Ambassador Francesco Maria Talo’, Permanent at Uedem, responsible for controlling the Air Representative of Italy to NATO, Colonel Michele Ten Allies have so far deployed their fighter de- Policing mission north of the Alps, certified the Cesario, detachment commander of the Italian tachments to conduct the mission. The last three Italian F-35 after a week of familiarisation flights F-35 detachment at Iceland, and Commander detachments were executed by F-35 fighter jets in Icelandic airspace. The Italian Air Force F-35 Marvin Ingolfsson, Deputy Commander of Kefla- representing a welcome opportunity to Allied Air detachment conducted numerous training sor- vik Air Base. During the one-hour event, the me- Command to further integrate the capabilities of- ties under the control of the NATO Control and dia representatives were introduced to NATO Air fered by modern fighter aircraft into existing air- Reporting Centre at Keflavik Air Base. One event Policing, the role in sup- craft fleets. involved the training intercept of a Royal Dan- porting the NATO mission and the overall Ital- ish Air Force CL-604 Challenger: The Danish jet ian contribution to the mission. Colonel Cesario from Air Transport Wing was on its way and his team presented an update on the NATO to Greenland when it simulated an unidentified mission and demonstrated the F-35 pilot helmet, aircraft and became a “target aircraft” for the Ital- specifically designed for each pilot allowing them ian 5th generation fighters. Simulations like this to fully exploit the capabilities of this modern 5th are an ideal opportunity for Allies to practice alert generation fighter aircraft. The chief of the Ital- procedures in an unknown airspace and enhance ian maintenance section then took the media on cooperation – in this case between the Italian F- a virtual tour of the F-35 aircraft itself providing 35s, the Danish CL-604 and the Icelandic Coast a briefing of technical capabilities of the weapon Guard air traffic controllers system.

On June 3, Italy’s F-35 fighter aircraft were In times of coronavirus restrictions this form of 21 SECURITY FORCE ASSISTANCE: A HIGH OPERATIONAL HQ INVOLVEMENT FOR JFC BRUNSSUM

The Alliance is continuously involved in such a challenge; the latest major SFA activity to be launched was in 2018 in Iraq as a training mis- sion at the request of the Iraqi Government. This is a non-combat mission, like RSM, building on NATO’s current efforts to help the Iraqi security and military structure to better fight terrorism, stabilise their country and prevent the re-emer- gence of ISIS/Daesh.

SFA: A concept in the making within NATO Strategy The importance of the SFA is explained by con- cepts like defence capacity building, comprehen- sive approach action plan, and projecting stabil- ity beyond its border. For this reason SFA is an Alliance’s need, much more than a simple choice, as it clearly derives from the Alliance’s Strategic Concepts in 2010, "Active Engagement, Modern Defence". This concept is characterized by the commitment to deal with “all stages of a crisis – before, during and after”. The “comprehen- sive approach” is an all-embracing principle that implies a greater role for cooperative security, STORY BY CDR MICHEL LOIC AND LT COLONEL ALESSANDRO CONCARI, JFCBS J7 DLL which requires remedial measure not only on the military side but also through diplomacy, social Compared to few decades ago, nowadays NATO crisis zone, with HN approval. It is also worth interventions, economic development and post- intervenes well outside its borders to meet the to mention that SFA is not only related to train- conflict stabilization. For these reasons NATO existing and future security challenges through ing, and it is more than “Train Advise and As- has to reach out to a wide range of international a comprehensive approach. In fact, Alliance sist” (TAA), in fact the NATO SFA concept is organizations and non-governmental ones that projects stability and fights the terrorism almost often explained through the use of the acronym have mandates in institution-building, govern- across the globe, stretching from Asia to Africa; GOTEAM: Generate, Organize, Train, Enable, ance, development, and judiciary reform. moreover, it supports its partners to reach these Advise, and Monitor. Generate refers to assist a goals. Clear examples of this commitment are HN to develop the system, structures and man- NATO SFA also demonstrates the capability of represented by the Resolute Support Mission power that will be required to build a sustainable the Alliance to address security issues by adapt- (RSM) in Afghanistan, the “Individual Partner- local force capability. Organize is the assistance ing to different context and needs. In fact NATO ship and Cooperation Programme” between provided to shape the HN local forces. Training has developed a flexible regional approach by NATO and Mauritania, the tight relationship is self-explanatory and represents the most vis- adopting expeditionary advisory capabilities too; with the African Union. ible part of SFA; it also includes education. En- moreover, considering the sometimes limited re- able is a wide range of services that potentially sources, NATO has maximized the utilization of It is worth to clarify that, although several mis- contribute to develop the associated institutions its available assets by developing its SFA activi- sions are non-combat in type, they directly in order to make the HN self-sustainable. Advice ties to the point of need. contribute to stabilize the host nation (HN) refers to the improvement of designated actors’ territories, fight the terrorism and prevent the performance through the provision of active par- re-emergence of criminal organizations, as it ticipation and expertise to achieve strategical SFA: a new operational happens for NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) and the and operational objectives. development at JFC previously mentioned RSM. In these cases the Brunssum Alliance supports the HN’s effort to create a solid Through the GOTEAM activities, SFA directly Considering the importance of maintaining and and sustainable defence structure, enabling it impacts on HN security organization effective- improving this SFA capability from strategical from the ministerial level down to the very tacti- ness because it enables HN to achieve the na- to tactical level, JFCBS has created a plan of ac- cal level. For these reasons NATO personnel dai- tional security objectives. tion for the years to come in order to learn from ly works with host nation colleagues at Ministry theatre new techniques and procedures to apply of Interior or Defence to mentor them, helps HN SFA requires a holistic mind-set, both during the SFA at the operational level, to foster its plan- colleagues working at the Defence preparation phase and the execution one; more- ning capabilities considering the full spectrum to plan the future of their Armed Force, organ- over, SFA activities apply from strategical to tac- of SFA implications, to expand the SFA SMEs izes operational planning course for the HN staff, tical level through different forms, sometimes network. In fact, JFCBS effort is distributed on teaches techniques and practices to troops on outside standards enablers too. For example, several lines of efforts ranging from personnel the ground, well beyond the withdrawal of main SFA SMEs are required during the early stage of to processes and doctrine, from training and combat forces too, etc. the planning phase, because SFA is fully involved education to networking and engagement. The in the operational planning process; moreover, end-state was to develop the ability to plan and SFA operators work with GOs and NGOs after SFA: the instrument to execute SFA in a Non Article 5 Crisis Response the withdrawal of main contingent. develop Local Security Operations (NA5CRO) context, with short-term goals aimed at creating a network of NATO level Forces SFA has many conceptual linkages with other expertise with share views on common SFA is- NATO concepts, like Security Sector Reform Utilizing more doctrinally-correct words, this ac- sues and related matters. tivity is called Security Force Assistance (SFA), (SSR), Stabilization and Reconstruction (S&R), and it includes all NATO activities that develop, Military Assistance (MA), Counter-insurgency improve, or directly support the development of (COIN), Stability Policing (SP), and Disarma- local forces and their associated institutions in ment, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR).

22 • SFA seminars at the operational level on April 2019 and June this reason it is important to develop, among In this sense, the Doctrine and Lessons Learned 2020 with the participation of representatives NATO allies, an integrated and common vision (DLL) Branch of JFCBS organized the first two from different NATO and non-NATO organiza- on matters such as defense capacity building, SFA seminars at the operational level in Octo- tions. The growing interest on SFA is demon- projecting stability, building integrity, and civil- ber 2018 and December 2019 with the support strated by the expansion of the community of ian protection. of the NATO SFA COE based in Cesano (Italy), interest including non-NATO governmental US Joint Center for International Security Force organizations and the main NATO Headquarters The next events on the line at JFCBS are the third Assistance (JCISFA), Joint Force Command in from strategic to tactical. Major General Cornelis SFA seminar for staff officers at operational level, Naples (JFCNP) and NRDC-ITA, Combined Se- Matthijssen, Deputy Chief of Staff Plans under- expected in November 2020, and the third round curity Transition Command - Afghanistan, Dep- lined, during the opening remarks, the impor- table on next April, aiming at further expanding uty Chief of Staff Security Assistance (CSTC-A/ tance of SFA as an integral element of many on- the network of the SFA operators at the strategi- DCOS-SA), and an external contractor. going missions. cal, operational and tactical level. Stuart Skeates, CBE, Deputy Commander JFCBS, highlighted that by exam- These events represent a unique opportunity for SFA: The way forward ining the current global situation and the chal- analysing Alliance’s key topics under a holistic lenges that NATO faces, we may be called upon perspective, developing the expertise and knowl- to intervene to support a host nation that needs edge on SFA at the operational level, discussing To conclude, considering the multifaceted to develop its security forces - SFA therefore common topics related to SFA, like standardiza- threats challenging the Alliance far away from its representing an essential instrument in order to tion of terms and procedures, interoperability, national borders, and the frequent areas of cri- prevent escalation in critical areas. Therefore, training, and educational activities. In fact, the sis around the world, NATO has to maintain its JFCBS SFA seminar represented the opportu- chairmen, Capt(N) Loïc Michel DLL Branch readiness at the highest level to be also able to nity to develop our understanding of SFA issues, Head and Col. Massimo Di Pietro, Director of the face the complexity of a possible intervention concerning general operational practices which NATO SFA COE, highlighted that among the Al- in a remote HN afflicted by internal instability. the JFCBS will have to face in the future, in par- liance’s essential core tasks, projecting stability In this context, SFA represents a demanding ac- ticular within the framework of the NA5CRO in a represents a way to affect security development tivity because it also challenges the future cohe- common environment. well beyond NATO borders; consequently, as it sion of the Alliance, but we can affirm that the happens in the RSM, the Alliance actively en- Alliance keeps demonstrating its capability and • SFA round tables gages in SFA to enhance international security firm commitment to carry on its mission until the Also, JFCBS hosted, under the DLL branch or- through partnership with relevant stakeholders, assigned end state is achieved. ganization, the first and second SFA round tables national, and international organizations. For THE COMING OF AGE OF THE JOINT LOGISTICS SUPPORT GROUP BRUNSSUM of the proposed adaptation of the JLSG model in February 2018. On 29th of May 2020, NATO’s North Atlantic Council agreed on the JLSG Com- mand structures for both Brunssum and Naples and the mutual support arrangements between them; thus formally recognising each JLSG as an independent military command. Each of the two JLSG will now see an influx of multinational personnel from across the NATO nations with the aim of achieving a Core Staff Element of some 80 personnel in each JLSG. 30 positions within each Command will be identified to be readily deploy- able to support operations of the respective sister command. Locally, the first Commander of JLSG Brunssum is General Jaroslav Schön of the Army of the Czech Republic. He has over 38 years of military logistics experience. Having arrived to Brunssum in August 2019, General Schön has already significantly contributed to the transition process towards the new Command. The remain- STORY BY LT CDR DAVE JONES, posts to be manned out of the respective JFC staff der of the personnel identified to provide the lo- gistics expertise will arrive in the coming months, JLSG BRUNSSUM that will form the 25 JLSG Core Staff Element (CSE). The CSE, when deployed, be it on exercise with the projected view that JLSG will achieve In- The Wales Summit of 2014 explored the complex or on operations, would be supplemented by an itial Operating Capability (IOC) in April 2021 and nature of supporting multinational forces com- additional some 90 augmentees from other units Full Operating Capability (FOC) in January 2023. ing from all military domains and operating in to allow the JLSG to fulfil its role. At the present state of build-up, the JLSG Core a Joint Operations Area (JOA). At that occasion, The swift formation of the Core Staff Element en- Staff Element comprises 25 staff from 13 of the existing concept of Joint Logistics Support sured that the JFCs were ready to provide mul- NATO’s 30 nations. Post transition, the JLSG Group (JLSG) was re-affirmed as a solution to tinational logistics support to combat troops in Brunssum will comprise some 80 staff from 14 coordinate multinational logistic operations, ena- any JOA the Supreme Allied Commander Europe NATO nations with the USA and the Netherlands bling effectiveness and efficiency in order to en- (SACEUR) is responsible for. Ever since, with becoming the largest troop contributors. This will sure optimal support to the troops in theatre. The most NATO nations augmenting the Core Staff mean an influx of up to 300 multinational mili- roles identified for the JLSG meant that they are Element to form the JLSG deployed Headquar- tary and family members becoming part of the lo- one of the first military elements to enter a crisis ters, this concept has been very successfully uti- cal communities in and around Brunssum. area and one of the last to leave. So the JLSG are lised for multiple exercises. a critical element for the projection of forces into Of course, a rapid generation of additional forces “You will not find it difficult to prove that a theatre under NATO’s Readiness Action Plan to form the bulk of a JLSG HQ in an operation battles, campaigns, and even wars have concept which stipulates a swift delivery of forces or exercise is not without challenges. Therefore, been won or lost primarily because of into an area of tension and their sustainment on a support mechanism was needed to provide op- logistics” the ground. timal operational capabilities for the JLSGs, en- (General Dwight D. Eisenhower) With this statement of commitment still fresh suring a high state of readiness without the need * JLSGs have existed within the NATO Command Struc- in the memory, the two sister NATO Joint Force to further generate augmentation from various ture since 2005 but were reduced in number and ca- Commands in Brunssum and Naples, respec- NATO nations. The NATO Command Structure- pacity by decisions made at the Lisbon Summit in 2010 tively, established a permanent JLSG within their Adaptation (NCS-A), announced in Warsaw before being re-affirmed and formalised at the Wales structures in 2015*. The first outlay was small, 2016, gave the go-ahead to a reshaping of the Summit in 2014. with only a few permanent staff positions initially NATO Command Structure to provide the frame created to provide a nucleus for a further some 20 for the respective JLSGs; with formal approval 23

BRITISH ARMED FORCES NATIONAL CONTRIBUTION

Introduction The British Armed Forces, also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military services responsible for the defence of Great Britain (including Northern Ireland), its 14 overseas territories and promoting the UK's wider interests. The Ministry of Defence is the governmental department responsible for implementing Defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. The Permanent Joint Headquarters is where all overseas military operations are planned and controlled, with the three single Services responsible for providing and developing mili- tary capability. The British Armed Forces are well known for providing the highly visible ‘Red Arrows’ and ‘Trooping the Colour’ and is widely recognised as one of the world’s lead- ing military powers. The professional force STORY BY WING COMMANDER TRAVIS TONKIN, JFCBS COMMS/IO has a regular strength of 147,400 personnel consisting of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, combined with the Type 45 destroyer present from the sea to conduct operations on land. A the British Army, and the Royal Air Force. Re- a powerful deterrent to those who want to do key component of the Royal Navy's maritime serve Forces are integral to protecting the na- us harm. security function, they provide a unique capa- tion’s security at home and overseas, and work A submarine service has existed within the bility and are experts in ship-to-ship opera- alongside their regular counterparts delivering Royal Navy for more than 100 years. The Sub- tions. military capability. Ministry of Defence civil marine Service's four Vanguard-class nuclear- servants play an important role developing powered submarines carry Lockheed Martin's British Army strategy, making policy and supporting minis- Trident II ballistic missiles, forming the Unit- The British Army is the principal land warfare terial decision-making. ed Kingdom's nuclear deterrent. Seven Astute- force of the UK and is primarily a war-fighting class nuclear-powered attack submarines are organisation prepared to fight the nation’s Royal Navy the most advanced and largest ever built for enemies if required. Soldiers from the Air As- the Royal Navy, and will maintain Britain's The Royal Navy is a technologically sophis- sault Task Force can react to a potential adver- nuclear-powered submarine fleet capabilities ticated naval force consisting of 75 commis- sary within hours or a full response from the for decades to come. sioned ships. The Surface Fleet consists of am- Warfighting Division could be launched. Oper- phibious warfare ships, destroyers, frigates, Royal Marines ations could be conducted independently, with patrol vessels, mine-countermeasure vessels, NATO, or with key allies. The Army also func- and other miscellaneous vessels. The recently The Royal Marines are the UK's Commando tions to prevent conflict with soldiers deployed built Type 45 destroyers are technologically Force and the Royal Navy's own amphibious on numerous overseas operations to tackle a advanced air-defence destroyers equipped troops. They are an elite fighting force, opti- multitude of problems. It also offers a pool of with the ferocious Sea Viper missile, which mised for worldwide rapid response and are manpower to help deal with disaster, such as can knock moving targets out of the sky from able to deal with a wide spectrum of threats floods in the UK, or in the Caribbean after the 70 miles away. The two Queen Elizabeth-class and security challenges. hurricanes. aircraft carriers, embarking an air-group in- The British Army has recently re-organised cluding the advanced F-35B fifth-generation Fully integrated with the Royal Navy's am- into two main commands: Field Army and multi-role fighter, are a symbol of Britain’s phibious ships, they can be deployed glob- Home Command. Commander Home Com- eminent place on the world stage and when ally without host nation support and projected mand is responsible for the planning and ex-

24 ecution of civil contingency operations within ary combat support and combat service sup- allies to commit aircraft to NATO’s air polic- the UK. The core purpose of Home Command port units of the RAF. Deployable formations ing and provide aircraft for NATO’s Airborne is to be the foundations of the Army’s fighting consist of Expeditionary Air Wings and squad- Early Warning and Control Force. We are the power; delivering the physical, moral and con- rons—the basic unit of the Air Force. 3rd largest contributor to NATO’s Resolute ceptual support to the Army and its people. The Royal Air Force operates multi-role and Support Mission in Afghanistan with 1,100 Commander Field Army commands all the single-role fighters, reconnaissance and patrol personnel and demonstrate our high readiness formations of the British Army's forces for op- aircraft, tankers, transports, helicopters, un- through contribution to the Very High Readi- erational tasks and includes the vast majority manned aerial vehicles, and various types of ness Joint Task Force. The UK has outstand- of the Army’s fighting equipment. The 1st (UK) training aircraft. Ground units are also main- ing capability and has offered the largest con- Division heads up the British Army’s Light tained by the Royal Air Force, most promi- tribution of any ally to the NATO Readiness Role ‘Adaptable’ Force consisting one Special- nently the RAF Police and the Royal Air Force Initiative; including a Carrier Strike Group , a ised Infantry Group, experts in Train, Advise, Regiment. The Royal Air Force Regiment es- 5th generation squadron of F35B aircraft and Assist, Mentor and Accompany operations sentially functions as the ground defence force an Armoured Infantry Brigade of over 5,000 with indigenous forces, six Adaptable Force of the RAF, optimised for the specialist role of troops. We have increased our personnel Infantry Brigades and a Logistic Brigade. The fighting on and around forward airfields. The contribution by 100+ posts to support NATO 3rd (UK) Division is the ‘Reaction’ force, or Regiment also provides the UK's specialist adaptation and host key NATO functions Warfighting division, held at continual opera- Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nucle- and HQs such as HQ Maritime Command at tional readiness and forms the backbone of the ar capability which became so visible in Salis- Northwood. British Army’s response to any threat to the bury in 2018. Nation. The 6th (UK) Division prepares and EU generates the Army’s Information Manoeuvre World Wide The British public voted to leave the EU in and Unconventional Warfare forces for both The United Kingdom is one of five recognised 2016 but will remain part of the Common For- constant competition and warfighting, as well nuclear powers, is a permanent member on eign and Security Policy and Common Security as routinely conducting operations below the the United Nations Security Council and is a and Defence Policy. From December 2020 the threshold of armed conflict in the virtual and founding and leading member of the NATO UK will become a ‘third country’ and no longer physical dimensions. Commander Field Army military alliance. It maintains many overseas be represented in EU institutions and will not is also responsible for Joint Helicopter Com- garrisons and facilities such as Ascension Is- participate in EU decision making; however, mand which commands most of the UK's bat- land, Bahrain, Belize, Cyprus, the Falkland Is- the UK will be able to participate on a case- tlefield lift and attack helicopters. lands, Germany, Gibraltar and Kenya to name by-case basis and could participate in EU-led Ongoing structural changes within the 3rd a few. We support international operations. The need for close, flexible and (UK) division will result in two Armoured In- efforts, provide humanitarian aid and NATO is scalable cooperation will be needed in the fu- fantry and two new STRIKE brigades, one of at the heart of UK Defence and forms the cor- ture with the finer detail of cooperation and each held at high readiness. The change will nerstone of our security. participation in defence and security matters ensure the Army can still field a modernised to be negotiated once the UK leave the EU. division routinely and be able to reorganise NATO for a range of other tasks and operations, at Whilst NATO remains the bedrock of EU De- increased readiness. The STRIKE brigades will Contributing to the NATO alliance across all 5 fence, the UK will continue operating with be equipped with the ‘Ajax’ armoured fighting domains (sea, land, air, cyber and space), the like-minded nations to increase security. The vehicle, a new £3.5 billion procurement pro- UK’s aspiration is to be the leading European UK leads the 9-nation Joint Expeditionary gramme. NATO ally. The UK contributes to every Al- liance operation enhancing NATO deterrence Force (JEF) which is deployable within the Royal Air Force through the UK’s Continuous at Sea Nuclear EU and globally. In addition, the UK oper- Deterrent. The importance of the High North ates Combined Joint Task Force with France th The Royal Air Force, which celebrated its 100 is recognised in our 10-year plan to partici- and, post BREXIT, the UK could form future anniversary in 2018, has a large operational pate in all exercises and our national activity partnerships with other countries within and fleet that fulfils various roles, consisting of in the North Atlantic is carefully coordinated outside the EU. both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. Frontline with NATO to achieve common objectives. aircraft are controlled by Air Command, which As a leading contributor to NATOs Enhanced Future is organised into five groups defined by func- Forward Presence we have nearly a thousand tion: 1 Group (Air Combat), 2 Group (Air Sup- personnel in Estonia and Poland and last Regardless of what the future holds, the Brit- port), 11 Group (Air and Space operations), 22 year demonstrated our ability to reinforce by ish Armed Forces will strive to remain at the Group (training aircraft and ground facilities) land, sea and air through movement of 200 forefront of global security and maintain its and 38 Group (Royal Air Force's Engineering, armoured vehicles during Operation TRAC- reputation as a world’s leading military power. Logistics, Communications and Medical Op- TABLE. NATO will continue to be at the heart of UK erations units). In addition 83 Expeditionary Defence and continue to form the cornerstone Air Group directs formations in the Middle The UK provides a significant contribution to of our security which will be enhanced by fu- East and 38 Group combines the expedition- NATO assurance measures. We are one of 10 ture partnerships with like-minded countries.

25

VISITS AND ACTIVITIES APRIL - JULY 2020

24 APRIL 2020 NEW JFCBS COMMANDER ADDRESSES HIS STAFF

With an empathetic call for team spirit, mutual confidence and military profes- sionalism, the new commander of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JF- CBS), General Jörg Vollmer introduced himself to his headquarters on April 23rd. The German officer reminded NATOs women and men in uniform as well as civilian employees of the Alliance’s noble essence to preserve peace. “We are the face of NATO in the countries of our implementation area. For them, it’s us. Let people really believe that you take it serious”, Vollmer underlined.

20 May 2020 JFC BRUNSSUM AND USEUCOM DISCUSS FUTURE EXERCISES

Gen. Jörg Vollmer and U.S. European Command’s (USEUCOM) Deputy Com- mander, Lt. Gen. Stephen M. Twitty underlined the close relationship between USEUCOM and NATO. The two leaders also reiterated their determination to further synchronize, coordinate and develop exercise concepts

27 May 2020 BRUNSSUM COMMANDER AND DSACEUR CONDUCT VIRTUAL MEETING

In the course of briefings discussion ensued on NATO`s Resolute Support Mis- sion, in Afghanistan, the NATO Response Force, Deterrence and security-related challenges associated with Northern Europe or, as it is called within Allied Command Operations (ACO), Implementation-Area North, which covers the area from Iceland, via Norway, the three Baltic States and Poland.

22 JUNE 2020 "CORNERSTONE IN THE DEFENCE OF NORTH EASTERN EUROPE" - GENERAL VOLLMER VISITS POLAND

General Vollmer travelled to Poland for a meeting with the Chief of Defence, General Rajmund Andrzejczak, followed by a meeting with the commander of the Operational Command, Lieutenant General Tomasz Piotrowski. During the meeting with General Andrzejczak, General Vollmer articulated JF- CBS’s role and responsibilities and discussed Poland’s robust contribution to the Northern part of NATO’s implementation area as an important ally. "Poland is a cornerstone in our defence of North Eastern Europe", General Vollm- er said during the official press conference, highlighting Poland's commitment in building up their NATO portions, especially to the NATO Command Structure and the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP). 26

25 JUNE 2010 "OUR COMMITMENT IS TO DETER" - GENERAL VOLLMER TRAVELS TO LITHUANIA

Within his first foreign trip as the Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS), General Jörg Vollmer, visited the Baltic Sea region for meet- ings with the Chiefs of Defence, and, in Lithuania, the Commander also spoke with the Minister of Defence, Raimundas Karoblis.

General Vollmer stressed JFCBS’s role and responsibilities and discussed Lithu- anias important contribution to the Northern part of NATO’s implementation area. Our commitment is to deter and we do it together. This is a very strong signal that we are taking deterrence and the preparation for defence very seriously. It is very important for the whole region and Europe", the Commander highlighted.

26 JUNE 2010 'ONLY TOGETHER' - GENERAL JÖRG VOLLMER STOPS IN RIGA

In Riga, the Commander met the Latvian Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Leonids Kalnins.

General Vollmer highlighted the approach of enhancing troops in the Baltics and Poland:

"We all have to understand that deterrence and defence only work when we do it together. And we have to always be prepared to move as fast as necessary for any reinforcement."

26 JUNE 2010 UNITY AND SOLIDARITY - GENERAL JÖRG VOLLMER VISITS ESTONIA

Estonia is hosting an eFP battlegroup, located in Tapa. This unit is led by the United Kingdom and supported by elements from Danmark, France and Iceland.

General Vollmer stated; "Thank you, Estonia, for being an important Ally and your contribution to NATO's eFP, NRF2020 & Resolute Support in Afghanistan. You are ready for collective defence, one of NATO's core tasks."

General Vollmer highlighted Estonia's efforts in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic as a strong signal of unity and solidarity. The nation had donated medical sup- plies to Italy and Spain.

1ST JULY 2020 GENERAL JÖRG VOLLMER VISITS NORWAY

Commander JFC Brunssum, General Jörg Vollmer, paid a first visit in his new function to the Norwegian Joint Headquarters in Bodø on Wednesday, 01 July 2020. He met with the Commander Norwegian Joint HQ, Lieutenant General Rune Jakobsen, and was briefed on the defence posture of Norway.

“Integrating closely with the NATO command structure is essential for the defence of Norway, and meeting eye to eye as commanders is a great way to make sure that we achieve this.” Lt Gen Jakobsen was quoted as saying. Public Affairs officer. During my service in 10 my service During officer. Affairs Public and Military unit, serving also asawelfare Swietoszow’s 8 yearsinthe Command inKracowaschiefofcommunications branch. 3 yearsworkingfor Land Operation Centre–Land I spent Component the PolishMilitaryContingentin Afghanistan. Before I came toBrunssum, for spokesman the Afghanistan, Iwas tour to Ghazni. During mysecond FOB for the of projects cooperation andimplementation involved inthe was I Afghanistan, in mission first my there).During years 1.5 nearly spent in 2009-2010 to Afghanistantwice: and 2013-2014(II wasalsodeployed leadership of this team. I must admit that it was a big challenge for me. challenge a big was it that admit team. 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