NATO'S LARGEST EXERCISE SERIES IN THE BALTIC SEA
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M A G A Z I N E F O R H Q J F C B R U N S S U M - A U G U S T 2 0 2 0 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 » JFC BRUNSSUM • NATO’S STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS IN AGHANISTAN • NATO FIGHTER AIRCRAFT SAFEGUARD BALTIC SKIES • BRITISH ARMED FORCES
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M A G A Z I N E F O R H Q J F C B R U N S S U M
CONTENTS AUGUST 2020
EDITORIAL STAFF
Col. Frank Warda (DEU Army)
3 COMMAND GROUP CORNER Editorial Director
Cpt Aouatef Zimrani (FRA Army)
4 COMMANDER JFCBS INTERVIEW Chief Editor
7 NATO’S STRATCOM IN AFGHANISTAN Cpt Tobias Luckau (DEU Air Force)
Assistant Editor
10 DEFENDER 20 EXERCISE
Adj Leo Roos (NLD Army)
Assistant Editor
14 EXCHANGE OFFICER STORY EFP BATTLEGROUP LATVIA
Veerle Dandoy (BEL Civ)
15 BALTOPS EXERCISE Assistant Editor
18 DYNAMIC MONGOOSE EXERCISE Sgt Maj Peter van Bastelaar (NLD Navy)
Assistant Editor
20 BALTIC AIR POLICING
WO Marc Andre Gaudreault (CAN Army)
Assistant Editor
21 ITALIAN AIR FORCE F35 FIGHTERS IN ICELAND
CONTRIBUTORS:
22 SECURITY FORCE ASSISTANCE SEMINAR Colonel 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, Allied Air Command 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
Wing Commander Travis Tonkin, JFCBS COMMS IO
PHOTO CREDITS:
British Royal Navy : POA Carl Osmond; Dan Rosenbaum,
ABOUT THE COVER HMS Kent
Standing Nato Maritime Group 1 : Petty Officer Jakob
Østheim
BALTIC SEA (June 16, 2020) Sailors onboard U.S. Marine Corps : Sgt. Pete Thibodeau
Estonian Navy ENS Wambola (433) with German U.S. Navy : Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class
Navy FGS Werra (A-514) in the Baltic Sea during Kyle Steckler
BALTOPS 2020. BALTOPS is the premier annual UK Ministry of Defence's
maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic region, Royal Air Force
enhancing flexibility and interoperability among British Royal Navy
German 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
Royal Danish Air Force
Finnish Air Force
Spanish Air Force
eFP BG Latvia
www.jfcbs.nato.int
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COMMAND GROUP CORNER
MAJOR GENERAL 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 Major General 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, Belgium, tive success. Progress can only be made together plans’ will become better integrated with other
France and Luxemburg. COVID-19 restrictions because success requires team effort, trust, syn- 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
REGIONAL FOCUS
EFFICIENCY CREATES SECURITY
QUESTIONS TO AND ANSWERS FROM COM JFCBS
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 United States and our first priority, in particular as the level of
who joined NATO since the end of the Cold the Taliban 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 NATOs
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, Sweden 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, Lithuania, 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
RESOLUTE SUPPORT
THREE WARS AT ONCE
NATO’s Strategic Communications in Afghanistan
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 commanders, 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
8power, 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.
9REGIONAL FOCUS
“US DEFENDER 20”
EXERCISE ADAPTATION TO THE COVID CRISIS
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-
10visioned 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 Cold War, 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-
11pected 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 1st 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
12Soldiers 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 airlifts 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 helicopter.
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.”
13REGIONAL FOCUS
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
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 Captain 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 squadron - 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 Canada, 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 a re- Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Italy, 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 United Kingdom, to an end in July, when the Battle Group
Likewise, Captain Andre Cyr did not know Denmark, 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
14MARITIME
NATO MARITIME EXERCISE BALTOPS 2020
IN TIMES OF CORONA
STORY BY CDR HANNS-CHRISTIAN KLASING, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER JFCBS COMMS MPA
From 07 – 17 June 2020, NATO, to- France; Germany; Greece; Italy; Latvia; The first part of the exercise, the Combat En-
gether with partner nations, con- Lithuania; The Netherlands; Norway; Po- hancement Training and Force Integration
ducted the 49th Baltic Operations land; Portugal; Spain; Turkey; 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, radar 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 helicopters each on different ships, and
pated in 2020: Canada; Denmark; Estonia; before it emerges.” those helicopters can still fly into different
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