In 2005, the Joint Warfare Centre started to plan and coordinate the NATO Response Force (NRF) STEADFAST Series of Exercises for 2006.

The STEADFAST Series of Exercises are designed to ensure that NATO's Joint (Force) Commands and their associated Components (Land, Air, Maritime) are ready to deploy, execute and redeploy at minimum notice to achieve the Alliance's objectives.

The ultimate aim of the exercises is to develop the capabilities and structures of the NATO Response Force as a catalyst for NATO's transformation.

While each exercise has been designed to support these objectives, the overarching aim is to certify the teams of their processes within the headquarters and their ability to gather and distil information and provide direction, while continually communicating both vertically and horizontally. Overall they aim to train, integrate and evaluate command structures and their ability to plan and conduct Crisis Response Operations using the NRF concept.

This background together with Joint Warfare Centre's aggressive exercise planning and coordination has made the STEADFAST Series of Exercises the most professional series of exercises yet.

The Joint Warfare Centre's Scenario Team, in coordination with Allied Command Operations and NATO's Joint (Force) Commands, builds the Main Events and Incidents Lists, which are presented to the Training Audience to assist in the accomplishment of the training objectives. The aim is to ensure that there are sufficient, desired and realistic "situations" for the NRF Components to deal with during the execution. JWC's scenario support has underpinned the NRF training, thereby allowing for the achievement of NATO's transformational objectives for the 21st Century.

NATO Response Force (NRF): NRF is a high-readiness joint and combined force capable of performing certain missions on its own as well as participating in an operation as part of a larger force.

For NRF 2012 rotation NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) gives his specific guidance to JFC Brunssum to train, prepare and certify the Immediate Response Force (IRF) and the elements designated in the Response Forces Pool (RFP).

The Deployable Joint Staff Elements and initial elements of the forces are required to be ready to move on 48 hours to 30 days notice, and sustain themselves for operations lasting 30 days or longer if resupplied.