The wait is finally over – on Wednesday, 7 May the Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) kicked off exercise TRIDENT JAGUAR 2014 (TRJR 14) at locations in Spain, Norway and aboard the USS Mount Whitney, following 15 months of comprehensive and complex planning.

TRJR14 is an Allied Command Transformation (ACT)-sponsored exercise designed to train and evaluate NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Spain (NRDC-ESP) and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (SFN), respectively as Land and Maritime Expeditionary Joint Task Force (JTF) HQ. This is the first exercise to certify the NATO Force Structure (NFS) HQ as Joint Task Forces HQs for Smaller Joint Operations (SJO). The exercise will serve as a venue to certify both JTF HQs for their standby periods in the NATO rotation of ready forces.

But the Training Audiences (TA) are not limited to JTFHQ (L) and JTFHQ (M) alone; Joint Logistics Support Group (JLSG) HQ and Special Operation Forces (SOCC Core) HQ, which both form part of the NRDC-ESP, are also participating.

The exercise Officer of Primary Responsibility (OPR) from JWC, Lt Col Bo Andersen’s (DNK A) said: “Finally we have arrived at STARTEX (start of the exercise). I have been looking forward to this day with a great deal of excitement. Having had the pleasure of being the JWC OPR previously, I know that also this time many people have put a lot of effort into planning for the event and making it an essential contribution to the process of certifying the TAs. I believe that we are facing interesting and sometimes challenging days.”

To control an exercise of this extent, a robust Exercise Control (EXCON) structure is required. The Exercise Control (EXCON) at JWC is manned by more than 400 military and civilian personnel from 29 countries.

TRJR14 marks a milestone for JWC as the first exercise to train two JTF headquarters simultaneously, with land and maritime expeditionary aspects, under a single EXCON organization, scenario and MEL/MIL script.

TRJR14 will continue until Friday 16 May.