Exercise STEADFAST JUNCTURE 10 (a major, joint decision-making and Command Post [CPX]/Computer Assisted [CAX] exercise), started on 3 May 2010 with the preparation phase and it will continue until 15 May 2010 simultaneously at seven locations. STEADFAST JUNCTURE 10 will train expeditionary forces of the NATO Response Force (NRF 15).
Exercise STEADFAST JUNCTURE 10 involves more than 2,300 military and civilian personnel from various headquarters and units assigned to or supporting the 15th rotation of the NATO Response Force (NRF 15), which covers the period from 1 July to 31 December 2010. The exercise is conducted on all three main levels: Strategic, Operational and Tactical.
The exercise locations are:
• Valdahon, France (Main exercise location);
• Joint Warfare Centre's Ulsnes Interim Training Facility, Stavanger, Norway (Exercise Centre);
• Brunssum, the Netherlands (Commander NRF 15);
• Mons, Belgium (SHAPE);
• Toulon, France (F.S. Mistral, French Navy);
• Izmir, Turkey (Joint Force Air Command);
• Larissa, Greece (Combined Air Operations Centre).
STEADFAST JUNCTURE 10 is conducted by General Egon Ramms, German Army, Commander Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC Brunssum). JFC Brunssum currently leads NRF 15 and it is one of the three Operational-level NATO Headquarters that is capable of commanding one major and two small operations concurrently.
The exercise is directed by Lieutenant General Wolfgang Korte, German Army, Commander Joint Warfare Centre.
STEADFAST JUNCTURE 10 is designed to train, validate and certify the Command and Control elements dedicated to NRF 15 (NRF force activation, tailoring, force generation and deployment) in a joint environment as well as to evaluate the Deployable Joint Staff Element (DJSE) concept. It ultimately aims to test NATO's expeditionary capabilities within the revised NRF concept to provide the Alliance with necessary operational capabilities and a crisis management tool.
The revised NRF construct is built on the operational Command and Control that includes: a DJSE, the Immediate Response Force (IRF) with pre-designated forces and the Response Forces Pool (RFP) which complements the basis. The IRF, which is the core of the revised NRF, may be comprised of up to 13,000 troops. Although the implementation plan is in progress, the NRF 15 rotation is the first to be run entirely within the revised concept.
Some of the other supporting exercise objectives include planning and executing a Crisis Response Operation with support from Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Joint Assesment Team (CBRN-JAT); practicing NATO intelligence capabilities; exercising NATO Theatre Missile Defence; practicing multinational medical support and meteorological and oceanographic functions; exercising CIS linkages; integrating media planning within an operation in a complex asymmetric environment as well as improving relationships, interaction and practical cooperation with partners, nations and international and non-governmental organizations.
Overall, the training and exercise events focus on the integration of the NRF-assigned headquarters and forces in a fictitious exercise scenario (CERASIA II) in which the NATO force is deployed in support of UN mandated peacekeeping operation in compliance with a UNSCR (an expeditionary NATO-led Crisis Response Operation conducted under a Chapter VII of the UN Charter beyond NATO's geographical area). The fictitious scenario is based on extensive challenges related to an asymmetric environment (including security and environmental threats, piracy, interaction with key leaders and contingency planning) as well as the IDPs and refugees.
The ultimate aim of the exercise is to develop the capabilities and structures of the NATO Response Force as a catalyst for NATO's transformation and to ensure that the NRF 15 headquarters are well trained and certified to command and control missions.
NRF 15 Force Composition is:
• Joint Force Command Brunssum (Lead HQ) and Force Command Madrid (DJSE);
• Air Component Command Izmir (CC-Air Izmir);
• French High Readiness Force Maritime Headquarters (MCC);
• HQ EUROCORPS;
• Turkish Special Operations Component Command and other Augmentees;
• other joint enablers for CBRN and PSYOPS.