STAVANGER, Norway - Around 2000 personnel from various headquarters and units assigned to the ninth rotation of the NATO Response Force (NRF 9) will take part in Exercise STEADFAST JACKPOT 2007 (SFJT07) from 1 to 14 June 2007. Personnel from all 26 NATO countries will participate in the exercise that will take place simultaneously in Italy, Turkey, Norway and Spain.

The execution phase of the exercise will be conducted at JWC`s Ulsnes Training Facility from 6 to 14 June 2007. In addition to planning and coordinating NATO`s "Steadfast" series of exercises in 2006 and 2007, the JWC constructed the SFJT 07 exercise scenario based on a fictitious Mada group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. SFJW 06 portrays a Non-Article 5 (crisis management, stabilisation operations) scenario under Chapter VII of the United Nations (UN) Charter.

Exercise STEADFAST JACKPOT 2007 is a computer-assisted exercise designed to validate and certify the chain of command and control elements dedicated to the NRF. Exercise events will focus on the training of the NRF assigned headquarters as a combined and joint force, using a fictitious scenario involving NATO-led operations conducted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, beyond NATO`s area of responsibility.

The exercise will be conducted by Allied Joint Force Command Headquarters Naples. Other units taking part include the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps-Italy, Allied Air Component Command Headquarters-Izmir, the UK Maritime Force, the Special Operations Component Command Headquarters-Spain and the Multinational Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence Battalion.