The commander of the 'Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Brunssum, Army Corps General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta connected via video conference with the commanders of the multinational forces that make up the NATO crisis response force for the year 2024.
The connection occurred on the occasion of the assumption of command of the NATO Response Force (NRF) 2024, the multinational high-readiness force consisting of air, land, maritime and special forces units, trained to conduct high-risk operations, with the aim of responding rapidly to any type of crisis.
Command and control over the forces assigned to constitute the NRF, rotating among the Allied countries, is exercised in alternating years between the NATO operational commands of Brunssum and Naples.
Addressing the commanders of the forces designated to constitute the NRF 2024, General Miglietta underlined the importance of maintaining high standards of operational readiness “to immediately counter any aggression with a rapid deployment of forces and the timely establishment of a NATO military presence in support of any crisis response operations or in application of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty”.
Referring then to the main current threats, JFC Commander Brunssum shared his assessments on deterrence with related commanders stating that “the most important message to convey firmly is that any aggressive act will be countered" and highlighting, at the same time, that the defensive nature of the forces must in no case represent a provocation, as the nature of deterrence goes beyond the application of military force based on the perception of the same “in the minds of possible adversaries".
The general then remarked that “the considerable planning work in the development of the Regional Plans allows all Allied nations to operate closely together, supporting the cohesion of the Alliance, which has always been and will remain one of the main values on which NATO is founded”.
In its nearly 75-year history, NATO has made, and continues to make, multiple adaptations to the security environment and the NRF was a demonstration of this ability to deal with multiple situations, including disaster relief.
The main characteristic of the NRF is represented by the ability to conduct the mobilization and deployment in a very short time of forces with a high level of operational readiness, which can be activated with a progressive criterion. Within the NRF there is in fact a component, the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), whose units are capable of deploying in two days with the aim of assuming initial control of an operation and facilitating the arrival of other forces in a maximum of 7 days, should the operational situation require it .
The NRF's rapid reaction capability will be the focus of the exercise Brilliant Jump 2024 which will take place from 12 to 28 February in Poland and which will see the various units from the Allied countries line up to amalgamate and operate jointly.
Brilliant Jump 2024 is framed within the scope of 2024 Steadfast Defender, NATO's main multi-domain exercise conducted during 2024 which develops through a series of large-scale national and multinational exercises, conducted in different locations in the Allied nations, over a period of approximately 4 months.
