The ceremony which marked the activation of theallied reaction force (ARF) and the assumption of command of the Force by the NATO command of Solbiate Olona (VA), led by Lieutenant General Lorenzo D'Addario. The event was attended by the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe (SACEUR), General Christopher G. Cavoli and the Chief of Staff of the Army, General of the Army Corps Carmine Masiello.
Among the numerous participating military authorities, all the commanders of the components made available to the new NATO Rapid Reaction Force by various Alliance countries were present, reporting to General D'Addario (ARF commander), ready to operate in emergency scenarios. crisis or conflict; in particular in addition to the command ofItalian Maritime Forces (COMITMARFOR), we would like to point out the participation of 1st division of the United Kingdom for the land part, of joint force air component for the aerial part and the special operations command for the special forces, both made available by Spain.
THEallied reaction force is a strategic force with high operational readiness available to SACEUR to support NATO's new concept of Defense and Deterrence, capable of operating in a multi-domain environment (Multi Domain Operations), which replaced the previous construct of Born Response Force (NRF) to respond more adequately and quickly to the evolution of new crisis scenarios. The ARF is therefore able to deploy at very short notice to produce rapid “operational effects” wherever needed, supported by scalable multi-domain force packages to strengthen deterrence in peacetime and crisis or to create strategic dilemmas . In addition to permanently assigned forces, its inherent flexibility allows SACEUR to assign additional forces to the ARF commander as needed, in any situation.
The ARF is a clear demonstration of the commitment, cohesion and determination of the Allies to strengthen the Defense of the Atlantic Alliance. In this sense, Italy has once again confirmed its great commitment in responding concretely with its own forces to NATO's New Strategic Concept (New Force Model), contributing not only with the ARF Headquarters (NRDC ITA) but also with COMITMARFOR, to command of the division admiral Giacinto Sciandra, who will carry out the delicate role of maritime component commander (MCC) ready to conduct maritime operations with surface naval assets and a task group Spanish amphibian, capable of also managing aerial and submarine assets that will be made available byallied maritime command of Northwood (UK).
COMITMARFOR, a command with a multinational staff located in Taranto and born in 2002 as a NATO declination of the second naval division (COMDINAV DUE), is capable of planning and conducting complex and high intensity air-naval operations. In 2023 the COMITMARFOR staff carried out an intense certification process, the fifth and most complex in its history, reaching the Full Operational Capability (FOC), an important milestone that makes the Italian Maritime Forces representing the Italian Navy which also provides the naval command unit, ready to face the challenges and operational responsibilities in support of the Alliance.
NOTE: The flag ofallied reaction force recalls the historical emblem of allied command europe mobile force. Features the green background and yellow lightning bolt of the Allied Command Europe design. The green background links to SHAPE, while lightning implies speed, power and multi-domain capabilities such as space, cyber, fire and information.
