The activity saw the participation as sole player of the command posts, (without maneuvering troops deployed on the ground) that simulated a joint operation, in response to an aggression against a member country of the Alliance (in context of the operations envisaged by Article V of the NATO Treaty of 1949 dedicated to the collective defense of the territories and populations of the Member States).
The exercise involved all three levels of the NATO military structure: the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium on a strategic level, the Joint Force Command (JFC) of Brunssum in the Netherlands, commanded by the Italian general Salvatore Farina, at an operational and tactical level the Land Command (LANDCOM) deployed in Stavanger in Norway, the Maritime Command (MARCOM) in the UK, theAir Command (AIRCOM) in Germany, and it Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ) in Belgium.
All commands operated in a scenario that purposely included the toughest challenges for the Alliance, including cyber and hybrid / terrorist threats.
The staff of all the Alliance member countries participated in the exercise. In particular, for Italy the "Command Responce Cell" of the NATO Rapid Deployable Corp (NRDC) of Solbiate Olona, elements of the CIMIC Group of Motta di Livenza and of the 28 ^ Pavia Regiment of Pesaro.
The Command responsible for carrying out the exercise was the JFC of Brunssum, which was responsible for the overall management of the activity and achieved, thanks to the "Trident Javelin", the certification for the command and control of the "Rapid Response Force "Of NATO (NRF) in 2018.
The interaction with host nations, Norway and the Baltic countries, and international, governmental and non-governmental organizations is also intense in order to make the training as realistic as possible.
An important role was played by the Joint Warfare Center (JWC) of Stavanger in Norway, responsible for activating to test the response of commands at different levels.
During Visitors day, in Norway, diplomatic and military representatives attended NATO, the Norwegian Chief of the Defense Staff (CHOD), amm. Bruun-Hanssen, gen. Salvatore Farina, commander of Brunssum's JFC, commanders of tactical level components (Gen. Williams Darryl of Landcom, vadm. Johnstone Clive of MARCOM, Gen. Evans Stu Dcom of AIRCOM, vadm. Kilrain Colin of NATO Special Operations Headquarters and others commanders of NATO-affiliated units.
The civilian and military authorities of the Alliance have noted the complexity of the scenario and the many challenges faced at the various levels of Command, the high operating pace, as well as the interrelationships with International Organizations and Government Agencies. The adm. Bruun-Hanssen (Norwegian CHOD) underlined Norway's commitment to the "Total Defense Concept" which involved the Armed Forces and the civil agencies of its country.
The gen. Salvatore Farina highlighted how the operational level must at the same time be able to coordinate the joint campaign, connect with the authorities and commands of the "hosting nations", know how to manage strategic communication (STRATCOM), all in harmony with directives of the superior command and in the presence of capable and motivated opponents.
"The experiences gained and the results achieved - concluded General Farina - can only leave me extremely satisfied and fully aware of being able to face the command period of the 2018 NRF in the best possible way".
