Additional information

Fact sheet: General information about VJTF

Overview

“As a result of the evolution of the crisis in Europe, NATO Response Forces are being taken to its maximum readiness level. The VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force), currently based in Spain, gets the order to prepare for an imminent deployment.” Such is the scenario of exercise Brilliant Jump in its first phase, dubbed Alertex, which has been launched at several allied headquarters in Europe.

This phase is the first of a series of four (the others being Trident Joust; the second phase of Brilliant Jump, known as Deployex; and Brilliant Capability) designed to assess NATO’s Readiness Action Plan (RAP). That requires assessing all of its main components, including the NATO Command Structure (NCS) and several headquarters throughout Europe.

As well as the VJTF, participants in the exercise include Allied Command Operations HQ in Europe, known as SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, Belgium); Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (Brunssum, Holland); NRDC-ESP (NATO Rapid Deployable Force-Spain); Multinational Corps Northeast (Poland); and numerous other headquarters and units in Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom and Albania.

Goals

The goal is to assess the NATO Readiness Action plan, which requires the assessment of all its main components.

Fact sheet: General information about NRF and VJTF

NATO Response Force (NRF)

NRF is a technologically advanced multinational force comprising land, air, sea and special forces units capable of being deployed quickly on operations wherever needed.

Participation in NRF is based on a rotating system whereby the countries involved commit forces for periods of twelve months.

Goals

The objective of the NRF is to provide a rapid military response both to emerging threats to collective security and to crisis situations.

Composition

The NRF has three elements:

• The Immediate Response Force (IRF)
• A Joint Force of around 13,000 members.
• The Response Forces which complement the IRF if necessary.

Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF)

Overview

During the 2014 Wales Summit the Allies decided to increase the capabilities of NATO to provide a rapid joint response to emerging threats

was set up within the NATO Response Force. Known as Very Joint Readiness Task Force (VJTF), it must be available to be deployed within 72 hours.

The first VJTF, operational throughout 2016, is led by Spain. NRDC-ESP is acting as its Land Component Command (LCC), and the core of its troops comes from the Light Infantry Brigade (BRILAT).

Composition

The VJTF is a joint force made up of command & control elements together with very high readiness units from the different Commands

Specifically, its Land Component comes from an LCC (NRDC-ESP) and a brigade of up to five battalions with around 5,000 troops.