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Joint Commands
There are three Joint Operational Commands in NATO: Joint
Force Command (JFC) Brunssum, JFC Naples, and Joint Command
(JC) Lisbon. Each JFC has its own Headquarters location
(JFC HQ Brunssum / Naples), and three subordinate organisations,
known as Component Commands (CCs), which are the Single-Service
headquarters; CC-Air, CC-Land and CC-Maritime. JC Lisbon
has no subordinate commands.
JFC HQ Brunssum in the new NATO Command Structure
Organisation
The Commander (COM) of JFC Brunssum is a 4-star general
of the German Army. He reports directly to the Supreme Allied
Commander Europe (SACEUR), whose headquarters (Supreme Headquarters
Allied Powers Europe SHAPE) is at Mons, Belgium. Within
JFC HQ Brunssum, the COM is directly supported by a Deputy
Commander, Chief of Staff, a Special Staff consisting of
various specialist advisors and four directorates (Operations,
Knowledge Management, Resources and Support of Staff). A
Facility management Branch, part of the Support of Staff
Directorate maintains the base facilities. Attached to the
HQ are the support delegations from various nations with
staff at the HQ; NATO CIS Services Agency Sector Brunssum;
and a section of the Royal Marechaussee.
Component Commands
The JFC Brunssum CC-Air is located at Ramstein, Germany,
and is commanded by a 4-star General of the US Air Force,
who is dual-hatted, being also the Commander of the US Air
Force in Europe (COMUSAFE). CC-Mar, at Northwood, United
Kingdom, is commanded by a Royal Navy 4-star Admiral, who
is also the UK’s Commander-in-Chief Fleet. Finally,
the post of Commander, CC Land at Heidelberg rotates between
the US and German Armies.
Priorities
JFC Brunssum is responsible for Operational Command of the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
This is currently the number one priority for the COM, HQ
staff, and our CCs. Other priorities include the rotational
command of the NRF, a full commitment to a wide range of
training exercises for both ISAF and NATO Response Force
(NRF) operations, and the Military Cooperation Programme.
ISAF
The primary operation run by JFC HQ Brunssum, ISAF, is a
NATO-led, UN-mandated mission intended to assist the Government
of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) - by improving
and maintaining security in the country, thereby facilitating
the tasks of reconstruction and development. ISAF forces
are provided by NATO nations, Partner nations and many others,
in a NATO-led coalition, to include responsibility for security
assistance across entire Afghanistan.
COM ISAF is dual-hatted as the Commander of ISAF and US
Forces in Afghanistan (COM USFOR-A) thus coordinating ISAF
operations and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and preventing
forces duplication or conflict of activity and ensuring
unity of effort. COM ISAF has command responsibility over
the ISAF Joint Command Commander, the Commander of the NATO
Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) and Special Operations
Forces (SOF).
JFC HQ Brunssum continues to assist ISAF mission, to develop
the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), like the Afghan
National Army and Afghan National Police, thus creating
a secure environment much needed for Afghanistan further
reconstruction.
NRF
JFC HQ Brunssum, like the other joint commands, provides
the operational command for NATO Response Force Operations
on a rotational basis. The lead role for the NRF rotates
between the three Joint Commands.
JFC Brunssum next NRF Stand-By phase will
start 1st July 2010 until 31st Dec 2010. The training period
starts on 1st January 2010. The following involvement will
cover the year 2012 with the training period starting on
1st July 2011.
The NRF was established in 2003, following a decision at
the NATO Summit in Prague, in 2002. It has been changed
in July 2009 and under the revised NRF concept, a smaller-scale
force structure has been designed and the mission of the
NRF is now to provide a rapid demonstration of force and
the early establishment of NATO military presence in support
of an article 5 or crisis response operation.
The revised NRF construct is built on the operational command
and control including the DJSE (Deployable Joint Staff Element),
the pre designated forces within an Immediate Response Force
(IRF) and a Response Forces Pool (RFP) which complements
the basis. SACEUR has also proposed revised readiness states,
rotational policy and critical but still under discussion
amongst the nations the extension of common funding to both
NRF operations and training.
The implementation plan is underway. It started as of July
2009. It will reach the aim of synchronisation with ISAF
in the use of the DJSE as early as 2010 and the annual rotational
aim as of 2012.
The revised NRF concept considers involving Partner nations
at all stages of the Operation.
The revised NRF comprise forces from the 3 principal component
areas (Air, Land, Maritime) plus others to fill specialised
requirements, selected specifically according to the needs
of the mission. To command these forces, JFC HQ Brunssum
would use its Deployable Joint Support Element (DJSE) which
comprises around 210 highly trained, specific personnel.
The IRF which is the core of the revised NRF may comprise
up to about 13,000 troops. The DJSE and initial elements
of the forces are required to be ready to move on 48 hours
to 30 days notice, and sustain themselves for operations
lasting 30 days or longer if resupplied.
The revised NRF cycle involves one year rotations with
six month of training prior to the Stand-By phase.
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