Zaragoza,
Spain - Soldiers working 14 hour days, gusty winds and
scorching sun... this is only a fraction of what is happening now in Zaragoza,
Spain. Foreseen to be the hub of a Joint
Task Force Headquarters manned by JFC Brunssum personnel, a tent city is rising
from the ground in an extremely ambitious time schedule and equally demanding
weather conditions.
The most ambitious Exercise in NATO’s modern history
demands equally ambitious logistical support. The Exercise Support Group was tasked to erect
the "tent city” in due time for the exercise which is scheduled to launch in
the last week of September. To meet the
deadline, 392 containers with all the necessary equipment arrived at the base at
the end of July, and around 120 soldiers from Austria, Germany, and the USA are
busy putting the pieces of this giant puzzle together.
Royal Navy Lieutenant Philip Morrison, commander of
the Support Group, describes the process: "Plans for exact positioning of every
single tent, container and facility in the camp were drafted a year ago and
approved in December 2014. What was easy
on paper though, turns out to be a real challenge here: particularly as
temperatures are often over 32 degrees Celsius, gusty winds turn each part of
the tent into a yacht-sail, and sustained long working hours combine to present
a real challenge”.
When asked about the biggest obstacle, Lieutenant
Morrison replies: "We are encountering challenges that we did not anticipate,
but the lessons we learn will be valuable for NATO in the future”.
Several other locations in Spain, as well as Italy and
Portugal, are also now preparing for Trident Juncture 2015, but Zaragoza is
unique. Fifteen kilometres north-east of
the air base there are numerous road constructions and building works taking
place on the San Gregorio training area.
Joint Force Command Brunssum will send over 650 of its
staff to command, control and coordinate the actions of 36 000 troops
drawn from more than 30 nations.
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San Gregorio Exercise and Training Area
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JTF HQ under construction at Zaragoza Airbase
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Exercise Trident Juncture 2015 involves circa 36,000
personnel from more than 30 Allied and Partner Nations. It will take place throughout Italy,
Portugal, Spain, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, Canada, Norway,
Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Trident
Juncture 2015 will demonstrate NATO’s new increased level of ambition in joint
modern warfare and will show-case a capable, forward-leaning Alliance equipped
with the appropriate capability and capacity to meet present and future
security challenges. More than 12 major
International Organizations, aid agencies and non-governmental organisations,
such as the European Union and African Union will participate in the exercise,
demonstrating NATO’s commitment and contribution to a Comprehensive Approach to
crisis management.