Sponsored by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) and directed by the Joint Warfare Centre (JWC), STEADFAST DETERRENCE 2024 is non-Article 5 major joint exercise (MJX), designed to train and certify NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Italy (NRDC-ITA) as the first Allied Reaction Force (ARF) Headquarters, effective from July 2024.
Exercise STEADFAST DETERRENCE 2024 is NATO’s first major joint exercise for the multi-domain ARF, preparing it for one of its key roles to support crisis prevention.
The exercise aims to reinforce NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, providing a unique opportunity to explore the ARF concept for the first time.
The establishment of the multinational and multi-domain ARF is a result of the decisions taken at the 2023 Vilnius Summit. ARF is a crucial component of the new NATO Force Model, which provides a larger pool of high-readiness forces across the five domains of land, sea, air, cyberspace and space.
ARF will replace the NATO Response Force (NRF) in the latter half of 2024, being vastly larger in scale, scope, and operational readiness for the defence of the Alliance.
STEADFAST DETERRENCE 2024 is based on the JWC’s simulated but highly realistic new “360-degree Multi-Domain Setting”, which operationalizes NATO’s Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA) concept and reinforces the new regional deterrence and defence plans in all domains.
STEADFAST DETERRENCE 2024 also underscores the significant cooperation between NATO, the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, and the newest Allies, Sweden and Finland.
“STEADFAST DETERRENCE 2024 involves many new concepts for NATO and many firsts for the JWC, including the adaptation to a major joint exercise architecture to represent the new setting effectively and ensure that our training is fit for the future,” Major General Malinowski said.
The Commander added: “STEADFAST DETERRENCE 2024 will test NATO’s responsiveness, deterrence posture, and adaptation of our command and control capabilities in a highly complex multi-threat environment. Our collective success will make NATO better, strengthen our shared defensive capabilities, and support the development of the ARF concept.”
The exercise also supports SHAPE’s transition to a strategic warfighting headquarters that will enable Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) to direct operations across SHAPE's whole area of responsibility more effectively and efficiently than before.
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