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The NATO Response Force (NRF) is a high-readiness force comprising land, air, sea and
special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
units capable of being deployed quickly. Until February 2022, when NATO activated it in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine,JAMES KITFIEL
(11 March 2022) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created NATO’s watershed moment
as explained by Martin Dempsey,
Ben Hodges Frederick Benjamin "Ben" Hodges III (born 16 April 1958) is a retired United States Army officer who served as commanding general, United States Army Europe. He is currently the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Poli ...
, and
Joseph Ralston General Joseph Wood Ralston (born November 4, 1943) is currently the United States Special Envoy for countering the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and holds senior positions in various defense related corporations. He was previously a career offic ...
. "Putin will not stop in Ukraine if he will not be stopped ow —the president of Estonia.
units assigned to the NRF had only been used to assist with disaster relief and security at high-profile security events. On 25 February 2022 after a NATO meeting, the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) was activated for the defense of members of the alliance, for the first time. Rotating forces through the NRF requires nations to meet the demanding standards needed for collective defence and expeditionary operations. As the standards are very high, participation in the NRF is preceded by a six-month NATO exercise program in order to integrate and standardize the various national contingents. Generally, nations carry out a pre-training period in preparation for the NATO exercises of between 6–18 months. Once activated, Reconnaissance Teams deploy within 5 days. This is the first of a number of deployment phases that lead to the deployment of the entire HQ Joint Task Force and Immediate Reaction Forces within 30 days. The NRF currently comprises up to 40,000 troops and will be increased to over 300,000 troops. It includes units from several countries that do not belong to NATO: non-member partners,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, which first contributed forces in 2008;
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, 2013;
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, 2014; and
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, 2015. The NRF trains for various tasks, including: * providing immediate collective defence of Alliance members in the event of an Article V operation; *
crisis management Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a disruptive and unexpected event that threatens to harm the organization or its stakeholders. The study of crisis management originated with large-scale industrial and envir ...
; * acting as the initial force deployment as a precursor to deployment of a much larger force; *
peace support Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
; * disaster relief; * protection of
critical infrastructure Critical infrastructure (or critical national infrastructure (CNI) in the UK) is a term used by governments to describe assets that are essential for the functioning of a society and economy – the infrastructure. Most commonly associated wi ...
.


Structure

The NRF structure consists of four parts: *Command and Control element: based on a deployable Joint Task Force HQ *Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) *Initial Follow On Forces Group: These are high-readiness forces that can deploy quickly following the VJTF, in response to a crisis *Response Forces Pool: NATO retains a broad spectrum of military capabilities encompassing command and control, combat and support units through the Responses Forces Pool (RFP). The forces are drawn from the much wider pool of Allied or Partners National deployable forces.


History


Creation and early years

The NRF concept was first endorsed with a declaration of NATO's Heads of State at the Prague Summit on 22 November 2002 and approved by NATO Defence Ministers in June 2003. Dual headquarters were created in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, Italy and Brunssum, Netherlands; command rotates annually between them. In 2004 and 2005, NRF units were activated for a small number of civilian missions, including to provide security at the
2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in Athens and the Afghan presidential elections, as well as to provide humanitarian assistance in the United States after
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
and in Pakistan after the
2005 Kashmir earthquake The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 October in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir. It was centred near the city of Muzaffarabad, and also affected nearby Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and some areas of Indian-administered Jammu and ...
. Due to equipment shortages, unfulfilled troop commitments and falling political support among member countries, the size of the NRF was cut in half in 2007 and not used again until 2022. During the 2014 Wales summit following the Crimean crisis, NATO leaders agreed to reorganize the NRF's core troops into a "spearhead force" known as a "Very High Readiness Joint Task Force" (VJTF) designed to be able to deploy at 48 hours notice, although the actual level of readiness was generally several weeks. It was also for the first time linked explicitly to NATO's Article 5 obligations. Altogether, it amounted to around 30,000 troops. For most of its existence, the lack of enthusiasm of NATO's member states for the NRF resulted in chronic equipment and personnel shortages. It was sometimes branded a wasteful failure and an insignificant force next to NATO's more established units. Nevertheless, some military scholars argue that it played a significant role in modernizing European militaries as their troops rotated through it.


2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

As Russian troops built up around Ukraine in early 2022, various units attached to the NRF were alerted or deployed. On 11 February 2022, a U.S. Army brigade combat team of about 4,700 troops from the
82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...
was ordered to Poland, while a
Stryker The Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in London, Ontario. It ...
squadron (battalion-sized cavalry unit) was sent from
Vilseck Vilseck is a town in the Oberpfalz region of northeastern Bavaria, Germany, situated on the river Vils, a tributary of the Naab river. The town is geographically separate from a nearby large American military base known as the ''Rose Barrack ...
's Rose Barracks to Romania. Caitlin Doornboo
(11 Feb 2022) Another 3,000 U.S. troops to deploy to Poland as White House says Russia could invade Ukraine within the week
/ref> On 16 February 2022, 8,500 troops in some of the units that make up the U.S. contribution to the NRF were put on alert for possible rotational deployment to EUCOM's area of responsibility.Jim Garamon
(16 Feb 2022) NATO Leader Says Alliance Is Hoping for Best, Preparing for Worst 
/ref>Alex Hollings
(14 February 2022) 5-MINUTE SUMMARY: WHAT’S GOING ON IN UKRAINE?
/ref> As of 25 February 2022 seven thousand soldiers of the 8500-troop tranche, including the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team/3rd Infantry Division ( 1st ABCT/3rd ID —4700 troops, plus support units) deployed to Germany, initially.Meghann Myer
(25 February 2022) Thousands of US troops deploying for first-ever NATO Response Force activation amid Russia attack
/ref> For the first time in decades, three US heavy brigades are deploying to EUCOM concurrently —(from the 1ABCT/3rd ID, the 1ABCT/1st ID, and an IBCT/82nd AB, all to be deployed as needed for the situation).Corey Dickstei

/ref> Two forward-deployed headquarters, one from
V Corps (United States) V Corps (), formerly known as the Fifth Corps, is a regular corps of the United States Army at Fort Knox. It was previously active during World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the Kosovo War, and the War on Terrorism. Shoulder sleeve insig ...
, and the capability for one from
XVIII Airborne Corps The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America ...
are now positioned in Poznan, Poland,Rachel Nostran
(4 Mar 2022) V Corps soldiers headed to Europe amid Ukraine invasion
additional V Corps HQ troops, to handle the additional nations, Bulgaria and Hungary, as well as the ongoing 4th SFAB and 2nd Cav Regiment assignments
and Wiesbaden, GermanyJim Garamone
(14 Feb 2022) More US troops to deploy to Europe, Guardsmen reassigned out of Ukraine
XVIII Airborne Corps HQ, led by LTG Kurilla
respectively, should any further need arise for a proportionate response to a threat to the member states of NATO.Andreas Syta

After a NATO meeting on 25 February 2022, NATO Secretary-General
Jens Stoltenberg Jens Stoltenberg (born 16 March 1959) is a Norwegian politician who has been serving as the 13th secretary general of NATO since 2014. A member of the Norwegian Labour Party, he previously served as the 34th prime minister of Norway from 2000 to ...
stated that the NATO leadership had agreed to deploy part of the NRF to alliance members in Eastern Europe. Stoltenberg said that Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, currently led by France, would be among the units sent. This was the first time the NRF had been activated. In light of the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, the NATO Response Force can activate up to 40,000 troops.Lorne Coo
(24 Feb 2022) NATO vows to defend its entire territory after Russia attack
/ref> Eight of NATO's thirty member nations (as of 24 February 2022) have triggered urgent consultations under Article 4 of the NATO Washington Treaty. In advance of the 2022 Madrid summit, Jens Stoltenberg announced the plan to increase the NRF size to more than 300,000 troops, which was approved during the summit.


See also

*
Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) The Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF) is an Anglo-French military force. It draws upon both the British Armed Forces and the French Armed Forces to field a deployable force with land, air and maritime components together with command and ...
*
Eurocorps Eurocorps, located in the French city of Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), is a multinational corps headquarters. Founded by France and Germany in 1992, it is today composed of personnel from six framework nations and five associated nations. The framework ...
*
Franco-German Brigade german: Deutsch-Französische Brigade , image = Deutsch-Französische Brigade.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of the Franco-German Brigade. , dates ...
*
UK Joint Expeditionary Force The UK Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a United Kingdom-led expeditionary force which consists of, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. Eight of the countries are also members of NATO, wit ...


Notes


External links


Official Article on NATO Response Force



Ukraine's MFA article

NRF Factsheet

The NATO Response Force – Facilitating coalition warfare through technology transfer and information sharing
{{Authority control NATO Military units and formations established in 2003