Joint Force Command - Norfolk (JFC-NF) is a joint operational level command part of the

NATO Military Command Structure The Structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is complex and multi-faceted. The decision-making body is the North Atlantic Council (NAC), and the member state representatives also sit on the Defence Policy and Planning Committee (DPPC ...

under

Allied Command Operations Allied Command Operations (ACO) is one of the two strategic commands of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the other being Allied Command Transformation (ACT). The headquarters and commander of ACO is Supreme Headquarters Allied Powe ...

. Its headquarters is located in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, United States.

Background

In late 2017-early 2018, NATO approved two new commands, a rear area transit command which was finally announced as the Joint Support and Enabling Command, to be located at

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

, Germany, and a new command for the Atlantic. Pentagon spokesman Johnny Michael remarked that "NATO is refocusing on the Atlantic in recognition of the great power competition prompted by a resurgent Russia." In March 2018 Chair of the Military Committee General

Petr Pavel Petr Pavel (born 1 November 1961) is a retired Czech army general who served as the Chair of the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018, and as Chief of the General Staff of the Czech Army from 2012 to 2015. He is a candidate in the 2023 Cz ...

announced that the new Atlantic command would become part of the NATO Command Structure at the level of a Joint Force Command, similar to the two that exist at Brunssum and Naples. On 7 June 2018 the Secretary-General said the new JFC would have its headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, in the United States. The name was confirmed as Joint Force Command Norfolk at the NATO Summit in July. It was to be commanded by the Vice Admiral who commands the

United States Second Fleet The United States Second Fleet is a numbered fleet in the United States Navy responsible for the East Coast and North Atlantic Ocean. The Fleet was established following World War II. In September 2011, Second Fleet was deactivated in view o ...

Establishment

The command was established due to the rising Russian threat, making the Atlantic sea routes a critical domain. Its counterpart 2nd Fleet was established because the United States Navy "needed a commander to direct sustained combat operations in the Atlantic". In January 2019, U.S. Navy releases said the command would aim to work seamlessly with allies and NATO partners in all domains and to provide awareness and synchronization with allies, while ensuring readiness and contributing to NATO objectives and core tasks. In this role, the command would contribute to enhance NATO's warfighting capability. It was formally activated by NATO's

North Atlantic Council The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the principal political decision-making body of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), consisting of permanent representatives of its member countries. It was established by Article 9 of the North ...

on 26 July 2019. Vice Admiral Andrew L. Lewis, USN was appointed as the first commander, who also commands the recently re-established

also headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. The Deputy Commander is from the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

, the Chief of Staff position will alternative between a German and a Spanish officer, the operations officer is Norwegian, the plans officer is French and the support officer is Danish. The command will be declared at

Initial operating capability Initial operating capability or initial operational capability (IOC) is the state achieved when a capability is available in its minimum usefully deployable form. The term is often used in government or military procurement. The United States D ...

(IOC) on 17 September 2020 at 1430

Central European Time Central European Time (CET) is a standard time which is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time offset from UTC can be written as UTC+01:00. It is used in most parts of Europe and in a few North African countries. CET ...

at its headquarters, NSA Hampton Roads. It aims for

full operational capability In military acquisition, full operating capability or full operational capability (FOC) is the completion of a development effort. This is usually preceded by an initial operating capability or initial operational capability (IOC) phase. For the Un ...

by the end of 2021. A ceremony is set for 15 July 2021 aboard the to declare JFC Norfolk's full operational capability. On 23 June 2021, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced that President Joe Biden has nominated Rear Adm. Daniel W. Dwyer for the rank of vice admiral and assignment as Commander, Second Fleet/Commander, Joint Forces Command Norfolk. On 15 July 2021 Vice Admiral Lewis announced that NATO Joint Forces Command Norfolk (JFC-NF) is at Full Operational Capability (FOC). Dwyer assumed command from Lewis on 20 August 2020. The previous deputy commander was Rear Admiral Andrew Betton,

References

External links

* {{NATO Formations of the NATO Military Command Structure 1994–present Military units and formations established in 2018