This article was first published "Fish in Vancouver", and the author authorized the push
Directly subordinate troops
NATO lacks a standing force of its own, and when the North Atlantic Council decides to launch a military operation, member states voluntarily contribute military forces, and the troops will be returned to their original structure after completing their tasks.
NATO's rapid response system consists of the following three direct forces, which are deployable forces shared by all allies under memorandums of understanding and technical agreements signed by NATO member states.
NATO Naval Strike and Support Force - STRIKFORNATTO is a rapidly deployable and scalable maritime operations command headquartered in Oeirache, Portugal (western suburbs of Lisbon), and its commander is concurrently the commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet. The force, which focuses on joint maritime expeditionary operations, is the command and control hub for U.S. Navy and amphibious forces involved in NATO operations. STRIKFORNATO is currently supported by 12 member states: the United States (lead nation), France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Poland, Portugal and Norway.
EXERCISE TRIDENT JUNCTION 18 IN 2018 IN NORWAY, ONE OF NATO'S LARGEST MILITARY EXERCISES SINCE THE END OF THE COLD WAR, SAW MORE THAN 200 COMMAND PERSONNEL FROM STRIKFORNATO COMMAND MARITIME OPERATIONS ABOARD THE SIXTH FLEET'S FLAGSHIP AMPHIBIOUS COMMAND SHIP MT. WHITTNEY, INCLUDING THE USS TRUMAN CARRIER STRIKE GROUP, 2ST EXPEDITIONARY STRIKE GROUP, MARINES EXPEDITIONARY FORCE 2, CANADIAN/UK SURFACE BATTLE GROUP, NORWAY SURFACE BATTLE GROUP, Norwegian mine warfare unit and 1 Norwegian submarine.
> Family portrait taken after the exercise
NATO's Airborne Early Warning and Control Force - Also known as the "NATO Sky Eye", NAEW&CF is headquartered at Galenkirchen Air Force Base in Germany, commanded by Major General of the U.S. Army, and has two AWACS units reporting directly to the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.
One is a NATO fleet of 14 E-3A-3As registered in Luxembourg based at the same base, which is a NATO common asset that provides command and control, air and maritime intelligence reconnaissance and battlefield control capabilities to the entire NATO. The fleet is commanded by U.S. and Luftwaffe brigadier generals on a rotational basis, with three wings of operational, logistical, and base support. The combat wing has 2 combat squadrons with a total of more than 20 aircrews and personnel from 15 NATO member countries.
> NATO E-3A installed an electronic warfare antenna fairing under the nose
The other is the Royal Air Force's 8th Squadron at Wardington Air Force Base in the UK, with six E-3Ds operated by the RAF and involved in limited NATO airborne early warning operations. The RAF's E-3D was not upgraded for budgetary reasons, and only two aircraft remained operational in December 2020. On July 30, 2021, the ZH103 deployed in Cyprus completed its last combat flight and was fully retired after returning to the British mainland, with the ZH104 sold to the U.S. Navy as an E-6B training aircraft and two to the Chilean Air Force. However, after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, ZH101 and ZH106 were reopened and carried out NATO air warning missions in Poland.
The UK has procured three E-7 Wedge-tail AWACS aircraft, which are expected to be delivered in 2023, until then the early warning tasks will be undertaken by NATO and France's E-3.
> E-3D with oil receiving rod installed
Allied Ground Surveillance Forces - AGS is currently being formed, with 15 participating member states, primarily Eastern and Nordic countries, jointly purchasing five NATO RQ-4D Phoenix reconnaissance aircraft based on the Global Hawk Block 40 to provide NATO forces with real-time battlefield situational awareness. AGS's main base of operations is located in Sigonella, Italy, and employs 550 people. At present, 5 aircraft and base infrastructure are in place, and the permanent AGS facility will be completed this year.
Ground with troops
The ground command forces and forces available within the NATO framework consist of four components: NATO Response Force, Enhanced Forward Presence Force, NATO Force Integration Unit and Phased Combat Readiness Force (Land), the former two being accompanied by actual combat forces, and the latter two being command and support forces only.
【 NATO Response Force - NRF 】
The NRF was established in 2003 with a mission to respond quickly to crises, launch collective defenses in a timely manner, and buy time for follow-up reinforcements; It provides disaster relief, peacekeeping, critical infrastructure protection and other services in peacetime, which is also NATO's most important rapid reaction mobile force.
After reaching initial operational capability in 2004, the NRF only carried out a number of small-scale civilian missions, including Athens Olympic security, Afghan presidential election security, Hurricane Katrina relief in the United States, and Kashmir earthquake relief in Pakistan. Because NATO's deployable forces were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan at the time, coupled with shortages of personnel and equipment, and a lack of enthusiasm from member states, the size of the NRF's force has been halved since 2007.
After the 2014 Crimean crisis, NATO allies agreed to enhance the NRF's combat capabilities in response to Russia, the Middle East, and North Africa, a restructured NRF consisting of 40,000 troops, including army, navy, air force, and special forces, with a high degree of flexibility and rapid deployment to conflict zones. In August 2021, the NRF was deployed for the first time after restructuring, forming a task force of several hundred Noble to urgently evacuate Afghans working in NATO across Europe.
For the first time since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, NRF's rapid reaction force was put into deterrence and defensive combat missions, sending thousands of additional troops to Eastern Europe. NATO plans to expand the number of high-readiness troops to 300,000, including troops from non-NATO partner countries Finland, Sweden, Ukraine and Georgia.
The NRF consists of four components: Command and Control Authority, High-Readiness Joint Task Force, Initial Follow-on Battle Group, and other ancillary combat forces.
The overall command of the NRF belongs to the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, with the two joint commands of Brunsium and Naples responsible for specific operational command, rotating annually, with the Naples Command in 2023 and the other command always on standby.
The High Readiness Joint Task Force - VJTF is the NRF's "arrow" and was formed in 2014 as a 5,000-strong multinational army brigade consisting of five battalions reinforced by navy, air force and special operations forces, with advance forces that can be deployed in 2 to 3 days. Such a force could act on the first signs and warnings of a potential threat before a crisis erupts to prevent further escalation.
The VJFT is led by member states on a rotational basis for one year, with the leading country contributing the most troops. When France handed over command to Germany in January, the VJTF had expanded to 20,000 troops, 8,000 of whom were from the German Army. Next year it will be Britain's turn, but the transfer of command will be delayed by several months. Brigade units joining VJTF will serve the Department for three years, during which time they will not be able to perform other tasks.
Initial Follow-on Battle Group - The IFFG has a lower readiness than the VJTF but higher than the average force, and will be immediately mobilized after the VJTF in the event of a crisis, with a strength of 2 multinational army brigades.
VJTF and IFFG forces are stationed in their barracks and deploy rapidly during exercises, crisis response, and collective defense.
In addition, NRF's subsidiary combat forces include naval forces (including two permanent maritime clusters and two permanent minesweeping clusters), air force operations and support forces, special operations forces, and a nuclear, biological and chemical defense task force.
Member states that rotate into the NRF must meet NATO's unified standards for collective defense and expeditionary operations, which are so high that troops need to participate in a six-month NATO exercise program before deployment, adjusting their strength and capabilities to suit mission needs. Usually the sending country is preceded by 6-18 months of advance training to prepare for NATO exercises. Once decided to commit to the NRF, the reconnaissance detachment will be deployed within 5 days, and the subsequent Joint Task Force Command and Rapid Reaction Force will be deployed within 30 days.
In the case of the war in Ukraine, in early 2022, as Russian troops gathered around Ukraine, units affiliated with the NRF were alerted or deployed. In early February, a 4,700-strong infantry brigade combat team of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division was sent to eastern Poland in two groups, while the 18th Airborne Army sent 300 headquarters personnel to Wiesbaden, Germany, to set up a joint operations headquarters and the forward command of the 5th Army in Poznan, Poland, to command U.S. Army forces in Europe. Another squadron of 1,000-strong Stryker cavalry was deployed to Romania from Wildsek, Germany.
> On February 11, the second group of soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division boarded for Poland
On February 16, 8,500 of NRF's U.S. forces were on alert and ready for rotational deployment to the European theater. On 25 February, 7,000 (4,700 combatants plus support units) from the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Panzer Brigade Combat Team arrived in Germany and unsealed thousands of heavy equipment from the 2nd Army Preponder. The armored brigade-level combat team, which completed a nine-month deployment to South Korea just seven months ago, has been shortened to 20 days after a three- to four-month lead time for rotational deployment in Europe, with most troops never deployed to theater. This was the first time in history that continental pre-equipment was used, and the first time in decades that three U.S. heavy brigades (one armored brigade combat team in each of the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Infantry Divisions) were deployed simultaneously to a Eurocomcom area.
> On 2 March, Major General Constanta, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, saw off soldiers bound for Germany at the Hunter Army airfield
【 Enhanced Forward Presence Force - DFP 】
To strengthen NATO's forward presence in the northeast, NATO rotates a battalion-sized multinational battle group in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
The Estonian battle group was led by the United Kingdom, and the troops also came from Denmark, France and Iceland; The Latvian battle group is led by Canada, with troops also from Albania, the Czech Republic, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain; The Lithuanian battle group was led by Germany, with troops also from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Iceland, the Netherlands and Norway; The Polish battle group was led by the United States, and troops also came from Croatia, Romania and the United Kingdom.
In addition, NATO is preparing a multinational army brigade in the southeast, under the command of the South-East Multinational Division Command in Romania.
【 NATO Force Integrated Unit - NFIU 】
In order to adapt to the changing security environment facing NATO's front-line countries bordering Russia and Ukraine in the east, NATO has established NFIUs in eight countries: Sofia (Bulgaria), Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Vilnius (Lithuania), Bydgoszcz (Poland), Bucharest (Romania), Sekszbesbah (Hungary) and Bratislava (Slovakia).
The NFIU of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary is subordinate to the Northeastern Multinational Army Command in Szczecin, Poland, which consists of 445 officers and men, with alternating commanders from Germany, Denmark and Poland, deployed on a permanent basis to designated theaters of operations on the orders of the Supreme Allied Commander, as a joint operation of NATO forces in the area under the jurisdiction of a corps command or army command, and belongs to a mobile field command structure, under the leadership of the joint command of Brunssum in the Netherlands.
The Romanian-Bulgarian NFIU is part of the Southeastern Multinational Division Command in Bucharest, Romania, which has a similar role to the Northeast Multinational Command, but on a smaller scale and under the leadership of the Naples Joint Command.
The NFIU is a small joint command with 40 staff, with the host country providing 20 national personnel and other 20 rotating among other NATO allies to demonstrate NATO's presence. The NFIU will organize the rapid deployment of NATO readiness forces in these countries, such as confirming logistics networks, transport routes, checking infrastructure, supporting group defense plans, coordinating training and exercises, but it is not a military base in itself, with no actual troops, but a link between the host country's armed forces and NATO, similar to the military representative office of our military.
【 Phased Combat Readiness Force (Land) - GRF (Land) 】
According to the combat readiness, the armies and commands of NATO member states are divided into two categories: High Readiness Forces (HRF) and Low Readiness Forces (FLRs), which together form the Phased Readiness Force (GRF), the main body of NATO's military. The combat readiness of the HRF is 0-90 days, of which the rapid reaction combat readiness of the NATO reaction force NRF is 0-30 days. The combat readiness time of the FLR is 91-180 days and is usually used to support, rotate deployed commands and units.
The GRF does not have an actual force directly under its jurisdiction, and NATO has established a joint GRF command system to provide deployable joint command and control capabilities to command joint combat operations of different sizes, up to the size of the corps. The existing High Readiness Force (Land) headquarters are as follows:
Allied Rapid Reaction Force (ARRC) Headquarters - Gloucester, UK
Rapid deployment of German-Dutch Army Headquarters - Münster, Germany
Italian headquarters of the NATO Rapid Deployment Force - Solbiate, Olona
NATO Rapid Deployment Force Greek Headquarters - Thessaloniki
NATO Rapid Deployment Force Spanish Headquarters - Valencia
NATO Rapid Deployment Force Turkish Headquarters - Istanbul
• French headquarters of the Northern Speed Reaction Force - Lille
Eurocorps Headquarters - Stisbourg, France, Eurocorps is a multinational force independent of NATO, the main force is the Franco-German brigade, but NATO can mobilize this force through the Allied Command Operations (ACO) program
Headquarters of the Multinational Army in the Northeast - Szczecin, Poland
Southeast Multinational Division Headquarters - Bucharest, Romania
Headquarters of the Northeastern Multinational Division - Elblong, Poland
> Commander of Allied Ground Command and U.S. Army Europe/Africa Commander Lt. Gen. Williams poses with all GRF(L) commanders at the 12th Army Corps Commanders Conference
In addition, the Northern Multinational Division Command in Riga, Latvia, and the Joint Support and Support Command in Ulm, Germany, have been upgraded to High Readiness Forces (Land) Command, reaching initial operational capability within the next 1-3 years.
Air alert
NATO air forces do not have permanent combat forces, but have air policing in multiple directions, and countries take turns sending fighter jets to carry out purely defensive air patrols, monitored by Ramstein Air Command, and commanded by two joint air combat centers in Ydem, Germany and Torrejon, Spain.
> Interior command of the Joint Air Combat Center in Hudem, Germany
【 Baltic Air Alert 】
After the Baltic countries joined NATO in 2004, NATO allies sent fighter detachments (usually 4 aircraft and 50-100 support personnel) to Lithuania to carry out air alert missions, maintaining 7/24 airspace surveillance and control capabilities under the NATO Air Defense Rapid Response Alert (QRA) program, rotating every 3 months, under the command of the Joint Air Combat Center in Hudham, Germany.
After the Crimean crisis in 2014, a second air alert station was established at Amari Air Base in Estonia, with a rotation period changed to every 4 months, known as the Enhanced Air Alert Program. Marlborough Air Base in Poland has also been used as a backup site since 2014, and its use has gradually increased. When the authorities are tense, three to four DIS will be deployed simultaneously at the three above-mentioned sites.
> On April 28, 2020, four Typhoon fighters from the 6th Squadron of the RAF prepared to deploy to Sioliai Air Base in Lithuania, with the NATO logo affixed on the tail, along with six F-18s of the Spanish Air Force deployed in Lithuania
The main task of the Baltic Air Alert is to track and intercept Russian fighters who regularly travel between Russia and the Kaliningrad region. As they approach NATO airspace, NATO fighters on duty will take off for visual recognition.
> On September 17, 2019, two Belgian Air Force F-16s intercepted two Tu-160s over the Baltic Sea, and two Su-27s escorted Russian bombers
【 Iceland Air Alert 】
Iceland's geographical location is important, guarding the air, sea and underwater northern gates of Europe and the Americas. Although Iceland is one of the founding members of NATO, it has no army, only a small coast guard, and the defense of the homeland is collectively undertaken by NATO.
Beginning in 2008, at the request of the Icelandic government, NATO rotated fighter jets to Keflavik Air Base to carry out air alert missions, usually 4-6 fighters, and sometimes sent additional tankers to the parliament for 3-4 weeks at a time, an average of 3 deployments per year, under the command of the Joint Air Combat Center in Hudrum, Germany. In 2019 and 2020, Italy and Norway sent F-35As to Iceland for the first time. Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the Icelandic government is considering shifting its air alert operations to continuous deployment.
> F-35A of the 332nd Squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force arrived in Iceland on February 22, 2021
【 Benelux Air Alert 】
Luxembourg is also a founding member of NATO, but its army is small, with a total strength of more than 900 people, the army is organized into 1 battalion and 4 companies, the air force has 1 A400M (operated by the Belgian 15th Transport Wing) and 2 H145 helicopters, but the 14 E-3A of the NATO AWACS force nominally belong to Luxembourg and bear the Luxembourg military insignia.
Since 2017, the Belgian and Dutch air forces have rotated two F-16s to carry out rapid reaction alert missions, carrying out trilateral integrated air defense, rotating every four months, under the command of the joint air combat center in Hudham, Germany. If in Dutch airspace, specific tactical operations are controlled by the Neuveen-Milligan Air Operations Control Station (codename Bandbox) in the Netherlands; In the case of Belgian and Luxembourg airspace, it is subject to the control of the Belgian Control and Reporting Centre (code Efflux). Located in the heart of Western Europe, this area has relatively little air conditions, averaging only 6 emergency takeoffs and 4 effective interceptions per year.
> A typical interception process produced by the Dutch Air Force, it took only 15 minutes for two F-16s to go from receiving the sortie order to visually contact the Russian Tu-95 strategic bomber
【 Western Balkan Air Alert 】
The air power of some of the Balkan countries that joined NATO did not meet NATO's requirements, and NATO improved effective air protection for these countries. Air alert in Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro is raised by the Italian and Greek air forces, while Slovenia is provided by the Italian and Hungarian air forces and commanded by the Joint Air Warfare Centre in Torrejón, Spain.
> Hellenic Air Force Mirage-2000 flying over the Balkans
In addition, as part of the air vigilance enhancement program, the air defense of Romania and Bulgaria will be strengthened by the air forces of the member states, depending on the situation.
> The Romanian Air Force's F-16 and the Royal Canadian Air Force's CF-18 fly together on an air alert mission
Permanent maritime clusters
The four battle groups led by Northwood Maritime Command are the standing rapid reaction forces of the NATO Navy, namely the 1st and 2nd Permanent Sea Groups (SNMG1/SNMG2) and the 1st and 2nd Permanent Minesweeping Groups (SNMCMG1/2), which are roughly the size of our 1 destroyer detachment plus 2 minesweeper groups.
SNMG1, established in 1968, and SNMG2, established in 1992, consist of 4-6 destroyers or frigates respectively, and each country sends flagships as commanders, and the maximum time to join the cluster at a time is 6 months, which can be replaced at any time to carry out various exercises, patrols and visits. SNMG1 is typically active in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Atlantic Ocean, and also enters the Mediterranean Sea when mission is required; The predecessor of SNMG2 was NATO's Permanent Fleet in the Mediterranean, which was mainly responsible for the Mediterranean and Black Sea waters.
At present, SNMG1 consists of 6 warships: the flagship German frigate "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" (F123 type), the French frigate "Aquitaine", the Polish frigate "Tadeusz Kosciuszko" (Perry class), the Spanish frigate "Bazin", the Portuguese frigate "Bartolomeu Diaz" (former Dutch Karel Dorman class) and the Danish frigate "Nils Ure" (Ivan Huetfeld class), commanded by Rear Admiral Southen Marques of the German Navy.
SNMG2 also consists of 6 warships: the flagship destroyer James Williams (Burke-class) of the United States, the frigate Margutini of Italy (FREMM), the frigate Barbaros of Turkey (MEKO 200TN), the frigate Fredericton of Canada (Halifax class), the frigate USS Psala of Greece (MEKO 200HN type) and the frigate USS Seven Provinces of the Netherlands, commanded by US Rear Admiral Scott Cigotta.
Both formations participated in Operation Maritime Monitor in 1992, Operation Maritime Guardian in 1993, Operation Sharp Guard in 1993-1996 against the Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbian embargoes, and operations Protector and Operation Ocean Shield in the Gulf of Aden in 2009-2016.
> On March 11, the crew of the Bazin, who went deep into the Arctic Circle to participate in the Joint Fighter 23 exercise, was de-icing on the foredeck
Founded in 1973, SNMCMG1 was formerly a strait standing fleet, which was mainly responsible for mine clearance in the Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic directions. Founded in 1999, SNMCMG2 was formerly the Mediterranean Standing Minesweeping Fleet, responsible for the Mediterranean direction. The two demining units usually have 4-6 patrol ships and minesweepers, and the commander is a colonel.
> Current SNMCMG1 formation
> Current SNMCMG2 formation
【 High Readiness Force (Sea) - GRF (Maritime) 】
The NATO Navy has established five High Readiness Force (Sea) Headquarters, which command NATO task forces in their jurisdiction, each of which provides maritime operational command functions to NATO response forces in turn. The five headquarters are:
· Headquarters of the Italian Navy
· Headquarters of the Spanish Navy
· Headquarters of the British Navy
· Headquarters of the French Navy
· Headquarters of NATO's Maritime Strike and Support Force
These headquarters do not have a standing force and draw on ships from various countries to form a maritime high readiness force when required for exercises and operations. For example, in the "Cold Response" exercise organized by Norway in 2022, a total of 50 ships and 13,000 navies participated, in addition to SNMG1 and SNMCMG1, there were two aircraft carriers, the Prince of Wales and Garibaldi, which were the flagship of NATO's reaction forces at that time, the amphibious assault ship "Dixmed", the dock landing ship "Rotterdam" and many other amphibious ships.
In general, NATO's standing force is quite limited, and the main force of the army is a military-sized NATO response force for rapid intervention before or during the outbreak of conflict; The Air Force rotates small detachment-level air forces in five regions to carry out defensive missions; The Navy has four small fleets deployed in key sea areas to conduct patrol and deterrence operations.
The armed forces of European countries are declining, the strength and main battle equipment are constantly shrinking, and the combat readiness is also quite poor, and it is difficult to maintain their own defense. Whether in Libya, Syria, Afghanistan or Ukraine, NATO's European members play a rather limited role, mainly playing soy sauce, and the main force for real defense of Europe and interference in other countries is still a full load of 100,000 US troops stationed in Europe.
> Comparing the above-mentioned map of the distribution of troops in the enhanced forward presence, the United States has deployed its own troops and advanced equipment such as Apache gunships and Patriot missiles throughout the front-tier countries of Eastern Europe outside this framework
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the United States and the United Kingdom, which has left the European Union, have continuously arched the fire and pressured (including the explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline), firmly tied European countries to their own chariots in political, economic, financial and military aspects, and constantly sucked blood from Europe to maintain their hegemony, NATO has also changed from a military bloc against the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War to the most powerful tool for the United States and Britain to control Europe that lacks independent defense capabilities today.