On October 19-23 a table-top exercise (TTX) at the Joint Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces with participation from nearly every NATO command throughout Europe tested the ability to host allied forces in the Baltic Region in case of crisis and refined the concept of the deployment of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).
Roughly 60 representatives from the three Baltic states, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC Brunssum), Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples), Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast Szczecin (MNC NE) and the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) took part in this phase of Exercise Arrcade Fusion 2105.
"Having the Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps deployed in the Baltic states for this exercise is of utmost importance to us. With such tensions in the geopolitical situation in our neighbourhood, the exercise clearly demonstrates NATO commitment, will and defence capabilities to develop means of ensuring security and adapting to respond to security threats," Chief of the Joint Staff Brigadier General Vilmantas Tamošaitis underscored before the TTX.
The TTX phase of an exercise explores concepts to achieve is a better interaction and coordination that is required amongst Host Nations, NATO HQs, a Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), and the newly established NATO Force Integration Units (NFIU) of NATO Forces. The results of the exercise and the discussions will provide relevant and comprehensively analysed data to better inform NATO concept developers.
"Establishing NFIUs, NATO Allies are sending a strong message: We will always be better tomorrow than we are today, and we will safeguard the freedom and security of all NATO members by any demanded means: either political or even military. NFIU will assist in any possible way the better coordination and interaction between Host Nation and incoming forces for the faster troops deployment", said Colonel Jakob Søgård Larsen, Commander NFIU.
Exercise Arrcade Fusion 2015 began on October 10 with the arrival of ARRC's Command Post equipment and personnel to Klaipėda Seaport and further deployment to exercise locations in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The planning phase of Exercise Arrcade Fusion 2015 will begin on November 9 to prepare plans of reception, staging and onward movement of NATO response forces in the region. The exercise runs concurrently in all three Baltic states. Exercise Baltic Host 2015, a Host Nation Support (HNS) exercise of the three Baltic states , linked to Exercise Arrcade Fusion 2015 trains providing HNS to incoming forces in the region. The Baltic states will train interacting to provide HNS for hosted forces. According to the exercise scenario, HQ ARRC deploys into the 3B (three Baltic states) region where a crisis is developing and the Baltic states are providing HNS, hence the interlink between Exercise Arrcade Fusion 2015 and Exercise Baltic Host 2015, and a larger number of forces training various aspects of operation. According to Lieutenant Colonel Supe with HQ ARRC, the deployed ARRC equipment and personnel will move back to its base in the United Kingdom in December after the conclusion of the exercise.
Exercise Arrcade Fusion trains redeployment of ARRC command and control elements and to test some of the VJTF concepts. This is also an excellent opportunity to train Lithuania's national staff to plan and coordinate actions alongside NATO allies.
Photo credits: Captain Donatas Suchockis
