News
Date | Title | |
28 Dec. 2023 | ![]() | From 1 January 2024, the United Kingdom’s 7th Light Mechanised Brigade will lead NATO’s rapid reaction force, placing thousands of soldiers on standby and ready to deploy within days. NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) was created after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and was deployed for the first time for collective defence of the Alliance after Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The leadership position is rotated annually among Allies. The UK takes over from Germany, which led the force in 2023. |
20 May. 2023 | ![]() |
UK troops test rapid reinforcement of NATO battlegroup in Estonia Dozens of British Royal Marines landed on a beach north of Tallinn on Friday night (19 May 2023) testing the Allies ability to rapidly deploy reinforcements to NATO forces in Estonia. The Royal Marines contingent is part of a 900-strong British force deployed to Estonia especially for exercise “Spring Storm 2023”. |
12 May. 2023 | ![]() |
NATO’s spearhead force deploys to Sardinia for Exercise Noble Jump The NATO Response Force’s quick-reaction unit, the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) has tested its deployment at short notice for the protection and defence of NATO’s southern flank through Exercise Noble Jump 23. |
28 Dec. 2022 | ![]() | On Sunday (1 January 2023), Germany takes the lead of NATO's highest-readiness military force, placing thousands of troops on standby and ready to deploy within days. |
23 Mar. 2022 | ![]() |
NATO Enhanced Forward Presence receives first multinational ammunition warehouse Today (23 March) the Chiefs of Defence of Belgium and Estonia formally opened the first Multinational Ammunition Warehousing Initiative (MAWI) location in Estonia. |
02 Mar. 2022 | ![]() | Units of the NATO Response Force arrived in Romania on Monday and Tuesday (28 February – 1 March 2022) to reinforce NATO’s defensive posture in the eastern part of the Alliance. 500 French troops assembled in Istres in southern France before deploying to Romania. |
02 Mar. 2022 | ![]() | Units of the NATO Response Force arrived in Romania on Monday and Tuesday (28 February – 1 March 2022) to reinforce NATO’s defensive posture in the eastern part of the Alliance. 500 French troops assembled in Istres in southern France before deploying to Romania. |
27 Feb. 2022 | ![]() | On Wednesday (23 February), NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Tod. D. Wolters, vetted Hungarian forces for possible support to NATO’s enhanced defence in the Eastern flank of the Alliance. This decision follows Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine and is part of a broad range of measures aimed to ensure the protection and defence of all Allies. |
25 Feb. 2022 |
SACEUR statement on the activation of the NATO Response Force Over the past few months, NATO Allies and European partners have remained unified in opposition to threats against peace and security in Europe. In response to Russia's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, the Alliance has operationally aligned its maritime, land, air, space, and cyber forces to defend our NATO sovereignty. |
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29 Dec. 2021 | ![]() | France takes the lead of NATO’s highest-readiness military force on Saturday (1 January 2022), for a period of one year. The formation, formally known as NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), was created in 2014 in response to crises in the Middle East and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and is permanently available to move within days to defend any Ally. The VJTF is the highest-readiness element of NATO’s 40,000-strong Response Force. |