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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 20 Apr. 2021 |  | Poland deployed a contingent of troops to Turkey on Tuesday (20 April 2021), in support of NATO measures to bolster security in the southeast of the Alliance. The long-planned deployment will involve up to 80 personnel, supporting Turkey with maritime patrols over the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea with a Polish M28 "Bryza" aircraft. The mission will also work alongside NATO's naval groups in the region. |
| 01 Jul. 2020 |  |
NATO-funded facility ready to receive and support Allied troops in Estonia A new NATO infrastructure facility has just opened its doors at the Tapa Base in Estonia. The hub is able to receive and facilitate the onward movement of NATO forces, including the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), and will be used for exercises and prepositioning of equipment. The majority of the project, worth 20 million EUR, has been funded through the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP). |
| 30 Dec. 2019 |  | The Polish army will take the lead of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) on Wednesday (1 January 2020), placing thousands of soldiers on standby and ready to deploy within days. Poland takes over from Germany, which provided the core of the VJTF’s land forces in 2019. |
| 06 Jun. 2019 |  | A force of 2,500 German, Dutch and Norwegian troops and 1,000 vehicles is currently taking part in exercise Noble Jump 19 at the Zagan training range in Western Poland. Noble Jump is the main training opportunity for NATO’s Spearhead Force, the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), and tests how well its different units work together. |
| 01 Jan. 2019 |  | German forces on Tuesday (1 January 2019) took the lead for NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), providing thousands of soldiers to be on standby and ready to deploy within days. Germany takes over from Italy, which provided the VJTF lead brigade in 2018. |
| 25 Jan. 2017 |  | Lieutenant General Steven Shepro, Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee attended the Opening Ceremony for the Slovakian NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) on 24 Jan 17 in Bratislava, Slovakia. General Shepro provided an opening statement alongside the Slovak Minister of Defence, Peter Gajdoš, Ambassador Tacan Ildem, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy and Commander of NATO’s Joint Force Command Brunssum, General Salvatore Farina. |
| 25 Jan. 2017 | | Lieutenant General Steven Shepro, Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee attended the Opening Ceremony for the Slovakian NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) on 24 Jan 17 in Bratislava, Slovakia. General Shepro provided an opening statement alongside the Slovak Minister of Defence, Peter Gajdoš, Ambassador Tacan Ildem, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy and Commander of NATO’s Joint Force Command Brunssum, General Salvatore Farina. |