IMS Exercise Announcement 2 March 2002

Exercise Strong Resolve 2002 Major NATO Exercise : Strong Resolve Exercise STRONG RESOLVE 2002 (SR-02), is a major NATO exercise taking place between 1 and 15 March 2002, involving the deployment of naval, ground and air forces from NATO’s two Strategic Commands, Headquarters SACLANT and Headquarters SHAPE. The exercise aims to practise NATO’s ability to conduct operations in response to two separate and simultaneous crises in different geographical regions. SR-02 will also support the implementation and validation of the NATO Combined Joint Task Force concept – a capability by which NATO forces, together with the forces of non-NATO nations, deploy in response to a crisis beyond NATO’s borders. Overall, some 40,000 personnel will take part in SR-02 from the following NATO nations: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and from the following Partner nations: Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Two types of NATO missions will be practised: a NATO Article 5 collective defensive operation, involving a conventional attack on a NATO member nation, and a Crisis Response Operation (CRO) in which a NATO-led force deploys to mediate between two warring countries beyond NATO’s area of responsibility. NATO strategic and operational commanders from both sides of the Atlantic will be fully involved in the exercise, while, at the tactical level, maritime, ground, and air forces will deploy into the area of operations to conduct field training exercises. SR-02 will be a challenging and demanding exercise aimed at improving the Alliance’s mechanisms for collective defense and crisis response; increasing interoperability with and amongst Partners; and demonstrating NATO’s ability to conduct complex and concurrent operations at the strategic, operational and tactical levels. More than ever, the importance of exercising NATO’s capabilities in complex scenarios mirroring the current world security environment is crucial to NATO’s effectiveness. The Article 5 part of SR-02 will be conducted in Norway and the surrounding sea and air spaces. 14,000 military personnel from NATO nations will take part in this portion of the exercise. The CRO part of SR-02 will be in Poland practising the conduct of a Crisis Response Operation involving the deployment of a NATO-led Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF). The CJTF Commander will command the operation from The USS Mount Whitney in the role of a sea-based CJTF Headquarters. This part of the exercise will involve some 26,000 military personnel from both NATO and Partner nations. Three complementary exercises are taking place under the common scenario of Exercise STRONG RESOLVE 02: Exercise ADVENTURE EXPRESS, an annual field training exercise involving primarily the ACE Mobile Force (Land). The aim of the exercise is to train operational and logistic capabilities in cold weather conditions. Exercise AFFIRMATIVE ALERT, an annual NATO Composite Force (NCF) live exercise aimed at improving the readiness of the NCF and the capabilities of its units. Exercise BATTLE GRIFFIN, a triennial field training exercise involving the US Norway Airlanded Marine Air Ground Task Force. The aim of the exercise is to practise the deployment and reception of the Task Force to Norway within a NATO Article 5 scenario and the subsequent conduct of joint and multinational operations. An Allied Press Information Centre (APIC) will be established for the Article 5 part of SR-02 in Trondheim, Norway. A Coalition Press Information Centre (CPIC) will be established for the CRO part in Szczecin, Poland. A press facility will also be available on board USS Mount Whitney, the CJTF HQ for the CRO. Note to Editors: Requests for information prior to the establishment of the press centres should be made to Lieutenant Colonel Tore Idsoe at Joint Headquarters North, Norway (tel +47-5157-2405) and to Commander John Kirby, Striking Fleet Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A. (tel+1-757-444-2422). Updated information is also available on the internet web site: (www.strongresolve.secondfleet.nay.mil). Journalists applying for SR-02 press cards are required to have the following items: valid passport or id card two passports size photographs a valid press id card letter of introduction from their media organisation.