MAGAZINE FOR HQ JFC BRUNSSUM - MARCH 2017 - march 2017 first enhanced forward ...
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M AGA Z I N E F O R H Q J F C B R U N S S U M - M A R C H 2 017
i w w w. j f c b s . n a t o . i n t f w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / j f c b s
FIRST ENHANCED NATO HUNGARIAN DEFENCE
FORWARD PRESENCE PARLIAMENTARY FORCES COMMITTED
BATTLEGROUP ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TO NATO-LED
DEPLOYS TO VISITS JFC BRUNSSUM CRISIS RESPONSE
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ABOUT THE COVER
Dutch F-16 belonging to 322 Squadron, Leeuwarden airbase, takes
off for a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) mission while on standby for
the BENELUX air policing.
Photo by Kelyn Yeutukhovich
3 ABOUT THE COVER 18 GERMANY CONTINUES AUGMENTING BALTIC
4 COMMAND GROUP CORNER AIR POLICING
6 VISITS AND ACTIVITIES 20 THE HUNGARIAN DEFENCE FORCES IN
8 COMMANDER JFC BRUNSSUM WELCOMES NATO-LED CRISIS RESPONSE OPERATIONS
FIRST ENHANCED FORWARD PRESENCE 22 HOW DOES IT FEEL TO COME BACK?
BATTLEGROUP DEPLOYED TO LITHUANIA 23 JFC BRUNSSUM GOLF SOCIETY -
10 THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATO CALLING ALL POTENTIAL GOLFERS
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY 24 DUTCH SECURITY FORCES
VISITS JFC BRUNSSUM 25 OUR VISION FOR A BETTER FUTURE
12 IMM – THE FORMULA ONE 26 DID YOU KNOW
OF NATO-SKILLS 28 ONE OF US
14 SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES AT HIGH ALTITUDE 30 MOVIE SCHEDULE
16 EXERCISE DYNAMIC MOVE 31 CIRCLE 100
2017 BEGINS IN BELGIUM 32 BOOK REVIEW
Editorial Staff
The NORTHERN STAR is a publication, pu- telephone: +31 (0)45 571 61 16,
blished with the assistance of ‘t Swarte Schaap, or e-mail: rob@tswarteschaap.nl.
in co-operation with and at no cost to HQ JFC
Brunssum. Opinions herein do not necessarily Submissions to the Northern Star can be made
reflect official NATO or HQ JFC Brunssum to room F 1.21, Bldg. H 106 or e-mailed to pao@ Col Martin Klein, DEU A
policy. The appearance of advertisements, inclu- jfcbs.nato.int. Articles should be in Microsoft Chief Public Affairs Office
ding inserts, does not constitute endorsement by Word format and, whenever possible, should be
NATO or HQ JFC Brunssum of the products or no longer than 300 words. Photographs should Mr. Barry Mellor, GBR Civ
services offered. Deadline for articles, adverti- be at least 9x6 centimetres and 300 dpi. The Deputy Chief Public Affairs (Civ) & Community
sements and photographs is on the Monday at Northern Star is published monthly, with the Relations, Advisor, Editor
close of business prior to the week of publica- exceptions of January and August each year. It
tion. is generally available around the first Friday of Adj Leo Roos NLD A
each month it is produced. Adj Shirley Ham – ter Haar, NLD MP
To place an advertisement in the Northern Contributing Editor
Star, please call ’t Swarte Schaap and ask for For more information, call ext. 2687 or
Rob Schaap, Sint Franciscusweg 36-3, 6417 BD +31 (0)45 526 26 87. The editor reserves the
Heerlen, The Netherlands, right to edit submissions.
3
COMMAND GROUP CORNER
Composed by: General Salvatore Farina, (ITA A)
J
FC Brunssum Team, strength ened just knowing I opportunity to prove themselves
I t is very true: could rely on such a dedicated as “operationally capable” of
time flies! and capable staff. Immediately exercising command and control
after I assumed command, I was of the NFIUs and Operational
It seems like it was only yes- completely involved and ready Control of a VJTF 1* HQ. The
terday, but in fact it was over to go. With so much going on successful events and extremely
a year ago when I took over around us, I quickly set my positive results, combined with
command of JFC Brunssum, priorities and with the support the full establishment of the
on a very typical Limburg day of my staff, the way forward NFIUs, completed the tasks
marked by black sky, cold, was set in motion. After only directed from the Wales Summit
driving wind, snow and sleet. two weeks, I journeyed with that have been, in my opinion,
Even with the harsh weather, Major General Smith (JFC a great achievement, especially
it was a wonderful day as we Brunssum Deputy Chief of considering the very short
honoured the outgoing com- Staff Operations) to visit the timeframe.
mander, General Domröse, Resolute Support (RS) Mission
and with the blessing of Gen- in Afghanistan, where we had an In early spring my leadership
eral Breedlove (SACEUR at opportunity to get up to speed team and I completed several
that time) I was charged with on the latest developments in key leader engagements with
the great privilege and enor- theatre and share insight with authorities and commanders in
mous responsibility of being General Nicholson. Within the Baltics, Poland and Spain.
your commander. Indeed the days of our return, we put The engagements were extremely
burden has been even great- the finishing touches to the valuable, not only for the conduct
er taking into account that Spring 2016 Periodic Mission of assurance measures and their
it was the first time that the Review and moved right into a role in training and exercises,
rotation between German refinement of our training and but also for the completion
and Italian commanders took exercises for 2016. of our advance planning
place after many years of efforts. Additionally, I had the
German leadership. The 2016 Brilliant series of opportunity to engage with the
exercises was designed to Single Service Commands and
T wo of my basic principles are prove the concept of NATO’s our sister headquarters, Joint
my commitment to continuity Readiness Action Plan as one of Force Command Naples, thereby
and a proactive approach. By the most important deliverables reinforcing the relationships
continuity, I am not referring resulting from the 2014 NATO that will enable complete
to something that is inflexible Summit in Wales. Brilliant integration in a joint operational
and unchanging, but rather Jump 2016 demonstrated a environment.
the unbroken and undisturbed prepared and capable Very High
execution of our mission. By Readiness Joint Task Force Even while we were completing
taking a proactive approach and and the NRDC Spain Corps our tasking from the Wales
eliminating prob lems before Headquarters, deploying within Summit, Warsaw was already
they have a chance to appear, a few days to Poland by air, sea on the horizon. We quickly
we can make things happen - and land, with critical support refocussed our efforts and
instead of waiting for things to provided by Multinational Corps started our internal thinking in
happen to us! Northeast (MNC-NE) and the order to elaborate and advance
NATO Force Integration Units new ideas and concepts to
Despite the many responsibilities (NFIUs). For MNC-NE, exercise operationalize the decisions
facing our headquarters, I felt Brilliant Capability 2016 was an made at the political level and
4
to implement the strategic the Enhanced Forward Presence everything from hybrid and cyber
directives issued by SHAPE. (eFP) Battle Groups. A truly warfare to terrorist and radical
In the second part of 2016 headquarters-wide effort, the threats, both within and beyond
we expanded our key leader intensive work brought together our borders. By incorporating
engagement with political and the Framework Nations, strategic communications into
military leaders across the Troop Contributing Nations, all our operations and planning,
implementation area, starting Host Nations, Single Service we can contribute positively
with our Finnish and Swedish Commands and SHAPE, and took and directly in achieving the
partners and continuing with most of our time from November successful implementation of
key NATO nations including all the way into February. As NATO political and military
Germany, UK, the Netherlands the year drew to a close, we objectives.
and Hungary. These personal completed a very successful visit
interactions with military by the North Atlantic Council on All of you – my team – are very
commanders and civilian 28 November focussed on eFP, capable, responsive, flexible, and
authorities continue to help us and turned over our role as the open-minded professionals who
build relationships over time so NATO Response Force Standby have supported me throughout
we can support each other both Command to JFC Naples. If my first year in command.
in peacetime and during times that is not enough, I should Without your tremendous effort
of crisis. mention our involvement in the we would not have been able to
development of our Graduated accomplish such a demanding
In August we once more visited Respons e Plans, and of course range of achievements. I am
the Resolute Support Mission in we look forward to the coming proud to be your commander
Afghanistan, wher e I was able months as we continue our and am grateful to lead such a
to increase my understanding preparations for Exercise proficient and dedicated team.
and exchange information and Trident Javelin in November. I am also grateful to have had
views on the progress of the RS the opportunity to meet your
Mission with General Nicholson. After one year I firmly believe families during our many social
At the Joint Operational level that with our commitment to events, and I urge you to take
we completed our 3rd Northern continuity and a proactive care of your loved ones just as
Headquarters Conference in stance, the relevance and they take care of and support
Bodo, Norway, whe re we stressed credibility of JFC Brunssum you.
the importance of partnership, has been maintained. We find
transparency and collective ourselves very deeply involved Thank you for your eff orts, and I
defence in the Northern flank in a great number of endeavours am certain that throughout this
of the Alliance. The Northern that encompass the three core next year we will achieve even
Family continues to get stronger tasks of our Alliance, and I am more together!
and stronger. sure that we will continue to do
so. General Farina
Building on the decisions made
during the Warsaw Summit, With our focus on a balanced,
and in a clear demonstration determined and proportional
of Alliance solidarity and non-escalatory approach,
determination, this headquarters JFC Brunssum remains at the
began the challenging process forefron t of the Alliance’s efforts
to conceptualise and develop to address the changing security
the implementation order for environment that encompasses
5
VISITS AND ACTIVITIES
Prepared by: Adjutant Shirley Ham-ter Haar (NLD MP)
JFC Brunssum HQ Enlargement 20 JAN 2017
Brunssum, Netherlands - Thursday 19 Janu- Brunssum in 2012. The work comprises con-
ary, all JFC Brunssum staff had the opportu- struction of a new wing, providing 2,015 m2 of
nity to have a look inside the new wing, which office space, a new staff restaurant, a new VVIP
is currently under construction. Visitors saw entrance as well as renovation works in the
for themselves that since the ground break- existing building to enhance the entrance area
ing ceremony on 14th March 2016 by the JFC and to realize sufficient un-classified confer-
Brunssum Chief of Staff (COS), Lieutenant ence facilities.
General Adamzcak, we are steadily approach-
ing completion and hope to have everything up
and running before the grand opening in the
summer.
The project was created to meet the require-
ment for additional office space to cope
with the uplift of personnel allocated to JFC
Chief of Italian Chaplains Visits JFC Brunssum 20 JAN 2017
Brunssum, Netherlands – On Thursday
19 January the Italian Chief of Chaplains, The Archbishop celebrated Holy Mass for the
Archbishop Santo Marciano’, visited the Italian personnel and their families at the East
Headquarters. Following an office call with the Chapel.
Commander JFC Brunssum, General Salvatore
Farina, he met with the Italian delegation and His Excellency Marciano’, during his address
representatives of the NATO Airborne Early to the Italian delegation, emphasized the
Warning and Control Force Command’s E-3A importance of dialogue and cooperation efforts
Component (NAEW&CF E3-A Component) at made by NATO in these ever changing times,
Geilenkirchen (Germany) and the European as well as the unique capability of the Alliance
Air Transport Command (EATC) based at to pragmatically encourage member states to
Eindhoven (Netherlands), during his first trip work together creating fruitful synergies.
to the Netherlands in this position.
Commander JFC Brunssum Participates in Slovakian NFIU Inauguration
Ceremony
24 JAN 2017
Brunssum, The Netherlands - Commander JFC dignitaries, by the Slovakian Minister of
Brunssum, General Salvatore Farina, took part Defence (Mr Peter Gajdoš), NATO’s Assistant
in the inauguration ceremony of the Slova- Secretary General for Public Diplomacy (Am-
kian NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) bassador Tacan Ildem), the Deputy Chairman
in Bratislava on Tuesday 24 January; this is of the NATO Military Committee (Lieutenant
the eighth and last NFIU to officially join the General Steven M Shepro) and the Slovakian
network established along the Eastern flank of Chief of Defence (General Milan Maxim).
the Alliance.
The NFIU in Slovakia will achieve its full capa-
The ceremony was attended, amongst other bility in June 2017 after a validation exercise.
6
January 2017 / February 2017
General Farina Addresses Military Attachés at the Italian
27 JAN 2017 Embassy in Berlin
nations at the Italian Embassy in Germany a 360 degree operational capability. Based on
during their annual conference in Berlin. his headquarters’ responsibility for enabling
NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghani-
Invited to present an operational perspective stan, he specifically stressed the importance
on NATO’s role in the new security environ- of a comprehensive joint combined multi-year
ment, General Farina provided a broad picture approach.
of today’s challenges and shared his view on
how to foster stability and security. In a first
part, he elaborated on the deterrence and
defence posture and emphasized NATO’s
enhanced forward presence in Eastern Europe
Brunssum, Netherlands - On 23 January 2017, as further milestone to be realized in 2017. In
General Salvatore FARINA, Commander the second half of his speech, General Farina
Joint Force Command Brunssum, addressed addressed NATO’s projecting stability efforts
the Military Attachés of the NATO member outside NATO’s borders and its realization by
Exercise TRIDENT JAVELIN 2017 Academics Mark the Start of
30 JAN 2017 NRF 2018 Certification for JFC BRUNSSUM
setting – this was the content of the Exercise The purpose of TRJN17, conducted as
Trident Javelin 2017 (TRJN17) academic Command-Post/Computer Assisted Exercise
seminars conducted 23 - 27 January at JFC (CPX/CAX), is to train the NATO Command
Brunssum. Structure and prepare it for future challenges.
The autumn exercise represents the final step
TRJN17, scheduled for November 2017, will be in the certification process for the command
an exercise showcasing NATO’s determination and control elements of the NATO Response
and commitment to the collective defence of Force (NRF) for 2018, where JFC Brunssum
the Alliance. Based on an artificial scenario, will be the Standby Command for the year.
JFC Brunssum and other participating NATO
Brunssum, The Netherlands - Outcomes of Headquarters in Europe, will combine their
NATO’s previous exercises and missions, con- efforts to conduct a joint operation of a scale
ceptual discussions and unparalleled scenario unmatched by any previous NATO exercise.
15 FEB 2017 Healthy Heart Run at JFC Brunssum
February to burn off the Valentine’s Day sug- The first placed man was Ashley Lawes, who
ary chocolates and extravagant dinners from came in at 20 minutes 43 seconds. The first
the night before. Some couples made a date of placed woman was Helena Slaatmo at 24:42,
the run, encouraging their spouse to keep up. who also took first woman’s place in last
One couple was even spotted holding hands November’s Fun Run. The Fitness Centre is
during their final up-hill ascent towards the already planning the next running event, which
finish line. Gym staff were elated to don hearts is rumoured to be 10k. Keep training, runners!
on their clothes and welcome the runners, to
Brunssum, Netherlands - The JFC Fitness Cen- include JFC Brunssum Commander, General
tre hosted a Healthy Heart 5k Fun Run on 15 Salvatore Farina.
7
COMMANDER JFC BRUNSSUM
WELCOMES FIRST ENHANCED FORWARD
PRESENCE BATTLEGROUP DEPLOYED TO
LITHUANIA
Composed by: JFC Brunssum Public Affairs Office
Photo by: Alfredas Pliadis, Lithuanian MOD
General Salvatore Farina delivers his speech at the welcoming
ceremony in Rukla, Lithuania
O
n 07 February General and soldiers from different units
Salvatore Farina, Com- of the Lithuanian Armed Forces The German-led multinational bat-
mander JFC Brunssum, joined the event. tlegroup is the first of four that
welcomed the first comprise NATO’s forward presence
troops of the NATO enhanced In her remarks the Lithuanian Pre- in the area to ‘demonstrate the Al-
Forward Presence (eFP) battle sident emphasized how this battle- liance’s readiness and resolve to de-
group upon their deployment to group represents ‘the strongest secu- ter and defend’ - said General Farina
Lithuania. In a ceremony hosted rity shield in our region arriving at - ‘representing not just four battle-
by the President of the Republic
the right time and place’, and assured groups, but the whole of NATO in a
of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaitė
that ‘Lithuania will provide a high unity of effort’. Contingents from
- with the Minister of Defense of
Germany, Ursula von der Leyen standard of Host Nation support’. Norway and Luxembourg - as well
in attendance - eFP contingents as Croatia and France in 2018 - will
from Germany, Belgium and the The Minister of Defense of Germany, join the battlegroup at Rukla over
Netherlands participated in a Ms von der Leyen, stated ‘today we the coming months, increasing the
formal welcome parade at the have come together as NATO partners total number of troops deployed to
home of the Lithuanian Training to reassure our strong commitment to approximately 1200; the size and
Regiment ‘Radvila’ in Rukla. the future of Lithuania’, which is now composition of each battlegroup,
U.S. and Czech rotational troops, ‘protected by the greatest military al- however, will differ from country to
deployed for training purposes, liance of our times’. country.
8
The Minister of Defence of Germany, Ursula von der Leyen, during her
welcoming remarks
The other three multinational bat- and resolve to defend the people of
tlegroups will be deployed to Latvia, its member nations against any pos-
Estonia and Poland by the summer of sible aggression’ while ‘avoiding pro-
this year in order to enhance allied vocation and preventing escalation’.
presence in the eastern part of the Al- This is also ‘part of NATO’s larger
liance, as agreed by NATO Heads of effort to adapt to the challenges we
State and Governments at the Sum- face’, the General noted. By adop-
mit in Warsaw last year, in order to ting ‘a 360-degree approach to secu-
respond in a proportionate and mea- rity’ supported by the integration of
sured way to the changed security en- all domains - ‘land, air, maritime and
vironment. special operations forces meld seam-
lessly together in support of NATO’s
In his speech General Farina under- efforts’.
lined how the establishment of the
first of these battlegroups marks a
‘strengthening of the Alliance’s mili-
tary capacity’ and, at the same time,
demonstrates ‘NATO’s commitment
9
THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATO
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY VISITS JFC
BRUNSSUM
Composed by: Colonel R Lanni, (ITA A)
Photo by: Adjutant Shirley Ham-ter Haar (NLD MP)
A
meeting, aimed at streng- sement of the International Community, JFC Brunssum in 2016 was the Head-
thening relations between provides the Afghan Defence and Secu- quarters responsible for the command
the NATO Parliamentary rity Forces as well as Institutions with and control of the NATO Response For-
Assembly (NPA) and the training, assistance and advice. The ce (NRF) – the force capable of respon-
operational level of the military arm General underlined how ‘the process in ding rapidly to crisis anywhere across
of the Alliance, took place on 9 Febru- Afghanistan is not a rapid one’, since the the globe – maintaining its readiness to
ary 2017 at JFC Brunssum, between situation in the country is ‘complex, fra- deploy in case of activation following a
the President of the NPA, the Italian gile and continuously evolving’. decision by the North Atlantic Council
Mr Paolo Alli, and General Salvatore (NAC). In 2016 the NRF had its troops
Farina, Commander JFC Brunssum. With regard to defence and deterrence increased to 40.000 and could count for
tasks, the Commander highlighted the the first time on its new high readiness
Mr Alli was keen to gain a deeper know- commitment of his staff in providing component, the Very High Readiness
ledge of NATO’s operational structure, in the Supreme Allied Commander Europe Joint Task Force (VJTF): these measu-
his new position as President of a body (SACEUR) with the highest number of res were part of the “Readiness Action
comprising 257 members drawn from options and tools for him to use in or- Plan” (RAP) agreed in 2014.
the national Parliaments of the 28 Allies. der to ‘deter any potentially aggressive
This objective was fulfilled by the Com- posture’, according to NATO’s inherent Currently ongoing is the deployment
mander, who provided a comprehen- flexibility and adaptation. General Fa- phase of NATO’s enhanced Forward
sive overview of the activities led by the rina also said that the JFC monitors the Presence (eFP) on the north-eastern
Headquarters in Brunssum as well as its operational picture from a 360-degree flank of alliance territory, with four
current and future responsibilities. perspective and ‘will keep this mind- multinational battlegroups being esta-
set while focusing on the north-eastern blished in the Baltic States and Poland.
General Farina emphasized the top pri- flank of the Alliance, without disregar- On the 7 th of February General Farina
orities for JFC Brunssum, starting with ding the southern one, which nowadays welcomed the first battlegroup establis-
the Resolute Support mission in Afgha- carries a broad spectrum of risks and hed in Lithuania in an official ceremony
nistan which, since 2015, with the endor- potential threats’. hosted by the Lithuanian President.
10The other three battlegroups will be de-
ployed in Estonia, Latvia and Poland by
the summer of this year, as agreed by
Allies at the 2016 summit in Warsaw, in
order to respond to the changed security
situation in the region.
These measures, together with the
others included in the RAP, increase the
Alliance’s response capabilities in order
to protect and defend its Allies.
The President of the NATO Parliamen-
tary Assembly appreciated the update
on the operational situation and com-
mended the Commander for the impor-
tant tasks and responsibilities carried
out by JFC Brunssum within the Alli-
ance. Mr Alli finally emphasized how
visits by parliamentary members allow
the political level to have direct awa-
reness of the operational-military level
contribution, and praised General Fari-
na in particular for his balanced appro-
ach, at 360-degrees, aiming at security
while promoting dialogue.
11IMM – THE FORMULA ONE
OF NATO-SKILLS
The Bundeswehr invites you to a challenging NATO competition at Moenchengladbach in July 2017.
B
y joining the famous Inter- tionships are vital to the Alliance. Unity Minister of Defense, Mrs. Ursula von
national Military Skills Com- is our center of gravity and the IMM der Leyen.
petition (IMM) in Moenc- exemplifies our solidarity.
hengladbach you will meet In 2013 and 2014 JFCBS personnel from
like-minded people; specifically, you The organizers call it the Formula One five NATO countries gave a strong perfor-
will be able test your military skills of NATO-skills: intelligence, strength mance and won a number of prizes. Last
and abilities; and may go home with and fitness are tested in equal mea- year a team of four German reservists
medals and prizes. The oldest lon- sure during the IMM. Twelve tasks, from Marbach in the state of Hessen,
gest-running international military negotiated along a 12-km-marching and two teams from Denmark (taking
skills contest in Europe is scheduled route, have to be tackled. They in- positions 2 and 3), were the top compe-
to take place this year on Saturday, 8th clude rafting, shooting, first aid, ge- titors. Cups are traditionally awarded to
July 2017. Be part of it! neral military knowledge, an infantry the first, second and third teams overall,
course with tasks that might be met the top non-German active and reserve
Three letters, many nations - the IMM on operations, and even an assault teams, the top mixed teams (male/fema-
has one important aim: the promotion of course. A total of 120 starters from le), the top female teams, the top mixed
international contacts within the frame- seven nations participated in the last NATO-Teams (from various nations)
work of NATO. Two of its side-effects year’s IMM, which was organized by and the best team of every nation.
have been the founding of a British-Ame- the German Army’s Landeskommando
rican family and a Greek marriage in Bel- NRW and the Lower Rhine section of Last date for registration is 19 th June
gian territory. ‘The IMM also provides the Reservists’ Association. Parti- 2017. For more information visit the
an opportunity to develop relationships cipants from as far afield as Ports- IMM website at: www.imm-bundes-
and, in the heat of competition, you will mouth (UK), Paris (France), Rome wehr.de Or ask: Oberleutnant dR
forge new friendships with fellow NATO (Italy) and a host of other locations Stefan Thies, Tel.: 0049 2161 58520
Service members‘, stated SACEUR, (Ge- compete for the much-desired cham- or send an e-mail to: moenchenglad-
neral Curtis M. Scaparrotti). These rela- pion’s trophy, donated by the German bach@reservistenverband.de.
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HIGH ALTITUDE
Composed by: Lieutenant Colonel Paul van Harten, (NLD F)
Photo by: Kelyn Yeutukhovich
I
n 2015 the Netherlands, pabilities, including the ability to mented next year which is intended to
Belgium and Luxembourg protect the sovereignty of their air- take every situation into account.
signed an agreement with space around the clock.
the intention to regulate A distinction should be made between
joint air defense operations car- However, this is nothing new in Eu- NATO obligations and tasks at the
ried out in their airspace. rope, where air arms are trying to em- national level. NATO is responsible
brace the “pooling and sharing” con- whenever a possible military threat
The agreement was signed by the cept to save some money and where appears, while national authorities
Ministers of Defense of the Nether- NATO has carried out regional Air Po- focus on a possible terrorist threat.
lands and Belgium, and Luxembourg’s licing missions, including the one in The QRA fighters are initially subor-
Dutch Ambassador. The document, the Baltic (BAP), for quite some time dinate to NATO. After taking off, due
which ratifies that the signing coun- now. to an alert of an unidentified aircraft,
tries will rotate their air policing du- and positive identification of a hos-
ties, is a follow-up to a letter of intent The fighter forces of Belgium and the tile aircraft, NATO remains respon-
signed by the countries in October Netherlands will defend the countries sible. To be specific, NATO’s CAOC
2013. by providing proper QRA (Quick Re- (Combined Air Operations Centre) in
action Alert) capabilities. Obviously, Uedem, Germany, coordinates these
The memorandum may be treated as not only will the defensive operations operations.
a precedent by other European Union cover the issue of military threats,
Member States whose air forces, as but they will also be dealing with ren- Occasionally, Russian long-distance
a consequence of ever shrinking de- egade aircraft. This means that a new bombers fly over the North Sea. This
fense budgets, lack some (basic) ca- scheme of air policing is to be imple- is a military matter and thus, a NATO
14F-35 – Future air asset for Benelux Air Policing
issue. It is a so-called international er different. The country has no jet only been active in the Baltic area so
Air Space, meaning that the Russian fighter force; hence help from the far, but also within the airspace of the
airplanes have the right to be there. neighbors is required to provide air UK, often skirting even the Dutch air-
Shooting down of Russian aircraft is policing. space.
not on the agenda because they always
remain in international airspace. The situation is also interesting
Nevertheless, such actions by the Rus- equipment-wise, since the Royal
sians are not desirable because most Netherlands Air Force is looking for-
likely there is no flight-plan submit- ward to replace its F-16s with F-35s,
ted and it is unknown where they are due to arrive between 2019 and 2024.
heading. Moreover, they usually have The Belgians are going to replace
no transponders (electronic identifi- their F-16s, as well. In Belgium the
cation) enabled, causing it not to fol- Raffaele is a viable candidate; though
low by air traffic controllers. Keeping the joint air policing operations may
civilian aircraft away, which is the so- lead to different choices (including
called de-confliction, would be possi- the F-35).
ble if these airplanes were monitored
by NATO fighter aircraft which could However, we can’t help but notice
pass on the airplanes’ positions and that the joint air-policing initiative
headings. is probably aimed at bolstering the
Benelux capabilities to deter poten-
In Luxembourg the situation is rath- tial Russian intruders, who have not
15EXERCISE DYNAMIC MOVE 2017
BEGINS IN BELGIUM
Composed by: MARCOM Public Affairs Office
E
xercise Dynamic Move name of Dynamic Move in 2011, although Additionally, the exercise prepares Stand-
2017 (DME17), an annual it has run for decades under other names. ing NATO Mine Counter Measure Groups
two-week Allied Maritime (SNMCMG) for NATO Response Force
Command (MARCOM) DME17 aims to enhance participants’ abil- (NRF) certification and constitutes an el-
tactical-level Mine Counter Measure ity to conduct mine counter measure op- ement of the training period for SNMC-
(MCM) exercise, began Monday (30 erations in support of littoral operations, to MGs. The current Standing NATO Mine
January 2017) with more than 150 include communicating threat information Counter Measure Group 1 staff are partici-
participants representing 15 coun- to maritime traffic and civil authorities. In- pating in DME17 and working alongside
tries, including Partnership for clusion of NATO and non-NATO nations the incoming SNMCMG1 commander and
Peace (PFP) countries Finland and lends to enhanced learning and mutual un- members of his staff, allowing for informa-
Sweden. derstanding amongst partner nations. tion exchange between the incumbent and
incoming command staffs and sharing of
The Belgium-Netherlands Naval Mine “Conducting mine warfare training bet- current operational experience.
Warfare School EGUERMIN annually ter prepares NATO and partner nations
hosts this exercise and is supported by to provide a safe and secure environment “We have 15 nations here playing together,”
the co-located NATO Naval Mine War- for civilian shipping,” said Lieutenant said Peter Van Mierlo (NLD), Staff Officer
fare Center of Excellence in the execution Commander Jeremiah Petersen (USA), a (Operational Analysis). “That increases
of DME17. The exercise began under the NATO Shipping Centre staff officer. your interoperability while practicing
16NATO tactics and techniques, and there is their equipment which is used to look for “By conducting in-stride reconstruc-
no other equivalent [training in NATO].” and destroy mines.” tion and analysis of all events and in-
corporating a daily debriefing by se-
EGUERMIN’s Naval Mine Warfare Gam- From the start, participants are split into nior naval officers we are accelerating
ing System (NMWGS) has been used in three task groups, each training separately the lessons learned process and boost-
Dynamic Move since 2015. NMWGS cre- in parallel scenarios. During phase one of ing command and control readiness,”
ates an interactive scenario in a naval mine the exercise, participants plan and issue said Van Mierlo.
counter measure environment and allows their operational objectives and prepare for
players to receive immediate feedback. phase two. During phase two, they plan and “For MARCOM this is an important ex-
execute naval mine counter-measure op- ercise where the mine counter measure
“NMWGS is unique because it is the only erations in a scenario-based environment. community in NATO gather and learn
war gaming system that simulates naval to operate together,” said Captain Svein
mine warfare in the world,” said Lieutenant This year exercise planners have al- Erik Kvalvaag (NOR), DME17 Exercise
Commander Filip Clauwaert (BEL), Head located time for daily discussions be- Director. “The training audience is not
of Simulators for EGUERMIN and the ex- tween previous SNMCMG commanders training only mine counter measures
ercise logistics coordinator. “It simulates and exercise participants to analyse the but also force protection, logistic coor-
the interaction between mines and ships day’s events and make adjustments to dination, naval coordination and guid-
underway at sea, the environment, and improve the next day’s performance. ance of shipping.”
17GERMANY CONTINUES AUGMENTING
BALTIC AIR POLICING
Composed by: AIRCOM Public Affairs Office
G
ermany is now the another. Instead of preparing and load- “Our detachment has been able to draw
third nation to con- ing containers with materiel to be rede- on the lessons learned during previ-
duct a back-to-back ployed, extensive lists are produced of ous deployments in 2014 and 2015
deployment at Amari the equipment to be handed over; all in to execute a flawless job on behalf of
Air Base, following an internal all more than 32,000 individual items, NATO in the Baltic skies,” said outgo-
ceremony on Thursday, 05 Janu- including the same Eurofighter jets. ing detachment commander, Lieuten-
ary 2017. ant Colonel Johannes Durand. “We
While typically Allied detachments have maintained the required level of
Instead of handing over the mission stay in place for four months, the operational readiness throughout a
to another Ally, the Tactical Air Wing Germans are the third NATO nation challenging Estonian winter. We have
74 from Neuburg, in the south of Ger- to execute an extended tour, actually clearly confirmed our Air Force’s flaw-
many, passed the baton to Tactical Air a double detachment. In early 2015, less reputation in this important NATO
Wing 71, from Wittmund, in the north. Italy had been lead nation and, sub- mission,” he added.
In late August 2016, five German Eu- sequently, the augmenting nation at NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission,
rofighter Typhoon jets together with Šiauliai, Lithuania for eight months. which operates out of both Lithuania
their pilots, maintainers, civilian and Meantime, Belgium augmented the and Estonia, illustrates the ability of
military support staff, arrived at the mission for almost seven months at the Alliance to share and pool existing
Estonian Air Base to take over the mis- Malbork, Poland – the base had been capabilities. It started in April 2004
sion from the Royal Air Force. activated temporarily to host NATO and has been executed continuously
detachments assuring Allied nations ever since. So far, 17 NATO nations
Things go differently when nations after Russia’s illegitimate occupation have participated in this demonstra-
hand over internally – from one wing to of Crimea. tion of Allied solidarity and resolve.
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+++ www.jacobs-gruppe.de +++THE HUNGARIAN DEFENCE FORCES
IN NATO-LED CRISIS RESPONSE
OPERATIONS
Composed by: Lieutenant Colonel Jozsef CSOSZ, HUN F
Courtesy of contributions by: Major General (Ret.) János Isaszegi, PhD, hon. university professor
H
ungary became a member mission in which Hungary, as a prospective and girls, assisted with the creation of a better
of NATO in 1999. Our mem- NATO member state, took part under NATO life for the Afghan people, including women
bership in the Alliance set command and control. The Hungarian En- and children, developed medical services,
new tasks for the Hungar- gineer Contingent of SFOR accomplished its and worked on the establishment of security.
ian Defence Forces (HDF). As a result, mission in May 2002 and was replaced by an With their service in Afghanistan our soldiers
Hungary gradually adopted a profes- HDF Military Police Contingent, deployed to earned the respect of the people of the coun-
sional army composed of volunteers Camp Butmir, in Sarajevo. try, of our allies, and not only did they improve
and contracted personnel. Since 2004, the good reputation of Hungary, but they also
only professional and contracted sol- KFOR (Kosovo, June 1999 – to date). gained combat experience. For six and a half
diers serve in the HDF. Currently near- – Since 1999 the Hungarian contingent has years, the HDF participated in nearly 1,000
ly 1,000 soldiers of the HDF are serving changed its structure and locations (Pristina, projects, contributed to the development of
in UN-, OSCE-, NATO-, or EU-led mis- Pec, Prizren, etc.) and has been participating the province, and to the improvement of the
sions, or in international peace sup- in the Kosovo mission. living standards of the population there.
port, crisis management, and counter-
terrorist operations in the countries of AFOR, Albania, (27th April – 2nd Septem- NATO Training Implementation Mis-
Europe, Africa, and Asia. ber 1999). – A 35-strong HDF Public Health sion in Iraq (NTIM-I), July 2004 – De-
and Epidemiology Surveillance and Analysis cember 2011). – In the Training Mission in
Major NATO-led crisis response opera- Group was deployed with responsibilities in- Iraq the HDF participated with 18 staff offi-
tions with Hungarian participation cluding disinfection, control of drinking water cers and training personnel.
and food supplies, epidemiological preven-
Yugoslavia’s disintegration in the 1990s and tion, and various laboratory tests. NATO Resolute Support Mission in Af-
the conflict that followed meant a new task ghanistan (Jan 2015 - to date). – Since
for the newly transformed HDF, as the south- ISAF - HDF PRT, Baghlan Province, Af- January 2015 the HDF have participated in
ern borders of the country needed increased ghanistan (15th September 2006 – 31st the NATO mission in Afghanistan with ap-
defence. The end of the Balkan conflict March 2013). – The HDF Provincial Re- proximately 130 troops comprising: a special
brought a new form of mission for the HDF: construction Team (HDF PRT) was one of the operations contingent, training officers, na-
the Hungarian troops participated in NATO’s most significant contributions of the Hungar- tional support element, and staff officers.
IFOR mission. The success of this operation ian Defence Forces to the ISAF mission. It in-
led to increasing participation of the HDF in volved the operation of an independent Hun- Seventeen years after our joining the Al-
peace-making and peacekeeping missions garian camp, and the assistance to a province liance, having participated in several NA-
carried out in multinational coalitions. of the size of a quarter of Hungary with the TO-led multinational crisis management
task of peace building and improving the living missions, the HDF have significantly dif-
IFOR, Bosnia and Herzegovina (20th standards of the people. The multifaceted ac- ferent and improved capabilities as well as
December 1995 – 20th December 1996); tivities of the Hungarian troops based in Camp a reinforced and steadfast commitment to
later in SFOR (20th December 1996 – Pannonia, Pol-e Khomri, speak for them- the maintenance of international peace and
2nd December 2004). – The multinational selves: they built roads and bridges, drilled security, and the active promotion of our
Implementation Force (IFOR) was the first wells, organised the schooling of young boys shared values within NATO.
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*ONLY U.S. & CANADIAN SPECSHOW DOES IT FEEL TO
COME BACK?
Composed by: Pauline Klein, former AFNORTH International School Student
R
arely does chance After some research I came across Sten- dents so that I could hear what they were
play a role in such a den University with its unique Bachelor saying when they were not talking; so that
way that it can change programme of International Teacher’s I would know when to give challenge and
one’s life. For me, it Education for Primary Schools and be- when to give guidance. I began to cher-
was the luck of being put into AF- gan my studies in September of 2016. ish student growth; to see each student as
NORTH School that changed who Stenden University is located in Meppel, the unique individual they are. With the
I am and who I will be. a small town in the North of the Neth- wonderful help from my mentor teachers,
erlands, and has attracted 92 first year Mrs Geilen-Rosenberg and Mrs LeRoy, I
During my two years as a student in the Ca- students beginning their four-year path grew in confidence and my ability to re-
nadian Section at AFNORTH International to becoming teachers in International flect on teaching in depth improved. I
School I learned to cherish the enriching Schools. Soon I learned that after only learned not be afraid of the risks in striv-
international community it offered me: six weeks of lectures I would get to step ing for improvement.
from the interesting perspectives I heard into the shoes of the student teacher for
in classroom discussion to volunteering in the first time. My excitement was already But most of all, it was the students that
French classes for younger students. These significant but exponentially increased taught me my most valuable lesson as a
experiences helped me to develop my pas- when I learnt that I would spend four trainee teacher: To be myself in the class-
sion for working with children. weeks in two Kindergarten classes of the room. On my last day the student that
American Section at AFNORTH Interna- decided to observe me in the very begin-
The first lesson I learned as a student tional School. ning came up to me and told me with a
teacher is that the student’s trust must smile: ‘’I’m not really suspicious of you
be earned. During my first teaching ex- But how was it to be back and this time in anymore. I like you here.”
periences a student came up to me and the seat at the other side of the desk, as a
remarked “I am suspicious of you!” I was student teacher? During these four weeks And after such a response how could I
baffled by how quickly the roles reversed I learned so much more than planting not want to become a teacher? It was an
from being an observing student-teacher knowledge in the young learners. I care- incredible first experience as a student
to being the one observed by my students. fully built up relationships with the stu- teacher and wonderful to be back.
22JFC BRUNSSUM GOLF SOCIETY -
CALLING ALL POTENTIAL GOLFERS
Composed by: WO Gareth Whiffen (GBR F)
D
id you know that JFC begins on 7 Apr and runs through calendar is the Ramstein UK In-
Brunssum has a thriv- to 22 Oct 17 . The focus is on hav- ter-Station and UK v US Ryder Cup
ing Golf Society that is ing an enjoyable time in a relaxed Competitions which are both held at
open to all NATO per- environment, socialising and making Ramstein Air Base, Woodlawn Golf
sonnel and their dependants? A new friends. The JFC Brunssum Golf Course and this year the event will
webpage, with lots of information Society runs two competitions each take place 19 – 20 May. Please note
can be found at: https://sites. month in different formats (e.g stabl- again that the focus is on enjoyment
google.com/site/jfcgolf/home. eford, medal, greensomes, four ball, and having some fun whilst playing
The Society has local member- better ball, etc.) and uses the USGA golf and this opportunity is open to
ship of the Brunssummerheide handicap system. Moreover, every all standards/handicaps. It is an as-
Golf Club that provides unre- Saturday morning at 0830 on the Red piration to enter 2 x 4 player teams
stricted access and unlimited Course 1 st Tee, players of all standards for this event and, subject to inter-
play on all 5 courses (Full = Red, are actively encouraged to participate est, it will be strictly managed on a
Blue & Yellow 9 hole courses), in a round of golf. In the summer the first come, first served basis. If you
Par 3 and Green Course. Full/ society will also target a time/date have any interest in joining the JFC
Limited memberships are nego- during the week to encourage mem- Brunssum Golf Society or would like
tiated at an excellent rate (e.g. bers to play more golf. more information about playing golf
2017 local annual membership is in the Netherlands, please visit the
Euro 1100 but the JFC Brunssum As part of the golf calendar, away-days JFC Brunssum Golf Society web-
Society Annual Fee is Euro 650) are also arranged for all members and page and/or do not hesitate to con-
and can be paid over two instal- this presents a great opportunity to tact Gareth Whiffen, President, JFC
ments of Euro 325 on 1 Mar & 1 play challenging courses across North Brunssum Golf Society on 045 526
Jun 17. West Europe (e.g. Germany, France, 2506/email EJSU-Brunssum-Head-
Belgium, Netherlands etc.). NSE at your convenience.
An annual competition programme
held at the Brunssummerheide GC One of the highlights of the golfingDUTCH SECURITY FORCES, TOGETHER WITH JFC
BRUNSSUM AND AFNORTH INTERNATIONAL
SCHOOL, CONDUCT TABLE-TOP EXERCISES BASED
ON UPDATED INTERVENTION PROTOCOL.
Composed by: Major Mark Helgers (NLD MP)
Photo by: Adutant Shirley Ham-ter Haar (NLD MP)
O
n 13 and 20 February the Royal Marechaussee. The Dutch to handle various incidents. Special
JFC Brunssum hosted National Police however, also has ju- attention was given to the rapid iden-
two ‘police-blue’ table risdiction and is therefore allowed tification of, and response, to an inci-
top exercises during and required to intervene if needed. dent and on coordination between the
which the recently updated in- To meet this responsibility Royal various parties.
tervention protocol for the AF- Marechaussee and national police
NORTH International School crisis-response experts, together with The results of the exercises were posi-
(AIS) was tested and evaluated specialists from the Host Nation MOD tive and used for further fine-tuning
before final approval. Guard Force and JFC Brunssum’s Se- the intervention protocol. Based on
curity and Emergency Services Branch feedback from the participants, Roy-
The AIS is a private school on JFC (SES), have evaluated the updated in- al Marechaussee and national police
Brunssum property. This signi- tervention protocol for the AIS. crisis-response experts are planning
fies a joint responsibility for secu- further exercises.
rity shared between the School, JFC During the recent table top exercis-
Brunssum and the Host Nation. In- es the Director and Vice-Director of
tervention in case of serious incidents the School, Duty- and Dispatch Of-
is a responsibility of the Host Nation ficers as well as intervention experts
- both MOD guards and the police and trainers from the national police,
forces. As JFC Brunssum and the AIS Royal Marechaussee and the Host Na-
are on military premises the primar- tion MOD Guard Force worked jointly
ily responsible police organisation is with the JFC Brunssum SES Branch
24OUR VISION FOR A
BETTER FUTURE
Composed by: Erich Remisch and Dr. Uwe Bettscheider
T
his year both JFC world with a generation of thinkers, hard work it took to prepare was re-
Brunssum HQ and AF- doers, and problem solvers. We need ally worth it because everyone was
NORTH International rational people who can understand happy.” Jennifer
School will celebrate the world and the culture they live
their fiftieth anniversary. The in, who can adapt to the latest tech- “It was a great day because every-
world we live in and daily life nology and who can engineer or cre- one participated and we all learned
has changed significantly in the atively design new solutions to solve something and all of the exhibits and
last 50 years. It’s no wonder problems together. presentations were really good. Yes-
that students ask questions like: terday was worth it!” Soul, who pre-
“How will we live in 50 years’ In the light of this insight the school sented on DNA.
time? How will the world look widened the culture day this year to a
like when the school is celebrat- “Culture and STEAM”- day. Students “I think it was a great day and it
ing its 100 th anniversary? These of all ages and staff of all sections proved to everyone that if you work
questions formed the basis to prepared, with great commitment, a hard you can learn something you
dedicate the school’s tradition- variety of ambitious projects (about didn’t know about. I liked it because
al culture day this year to these 60 projects!) and presented them on it showed creativity in others and it
topics, and to ask the next gen- February 16 th ; a day that fuelled the was fun!” Ara, who researched and
eration what their visions for a learning energy of AFNORTH stu- presented about magnets and their
better future are. dents and staff. role in the future.
We have learned over the last 50 Impressions from AFNORTH Interna-
years that the influence of Science, tional School students:
Technology, Engineering, Arts and
Mathematics were crucial for our de- “I think the best part about STEAM
velopment and it will be crucial for day was working together to make a
our future. We need to create a better great day for all the viewers. All the
25THE PARKSTAD LIMBURG
ʻBUITENRINGʼ
RING ROAD PROVIDES EASY
INTERNATIONAL ACCESS.
Composed by: Ed Frieser (NLD C)
Sources: www.buitenring.nl , Project team Buitenring, Province of Limburg.
U
ndoubtedly you must place to allow the Rode Beek or ‘Red re-constructions. The ring road has
have noticed all the Brook’ that comes from the Brunssum a length of 26 kilometres with new
infrastructural and heath to stream in open air and not as connections at the A76 near Nuth. This
road construction before underneath a huge hill of mining new ‘Turbo Roundabout’ near Nuth has
works going on in the Parkstad debris. Thus allowing nature to further only been previously constructed once
Limburg area, in particular in develop and as a consequence enhance near Rotterdam. Once completed it
and around the Brunssum . What flora and fauna near Brunssum. The will be the gateway to Parkstad. The
are they doing? An update should many cyclists will be able to make use of ring road will have two lanes into both
help you in understanding this new cycle roads and enjoy the beautiful directions with a max speed of 100 km’s
large-scale project. nature that surrounds us. / hour. Near preserved natural areas
such as the Brunssum Heath and the
Parkstad is a highly fractured built up
area. Not easy to navigate in. Therefore
The Project Geleen brook valley the maximum speed
will be 80 km’s per hour. Additionally,
the Parkstad Buitenring or Parkstad Parkstad Limburg and the cities some 14 km’s of secondary roads will
Ring road is a new road system that of Brunssum, Heerlen, Kerkrade, have to be adjusted and become part of
provides easy access to the Parkstad Landgraaf, Nuth, Onderbanken, the Ring road; 12 km’s secondary roads
Limburg region. It is a new road that Schinnen in close conjunction with will have to be newly built, 39 special
many welcome to overcome poor air the Limburg Provincial Government constructions like bridges, tunnels
quality and noise hindrance near their and the Ministry of Infrastructure and and viaducts etc.; 25 noise protective
homes. Because the ring road should Environment co-financed the project. screens, 120 fauna tunnels and 2 large
relieve the daily traffic jams in built up The discussions already started in Eco-ducts, at Brunssum heath and
areas and also provide easy connectivity the seventies and finally came to a Teverener heath. The Brunssum heath
for industry and businesses. The definite plan in the first decade of the Eco-duct will be some 50 metres wide.
project will make the fractured Parkstad 21 st Century. Total costs of the project The construction of the ring road will
area better laid-out and attractive to amount to some € 450 million. But result in much better connectivity to
comfortably live and work in. Lots of what does the road look like and what national and international road systems
nature and recreational- and touristic can be expected for the coming year(s)? with a positive effect on traffic safety
services will be available and within easy The ‘Buitenring’ project will not only and the accessibility of Parkstad. The
reach. Also close to the headquarters, an include the construction of a ring regional roads N298, N299 and N300
immense ground displacement has taken road, but also many infrastructural will be improved and result in a fine
26You can also read
