READY FOR TODAY – EVOLVING FOR TOMORROW
a realistic and credible strategy of
incremental deterrence, with increasingly
capable and sizeable forces being
deployed to ensure a balance is retained
between the provocation and deterrence
of a potential adversary. The concept of
incremental deterrence should be further
developed in the revision of GRPs for
the VJTF. It should be noted that force
elements deployed in such an incremental
approach must consist of balanced force
packages. For example, deployment of
combat forces with no logistics support
or firepower, is unsustainable and lacks
credibility. Tailoring of force packages
is required; for example some regions
require bespoke capabilities, such as
wet-gap crossing capabilities in areas
with wide rivers.
Conclusion
Soldiers with the British Army’s 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade conduct a patrol in the Cincu Training Area in
Romania during Exercise Noble Jump 2017
arrangements are already well defined
in all GRPs, but what is often not well
defined in order to retain agility, is
which HQ is to undertake which role.
For example, the plans do not stipulate
which HQ would act as the LCC HQ as
there are several different options above
that of HQ ARRC in 2017. This said, the
lengthy and complex discussions over
exact C2 between force elements for Ex
NOJP2, further blurred and compounded
by national, real-world and exercise C2
differences, highlighted how essential
early and detailed clarity of C2 is.
Execution of a GRP under time-pressure
does not afford NATO the opportunity to
discuss and resolve these C2 challenges
in the face of a real opposition; which
HQ is delivering what C2 must be more
clearly defined in the baseline GRP.
Reception Staging and
Onwards Movement Planning
Another notable challenge is timely and
effective tactical level Reception Staging
and Onwards Movement (RSOM)
planning. In all GRPs, the operational
commander directs a tactical HQ to
undertake the tactical level RSOM
planning and then command the tactical
execution of RSOM in the land domain.
Whilst NATO doctrine is that this tactical
RSOM should be commanded by the
Joint Logistic Support Group (JLSG), a
lack of standing JLSG at high readiness
precludes the JLSG from delivering
this in a timely manner. As a result,
a combination of the NFIUs and a
nominated tactical HQ will be required
to deliver RSOM. Ex NOJP2 employed
HQ Multi-National Division (South-East)
(MND(SE)) as the tactical level RSOM
HQ and this HQ developed the tactical
level RSOM, ably supported in turn by
HQ ARRC Enabling Command staff, who
have supported Joint Force Command
(Naples’) JLSG in 2017. HQ MND(SE)
managed
numerous
complexities
and multiple competing pressures of
different force contributing nations with
a deployment over 3 different countries.
This complex RSOM planning must be
sufficiently pre-developed that rapid
refinement can be conducted to ensure
that RSOM structures and C2 are in
place as lead elements of the VJTF(L)
deploy.
Tactical RSOM planning is
the most time and resource pressured
requirement in an emerging deployment
and will represent one of the greatest
risks to delivery of timely notice to effect.
Incremental Deterrence and
Balanced Force Packaging
The utility of the VJTF(L) in early
deterrence was reinforced by planning
for Ex NOJP2. Only part of the VJTF(L)
brigade deploy on Ex NOJP2 and the
deployment is being ‘played’ on the
exercise as an incremental deployment,
with further simulated follow-on forces
deploying.
This design represents
In sum, planning for Ex NOJP2 using
a near-real world GRP provided an
excellent opportunity for HQ ARRC to
rehearse and refresh skills in planning
for the execution of a real-world GRP.
Not only did the staff learn notable
lessons on the details in the plans,
identifying inadvertent inconsistencies,
but they also gained a considerably
greater understanding of a region and
HN capabilities not previously studied.
The detailed lessons identified can
now be fed back into the revision of the
real-world GRPs to make them more
Soldiers with the Polish Army’s 10th Dragoons
Battalion conduct a movement to contact drill in the
Cincu Training Area in Romania during Exercise
Noble Jump 2017
effective. Ex NOJP2 and the planning
using a near-real world GRP tangibly
demonstrates that the concepts of the
Readiness Action Plan, GRPs and the
VJTF as conceived at the Wales summit
in 2014 and refined at Warsaw 2016, are
now being delivered as truly deployable
and credible capabilities.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Col Richard Clements is ACOS G5 Plans
at HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
ALLIED RAPID REACTION CORPS
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