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COMARRC’S FOREWORD
This year we have three big challenges. The first is that, following
an extremely successful series of exercises last year, we are now on
stand-by as a Joint Task Force Headquarters. You will read much of
the lessons identified in our preparation for this role in the pages which
follow, but I would highlight Exercise ARRCADE FUSION in particular.
The ARRC’s ground-breaking deployment to the Baltics last November
raised a whole host of questions and issues which would simply not
have been exposed had we not deployed and been challenged in the
way we were. We are the richer for the experience and will take many of
those lessons learned there into our next challenge - becoming a part
of the Enhanced NATO Response Force at the start of 2017.
This second challenge, from January 2017, will put us right at the tip of
the spear and we have a busy and exciting exercise programme in the
lead-in to it working with Joint Forces Command (Naples) to become a
Land Component Command Headquarters.
Finally, I am keen that we keep developing our competence as a Corps
Headquarters and the intellectual jousting which we all enjoyed in
Exercise ARRCADE THOR is but an example of how we will do so before
practicing this part of our trade on Exercise ARRCADE FUSION 17.
The external threats to NATO’s security are as many and as acute
as they have been in my career and we must keep ourselves match
fit if we are to meet them and win. Thinking about what we do is a
fundamental part of being so and this journal, and the articles within it,
is an element of that rich programme of intellectual development.
I commend it to you.
Lieutenant General Tim Evans, CB CBE DSO
ARRC Commander