MAGAZINE
SPRING 2020
CORPS STRENGTH
UK-based Allied Rapid Reaction Corps prepares for ‘ demanding ’ new warfighting role
Words by Major Laurence ROCHE , British Army , HQ ARRC Photos by Staff Sergeant Elvis UMANZOR , U . S . Army , HQ ARRC
Multinational troops from NATO ’ s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ( ARRC ) spent two weeks in south west England training for a ‘ demanding ’ new commitment – as the Alliance ’ s first warfighting corps since the Cold War . Over 1,100 troops from 22 different nations spent two weeks at the Royal Air Force base at Saint Mawgan on Cornwall ’ s rugged northern coastline to prepare for the future role .
Exercise ‘ Arrcade Fusion 19 ’ saw staff officers from the UK led corps deploy for the large scale command post exercise ( CPX ), as they rehearsed the procedures to command up to 120,000 military personnel in a warfighting scenario .
Under the ‘ Long Term Commitments Plan ’ ( LTCP ) rotation of responsibilities shared between
NATO ’ s nine corps level headquarters across Europe , the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps are scheduled to adopt the ‘ warfighting ’ mantle for the first time since the ARRC ( as the former British First Corps ) last held the role in the 1980s .
Addressing the assembled troops at the end of the exercise , the Corps ’ British commander , Lieutenant General Sir Edward Smyth-Osbourne , said , “ We are required to be at readiness as the warfighting corps headquarters at 20 days notice to move for operations in the European theatre , both to deter our adversaries and to defend our allies . This is a singular and demanding purpose . And if push comes to shove , we need to be ready to deploy ,” he said .
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A version of this article first appeared in the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ’ s ‘ The Imjin ’ magazine .