MAGAZINE
SPRING 2021
By Mr . Jasper BEERENDS , LANDCOM G9
By British Army Majors G . JACKSON and R . JONES , ARRC G5 SO2 Planners
Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ( HQ ARRC ) is the first NATO High Readiness Corps HQ to have completed the warfighting corps headquarters Combat Readiness Evaluation ( CREVAL ) process since the end of the Cold War . The CREVAL process assesses every facet of a high readiness HQ ’ s ability to plan , deploy and operate against NATO training standards and is led by Allied Land Command ( LANDCOM ). This article focuses on how the G5 Plans Team at HQ ARRC adapted and developed Allied Procedural Publication 28 – ‘ Tactical Planning for Land Forces ’ into the Tactical Planning Handbook and how the team experimented with the planning process during the COVID-19 pandemic .
A proud history The ARRC is a rapidly deployable , flexible NATO HQ that can act as a joint , land or corps HQ for operations and crisis response . The HQ celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2017 and the 200th anniversary of its antecedent , 1st ( British ) Corps . Throughout its history , the Corps has played a key role in international events . It began its journey fighting under Wellington at Waterloo . In the First World War it fought in France and Belgium and , in the Second World War , it was responsible for two of the D-Day beachheads and several airborne assaults as part of the Allied re-entry into Europe . Throughout the Cold War , 1 ( BR ) Corps was the UK ’ s contribution to NATO ’ s defence against the Soviet Union . ARRC commanded the land element of NATO ' s first ever deployment as part of the Implementation Force ( IFOR ) operation in Bosnia in 1995 . It deployed again as the headquarters commanding land forces during the Kosovo War in 1999 . Other operations have included the formation of the International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF ) in Afghanistan in 2006 and as ISAF Joint Command in 2011 . Today , the ARRC remains the UK ’ s contribution to NATO ’ s High Readiness Forces ( Land ) structure and is unique amongst all other HRF ( L ) s by falling under the direct operational command of Supreme Allied Commander , Europe ( SACEUR ) during peacetime .
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