MAGAZINE
SPRING 2021
Achieving mission readiness : The Joint Task Force Standby Phase
AND Steadfast Jupiter Jackal 20
A perspective of 1 German / Netherlands Corps
By 1GNC Staff
2020 certainly was a year without precedence . While the pandemic influenced every corner of society , NATO had to continue to plan and execute major exercises . STEADFAST JUPITER JACKAL 2020 ( STJUJA20 ) was NATO ’ s largest Joint computer-assisted / command post exercise ( CAX / CPX ) that year and trained audiences in Italy , Germany and Turkey . At once , Allied Joint Force Command Naples , Composite Special Operations Component Command , Maritime and Air Component Command ( MCC / ACC ), NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Turkey and 1 German / Netherlands Corps ( 1GNC ) faced a scenario that required planning and performing in a Non-Article 5 Crisis Response Operation at a regional scale .
Under the direction of Joint Warfare Centre ( JWC ) in Stavanger , Norway and sponsorship of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE ), Belgium , the training audiences were intended to train and evaluate the capabilities on a strategic , operational and tactical level . The exercise furthermore served as an opportunity for certification of the mission readiness of each force , in accordance with the NATO Response Force NRF 2021 rotation planning .
1GNC units , including its HQ in Münster / Germany , the Joint Logistics Support Group in Garlstedt , Germany and the Corps ’ supporting two battalions participated in STJUJA20 . 1GNC had a major role in STJUJA20 : achieve mission readiness for the commitment as Joint Task Force Headquarters ( Land ) in 2021 and thus be capable of executing an out-of-area Non-Article 5 Crisis Response Operation .
The STJUJA20 scenario
First and foremost , 1GNC used the exercise to train and achieve mission readiness for its Joint Task Force commitment in 2021 . It did , however , also serve as a template for possible deployments during the standby phase and trained the staff in such a way that they are able to fulfil their task in any given scenario .
In a fictional but fairly realistic scenario set in the North and West African region , STJUJA20 had the NATO HQs practice and plan the deployment and execution of two interconnected but different smaller operations , all on a regional scale . In the exercise , United Nations ( UN ) already operated in the regions , which provided ample opportunities for coordination .
Stretching onto strategic , operational and tactical levels are the topics of both the exercise and the task that lies ahead of the headquarters in their standby phase . Inherent to crisis response operations is the focus on regional problems , some of which may derive from real-life challenges , NATO or UN operations faced during the last decade . A prerequisite to successful action therefore is the implementation of communication and engagement tools , among them Civil- Military Cooperation ( CIMIC ), Psychological Operations ( PSYOPS ), Information Operations ( InfoOps ) and Strategic Communication , the latter creating the link between strategic guidance and its implementation on an either operational or tactical level .
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