It is a great responsibility to be ready for action at any hour , for any mission
Combat Readiness Evaluation – LOYAL LEDA 2020
On November 17 2020 the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ( ARRC ) was declared combat ready as NATO ’ s first Warfighting Corps headquarters held at high readiness since the Cold War . This saw the headquarters validated by NATO ’ s Land Command ( LANDCOM ) for its warfighting role ; able to command , deploy and operate with up to four multinational divisions and 120,000 troops in defence of the North Atlantic alliance .
After nine months of evaluation , which culminated in the Loyal Leda 2020 deployment , HQ ARRC ’ s Commander Lieutenant General Smyth-Osbourne received NATO ’ s new warfighting guidon . Noting this was a great honour for the headquarters , he said , “ it is a great responsibility to be ready for action at any hour , for any mission .”
Soldiers from more than 21 nations supported the computer-based exercise in the U . S ., as well as hundreds of other military and civilian personnel from locations across North America and Europe . This included participation from countries including Canada , Poland , Romania , U . K . and U . S ., helping to generate a realistic warfighting scenario with complex challenges across multiple domains ; including cyber and space .
Multinational Allies
Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps receives NATO ’ s new
Warfighting Corps Headquarters guidon from Commander Land Command
Not only did the ARRC manage to overcome their adversaries during the virtual scenario , but it delivered the field exercise in a Covid – protected manner during the ongoing global pandemic . Two years of planning were rapidly adapted to allow the exercise to take place under a multi-layered force protection plan . This included working with the U . K .’ s National Health Service as part of a ‘ mass testing ’ pilot , which saw all exercise participants tested before , during and after deployment . Central to the success of this plan was 1st ( U . K .) Signals Brigade , who spent over two months building , running and recovering exercise sites in South West England and increasing digital means of working .
Combat evaluations assure NATO that forces are operating to agreed standards and can work with other multinational forces . As officer responsible for these standards , NATO ’ s Land Commander Lieutenant General Cloutier presented the warfighting guidon , saying , “ we must be able to work together as an Alliance when called upon to do so ; from crisis response to major combat operations . I am pleased to say that HQ ARRC has done a phenomenal job and is ready for deployment .”
As one of the most significant NATO exercises to take place in 2020 , the event attracted visitors including His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales , NATO ’ s Supreme Allied Commander Europe , General Wolters and a host of other senior leaders from across NATO and U . K . Defence . All keen to visit NATO ’ s new warfighting corps , held at readiness as part of NATO ’ s reinvigorated defence and deterrence strategy ( the DDA ) for the Alliance .
INNOVATING AND ADAPTING
While the ability to operate with multinational forces was key , the headquarters also tested innovative new concepts and technologies to prepare the headquarters , NATO and U . K . Defence for the future . This included operating from a number of locations , with new equipment to ‘ exponentially ’ reduce the number of deployed personnel , detectable emissions , set-up and move times of command posts . All designed to make it more difficult for the enemy to find and disrupt the operational effectiveness of the headquarters .
Experimental deployed staff working environment , inside a Mobile Expandable Container Configuration ( MECC ), being tested on exercise Loyal Leda 2020
A number of other firsts were achieved during the exercise . These include taking forward conceptual development and experimentation projects , such as the new Corps Joint Air Ground Integration Cell , to coordinate operations across air , land , sea , cyber and space domains , and the receipt and use of ‘ live ’ Space data by a tactical land headquarters .
READY FOR THE FUTURE
HQ ARRC is now preparing to take part in a further series of exercises through 2021 to continue to test and adapt its structure , processes and procedures . This will include exercises in the U . S . and NATO Defender series and , later in the year , ARRC ’ s own main exercise Steadfast Leda 2021 . This will see ARRC preparing to hand over NATO ’ s corps warfighting role to NATO Rapid Deployable Corps Spain and begin our transition to a Multi-Corps Land Component Command ( MC-LCC ) headquarters as part of NATO ’ s long term commitment plot rotations .
Regardless of the challenges of the future , Loyal Leda 2020 was a clear demonstration of the ARRC ’ s ability to adapt and overcome , in demanding circumstances while executing complex operations across multiple domains , and a strong statement of the collective capabilities of the Alliance .
4 SPRING 2021 the imjin @ HQARRC Allied Rapid Reaction Corps