British forces are taking the lead of NATO’s rapid response force on 1 January 2024, placing thousands of soldiers on standby to defend the Alliance.
NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) was created after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and deployed for the first time for the collective defence of the Alliance after Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to a Ministry of Defence update:
“Taking leadership of the VJTF will see the UK provide the majority of forces in the task force. The United Kingdom’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps will serve as the land component command. The leadership position is rotated annually among NATO members, and the UK now takes over from Germany, which led the force in 2023. The UK previously led the task force in 2017.”
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said:
“The UK is at the heart of NATO. By heading up NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in 2024, we are taking another leading position in the Alliance, sending a clear message that Britain is stepping up to our global defence commitments as NATO enters its 75th year.
The UK’s Armed Forces stand ready, at a moment’s notice, to defend our Allies and protect the British national interest. The world is a more dangerous and contested place than it has been for decades and we need NATO more than ever. The UK and its allies are committed to supporting NATO and what it stands for.”
The VJTF is the highest-readiness element of NATO’s larger Response Force (NRF), which also includes air, maritime and special operations forces. In 2024, VJTF land forces will comprise some 6,000 troops, with the UK’s 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team – the ‘Desert Rats’ – at its core.
“This is the same force that led the response during the activation of NATO’s Strategic Reserve Force in Kosovo last year. The brigade consists of a light cavalry regiment, and four light-mechanised infantry battalions with enabling artillery, engineering, logistics, and medical regiments. Major units include the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the 4th battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, and the 2nd battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment. The MOD’s 2023 Integrated Review Refresh was clear that NATO will remain the cornerstone of UK defence and security. The UK remains committed to offering the full spectrum of defence capabilities to the Alliance, and the past year has underlined the continued importance of the Alliance’s role in deterrence and defence. Our existing commitments to NATO include UK leadership of the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) mission in Estonia, with a brigade of troops held at high readiness in the UK to reinforce Estonia and the wider Baltic at a time of crisis.
Around 1,000 UK troops are persistently deployed to Estonia as part of the eFP mission – known as Operation Cabrit. This year, over 1,500 UK troops participated in Exercise Spring Storm in Estonia, the first time the UK conducted a brigade-sized deployment as part of Op Cabrit. The UK also provides a Reconnaissance Squadron to a US-led NATO battlegroup in Poland, as well as a Ground-Based Air Defence system (Sky Sabre) to help protect Polish airspace. In 2024, nine NATO Allies – UK, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Latvia, North Macedonia, Romania and Albania – will contribute to the NATO Response Force. The Alliance will transition the NATO Response Force into the new Allied Reaction Force in mid-2024.”
Hi folks hope all is well.
Good to see. However, I may have got this wrong. Is this the commitment that doubt was thrown over some time ago by the US because of the size of the UK’s military?
As ever over to you experts for advice.
Cheers
George
It’s the same commitment that saw us provide the largest allied contribution to both the US efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, sticking it out for nigh on twenty years, to the bitter end, until the US itself got bored and buggered off home, leaving us all scratching our heads and trying to figure out what the point of the escapade was in the first place while writing off the immense amount of resources and money expended on it as a dead loss. Conversely, since Ukraine hasn’t managed to defeat one of the world’s largest militaries in two years, and with an election imminent, the famous US commitment is starting to come in to play.
Maybe I’m just a cynic.
No, believe you summarized post 9/11 history accurately. ☹️
What with those retards in the big house in Moscow blaming the UK/US every time the Ukrainians pull their pants down and give their backsides a spanking, did they really think the Ukrainians would do nothing after hitting them with that massive missle/drone strike? And then they want an emergency meeting with the UNSC to complain about their orrible neighbours. How very dare they.
Bugger Ukraine. Along with Russia, Belorussia and Transcaucasia. They gifted the world the USSR and the associated staggering death toll. Let them slaughter each other with gay abandon! It’s almost divine retribution.
No, we should be thinking more about aiding Israel. Smashing the Houthis and Hezbollah while taking the fight home to the true perpetrators – Iran.
That’s summed the US up well.
An addition though, their arms industries are making an absolute killing from all these protracted drawn out wars. They won’t want them to end.
Funny how time and time again US policy actively extends wars by prohibiting war fighters from utilising the assets available to them.
Makes me wonder just who exactly runs the show over there…
Apparently one of the theories as to why Kennedy was killed.
The MIC is all powerful. Wars feed it.
Eisenhower warned of its growing power.
Yeah, considering how LBJ handled the war from then supports that theory perfectly. The same BS we see today with Ukraine.
And it feels like every war that does not directly impact on the US at home is dragged on needlessly. Iraq 1 and 2 were only fought decisively because of the black gold aspect.
Sadly, I’m inclined to agree. How much of the MoDs cash vanishes into our own MIC?
Too much. It’s the reason we see so much spent on feasibility studies, development projects etc that never lead to anything that actually sees service.
Not really. The UK has provided the framework for the ARRC for some time, and continues to despite 3 UK Div being in some disorder of its ORBAT and equipment.
The very same. Funny how this is no longer an issue.
Braid need jobs.
We could of course take a scythe to the Braid and cut our cloth accordingly.
ARRC, 1 Lt General and some Brigadeers inc Com 1 Signal Bde.
Most braid in It is from other nations contributing to the Corps HQ.
I’d prefer we remain lead nation in it than just give up the responsibility.
The Lead Bde in VHRF is rotated, so no issue there for the army. Just a lack of artillery and SHORAD, EW, in 7 Bde.
Near to Newbury is a Det led by Braid. Not talked about and staffed by Reg and AR they put a lot of effort into the VHRF…
The fact that a certain Maj AR and Border Force officer serving there, beats his BeloRussian wife and threatens her with deportation and does nothing to support his son, who has special needs, should not detract from it.
Jason Fensome, Merry Christmas.
Hi David.
Hermitage? 77 Bde or Int Gp?
A certain lecturer with RUSI mentioned the ‘Unit’ I’d go with Int.
I love the Army, but, there are always bad apples, I just hope Alina is OK; she’s from Swindon.
Yep, Hermitage. All sorts of Int there.
Agree, poor lady.
David, are you suggesting that NATO has created the VJTF brigade just to give a Brigadier something to do?
…and are you suggesting that we should cut out a number of Brigadiers and also shy away from the commitment?
Sir
I’m suggesting that the UK debt needs to be cut, the military need to be cut appropriately and given the cost of a private plus pension and that of a Major General plus pension, we’ve a tad too many Braid and can let some other country step up and proffer their budget.
Sir, we can disagree, IMHO, there is far too much Braid AND their associated pension costs. Time for a cull.
And for a change, sod NATO and let a European country stand up a candidate and pay the whole life costs of said individual and their staff and cumulative pensions.
Hi David, the Field Force of the three services definitely does not have too much Braid and neither does the Defence Diplomacy area or the army’s Arms & Service Directorates – but I agree that there is too much Braid at the MoD ‘Head Office’ – there are a lot of random ‘non-jobs’ there.
Do we have enough working kit to do the job or have we scrapped every thing together. Seem as if we have not much working kit under 30 years old until new stuff arrives in 2 to 5 years.
What have we scrapped? Husky taken out of service in 2022. We pensioned off CVR(T)s in March/April this year. Not sure we have taken any other equipment type out of service.
RSDG have…Jackal (Mk1 fielded in 2008, Mk 2 fielded in 2009/10)
AFAIK Lt role Inf Bns have…Foxhound (delivered from 2012), Mastiff (early versions fielded from 2006).
So, somewhat younger than 30 years old.
no heavy armour, i wounder why. Lack of spares. Mastiff is being retired not suitable in mud etc . Why not tracked ? because its all broken, out dated, lacking spares and awaiting over due replacement.
The VJTF has to deploy quickly by definition therefore it is a force of medium (to light) weight kit. That’s why it does not include heavy armour, as that takes a bit longer to deploy.
I don’t think Mastiff is being retired just yet – it will surely be replaced by Boxer and that is not in service yet.
Of course if we have to send heavy armour subsequently we would. At the last count we had over 170 tanks available for use.
What’s all broken?
170 working C2s? i doubt that, and yes mastiff is being retired as its useless in mud etc. We can not send heavy armour as they are either awaiting spares, being converted, being phased out or not yet in service. Fox hound is being converted to a command vehicle, Most of Warrior are being run down or used for Recce, There are NOT 170 C2 there is about a Regts worth in total. MLRS is being converted to A2 and not many A1/B1 are avallible. AS90 is being run down and spares are getting hard to get.
In 5 years we will have very good heavy armour etc but not at the moment its a bad time if more than one Bgde is needed.
Sorry I lost the will to live at how VJTF means Very High Readiness Joint Task Force.
Then I looked at the composition Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, 4 Royal Regiment of Scotland and 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment (Poachers).
All are light units with little or no heavy support.
Camerons, Gordon’s, Seaforths ☹️
Anyone ever heard of St Valery en Caux ?
I too get irritated at incomplete abbreviations or acronyms.
The VJTF has to deploy quickly so it makes sense that it is on light scales. You would expect heavier forces to follow asap if required.
How does a Corps, the ARRC, act as framework Land Component Command (LCC) for a brigade?
Surely the ARRC finds the LCC from one of its brigades.
And there you go with units being tripled hatted.
The press release is fulsome, the effect is negligible and the Opfor less than impressed.
Happy New Year, Sir.
In my entire service career we had all sorts of tasks being foisted on field force units that did not relate to their core mission or for which they had not trained for or worked up for.
[I think back periodically at the bizarre decision to deploy 5 Inf Bde on Op Corporate, without its two Para bns (as they had gone to 3 Cdo Bde) – and its two Guards battalions being pulled off Public Duties to go to war – they were not fit enough and were not orientated to field soldiering. The brigade had only reformed in that January and was not recently trained in warfighting… and that was when we had a big army to choose from!].
Its probably going to get worse as the forces continue to shrink, especially the army – always trying to do more with less.
Happy New Year, David!
It’s a discussion I had with Airborne.
Regiments like PARA and Royal Irish do mental, they should be supported by a gendarmerie RMP coupled to Int that occupy the land and lead change e.g. Sierra Leone.
Do we need a heavy Div? Or a commando Brigade able to support Arctic warfare, supported by light artillery.
Would you put money into the Army or fund PIDs in Commando to recreate a Div of Royal?
Is the helicopter force fit for purpose? Both PARA/Gendarmerie and Cmdo force need that capability, do they need challies?
Finally, do we take a page out of the Czech playbook and just hire actors in Armani for their castle guard?
2024 is going to be very interesting.
Seems like Ajax is about ready to use. Whether that will make a difference or there are enough numbers, not sure.
Paras have often been deployed very frequently, in part because they are light role and can deploy quickly, but other lt role inf battalions are available!
‘Do mental’?
No reason why deploying Paras could not be supported by other capbadges.
We need a heavy div – Yes – we have deployed armour in large number several times over the years especially since the end of the Cold War. NATO’s principle opponent, Russia, has an army with thousands of armoured vehicles. For a country with our armoured experience and high defence spend, then provision of one heavy div is certainly a minimum.
We do need a commando brigade and it is regrettable that it is not configured to fight as a full deployable brogade anymore. I do not see the justification in expanding it to be a Cdo div.
Helicopters – I think 50 Apache E models is insufficient. Chinooks and Pumas should perhaps transfer to the Army (with PIDs and support money of course). Army Wildcats should get upgunned.