Joint Warrior - NATO Maritime Exercise of the VJTF off Scotland

From a Bundeswehr press release:

After a short harbour stop in Glasgow, the Task Group 441.01. - the maritime component of the Very High Readiness Task Force (VJTF) - sailed on 22 October to take part in the major exercise "Joint Warrior" off the north-west coast of Scotland until 31 October.

Dutch NH-90 after refuelling on the frigate "Hessen". Photo: Bundeswehr/C.Kloecking

Over 19 ships and more than 20 aircraft with a total of around 6,000 soldiers took part in the second round of this demanding naval exercise this year. In addition to the UK - which took the lead this time - units from the Netherlands, the USA, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Germany, France, Poland and Canada also took part. "Joint Warrior" is one of NATO's largest multinational military exercises in Europe and is part of the NATO Military ExerciseProgramme.

Operational training with a realistic scenario

The aim of the exercise was to create a challenging and realistic environment in which the participants could train and improve their operational skills both as a unit and as part of an organisation. The exercise plan reflected a range of possible crisis and conflict situations in the form of complex scenarios of multidimensional naval warfare. Maritime as well as air and land forces of the participating countries came together.

Mastering challenges

For the participating units, the focus was particularly on joint defence against threats from the air and on dealing with surface combat. In addition, fire support from the sea was trained for units operating on land. The weather conditions that usually prevail at this time of year also proved to be quite challenging. All in all, this demanded a great deal from the crews of the Task Group a high degree of flexibility and professionalism. The experience gained in this way should further strengthen interoperability within the task force in order to better meet future requirements in the context of collective defence.

"Spessart" supplies frigates "Hessen" and "General Pulaski". Photo: Bundeswehr/C.Kloecking

Realistic training scenario

Flotilla Admiral Thorsten Marx, Commander of the VJTF (M) Task Group 441.01., drew a positive balance: "The task Group was once again able to prove its operational readiness by demonstrating its ability to engage in three-dimensional naval warfare in a flexible but determined manner. "Joint Warrior provided us with a realistic training scenario to further strengthen our ability to act for the security of the Alliance."

Background

The task Group 441.01.is one of NATO's four multinational maritime task forces and is currently under the command of German Flotilla Admiral Thorsten Marx on the flagship frigate "Hessen". These task forces form the core of NATO's maritime capabilities and provide a continuous maritime capability to conduct NATO missions across the full spectrum of operations, demonstrating solidarity and strengthening diplomatic and professional relations between Allied navies.