Newest force for NATO

The most recent establishment of a force under NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) is the NATO Response Force or NRF - a high-ready and technologically advanced force that can be deployed rapidly wherever needed in support of political aims. It was established in response to an initiative announced at the Prague Summit in November 2002, and reached its full operational capability of some 25,000 troops in late 2006. It is a combined joint force that can deploy within 5 days of a decision by the North Atlantic Council, the supreme political body that is responsible for NATO. The NRF can sustain itself for operations lasting 30 days and its main missions range from combat missions, crisis response, peacekeeping, counter-terrorist and non-combatant evacuation. It will also act as an “initial entry force” for larger follow-on forces when necessary. Force packages will be tailored according to the mission and nations will commit forces to the NRF on a rotational basis to guarantee the permanent existence of a combat ready deployable force.

In late May 2006, NRF forces started deploying to Cape Verde in preparation for Exercise Steadfast Jaguar. This exercise was designed to test the NFR, combining multinational joint forces of land, maritime and air components, in the first major test for the force prior to formal declaration. It involved over 7,800 troops and was designed to test command and control arrangements with the fist deployment of all its component commands.