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Fierce and decisive: NATO stands prepared to deter, defend and defeat

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BYDGOSZCZ, POLAND

03.22.2024

BYDGOSZCZ, Poland – After a rigorous 18 months of preparation, the NATO Allied Land Command has confirmed NATO’s Warfighting Corps as ready and able to defend “every inch of allied territory” if called upon.

The primary purpose of Exercise Loyal Leda 2024 was to evaluate the Rapid Reaction Corps-France in its role as the NATO Warfighting Corps. Additionally, the exercise trained the Multinational Corps-Northeast and the 1st German-Netherlands Corps in planning for and conducting an Article 5 (collective defense) major joint operation.

About 5,000 NATO personnel successfully executed Loyal Leda this year at key military locations across Europe March 5-14.

The 10-day combat readiness evaluation exercise is an Allied Land Command-sponsored, land domain, tactical level, virtual command post exercise connecting multiple NATO Army headquarters across Europe.

In Bydgoszcz, 800 participants from 23 nations gathered at NATO’s Joint Force Training Centre to direct the exercise. JFTC provides combined and joint training for tactical level headquarters, staffs and forces over the full spectrum of alliance operations to include support of alliance current operations and ensures the integration of new concepts and doctrine into training.

“This exercise, Loyal Leda 24, is critical as it's able to show and prove that Rapid Reaction Corps-France as a warfighting corps headquarters is able to be a truly credible and reliable formation,” said Maj. Brandon Essiet, a U.S. Soldier assigned to Rapid Reaction Corps-France G7 headquartered in Lille, France. “Through this exercise we're able to conduct large scale ground combat maneuvers in a multinational environment quite similar to current conditions that we are seeing in in the world today.

Essiet said one of the best features of the exercise was the opportunity to allow RRC-France’s staff from 13 allied nations to work together with the seven contributing nations representing about 80,000 personnel within the simulation.

“With this exercise we were able to complete our certification as NATO's standby warfighting corps headquarters, and it was a great opportunity to prove our interoperability not only with human and technical but also procedural methods to fight as a coalition and as allies.”

As NATO’s theater land component responsible for coordinating and synchronizing NATO and partner land forces, Allied Land Command headquartered in Izmir, Türkiye, served as the sponsor and certifying authority of the exercise.

“This exercise is important to NATO because it helps inform and train all the echelons from the LANDCOM level down to all the corps levels in actions that they would take if needed in a real-world situation,” said Capt. Laura Rodriguez, Allied Land Command G2. “The difference between this exercise and one in the U.S. is that in the U.S. this exercise includes mostly U.S. people, but here we’re working alongside our partners from all nations, and everyone is contributing equally to the mission.”

The purpose for planning and executing military exercises is to prepare NATO commands and forces to conduct operations in peace, crisis and conflict.

“Overall, on a very strategic level the exercise shows our cohesion as an alliance, how well we work together and how we are planning and training for an Article 5 response, but in the event of any crisis or conflict that arises we're getting ourselves ready to respond,” said Col. Jennifer Gotie, JFTC Senior Army Officer.

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is NATO’s central precept that an attack against one ally is considered an attack against all allies.
“If something were to happen, these exercises make us a better, more cohesive alliance because we get to know people before something happens,” said Gotie. “As a growing and a learning organization we always want to continuously build our knowledge and learn from new and emerging threats, new and emerging technologies, and how we can drive innovation and ensure NATO maintains its technological edge to meet the challenges of the 21st Century threats that are facing NATO on a constant basis.

“I've been here a little over a year and a half, and I would say we are certainly as an alliance taking the threats to us within the alliance territory very seriously. We've always taken it seriously, but we are now putting a lot of focus and emphasis because of the threat right now, the real threat on our eastern flank.

Gotie added that having NATO as a strong alliance in Europe allows the United States to focus on security relationships with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific theater.

“Balancing the U.S. national interests with those of the NATO alliance and the U.S. interest in NATO is important for us as a nation because we do have a very strong focus on the Indo-Pacific region,” said Gotie. “NATO facing our enemies to the east allows us to be able to balance our support on both fronts.

“As a nation we have to maintain our capability to deter, defend and if necessary, defeat aggression from our adversaries against the United States, our allies, our partners and our interests in both the Europe and Indo-Pacific theaters.

“Our NATO allies and partners are one of our greatest strengths and a key strategic advantage,” she said. “I think our presence here shows the people of Poland that NATO is here.

“NATO is not going to be frightened.

“NATO is not going to be threatened.

“NATO is not going to change the way it is operating because of the threat to the east, and if something were ever to happen in Poland, NATO has a full presence here, and we will stand to ensure the sovereignty and the freedom of Poland and its people.

“And I think it also shows our adversaries that if they do try something, that it will be met fiercely and decisively,” said Gotie.

NATO enlargement and allied nations’ obligations under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty were frequent subjects of discussion during the exercise because of Sweden’s accession to the alliance on March 7 and a flag raising ceremony at the Joint Force Training Centre on March 11.

“This is an historic day,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference in Stockholm on March 7. “Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions.

“Sweden brings with it capable armed forces and a first-class defense industry,” said Stoltenberg. “Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the whole alliance more secure.

“Today’s accession demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path,” he said.

After the raising of the Swedish flag at JFTC, Gotie said that the symbolism of the ceremony was significant to the participants at Loyal Leda.

“I feel that it was an extra special opportunity that we just had Sweden join the alliance, and we raised the Swedish flag here during the exercise, because I think it shows people that are in an Article 5 exercise how important it is for us to work together to bring our own strengths from our nations to create this incredible alliance that is unlike anything else in the world,” said Gotie.

Maj. Peter Solana, NATO Force Integration Unit Poland J2 headquartered in Bydgoszcz, was asked to help the Exercise Control team when some previously scheduled participants had to drop out of the exercise.

“From a geopolitical perspective, Loyal Leda is important for a number of reasons,” said Solana. “First, it establishes the footprint for future training exercises and contingencies. The relationships NATO builds in these exercises are important for readiness and subsequently set the conditions for success.

“Additionally, it’s important to maintain and grow readiness, and this exercise provided a suitable platform to accomplish this.

“Lastly, every nation provides an important contribution to NATO, and U.S. Soldiers have unique experiences and capabilities that are of immense value to NATO.”

U.S. Army NATO supports about 1,000 Soldiers assigned to NATO billets at 81 locations in 22 countries.

According to a press release from the Joint Force Training Centre, the JFTC commander and exercise director for Loyal Leda, German Army Maj. Gen. Norbert Wagner, inspected several exercise sites to observe the progress of the event. Together with French Army Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Gaulin, commander of the Rapid Reaction Corps-France, he explored the primary training audience’s exercise area in Mailly, France. Near Bechyne, Czech Republic, he observed the work of the 1st German-Netherlands Corps and met with their commander, Netherlands Army Lt. Gen. Nico Tak.

The press release added that Loyal Leda 2024 stands as a testament to NATO’s commitment to excellence in training and readiness. The alliance’s capability to respond effectively to contemporary security challenges was showcased as was NATO’s role as a cornerstone of global security and stability.