At the present time, NATO exercises are identified by two words. The first letter of the first word denotes the NATO command responsible for scheduling the exercise.
Exercise Naming Conventions - First Word
| Sponsor | Name
(Abbreviation) | Sponsor | Name
(Abbreviation) |
| HQ SACT - Allied Command Transformation | TRIDENT (TR) | 1 GNC - German-Netherlands Corps | SWORD (SW) |
| SHAPE - Supreme Heaquarters Allied Powers Europe | STEADFAST (ST) | ARRC - Allied Rapid Reaction Corps | ARRCADE (AR) |
| JFCBS - Joint Force Command Brunssum | BRILLIANT (BR) | EUROCORPS - European Corps | COMMON (CO) |
| JFCNP - Joint Force Command Naples | NOBLE (NO) | NRDC ESP - NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Spain | VALIANT (VA) |
| JFCNF - Joint Force Command Norfolk | FORCEFUL (FF) | NRDC ITA - NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Italy | EAGLE (EA) |
| JSEC - Joint Support and Enabling Command | COMBINED (CO) | NRDC GRC - NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Greece | GORDIAN (GO) |
| AIRCOM - Allied Air Command | RAMSTEIN (RA) | NRDC TUR - NATO Rapid Deployable Corps - Turkey | EURASIAN (EU) |
| LANDCOM - Allied Land Command | LOYAL (LO) | RRC-FRA - Rapid Reaction Corps France | CITADEL (CI) |
| MARCOM - Allied Maritime Command | DYNAMIC (DY) | MNC-NE - Multinational Corps Northeast | GRIFFIN (GR) |
| UK JFAC - United Kingdom Joint Force Air Component | SILVER (SI) | MND-NE - Multinational Division Northeast | AMBER (AM) |
| TUR JFAC - Turkey Joint Force Air Component | VULKAN (VU) | MND-N - Multinational Division North | KNIGHT (KN) |
| FRA MARFOR - French Maritime Forces | CATAMARAN (CA) | MND-SE - Multinational Division Southeast | DACIAN (DA) |
| ITA MARFOR - Italian Maritime Forces | MARE APERTO (MA) |
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| ESP MARFOR - Spanish Maritime Forces | FLOTEX |
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| UK MARFOR - United Kingdom Maritime Forces | JOINT WARRIOR (JW)
JOINT HORIZON (JH)
JOINT VENTURE (JV) |
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The second word in the name of a NATO Exercise serves to highlight the focus of the exercise. This focus is determined by the focal discipline being trained.
Exercise Naming Conventions - Second Word
Joint exercises are multi-domain and cross-functional. 2nd word starts with a J like Joint.
| Functional Area activities focus on one Functional Area. The second word starts with the letter bolded below. | Domain activities four on one domain and are cross functional. The second word starts with the letter bolded below. |
| Function | Domain |
| Civil Military Cooperation and Civil Military Interaction | Air Operations |
| Consultation, Command and Control | Cyberspace Operations |
| Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices | Land Operations |
| Education, Training, Exercises and Evaluation | Maritime Operations |
| Intelligence (including Meteorology and Oceanography) | Nuclear Operations |
| Joint Targeting | Space Support to Operations |
| Logistics | Special Operations |
| Medical Support | Capability Development |
| Military Engineering | Ballistic Missile Defence |
| Military Policing | Federated Mission Networking |
| Operations Planning, Operations Assessment and Alternative Analysis | Mission Execution Enhancement |
| Strategic Communications | Building Integrity |
| Weapons of Mass Destruction / Chemical Biological Radioactive Nuclear Defence | Counter-Terrorism |
| Energy Security
|
| Gender in Military Operations |
| Military Contribution to Peace Support |
For example, DYNAMIC MASTER 21 is a MARCOM Maritime exercise.
Naming convention-exceptions:
(1) Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER does not follow the NATO Exercise Naming Convention as for the first letter of the second word. The first word “STEADFAST” indicates SHAPE as OSE, which is correct. The second word should have started with “J…” as this is a joint exercise. However, due to MJX STEADFAST DEFENDER close links with the US exercise DEFENDER the second word is similar to the linked US exercise.
(2) AIRCOM Outstations (CAOCUE/CAOCTJ/DACCC) exercise activities will follow the NATO Force Structure methodology, since there are not specific agencies indicators other than the one explicitly referring to them (i.e. UE, TJ, PO). For example, Exercise UEDEM AWAKENING will be shortened in UEAW.