MONS, Belgium – NATO’s Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) has a critical role during exercise Steadfast Defender 2024, NATO’s largest exercise in decades, which has begun throughout the Trans-Atlantic region.
JSEC is coordinating the movement of forces transiting within Supreme Allied Commander Europe’s (SACEUR) area of responsibility and is responsible for situational awareness whilst forces journey to reach their planned final destinations. The execution started with the journey of the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall. The Canadian frigate His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Charlottetown will transit across the Atlantic shortly after.
JSEC’s mission will continue over the course of the exercise and will end with the return home of national exercising forces. Until then, movements on land, at sea and in the air will guarantee NATO's reinforcement by forces and its sustainment flow at the right location at the time of relevance, coordinated and monitored by JSEC, according to its motto: effective – efficient – enablement.
The Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) departed Naval Station Norfolk, January 24, 2024, commencing operations for Steadfast Defender 2024, NATO’s largest exercise in decades. Steadfast Defender will demonstrate NATO's ability to deploy forces rapidly from across the Alliance to reinforce the defence of Europe.
Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024 includes approximately 90,000 forces from all 31 Allied Nations and partner Sweden. This large-scale exercise will take place over several months and across thousands of kilometres of ocean and Allied territory.
The exercise is a clear demonstration of NATO’s determination to defend the Alliance and its collective resolve in these challenging and unpredictable times.
Background information:
The Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) is a static headquarters at the operational level with multinational personnel directly subordinate to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and his Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium. It coordinates NATO troop movements and their sustainment across the Alliance in all possible directions, so that the right troops are at the right place at the right time.