CINCU, Romania - The Joint Allied Power Demonstration (JAPDD), the last major event of Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021, occurred at the Joint National Training Centre in Cincu, Romania on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.
The event brought together NATO forces from 13 nations to demonstrate the rapid reaction and collective defence capabilities of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).
This exercise also confirms that our NATO Response Forces are trained, skilled, and are able to respond to any threat at any time from any direction
“The exercise allows us to show the value of Allies working together,” said Admiral Robert Burke, Joint Force Command Naples commander, “this exercise also confirms that our NATO Response Forces are trained, skilled, and are able to respond to any threat at any time from any direction.”
The overarching exercise saw some 4,000 troops and more than 600 vehicles and aircraft train together in Cincu. A representative force demonstrated the capabilities during the JAPDD.
Soldiers from the Turkish Army SPH Battalion conduct a live fire exercise with the AK40-GL Bombaatar during Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021. - NATO Photo by NATO Media Information Centre
The Joint Allied Power Demonstration, the last major event of Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021, occurred at the Joint National Training Centre in Cincu, Romania on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 - NATO Photo by NATO Media Information Centre
Italian, Spanish and Romanian Soldiers discuss tactics while conducting reconnaissance training during Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021 in Romania.- NATO Photo by NATO Media Information Centre
Military capabilities on display included reconnaissance drones, snipers, special operations forces, explosive ordnance disposal, close air support provided by helicopters, mortars, and chemical biological radiological nuclear response.
Military equipment present at the event included American M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, Turkish VURANs, Italian Dardo Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Romanian TABC-79s, and Spanish VAMTACs, to name a few.
During the exercise the VJTF was led by Turkey’s 66th Brigade with Alliance contributions from Albania, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the JAPDD’s host nation Romania.
"Being the core of VJTF, the 66th Mechanized Infantry Brigade with its Allied elements, trained and motivated personnel and state-of-the-art weapon systems is mission ready for any task given by NATO," said Brigade Colonel Erdoğan Koçoğlu, Commander VJTF 2021.
Steadfast Defender 2021 seeks to ensure that NATO forces are trained, able to operate together and ready to respond to threats from any direction.