MONS, Belgium – NATO announced the official start of Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021, its flagship exercise for 2021, on Thursday, May 6, 2021 during a virtual news conference.
This exercise will demonstrate the value of North America and Europe working together to keep our nations safe in a more challenging security environment.
Exercise Steadfast Defender is the first in a series of NATO-led exercises to ensure that our forces are trained, interoperable, and ready to respond to threats from any direction
With over 9,000 participants from more than 20 Allies and partners from North America and Europe, Steadfast Defender 2021 will improve the interoperability of Allied forces and practice military mobility throughout Europe. The exercise will also contribute to enhanced cooperation with our partner countries Finland and Sweden.
“Exercise Steadfast Defender is the first in a series of NATO-led exercises to ensure that our forces are trained, interoperable, and ready to respond to threats from any direction,” Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Tod D. Wolters.
Steadfast Defender 2021 will improve NATO’s capability to respond collectively to an attack. The geographic locations, scale of deployment across sea, land and air, and range of military capabilities involved, reflect NATO’s resolve to deter and defend in the Euro-Atlantic area.
“Steadfast Defender is to enhance, enrich, maintain the cohesion of the Alliance, our interoperability between armed forces of member nations of the Alliance, and of course to also maintain the trans-Atlantic link between the North American nations and the European nations of the Alliance,” Lieutenant General Brice Houdet, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) Vice Chief of Staff explained as NATO announced the exercise.
The exercise will also be the first large test of NATO’s adapted Command Structure. It will involve the two new commands, one focused on logistics and reinforcement, Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC), based in Ulm, Germany, and the other focused on the North Atlantic, Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFCNF), based in Norfolk, Virginia, in the U.S.
The size and scope of Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021 will test NATO’s ability to move large numbers of troops, equipment and supplies across the Atlantic and Europe in response to the training scenario. The rapid deployment of reinforcement from North America, movement across the European Continent and integration of multinational troops will strengthen the readiness and deterrence posture of Allied Command Operations.
Graphic overview of activities, dates and NATO ACO Commands involved in Steadfast Defender 21. Graphic by SHAPE Public Affairs Production
The exercise is conducted in three parts.
Part 1: Securing Strategic Sea Lines of Communication/Transatlantic Reinforcement
Part one focuses on the rapid reinforcement of NATO’s European Allies by North American forces. This phase is led by Joint Force Command Norfolk and will include a maritime live exercise as well as a distinguished visitors and media day in Lisbon, Portugal.
Part 2: Enablement of Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Area of Responsibility/Military Mobility/Deployment of the NATO Response Force (NRF)
The focus of part two is rapidly transitioning reinforcements from their home stations and nations to their exercise locations. This phase heavily involves the Joint Support and Enabling Command and their ability to facilitate movement across the European continent which will be highlighted during the JSEC visitors/media day. This phase will culminate with the Turkish-led Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) participating in Joint Force Command Naples- led exercise Noble Jump in Romania.
Part 3: Additional Multinational Training
To close exercise Steadfast Defender 2021, Allies and partner nations will participate in various national exercises including U.S.-led exercise Saber Guardian in Romania. This phase also includes redeployment operations back to home stations/nations.
“This is what we do. We train to be ready, to have operational fidelity and capability,” General Houdet stated, adding that this is the basis of NATO’s deterrence and defence.
Steadfast Defender 2021 is associated with U.S. Army Europe-Africa’s Exercise DEFENDER EUROPE 21.
For the most up-to-date information on Exercise Steadfast Defender 2021 follow #SteadfastDefender21 on your favourite social media platform and bookmark our Steadfast Defender website shape.nato.int/Steadfast-Defender