NATO is ready for the winter exercises in Norway
General Jӧrg Vollmer, Commander for the Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) visited Norway recently for discussions with Norwegian senior officers.
Norway is a key member of the NATO Alliance, next year Norway will play host to two large-scale multinational exercises. The first, exercise Brilliant Jump, is a deployment exercise of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) to southern Norway.
The second, exercise Cold Response, is a Norwegian-led multinational exercise, which next year will feature over 30,000 troops – including the VJTF and other NATO Response Force elements.
These exercises, and their context in broader Alliance strategic deterrence and defence initiatives, were a major topic for discussion during the General’s visit to Norway earlier in November.
Preparing for the exercise
"We are very well prepared for this exercise. The NRF of NATO is prepared to deploy in real life to Norway and to participate in this Norwegian national exercise. This is a very strong signal how we work together", Vollmer says.
The visit started in Oslo, where General Vollmer met the Norwegian Chief of Defence, General Eirik Kristoffersen, with whom topics under discussion included deterrence, defence and interoperability.
"The cooperation with Brunssum is very good. It is nice to finally meet each other face-to-face, and talk about the important elements general Vollmer and I care about", says general Kristoffersen.
To Bodø
The following day, General Vollmer travelled to Bodø in North Norway to meet Lieutenant General Yngve Odlo, Commander of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ).
The NJHQ is in charge of all Norwegian military operations and joint combined exercises, including exercise Cold Response next year.
Speaking during the trip, General Vollmer said:
"Norway has been an important NATO member from the very start, and this relationship remains as strong as ever. We know that today’s security challenges can only be overcome if we work together, and we look forward to our upcoming collaboration on Exercises Brilliant Jump and Cold Response."
