On 16-18 March 2022, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer was in Norway, where he met with His Majesty King Harald V of Norway, the Minister of Defence, H.E.Mr Odd Roger Enoksen and the Chief of Defence, General Eirik Kristoffersen. He also attended the Distinguished Visitors’ Day for exercise Brilliant Jump 22.
The Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Bauer was welcomed to Brilliant Jump 22 by General Vollmer, Commander of the Allied Joint Forces Command in Brunssum, who has had the helm planning and organising this exercise. This long-planned exercise is one of NATO’s main exercises this year, involving naval, air and land forces from across the Alliance. It aims to train the readiness and mobility of the NATO Response Force, and enhance the interoperability of participating forces.
Visiting both static and dynamic displays, including live firing with the French and Spanish Battalions, Admiral Bauer was able to witness first-hand how elements of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force are exercising together to improve their interoperability, readiness and cohesion. “Brilliant Jump embodies exactly who we are and what we do. Approximately 3,300 troops from 12 NATO Nations are proving that we are stronger together and that our troops are ready to respond to different scenarios across the full range of military domains and in any condition”, Admiral Bauer stated at a joint press conference.
Exercise Brilliant Jump 2022 will lead directly into the bi-yearly Norwegian-led Exercise Cold Response 2022, which runs from 14 March to 1 April 2022. Up to 35,000 troops from 28 nations will participate, including NATO partner nations, Finland and Sweden.
On Friday morning, Admiral Bauer met with the Norwegian Minister of Defence, H.E. Mr Enoksen and the Norwegian Chief of Defence, General Kristoffersen to discuss ongoing security challenges, including the situation in Ukraine, the North and the High North. The Chair thanked both Norwegian officials, for the recent decision to deploy extra troops to NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup in Lithuania as well as Norway’s offer to provide humanitarian aid and welcome to Ukrainian refugees. The Chair then headed to the Royal Castle to meet with His Majesty King Harald V.
Later that day, Admiral Bauer visited the Norwegian Intelligence Service, where he met its director, Vice Admiral Stensones and was briefed the “Focus 2022” report, which lays out the current security threats faced by Norway and expected developments in geographic and thematic areas. “NATO and Norway face similar threats. Neither has the luxury to only concentrate on one threat at a time, however, neither has to. This is one of the strengths of our Alliance – no NATO Ally stands alone or has to tackle threats alone. We work together because it not only make us stronger but also strengthens NATO’s defensive shield as a whole”, concluded Admiral Bauer.