Army
NATO Response Force
VJTFVery High Readiness Joint Task Force 2023: The Bundeswehr heads up Special Operations Component Command for the first time
VJTFVery High Readiness Joint Task Force 2023: The Bundeswehr heads up Special Operations Component Command for the first time
- Date:
- Place:
- Brandenburg
- Reading time:
- 4 MIN
In 2023, Germany, for the first time, is the framework nation of the Special Operations Component Command of the VJTFVery High Readiness Joint Task Force , the spearhead of NATO's Response Force. The Special Operations Component Command (SOCC) plans and leads special operations throughout NATO's entire area of action. Its nucleus staff has now been certified for this task.
On land, water and in the air – special operations cover a wide range of tasks. Headquarters and commands are always formed and tailored with respect to a specific mission.
Bundeswehr/KSKThe Bundeswehr is a major force provider for NATO Response Force 2022-2024. Up to 16,700 German troops are earmarked for the Alliance's rapid response force. In 2023, the Bundeswehr takes command of the SOCC within the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTFVery High Readiness Joint Task Force ) – the spearhead of the NATO Response Force that can be deployed within a few days.
A Special Operations Component Command is a multinational headquarters established around a responsible lead or framework nation. The SOCC plans and leads special NATO operations throughout NATO's operational area during exercises and operations.
Special Operations Component Commands: always mission-related
SOCCs are invariably formed with respect to a specific mission and tailored to the specific framework conditions of the tasks at hand. In the Bundeswehr, this is the responsibility of the Special Operations Division of the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command based in Schwielowsee near Potsdam. The Special Operations Division also provides the SOCC nucleus staff for VJTFVery High Readiness Joint Task Force 2023. This staff is augmented by experts from 16 nations. The fully established command comprises approximately 200 servicemen and women, about half of them Bundeswehr personnel.
"The Special Operations Component Command is marked by the fact that it brings together special operations forces from different nations. The different perspectives, intellectual approaches and the individual cultural socialisations that are brought together there add great value to joint mission accomplishment," explains Rear Admiral Stephan Plath, who, as Director, Bundeswehr Special Operations Forces, has inter-service responsibility for all operations of special forces.
If the VJTFVery High Readiness Joint Task Force is activated, the multinational SOCC plans and leads special operations across NATO's entire task spectrum. Says Plath: "Bundeswehr special operations forces are able to adapt to an individual operational scenario. In the future, we will further increase this adaptability to be able to clearly demonstrate to decision-makers which types of threat can arise when and where and what solutions are conceivable."
Conceivable operations could include military assistance or special reconnaissance. The latter includes, among others, in-theatre covert reconnaissance operations that cannot be performed by conventional armed forces - such as covert reconnaissance operations behind enemy lines. Military assistance mainly comprises training and advice for allied special operations forces.
Training missions in international crisis and conflict management are among the core tasks of special operations forces. They are intended to enable the special operations forces of allied nations to effectively protect the local population.
Bundeswehr/Maximilian Schulz
Sleeve badge of the Special Operations Division of the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command based in Schwielowsee
Bundeswehr/Marc TessensohnAlways NATO-certified
The Special Operations Division of the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command is also responsible for the coordination of exercises and the evaluation or certification of subordinate special operations forces. All headquarters, commands and operational forces, including special operations forces, pledged to NATO must be certified in accordance with NATO requirements for the NATO Response Force. This ensures that the designated armed forces are able to actually accomplish the assigned task.
The German-led SOCC had to demonstrate its operational readiness during the 'Steadfast Jupiter' exercise. For two weeks, about 200 servicemen and women from all participating nations practised under the critical eyes of a NATO evaluation team. The focus of the exercise was in particular on the processes and procedures related to the planning and leading of operations. Other aspects, from medical support, covert deployment and in-theatre accommodation to military security, were also developed further.
The result: the SOCC successfully demonstrated its capability to efficiently plan and lead effective special operations for the Alliance in an emergency. Rear Admiral Plath points out: "Special operations forces of the Bundeswehr are pursuing solutions that provide the most comprehensive effect possible in order to achieve a goal. This approach has earned us a status as a reliable partner among our allies."
Future-oriented capability development
Since the capabilities acquired for the VJTFVery High Readiness Joint Task Force will continue to be expanded after 2023, the development process has not yet come to an end. The aim is to establish a permanent SOCC with a nucleus staff for special operations that is based at the Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command and capable of being augmented and quickly operational whenever required, as the Bundeswehr must be able to plan and lead multinational special operations in any threat scenario.
