“The Joint Force Air Component at NATO’s Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany, will be comprised of approximately 700 Air Command and Control experts and specialists from NATO and national units and agencies,” said Group Captain Philip Wadlow, head of the Core Joint Force Air Component at Allied Air Command who oversees planning, preparation and execution of the exercise at Ramstein. “We will be challenged with supporting the fictitious operations of two Allied joint commands across the Joint Operation Area for the first time. Our approach to solve this task has been to create a Theatre Joint Force Air Component to ensure we can efficiently and effectively provide the air support for both joint commands,” he added.

During the exercise our multinational Theatre Joint Force Air Component staff at Ramstein will efficiently and effectively provide air support for both joint commands

The Command Post Exercise Trident Jupiter is an exercise series comprised of two parts – 2019-1 and 2019-2. Sponsored by NATO’s Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, it is based on a synthetic fictitious scenario. During both parts Allied Forces will conduct joint operations across the whole spectrum of NATO’s Article 5 that defines collective defence of the Allies.

During the first part of Trident Jupiter 2019, the NATO Response Force 2020 Component Commands and the Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO or STRIKFORNATO will be evaluated and certified. Allied Air Command supports this evaluation with their Joint Force Air Component’s contribution to the joint command and control process. The second part, Trident Jupiter 2019-2, will follow in spring of 2020.

“The Trident Jupiter 2019 series contributes to NATO’s Deterrence and Defence posture demonstrating the ability to handle situations evolving from an NRF deployment to the conduct of operations beyond major joint operation level in a collective defence scenario,” said Group Captain Wadlow. “The Theatre Joint Force Air Component will establish an Integrated Air and Missile Defence posture and employ assigned forces in coordination with Allies and Partners in support of operations of both Joint Commands to deter the aggression of a fictitious opponent that threatens NATO’s territorial integrity."

Allied Air Command is responsible to stand up the NATO Command Structure Joint Force Air Component Headquarters for any NATO operation. Depending on the size of the operation, this headquarters may be specially tailored to meet the mission requirements; it can be supplemented from all Allied Air Command entities or augmented from other NATO Force Structure or national Joint Force Air Components, as required by the scale of the NATO mission.