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Ramstein, Germany – Steadfast Cobalt 21 is a NATO Allies and Agencies multinational certification exercise to test and further the Alliance’s interoperability within the domains of Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Intelligence, and Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR). NATO AIRCOM will participate in this exercise from March 29 to April 30.

“Steadfast Cobalt will unite NATO Allies with a strong commitment and ability to defend the Alliance. This exercise will enable interoperability, skills and capabilities required to combat increasingly complex security threats in the CIS-domain. Allied Air Command contributes to these objectives for NATO Air Power within the NATO Response Force,” stated Lt Colonel Peter Lamberti, Communications Information Chief. “It also provides an opportunity to promote the benefits of NATO’s partnerships to increase security and stability,” he added.

This exercise will enable interoperability, skills and capabilities required to combat increasingly complex security threats in the CIS-domain

This exercise is a Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe sponsored all-level C4ISR interoperability exercise that will verify, validate, and enhance the interoperability under a federated environment of the deployed NATO Command Structure (NCS) forces and partners in preparation of NATO Response Forces 2022 and the NATO Force Structure (NFS) JHQ for 2022. The exercise is the largest Communications and Information System practice test in NATO. This year’s iteration of Steadfast Cobalt will include 22 NCS and NFS with participation of an estimated 1000 personnel, both civilian and military.

Lt Col Peter Lamberti (second from right), Communications Information Chief at Allied Air Command, during last year's exercise Steadfast Cobalt. Archive photo by Sébastien Raffin

“Allied Air Commands role in the exercise is a training audience member. It is on a permanent standby for a NRF deployment as the NCS Joint Force Air Component,” explained Captain Kevin Abington, Information Systems Engineer. “Furthermore, it has a standing role in coordinating NATO air & missile defence and airspace coordination, which is performed by our Operations Centre. To fulfil its roles on delivering air power across the Alliance, Allied Air Command must be interoperable with adjacent, subordinate and superior entities”.