Over the last two weeks, 2,200 soldiers from 7 NATO Nations (Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Czechia, Luxembourg, Belgium and Latvia) including 20 Leopard 2 main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled howitzers and helicopters deployed to training areas on Sardinia. They participated in various kinds of military training both in national formations and in joint operations with NATO allies.
The JAPDD showcased the readiness of NATO’s war-fighting capabilities with a complex military scenario in a live fire demonstration.
The aim of Exercise Noble Jump 2023 was to demonstrate the capabilities and integration of NATO forces from across the Alliance. The exercise directly contributes to NATO’s deterrence and defence posture and improves the interoperability, readiness and cohesion of Allied forces. By deploying to Sardinia, NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) have demonstrated they can deploy Allied forces in the event of crisis.
This long planned exercise, under the command of Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples), met the requirements set by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) to exercise the VJTF as the lead elements of the NATO Response Force (NRF).
The NATO Response Force is a technologically advanced, multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and Special Operations Forces components that are rapidly deployable. In addition, it can perform peace-support operations, provide protection to critical infrastructure and support disaster relief.
Command of the NRF rotates annually between the operational-level NATO headquarters JFC Naples and JFC Brunssum. JFC Naples assumed the NRF leadership for 2023.
