Polish Army on January 1 took command over NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), known as the “Spearhead Force,” which is ready to deploy and respond, within a few days, to any challenges that may arise. Poland takes over from Germany, which provided the core of the VJTF’s land forces in 2019. Fulfilling this task, the 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade is supported by units from the 12th Mechanised Division and the 3rd Transport Aviation Wing, Military Police as well as experts. The Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) was established as a response to the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. Since the moment of its formation, they have been an element of Russia’s deterrence strategy.
Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak speaking in Rzeszow, south-eastern Poland, on Thursday addressing a briefing of officers of the 21st Podhale Rifle Brigade, which has taken over the command, said that Poland’s high position in NATO is, among other things, a result of the fact that Poland spends 2 percent of the GDP on defence. This is also a consequence of the introduction of modernisation programmes in the Polish Armed Forces. Poland for its commitment to the allied defence. Expressing his thanks, the NATO head said that the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force is a significant contribution to the common defence and a strong representation of Poland’s abilities.
The core of the VJTF in 2020 will be Poland’s 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade, supported by a round 6,000 soldiers will serve on the Spearhead Force, including around 3,000 from Poland. Units from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovakia, Turkey and the United Kingdom will also serve on the force. The United States stands ready to support the VJTF with airpower and other combat support. Every year the leading VJTF brigade comes from a different country. It was Italy in 2018 and Germany in 2019. France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom agreed to take command of the VJTF on a rotational basis in the coming years.
During the 2014 Wales summit NATO leaders agreed to establish a Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). The VJTF is made up of land, air, maritime and special forces, and is part of the Alliance’s 40,000-strong NATO Response Force. Exercise Trident Jupiter 19, which took place in November 2019, certified the forces and commands for the 2020 NATO Response Force. NATO’s Joint Force Command in Brunssum has command of the NRF in 2020. NATO heads of state and government agreed to create the VJTF at the Wales Summit in 2014 in response to a changed security environment, including Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea and turmoil in the Middle East. Turkey will lead the VJTF’s land forces in 2021.
