For the first time, the Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden – together with other Allies – cooperated on a combined concept for Air Power command and control in the region during exercise Nordic Response 2024 (NR24). For exercise NR24, the combined Nordic Air Operations Centre has been established at Camp Bodin at Bodø Air Base. It normally controls Nordic air operations in peacetime from a mountain facility at Reitan, Norway. The air operations centre serves as the air component headquarters for participating air forces during the exercise. From here, approximately 300 officers and specialists are planning, controlling and assessing air operations across the assigned operations area. The Royal Norwegian Air Force point out that this is a test of concept for this year’s winter exercise, and not a preemption of either the location or command element within the NATO command structure.
“The cooperation strengthens our regional security. With solid support from our Allies, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, the Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden provide a credible military deterrence on behalf of NATO in the High North region,” said Major General Rolf Folland, Chief of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. During NR 24, the general also serves as the acting air component commander for NATO’s northern flank.
“The establishment of the temporary combined Nordic Air Operations Centre is yet another visible proof of our ability to cooperate on our important joint task of deterring and ultimately defending NATO’s northern flank. The ultimate goal is to be able to operate seamlessly together as one force by developing a Nordic concept for joint air operations. And exercise Nordic Response is a fantastic starting point for this,” says Chief of Staff of the Air Command Denmark, Colonel Henrik Nielsen during a visit to Camp Bodin.
Exercise Nordic Response is a continuation and adaptation of the Cold Response exercise series, which has a long history and takes place in Northern Norway every other year. This year, over 20,000 soldiers from 13 allied nations – Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States- are participating in the exercise. The exercise is conducted under the aegis of NATO’s Joint Force Command Norfolk, which is responsible for overseeing the NATO’s series of Steadfast Defender exercises in the High North. Under the series, the Alliance has established a cluster of exercises along the eastern flank which comprises many national exercise – including NR24 – to validate and test connections and links between NATO and national defence plans.
The primary aim is to train and demonstrate the Alliance’s ability to reinforce continental Europe via trans-Atlantic movement of forces from North America and the United Kingdom and the enablement and employment of all-domain NATO and national forces across SACEUR’s area of responsibility. These activities are intended to create a coherent deterrence message that underscores the Alliance’s will, capability, and capacity to respond to threats or crisis effectively and efficiently. The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) and head of ACO’s headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).
