Sweden is to join the NATO Response Force (NRF) and participate in Steadfast Jazz — the western military alliance’s largest exercise in the last seven years, it was announced Monday.
According to a NATO statement, the Swedish move comes after the North Atlantic Council approved the Swedish contribution on October 14.
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The Exercise Steadfast Jazz will be conducted in a number of locations across the Alliance in early November, with the largest elements being hosted in Latvia and Poland. It is the culmination of a series of demanding exercises designed to test and certify the NRF, NATO’s rapid-reaction formation.
“The NATO Response Force is the spearhead of this Alliance: a rapid-reaction group able to defend any Ally, deploy anywhere, and deal with any threat. Exercise Steadfast Jazz will make sure that the spearhead is sharp, and ready to use,” Rasmussen said.
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Sweden has offered substantial forces to the next four rotations of the NRF, including aircraft, ships and land forces. Sweden is thus the fourth partner to join NRF, following Finland and Ukraine, who will make forces available for the NRF in 2014, as well as Georgia, who offered to contribute to the NRF in 2015.
Full article: Sweden To Join NATO Response Force (RTT News)
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