NATO Updates Command Structure, Integrating the Nordics under JFC Norfolk
“In terms of NATO’s joint force command’s, Norfolk is the strategic bridge between North America and Europe, defending far more than just our sea lines of communication,” said U.S. Air Force General Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). (Photo: SHAPE, NATO).
NATO officially transfer the responsibility of Nordic countries to the Alliance's High North-focused command, JFC Norfolk.
Marking an update to NATOs command structure, NATO's Allied Command Operations (ACO) has today updated its provisional, regional boundaries, which are used to align the Alliance's military operations and activities.
With this move, the responsibility of Denmark, Sweden and Finland is transfered from Joint Force Command Brunssum to Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC Norfolk).
The transfer is marked with an event in Finland on Friday.
JFC Norfolk is the Alliance’s newest joint force command and is based in the US state of Virginia. Its area of responsibility will now include Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, in addition to the Atlantic.
Integrates the Nordics
“With the alignment of our adversaries around the globe, it is imperative we strengthen the Euro-Atlantic area as much as possible, and reinforce our posture in the High North,” said U.S. Air Force General Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), in a news release.
“This realignment, which integrates as a whole the Nordic nations, including NATO’s two newest members, Sweden and Finland, under Joint Force Command Norfolk’s leadership, does exactly that,” he continued.
Allied Command Operations (ACO) is one of two Strategic Commands at the head of NATO’s military command structure. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of ACO.
The North Atlantic Council recently approved the provisional boundary change to NATO’s deterrence and defence plans, which enables Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) to transfer responsibility for the nations between the commands.
