On 11 April 2024, NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC) 31 visited the Allied Joint Force Command (JFC) Naples, in Italy, as part of their Field Study 2 programme. The purpose of the visit was to gain insights into the pivotal role played by JFC Naples in providing security and stability within the Supreme Allied Commander Europe’s area of responsibility and beyond, as well as to address the nature and specific role of the NATO Strategic Direction-South (NSD-S) Hub.
Lieutenant General Stephen Kelsey, Deputy Commander of JFC Naples, delivered the introductory remarks to Course Members, emphasizing the key tasks fulfilled by the Joint Force Command. These include supporting NATO’s collective defence and deterrence efforts, crisis response and planning, and fostering cooperative security through engagement with partner nations in the region to promote stability, security and collaboration.
Course Members received briefings from JFC Naples staff representing various branches on topics such as Defence and Deterrence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA) plans, regional coordination and military partnerships, as well as ongoing operations and vigilance activities. Special attention was devoted to understanding the nature and the operational objectives of NATO Mission Iraq (NMI), NATO Headquarters Sarajevo (NHQSa) and the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), thus complementing some of the briefings previously received during Field Study 1 and other lectures. Discussions also covered key strategic communication issues and the role of information in deterrence, the NSD-S Hub research and analysis section, and civil-military engagement activities in support of NATO and NATO decision-making. Course Members had the opportunity to engage with NSD-S Hub staff on topics of primary interest for both NATO and its southern partners, and on measures for the Alliance and its partners to face common security challenges together.
Overall, JFC Naples plays a crucial role in enhancing NATO’s capacity to address security challenges in the Southern region, including in Sub-Saharan Africa. It contributes to the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture, and promotes stability and security by leveraging cooperation with partner nations. The visit to JFC Naples was a consolidation instrument within the NRCC 31 academic programme as it shed further light and provided first-hand information from the operational standpoint on some of the topics previously discussed at the strategic level.
Moreover, on their way to Naples, NRCC 31 stopped in Montecassino for a comprehensive on-site briefing about the 1944 Battle of Montecassino. This briefing significantly helped enhance Course Members’ comprehension of the intricacies involved in multinational, coalition and Allied operations.
NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Ms Sofia Carvalheiro, PRT C)
NATO Defense College