France takes the lead of NATO VJTF highest readiness force

On January 1, 2022, France took the lead of NATO’s highest-readiness military force for a period of one year. The formation, formally known as NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), was created in 2014 in response to crises in the Middle East and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and is permanently available to move within days to defend any Ally. The VJTF is the highest-readiness element of NATO’s 40,000-strong Response Force.
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The Franco-German brigade of 3,500 troops will serve as the core of the force, drawing on the 1st Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Hussards Regiment (Picture source: NATO)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “The Very High Readiness Joint Task Force is a substantial contribution to our collective defence, and France’s leadership is a strong display of commitment and capabilities. At a time of unprecedented security challenges, there must be no misunderstanding about NATO’s resolve: we stand together to defend and protect all Allies”.

In 2022, the VJTF will comprise a multinational force of several thousand troops. The Franco-German brigade of 3,500 troops will serve as the core of the force, drawing on the 1st Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Hussar Regiment. Led by France’s Rapid Reaction Corps in Lille, the Franco-German brigade is a bi-national unit, underlining the strong bond between NATO Allies Germany and France. Other NATO countries, including Spain, Portugal, and Poland will also provide forces. The majority of the force is comprised of units from the lead brigade.

The leadership of the VJTF, which places soldiers on high readiness status and ready to deploy in days, rotates annually among Allies. France takes over from Turkey, which led the force in 2021. Germany will lead the unit in 2023. NATO’s joint force command in Brunssum, the Netherlands, holds the command for the entire NATO Response Force in 2022.