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NATO Exercise Strong Resolve 2002 a Success
Story Number: NNS020320-05
Release Date: 3/20/2002 1:00:00 PM
By Striking Fleet Atlantic Public Affairs
GDYNIA, Poland (NNS) -- Exercise Strong Resolve 2002, one of the largest NATO exercises in the last decade, recently concluded in Poland. The exercise involved more than 33,000 military personnel from 26 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations.
Strong Resolve 2002 demonstrated NATO's ability to handle two simultaneous crises in separate geographical regions. In Poland and in the Baltic Sea, forces dealt with a Crisis Response Operation (CRO), and in Norway, the scenario featured forces encountering a NATO Article 5 collective defense mission.
The commander of Striking Fleet Atlantic (SFL), Vice Adm. Cutler Dawson, commanded the CRO portion, with more than 15,000 service members participating. SFL was embarked aboard the flagship USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) to operate as a sea-based Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) headquarters platform.
"What we planned to do in Strong Resolve was to exercise NATO's ability to conduct two very different operations simultaneously," Dawson said. "These missions encompassed the full spectrum of NATO missions. We also set out to implement and validate NATO's afloat CJTF capability. We were successful on all counts, and I think all participants had a tremendous learning experience."
For this exercise, the SFL staff was augmented by more than 450 personnel from all 19 NATO nations and 12 PfP nations, including Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Slovak Republic, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine and Uzkebistan. PfP integration for Strong Resolve 2002 was at the highest level for any exercise ever.
Mount Whitney received the additional personnel during a port call in Kiel, Germany, and SFL personnel provided them with shipboard orientation and training on NATO operations and all facets of the exercise.
The augmentees quickly integrated into the staff, and became invaluable participants in the conduct of the exercise, as they also got used to shipboard life and interacting with personnel from all military branches of more than 30 nations.
Petty Officer Wendy (Wren) Whitney, from United Kingdom's Royal Navy, served as a maritime command and control information system operator during the exercise. "It was very enjoyable," she said. "I met many different people from all different nations, and learned a lot about using Powerpoint and various other Microsoft systems. All of this gave me a very good insight into the exercise."
Polish Army Lt. Col. Miroslaw Lusiarczyk said all of the service branches and all of the nations worked very well together. "I was very glad to participate," he said. "It was a great experience, and helped prepare me for the real situation."
Strong Resolve 2002 was the largest NATO exercise hosted by Poland since that nation joined the alliance three years ago. In fact, the third anniversary of Poland's entry into the alliance was observed while the exercise was being conducted. Dawson praised the nation for being an outstanding host.
"Poland has done a tremendous job hosting this exercise," he said. "When Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski visited our flagship last week, I had the opportunity to thank him and the Polish people for the great support they provided throughout the exercise. They were very generous in providing air, maritime and land training ranges, and also provided significant support in providing ground forces, maritime assets (10 ships) and air assets (14 aircraft)."
In addition to the Polish president, SFL hosted more than 130 NATO and Partnership for Peace officials from 38 different nations aboard the flagship during a brief port call to Gdynia. These officials included Italian Adm. Guido Venturoni, chairman of NATO's military committee; Army Gen. William Kernan, Atlantic supreme allied commander, and many of the military and political leaders of NATO and PfP nations.
The officials received a brief on the progress of the exercise, and briefings on the SFL staff structure and responsibilities, including an extensive overview of the staff's role as a NATO CJTF parent headquarters.
Romanian Army Lt. Col. Ilarian-Moria Costache, an engineer, said his experience in Bosnia helped him adjust quickly to the pace and scenario of Strong Resolve 2002.
"It was very easy for me to switch to the notional scenario because of my experience in real life," he said. "Engineers are always prepared, and there is a common understanding between all engineers, regardless of their nationality."
Air Force Maj. Tony Forkner, an F-16 pilot, worked in the Joint Forces Air Component Command aboard Mount Whitney. Although getting used to shipboard life was a challenge, he said the benefits were worth it.
"This exercise has brought a whole new perspective for me on working not only with other U.S. military men and women, but also with a wide variety of nations," he said.
These new perspectives were a common theme for all participants. A new appreciation for other service branches, combined with a new understanding and appreciation for NATO and PfP allies, made this two-week exercise a memorable, productive and rewarding experience for all who took part.
In addition to USS Mount Whitney, other Norfolk, Va.-based commands participating in the exercise included Destroyer Squadron 22, USS Donald Cook (DDG 75), USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79), USS Briscoe (DDG 977), USS Hawes (FFG 53) and USS Tortuga (LSD 46). The experimental vessel HSV (High Speed Vessel) Joint Venture participated in the exercise as well.
Strong Resolve exercises are held every four years and constitute the capstone in NATO's four-year training cycle.
For information on NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic, go to http://www.secondfleet.navy.mil.
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