NATO forces arrive in Valencia by air and sea for a military exercise

TRIDENT Juncture 2015 is NATO’s most ambitious exercise for over a decade. Partner nations and International Organisations (IOs) will participate in Exercise Trident Juncture 2015 in Italy, Portugal and Spain, from October 3 to November 6, 2015. The event, a flagship activity for NATO’s Connected Forces Initiative (CFI) is the largest exercise conducted by the alliance since 2002.

Exercise Trident Juncture 2015 will mark the climax of a series of dynamic and demanding training events designed to train and test troops and Commanders, including those from the NATO Response Force (NRF).

“The purpose of the Exercise is to train and test the NATO Response Force, a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force comprising land, air, maritime and Special Forces components,” said General Hans Lothar Domröse, the Commander of Joint Force Command Brunssum. “Enhancing our response forces is a key part of NATO’s overall effort to adapt to emerging security challenges. Trident Juncture 2015 has been designed to ensure that our concepts and procedures will work in the event of a real crisis because our job is to always be prepared to defend the people, territory, and values of this alliance,” he added.

The exercise, which involves 36,000 personnel from more than 30 allied and partner nations, will take place throughout Italy, Portugal, Spain, the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and also Canada, Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Trident Juncture 2015 will demonstrate NATO’s new increased level of ambition in joint modern warfare and will showcase a capable, forward-leading alliance equipped with the appropriate capability and capacity to meet present and future security challenges. More than 12 major international organisations, aid agencies and non-governmental organisations, such as the EU and AU will also participate in the exercise, demonstrating NATO’s commitment and contribution to a comprehensive approach and the exercise will provide them with an opportunity to refine their operational capabilities. Air, land, maritime, and Special Forces will participate simultaneously in several locations and from different headquarters to train in a complex environment to improve the alliance’s capabilities.

The main entry point for participants in Trident Juncture 2015 is Valencia. With both the airport and the port of Sagunto already beginning to receive military equipment coming from Europe.