Remaining Steadfast in the Face of Burgeoning Threats
The MOC
By
Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
March 15, 2024
The North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) just celebrated another milestone with the entry of Sweden,heretofore an avowed neutral, joining the collective defense of Europe as did Finland did in 2023. Long-time NATO observers and leaders would never have predicted such a sharp change in these nations’ attitudes toward collective defense, but we live within an increasingly hostile world where aggressors like Vladimir Putin of Russia generate enough fear to make even the most confident neutral concerned enough to throw off decades of national policy and seek collective security. I have been observing the post-Cold War Russian threat for a long time. While serving as Commander Sixth Fleet from 2014-2016, I wrote about a pending conflict with the Russian Federation in the Fourth Battle of the Atlantic. While some parts of the Russian armed forces have been bloodied in the ill-conceived invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many elements of Russian forces, and especially its nuclear submarine force remain dangerous, potential adversaries.
I have been looking at this problem for some time. On my return to Europe as Commander Allied Joint Forces in Naples, Italy from 2017 – 2018, I had the pleasure of commanding Exercise Trident Juncture, a Live-Exercise situated in the high north (Norway and the Norwegian Sea,) during which we moved 50,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, 70 ships (including the Harry S. Truman and Iwo Jima Strike Groups), over 165 aircraft of all type-model-series, and 10,000 tracked or rolling vehicles to the area of conflict. A simulated invasion of northern Norway triggered Article 5 of the Washington Treaty , and the Alliance sprang into action moving seven equivalent brigades of people and kit to the fight in about 30 days. A remarkable feat which compelled me to suggest the phrase, “Logistics is the Sixth Domain of warfare!”
As is always the case with the Alliance and in accordance with the Conventional Forces Europe (CFE) Agreement, the Alliance maintained complete transparency, announcing the size and scope of the exercise, and even inviting Russian and Belorussian observers. This action served two purposes—first to avoid any indication that the Alliance was preparing for offensive operations outside of NATO territorial limits and second to show the combat power that the Alliance could muster to blunt any offensive from the adversary in a very short period of time. Those lessons were not lost on the Russians.
As a further showing of Alliance solidarity, NATO recently embarked on another massive exercise even larger and more complex than TRIDENT JUNCTURE 18. In January 2024, USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) departed Norfolk, Virginia, to join in the largest exercise since the Cold War—Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER 24. I never thought I would see a larger concentration of troops in an exercise than Trident Juncture, but I was wrong. STEADFAST DEFENDER brings together 90,000 troops from all thirty-two nations of the Alliance in conjunction with many other partner nations to conduct joint maneuvers from the sea from the month of January to May 2024.
All three NATO Joint Force Commands—JFC Naples, JFC Brunssum, and JFC Norfolk—are commanding and controlling troops under the leadership of GEN Chris Cavoli, the Supreme Allied Commander (SACEUR). Whereas there were just two JFCs during the preponderance of my time on active duty, there are now three. JFC Norfolk has graduated from Initial Operational Capability (IOC) to Full Operational Capability (FOC) in the last four years under the leadership of VADM “Woody” Lewis, VADM “Dozer” Dwyer, and now VADM Doug Perry. JFC Norfolk secures the western maritime approaches all the way to the high north and into Europe in the context of the Fourth Battle of the Atlantic. It is a worthy successor to the NATO fleet commands that prepared to fight the Soviet Navy in the High North at the height of the Cold War in the 1980’s.
General Cavoli summarized the mission as follows: “Steadfast defender 2024 will be a clear demonstration of our unity, strength and determination to protect each other, our values and the rules-based international order.”[1]
Accordingly, the first part of Exercise Steadfast Defender establishes a preponderance of force from the East coast of the United States to well north of the Arctic Circle (66 degrees north). The second part of the exercise, now in play, will concentrate on movement of forces into northern, central, and eastern Europe. It is important to remember that although there is just one Atlantic, all three NATO JFCs are in this fight and that presents the Russian Federation with overwhelming odds that undoubtedly factors into their decision calculus and underscores the concept of deterrence.
Figure 2: Admiral Foggo poses with JFC Norfolk Staff 7 March 2024 During Exercise Steadfast Defender
I had the opportunity to spend a week in Norfolk to observe Exercise Steadfast Defender from JFC Norfolk Headquarters which is collocated with its maneuver arm—the U.S. Second Fleet—and I was reassured of the professionalism and dedication of all 32 members of the Alliance in the execution of their mission. In the next couple of years, we will see more Allied and partner nations invest personnel and resources in this headquarters. JFC Norfolk represents the foundation of the Trans-Atlantic Bridge from the continental United States, and it is essential to both our national security and that of our Allies.
We will undoubtedly see emerging rhetoric in the upcoming Presidential campaign on the value of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a return on our investment. It is important to remember that when we were attacked during 9/11, NATO unanimously executed Article 5 of the Washington Treaty—an attack on one is an attack on all—and joined the United States of America in the fight against terror. Today, we have more threats than I have ever seen in 40 years of active duty. This is not the time to economize on our collective defense or jeopardize our relationship with key Allies and partners. We are stronger together. Let’s keep it that way!
Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (ret.), is the Dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy. Admiral Foggo is the former commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, and Allied Joint Force Command, Naples. He commanded BALTOPs in 2015 and 2016 as well as Exercise Trident Juncture in 2018.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.
Your investment in the Center for Maritime Strategy supports the U.S. Sea Services by empowering policy-driven maritime security research, advocacy, and education.
Center for Maritime Strategy
By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
The North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) just celebrated another milestone with the entry of Sweden,heretofore an avowed neutral, joining the collective defense of Europe as did Finland did in 2023. Long-time NATO observers and leaders would never have predicted such a sharp change in these nations’ attitudes toward collective defense, but we live within an increasingly hostile world where aggressors like Vladimir Putin of Russia generate enough fear to make even the most confident neutral concerned enough to throw off decades of national policy and seek collective security. I have been observing the post-Cold War Russian threat for a long time. While serving as Commander Sixth Fleet from 2014-2016, I wrote about a pending conflict with the Russian Federation in the Fourth Battle of the Atlantic. While some parts of the Russian armed forces have been bloodied in the ill-conceived invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many elements of Russian forces, and especially its nuclear submarine force remain dangerous, potential adversaries.
I have been looking at this problem for some time. On my return to Europe as Commander Allied Joint Forces in Naples, Italy from 2017 – 2018, I had the pleasure of commanding Exercise Trident Juncture, a Live-Exercise situated in the high north (Norway and the Norwegian Sea,) during which we moved 50,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, 70 ships (including the Harry S. Truman and Iwo Jima Strike Groups), over 165 aircraft of all type-model-series, and 10,000 tracked or rolling vehicles to the area of conflict. A simulated invasion of northern Norway triggered Article 5 of the Washington Treaty , and the Alliance sprang into action moving seven equivalent brigades of people and kit to the fight in about 30 days. A remarkable feat which compelled me to suggest the phrase, “Logistics is the Sixth Domain of warfare!”
As is always the case with the Alliance and in accordance with the Conventional Forces Europe (CFE) Agreement, the Alliance maintained complete transparency, announcing the size and scope of the exercise, and even inviting Russian and Belorussian observers. This action served two purposes—first to avoid any indication that the Alliance was preparing for offensive operations outside of NATO territorial limits and second to show the combat power that the Alliance could muster to blunt any offensive from the adversary in a very short period of time. Those lessons were not lost on the Russians.
Since TRIDENT JUNCTURE, the Alliance prevailed throughout the difficult period of COVID-19 and rallied to support the Ukrainian people in their fight for survival against the unprovoked onslaught of Russian forces into Ukraine in February 2022.
As a further showing of Alliance solidarity, NATO recently embarked on another massive exercise even larger and more complex than TRIDENT JUNCTURE 18. In January 2024, USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) departed Norfolk, Virginia, to join in the largest exercise since the Cold War—Exercise STEADFAST DEFENDER 24. I never thought I would see a larger concentration of troops in an exercise than Trident Juncture, but I was wrong. STEADFAST DEFENDER brings together 90,000 troops from all thirty-two nations of the Alliance in conjunction with many other partner nations to conduct joint maneuvers from the sea from the month of January to May 2024.
All three NATO Joint Force Commands—JFC Naples, JFC Brunssum, and JFC Norfolk—are commanding and controlling troops under the leadership of GEN Chris Cavoli, the Supreme Allied Commander (SACEUR). Whereas there were just two JFCs during the preponderance of my time on active duty, there are now three. JFC Norfolk has graduated from Initial Operational Capability (IOC) to Full Operational Capability (FOC) in the last four years under the leadership of VADM “Woody” Lewis, VADM “Dozer” Dwyer, and now VADM Doug Perry. JFC Norfolk secures the western maritime approaches all the way to the high north and into Europe in the context of the Fourth Battle of the Atlantic. It is a worthy successor to the NATO fleet commands that prepared to fight the Soviet Navy in the High North at the height of the Cold War in the 1980’s.
General Cavoli summarized the mission as follows: “Steadfast defender 2024 will be a clear demonstration of our unity, strength and determination to protect each other, our values and the rules-based international order.”[1]
Accordingly, the first part of Exercise Steadfast Defender establishes a preponderance of force from the East coast of the United States to well north of the Arctic Circle (66 degrees north). The second part of the exercise, now in play, will concentrate on movement of forces into northern, central, and eastern Europe. It is important to remember that although there is just one Atlantic, all three NATO JFCs are in this fight and that presents the Russian Federation with overwhelming odds that undoubtedly factors into their decision calculus and underscores the concept of deterrence.
Figure 2: Admiral Foggo poses with JFC Norfolk Staff 7 March 2024 During Exercise Steadfast Defender
I had the opportunity to spend a week in Norfolk to observe Exercise Steadfast Defender from JFC Norfolk Headquarters which is collocated with its maneuver arm—the U.S. Second Fleet—and I was reassured of the professionalism and dedication of all 32 members of the Alliance in the execution of their mission. In the next couple of years, we will see more Allied and partner nations invest personnel and resources in this headquarters. JFC Norfolk represents the foundation of the Trans-Atlantic Bridge from the continental United States, and it is essential to both our national security and that of our Allies.
We will undoubtedly see emerging rhetoric in the upcoming Presidential campaign on the value of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a return on our investment. It is important to remember that when we were attacked during 9/11, NATO unanimously executed Article 5 of the Washington Treaty—an attack on one is an attack on all—and joined the United States of America in the fight against terror. Today, we have more threats than I have ever seen in 40 years of active duty. This is not the time to economize on our collective defense or jeopardize our relationship with key Allies and partners. We are stronger together. Let’s keep it that way!
Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (ret.), is the Dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy. Admiral Foggo is the former commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, and Allied Joint Force Command, Naples. He commanded BALTOPs in 2015 and 2016 as well as Exercise Trident Juncture in 2018.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.