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Very High Readiness Joint Task Force Explainer

Allied Joint Force Command Naples

May 23, 2021 | 1:29

What is the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF)?
People take safety for granted, but who keeps the countries in the NATO Alliance safe? One NATO organisation who maintains constant readiness is The Very High Readiness Joint task Force (VJTF for short).
The VJTF is a military unit of around 5,000 personnel. The VJTF’s job is to be ready at a moment’s notice to respond to major crises immediately.
The VJTF gathers following the first signs of potential international trouble before a crisis begins, to act as a potential warning to further escalation.
Mobilisation of such a large, well-prepared force sends a message to any would-be attacker that NATO will respond with the full force of the Alliance to any attack against an ally.
Because the VJTF must always be ready to respond, NATO members take on the task on a rotational basis. This spreads the burden on our people and members.
The VJTF is the spearhead of the NATO Response Force structure, and supporting contributions also rotate between our Alliance members yearly. This means that nations provide headquarters, combat ready forces, and logistics capabilities for between a year and 18 months at a time.
In addition, NATO Allies have a wide range of other forces at their disposal. For example: Allies often send forces to conduct exercises in various locations across Europe; all Allies have national troops at high states of readiness that can quickly respond to a crisis.
Some units are ready to deploy in just two days, whilst the majority of units will be ready to move in less than seven days. This high level of readiness keeps all NATO member states safe.