Formidable Shield
At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield is a U.S. Sixth Fleet-led exercise, conducted by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO), in which NATO Allies are the participants. The exercise is designed to improve allied interoperability in a live-fire joint IAMD environment, using NATO command and control reporting structures. Participating states participate by sending ships, aircraft, ground assets, and embarked staff in Task Group IAMD, including Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Exercise At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield receives support from U.S. European Command, Missile Defense Agency, the Maritime Theater Missile Defense Forum (MTMD-F), and Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO-IWS). The exercise is intended to assure Allies, deter adversaries, and demonstrate the commitment to collective defense for the NATO alliance. Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, based in Lisbon, Portugal, is a rapidly deployable, maritime headquarters that provides scalable command and control across the full spectrum of warfare areas. U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with joint, allied and interagency partners, to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.
The international exercise, organized by the U.S. Navy’s Sixth Fleet, is conducted across a huge area in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Scotland, using live and simulated targets. Participating nations deploy sensors, effectors, radars and interceptors to strengthen collective defense and exhibit the interoperability and integration of allied missile defense systems. The allied navies coordinate intercepts of targets both outside the atmosphere (exoatmospheric) and within the atmosphere (endoatmospheric) using Standard Missiles: SM-3 Block IA, SM-3 Block IB, SM-2 Block IIIA, SM-2 Block IIIB and SM-6 interceptors.
Formidable Shield also addresses and helps to resolve technological challenges, such as the integration of command-and-control networks and communications systems. And, the exercise bolsters the participating nations’ alliance, while enabling sharing and empowering their navies’ proficiency at sea. “A multi-national approach to the engagement of evolving threats is essential. Sensors and effectors must be distributed across allied countries and coordinated to protect all, building on the current NATO infrastructure,” said Bryan Rosselli, vice president of Strategic Missile Defense at Raytheon Missiles and Defense. “Solutions have to be flexible and readily upgradeable, built on the latest technology to maintain collective defense.”
Raytheon Technologies-built missiles played key roles in a multi-nation integrated air and missile defense exercise aimed at ensuring systems run by the U.S. and its allies work together. Fired from the USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), an SM-3® missile intercepted a target at sea in the NATO-led Formidable Shield, held on May 1-19, 2019, off the coast of Scotland. The exercise, the second of its kind, brought navies of several allied nations together to intercept and destroy mock ballistic missiles with interceptors. The exercise involved missile defense systems from nine countries: the U.S., Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the U.K.
The SM-2™missile and ESSM® guided missile also engaged targets during the live-fire exercise. Both systems are components of a ship’s layered defenses, which allows navies to fend off advanced threats with an overlapping shield of systems. Beyond ensuring that U.S. missile defense systems can operate with those of coalition partners, multinational exercises help address challenges like the integration of computer networks and communications systems. Such exercises also build alliances, enable capability sharing and allow allied navies to improve at-sea proficiency.
Formidable Shield 2021 was the third Formidable Shield exercise; the previous two were held in 2017 and 2019. The Spanish Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate ESPS Cristóbal Colón (F-105) was the designated flag ship for the execution of Exercise At-Sea Demonstration/Formidable Shield 2021, scheduled to take place May 15 to June 3. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to show our relationship with the exercise organization and with this big challenge of the ballistic missile defense in Europe,” said Cristóbal Colón Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Juan Bautista Payá. “It’s a really demanding task to be the flag ship, but the Spanish Navy is prepared for that and we are doing our best to embark [U.S. personnel] and to allow you to perform the command and control for the exercise in the best way.”
There were 15 ships, more than 10 aircraft, and approximately 3,300 personnel participating this year. STRIKFORNATO provided a maritime battle Staff Operational Command directly to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), delivering a rapidly deployable and scalable headquarters capable of planning and executing full spectrum joint maritime operations and providing command and control of maritime Ballistic Missile Defense, primarily through integration of U.S. Naval forces.
Commander, Task Force (CTF) 64, Capt. Jon Lipps will lead this year’s exercise as the Commander, Task Group Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD). Lipps addressed the crew after a brief tour of the Cristobal Colon, April 30. “Like the namesake of this warship, you will lead an international armada at sea that will make history conducting the world's most complex joint and combined integrated air and missile defense exercise across the Maritimes,” Lipps said. “From below sea level to low earth orbit, you will reinforce the importance of mission command across all domains in high-end warfare. It is truly an honor and a privilege to join you today as we prepare to set out to sea.”
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