• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Strong Resolve

Strong Resolve is a quadrennial NATO Expanded Task Force level (NETF) BI-SC live exercise (LIVEX) not specifically linked to a geographic region, alternating in Allied Command Europe (ACE) between the northern and southern regions. This live exercise is held every 4 years and is a NATO-wide event incorporating both collective defence and crisis response operations. It is generally viewed as the showcase exercise in the calendar and is intended to provide the opportunity for the Alliance to demonstrate its collective resolve to those who might choose to take an interest in NATO or perhaps question its value or purpose.

It is intended to demonstrate NATO ability to deal effectively with 2 simultaneous crises, drawing on the resources of both Strategic Commands (SCs) and necessitating cross-boundary play between an Article 5 and a PSO operation, the latter entailing the deployment of a Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF). In 2002, Strong Resolve involves a Peace Support Operation (PSO) scenario in Poland and an Article 5 scenario in southern Norway. CINCEASTLANT / COMNAVNORTH will act as the Maritime Component Commander (MCC) for Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe (CINCNORTH) in the Article 5 and support Commander Strike Fleet Atlantic (COMSTRIKFLTLANT) in the PSO. The exercise should help to integrate and improve the military capabilities of Partner Nations.

Strong Resolve 98

More than 5,500 U.S. military personnel joined with NATO members and Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations in exercise Strong Resolve 98, a NATO exercise designed to test NATO's ability to cope with multiple, simultaneous crises in separate geographic regions, March 9-21, 1998. Crisis North was conducted in Northern Norway in the Narvik-Harstad-Troms area, and Crisis South will be conducted in the Iberlant area, Portugal and Spain.

Strong Resolve 98 was the largest field training exercise to be conducted by NATO this year, involving more than 35,000 servicemembers from 15 NATO member nations and 10 Partnership for Peace nations. The NATO nations participating in Strong Resolve were: Belgium; Canada; Denmark; France; Germany; Greece; Italy; Luxembourg; The Netherlands; Norway; Portugal; Spain; Turkey; the United Kingdom and the United States. The PfP nations participating were: Bulgaria; the Czech Republic; Hungary; Lithuania; Poland; Romania; the Slovak Republic; Slovenia; Sweden; and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The exercise drew on the resources of both major NATO commands -- Allied Command, Europe, commanded by General Wesley K. Clark, U.S. Army, and Allied Command, Atlantic, commanded by Admiral Harold W. Gehman Jr., U.S. Navy -- during the 12-day exercise. Various elements from the U.S. European Command are also participating in the exercise. In the Crisis North region, U.S. Army V Corps units will supply personnel for the Allied Mobile Force (Land), Marine Forces Europe will provide two logistical personnel, and five Stratotanker KC-135s deployed from U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

Strong Resolve 02

Strong Resolve 2002 exercised elements of the NATO integrated command structure in its full range of tasks. This year, unfortunately, real-world commitments have forced a number of nations to scale down their levels of participation, but the strategic significance of the exercise remains valid and a substantial number of AIRNORTH personnel at all levels will be involved to some extent. Three complementary exercises took place under the common scenario of Exercise STRONG RESOLVE 02:

• Exercise ADVENTURE EXPRESS, an annual field training exercise involving primarily the ACE Mobile Force (Land). The aim of the exercise is to train operational and logistic capabilities in cold weather conditions.
• Exercise AFFIRMATIVE ALERT, an annual NATO Composite Force (NCF) live exercise aimed at improving the readiness of the NCF and the capabilities of its units.
• Exercise BATTLE GRIFFIN, a triennial field training exercise involving the US Norway Airlanded Marine Air Ground Task Force. The aim of the exercise is to practise the deployment and reception of the Task Force to Norway within a NATO Article 5 scenario and the subsequent conduct of joint and multinational operations.

Strong Resolve 02, the first large-scale field training exercise to be conducted by NATO during FY02, involved more than 40,000 service members from 12 NATO member nations. More than 2,800 US military personnel joined with service members from 12 NATO countries in Trondheim, Norway, to participate in Strong Resolve 02 (SR02) from 1-14 March 2002. SR02 was designed to demonstrate NATO's ability to cope with two simultaneous crises. Strong resolve 02 was designed to exercise, evaluate and improve NATO's ability to rapidly deploy, employ and redeploy forces from(to) peacetime establishments to(from) crises areas.

One crisis setting consists of a NATO Article Five war fighting scenario in response to an aggressive act against a NATO member and took place in South-central Norway. Article Five of the NATO charter states that an attack on any NATO member state will be considered an attack on all NATO member states. Battle Griffin 02, Adventure Express 02 and Affirmative Alert 02 are integrated into the Article Five exercise portion. The Article Five portion of the exercise is scheduled by the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) and coordinated by the Commander in Chief Allied Forces North (AFNORTH) and hosted by Norway. The US European Command is only involved with the Article Five portion of the exercise.

The second setting is a Crisis Response Operation (CRO) exercise and scheduled in Poland. This setting will focus on peace support operations, specifically a peace enforcement operation in which a NATO-led force deploys to mediate between two warring countries beyond NATO's area of responsibility. The CJTF Commander will command the operation from the USS Mount Whitney in the role of a sea-based CJTF Headquarters. This part of the exercise involved some 15,000 military personnel from both NATO and Partner nations.

Strong Resolve 02 Crisis Response Operation Scenario

Prior to 1990, the regions known as Woodland and Treeland were once the country of Granica. Through a popular Woodyar president in 1974, Granica prospered and achieved high economic growth. With Woodyars controlling the government and military, stability did not last. During this decline, Treelians responded with a revolutionary movement, the Treelian Patriotic Front (TPF).

Internal problems within the government soon weakened the economy, causing the military to dwindle, and wide-spread civil unrest. In Woodyar-dominated areas of the country, local military commanders were in control. In the southern and western provinces, the TPF maintained control. This split in the control of the country soon lead to the overthrow of the Woodyar government. The civil unrest continued until the United Nations intervened by dividing Granica into Treeland and Woodland, with the border drawn along the existing military positions at the time of the cease-fire.

After the U.N supervised cease-fire, the new Woodland government concentrated its energies in restoring order and maintaining unity with the population. However, this unity did not extend to the Treelians who remained in Woodland. They faced stiff oppression from the ruling administration. Coincidentally, the Woodland government expressed concerns for the survival of Woodyar culture, as well as the civil rights of Woodyars in Treeland. As part of the young government's reforms, the Woodland military enjoyed large budget increases over the domestic programs.

Treeland attempted to establish a social democratic government based on a Western European model. Poor farm polices were driving the rural Woodyar population to Treeland cities for work. Treelians dominated the economy in the cities and kept Woodyars in low paying jobs and in poor, segregated sections of the cities. Treeland also enacted some "Unity" measures that did not please ethnic Woodyars and angered nearby Woodland. Because of these unity programs, Woodyars in Treeland formed a separatist movement, the Free Woodyar Party (FWP). Funding for the movement was covertly being provided by Woodland.

Civil discord continued in Woodyar-dominated areas. Treelians continued to express their unwavering support for Woodyar autonomy. Most of the land which the Woodyars demanded from Treeland was of little value. Through international pressure, Treeland agreed to an UN-monitored vote on Woodyar national self-determination (NSD). The NSD was hotly debated in affected areas of the country. Treeland Woodyars were better economically better off and had more freedom than their Woodland counterparts. When the vote was held, it failed by less than one percent of the vote.

Soon after the vote, both Woodland and the FWP claimed that the election was rigged and demanded immediate autonomy for Woodyar-dominated areas in northwest and southeast Treeland. Riots incited by Woodland popped up in several areas. This civil unrest soon grew beyond the ability of the Treeland police or army to control. Soon the Treeland government was unable to maintain order and services in Woodyar-dominated areas. Thousands of Treelians and some Woodyars lost homes and businesses and fled into central Treeland.

In November 2000, Woodland's army crossed the border into northwest and southeast Treeland to restore order and protect the property of Woodyars. The invasion was quickly condemned by the international community. Influenced by this outside pressure, Woodland stated that it would only occupy Woodyar-dominated areas of Treeland.

Treeland fought a fierce rearguard action. Within two weeks, Woodland had achieved its objectives. Treeland appealed to the UN and NATO for intervention. The UNSC demanded immediate cessation of hostilities by both countries before it would consider the problem. Woodland and Treeland agreed and requested UN assistance to arrange a formal cease-fire.

The cease-fire allowed the UN to respond to a growing humanitarian crisis in war-ravaged areas. The UN Secretary General requested that the NATO Secretary General; consider a NATO-led crisis response operation (CRO). The North Atlantic Council accepted the UN request and UN Security Council Resolution 6370 was passed.

In January 2001, NATO authorized deployment of a CRO under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. NATO also activated Commander Striking Fleet Atlantic (designated as COMPFOR), NATO's only sea-based Combined Joint Task Force Headquarters aboard USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20).