JFC Brunssum Support to Deterrence

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We ask the newly appointed Commander of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum,

General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta, how his organization supports deterrence, what role technology plays in achieving this mission and how the NCI Agency supports it

Q

Can you give a brief description of JFC Brunssum’s history?

A JFC Brunssum (JFCBS) was founded as Allied Forces Central Europe, or AFCENT, in Fontainebleau, France in 1953. AFCENT, and counterparts AFNORTH and AFSOUTH, can be considered the first NATO Operational level Joint Force Headquarters. As their names indicate, the three original commands had responsibility for different geographical regions; AFCENT covered the central part of Europe, while the other two covered the north and south, respectively.

After France withdrew from the NATO military structure in 1966, AFCENT relocated in 1967 to the city of Brunssum, in the Netherlands, transforming the site of a recently closed coal mine into an operational military headquarters. The headquarters has called Brunssum home ever since. Our Dutch hosts have been extremely supportive of the military presence here over the decades, and we enjoy an excellent relationship with them.

Q

How has Allied JFC Brunssum’s role changed over the decades?

A The original AFCENT headquarters has restructured and renamed itself multiple times over the years in response to world events. We became Regional Headquarters Allied Forces North Europe in 2000, as NATO and the West adapted to a new world order following the fall of Communism and the Soviet Union. We became Joint Force Command HQ Brunssum in 2004 as it became more apparent that the emerging threat of terrorism and our operations in Afghanistan were going to be long-term commitments. In the early 2000s, many new countries joined NATO, and a new emphasis on the Alliance meant that our name changed again in 2012 to HQ Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum. Despite all this, the core business of a Joint Force Command has changed little since its origins in 1953. 27

28 Our most significant shift in recent years was the result of Russia’s unprovoked and brutal aggression toward Ukraine. Following the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, NATO recognized the need to increase its force presence on the Alliance’s eastern flank. We therefore developed the Enhanced Forward Presence concept, which established multinational Battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Then, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO doubled the number of Battlegroups, with four new units emerging in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. The size of existing Battlegroups was increased at the same time, by 50-100 percent.

Another recent innovation is the NATO Response Force (NRF), in which Allies take turns to make circa 40,000 troops available at short notice to respond to crises. Contained within the NRF is the VJTF, or Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, a multi-national, multidomain force of about 20,000 who are ready to deploy within 48-72 hours.

Q

What is JFC Brunssum’s current mission and how does it achieve it?

A As Commander JFC Brunssum, my role is to plan, execute and support military operations within my assigned missions and tasks, in order to preserve the freedom and security, national sovereignty and peace of NATO Allies and Partners.

With NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan now over, my most important task is to ensure the Alliance is prepared to deter and defend against aggression in Northern Europe. To help me in this I have an experienced team of planners and subject matter experts at my disposal. We achieve our mission through comprehensive planning, force posture management and situational awareness to ensure that NATO always has the right forces available in the right place and at the right time to prevent aggressive acts on our soil.

Our planning is across all the domains – air, cyberspace, land, sea and space – and with full collaboration of all NATO Allies and Partners, including Finland and Sweden.

By remaining ever vigilant and being flexible when the situation changes, NATO has preserved peace on Alliance territory for over 70 years. Though war has once again returned to Europe with Russia’s illegal actions in Ukraine, it has not yet crossed our borders. Our continued vigilance at JFCBS and across NATO remains the best way for us to protect every inch of Alliance territory.

The NCI Agency helps the air personnel, sailors and soldiers of Allied JFC Brunssum connect with each other (PHOTO: NATO)

A Q

What is JFC Brunssum’s area of responsibility and why?

A

NATO once again has three Joint Force Commands, each with their own regional focus:

The newest JFC is JFC Norfolk in Virginia, USA. Now certified as having reached Full Operating Capability, its area of responsibility includes the High North of Europe, and the North Atlantic Ocean.

JFC Naples in Italy has responsibility for the Mediterranean area and Southern Europe.

Meanwhile, JFC Brunssum’s Area of Responsibility includes most of Northern and Central Europe, including countries that border the Baltic Sea.

While the other two JFCs have a strong maritime flavour (their Commanders are also Commanders of the US Second and Sixth fleets respectively), Brunssum’s activities tend to focus more on the land domain.

This is because, as Commander JFCBS, my Area of Responsibility includes NATO’s entire land border with Russia and Belarus, and most of the land forces deployed by NATO to Deter and Defend against Russia in the Euro-Atlantic Area. For this reason, it is appropriate that I am the only 4* Joint Commander in NATO at the Operational level who is a European General, while my counterparts at Naples and Norfolk are Admirals from North America.

The Allied JFC Brunssum’s area of responsibility includes most of Northern and Central Europe (PHOTO: NATO)

Q Can you explain the role of emerging technologies in JFC Brunssum’s activities including in the domains of space and cyber security?

A Space and cyber are vitally important to NATO. Our doctrine considers space and cyberspace to be separate domains of modern warfare, alongside the traditional domains of air, land and sea.

These domains are highly contested by both state and non-state actors, and, when compared to traditional warfare, the lines between peace, competition, conflict and war are harder to define. Is it, for example, an act of war to conduct a cyberattack on critical infrastructure that results in the death of civilians in a NATO country? Could a cyberattack be grounds for an Article 5 activation?

The answers to these questions are not clear, but it is clear that effectiveness in these domains is linked to the sophistication of our technology and people – not the physical size of our armies. NATO Allies possess some of the World’s most advanced space and cyber technology, but this does not mean we should be complacent. Both space and cyber security are areas where legitimate users are subject to constant hostile activity, which is advancing at a rapid pace.

Here at JFC Brunssum, hostile cyber activity has a minimal effect on our systems thanks to the outstanding support we receive from the NCI Agency and the NATO Cyber Security Centre. With our adversaries developing ever more ingenious ways to hurt us in cyberspace, our biggest priority must be to educate our people on how to protect themselves from cyber threats.

Q

How does the NCI Agency support JFC Brunssum to achieve its mission?

A JFC Brunssum’s mission would simply not be achievable without the support of the NCI Agency. At the headquarters, we have representatives from across the Alliance working to integrate capabilities from the Armed Forces of up to 30 Allied nations plus Partners. In this context, effective communication systems are critical to enable us to work together.

The NATO Communications and Information Systems Group (NCISG), in coordination with the NCI Agency, has done fantastic work connecting NATO frontline sailors, soldiers, air personnel and marines with their home units and higher headquarters like Brunssum. They provide hardware and software capabilities that are deployable into the field, via a combination of fibre optics, Ultra High Frequency Radio frequency bands, and satellite transmissions, linking the front line into the wider NATO communications infrastructure to create a common operating picture of the battlefield.

The NCI Agency has oversight for all of our connectivity – whether in the form of telephone, internet, radio, satellite-based monitoring and more. In short, the Agency provides the services that allow us to pass information to each other, to remain vigilant, and to make the best possible decisions. In an era of multinational battlegroups, forward presence and high-readiness response forces, this connectivity is more important than ever in enabling NATO to carry out its core role of deterrence and defence in the Euro-Atlantic area.

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Delivering superior strategy in the field Innovation in defence

Michael Crowley, EMEA Director Public Sector and Healthcare, VMware A perspective by Michael Crowley, EMEA Public Sector Director at VMware

The lifeblood of any military operation is intelligence. How it is acquired, managed and delivered at the right time and to the NATO is no stranger to missions, but there has arguably right place is, arguably, the most critical requirement of success never been one as important as the one it is currently on. for all armed forces. This has been true as far back as wars have To ensure the organisation is fit for the future. It is why there is a considerable onus on the consumerisation of technology been waged but has taken on greater significance in the modern, and how this can be adapted for military means. digital era. By embracing innovation in defence, military operations will Three elements of information flow not only be better positioned to adapt to the diversity of How information is best disseminated is predicated on three distinct missions they face - both physically and in the cybersphere - areas. The first of which is the gathering phase. This is essentially but they will be better equipped to deal with the growing and acquiring data and information, which can come from a huge array evolving threat landscape globally. of sources such as the internet, cloud computing, other coalition members and troops on the ground. Indeed, the volume of Three driving forces of innovation information can come so thick and fast that it places even greater Democratisation means that some of the most advanced significance on the second area – deciding a clear route through technology is now in the hands of the general public. To get ahead - and stay there - military organisations must turn their the fog of war. focus to civilian life in order to extract the best innovations and learnings relating to; how they are used, when, where and why Not all information is perfect. Some is wrong or incomplete. information is exchanged and the associated impacts. But it needs to be analysed and processed into actionable A scenario which is being influenced by three main drivers. intelligence so the best decision can be made as quickly as possible and then disseminated across a battlefield, which can be massively • The first is that the research and development capabilities dispersed and multidimensional incorporating land, sea, air and of states have been superseded by private enterprise. digital channels. Of course, success also means doing all this faster The world’s brightest minds are now working in than your enemies, which is the final element.technology companies (who are themselves desperate to remain ahead of the competition) meaning cutting-edge breakthroughs and new technologies are happening Multi-Cloud is fundamental their first. The challenge for all of these stages is how to effectively manage • The second factor is speed. The pace of innovation the information that is being processed into intelligence from the happening is so rapid, that if military organisations don’t back end to front, at the right time, to the relevant commander, use market technology, they will become obsolete and in such a way that delivers superiority. Huge advancements in very quickly. digitalisation have increased the agility of mission commanders in • And finally, even if militaries are not learning from the field but we remain a long way from the portrayal in films where market innovations, you can bet your bottom dollar that those individuals have a direct line to senior government or military their adversaries and other potential threats are. Meaning figures at the touch of a button. Instead, the baseline for success is it’s only a matter of time before they assume field superiority as a result. far less glamorous but no less important. The need for a secure and scalable infrastructure. Digitised conflict today We’re seeing this in conflicts today. For instance, in the current This is where multi-cloud is fundamental. Defence organisations war with Russia, Ukraine has used drones and open source today all have a secure private cloud with connections to other software from the market. Known as Aerorozvidka, it is a clouds, either public or to coalition members. These independent specialist air-reconnaissance unit within the Ukrainian army but interconnected data sources must operate in a circle of trust that which has the capacity to observe, detect and identify targets has the agility to adapt to different situations, like geography or time on the field, optimising the resources of the Ukrainian army by zone, and the requirements of other coalition members. informing exactly where to fire shells. It’s a technology that has a success rate of close to 100%. This example is a demonstration of how a digitised force with highly developed coordination and operations management systems can challenge and inflict damage on a much larger adversary. The fact it works for defence just as equally as attack endorses the value of digital transformation for the armed forces. How innovation delivers field superiority Yet simply adopting new technologies and innovation is only one part. To be truly future-proofed, military organisations must engage in - and be aligned to - a cycle of innovation in the field. They must create a scenario whereby innovation is constantly embraced and the barriers to its adoption and deployment reduced to nil. We’ve already moved away from an era of cumbersome and monolithic developments that take months or even years to be deployed. Now we’re seeing the same process happen in weeks and days, which is pushing innovation to the combatant in the field at a pace that has been unseen until now. A good example is the United States Air Force Life Cycle Management Centre, Detachment 12, also known as Kessel Run. It developed and delivered a software application used for air-to-air refuelling operations. It has helped save the Department of Defence more than $500 million dollars in fuel costs and greatly reduced the time associated with planning refuelling missions, enhancing combat capabilities through its increased coordination. Pace, as well as innovation Today, these applications are also shareable - this is critical when forces are often disparate and operate in different regions, landscapes and timezones. A good analogy would be the mobile industry model we see in civilian life. Where apps evolve or need upgrading constantly but because individuals have the hardware, updates can be made anytime, anywhere, information can be shared and new apps can be downloaded to equip field teams with the resources and information they need in almost real-time. Something that was unthinkable just a few years ago. But despite the clear benefits, and increasing trend to adopt innovation from industry, much more needs to be done. Especially when it comes to the speed of adoption. Even today, military organisations are buying fixed hardware on long contracts, which become obsolete quickly. Often before they’ve even been fully deployed. This is why military organisations must embrace pace, as well as innovation. They are not mutually exclusive and any attempts to do one without the other will fail. We need to see procurement processes shortened and adapted to the digital world. Demonstrations, decisions and deployments - even in the pilot phase - need to be made at a speed reflective of the change which is being imparted. Adopt technologies in a modular way But we also understand that for many, this is a case of evolution and not revolution and that rapidly accelerating the speed of innovation isn’t going to happen in all departments and for all decisions overnight. That’s why we’re urging military organisations and governments to start small, take the steps you’re comfortable with and adopt technologies in a modular way. We’re certain that in a very short time frame, you’ll see the difference and soon be on the fast track for innovation in defence. For more information on how VMware can support your next innovation project, or for more information on how the latest technologies and tools are being applied in a military environment, please contact me at mcrowley@vmware.com

Defence information challenges Of course, successfully achieving superiority based on something so vast and complex is not without challenges. Lieutenant General Pierre Gillet, Commander of Rapid Reaction Corps France (RRC-FRA) cites the five Vs as the key areas armed forces must contend with, as covered in Vauban Paper number one. The first of which is ‘volume’. Namely the sheer amount of information being exchanged and the capacity to handle it. This is followed by ‘velocity’, which is concerned with the speed of processing information from back to front. The third is ‘variety’ and the diversity of information. This is followed by ‘veracity’, which is the accuracy of data, the ability to trust it and its time value. The final V stands for ‘value’ – the relevance of data. This is an ever-evolving set of parameters that change anywhere from campaign to campaign to hour to hour within operations. Being aware of each and having the systems in place to maximise impact and mitigate issues is something armed forces are constantly grappling with. Change is needed We’re seeing this today with NATO, which operates as a singular command system but one that must also federate individual member countries and other contributing forces. In essence, it is required to play two mutually exclusive roles, simultaneously. As a coalition it must integrate multiple forces but ensure national separation. It means that operations are carried out under a framework with one nation leading an operation and other coalition members connecting to the lead nation’s system. But this does not – and will not – suitably address the very real challenges outlined by Lieutenant General Pierre Gillet. Change is needed but, if Europe doesn’t move quickly enough into modernizing, it may face the likelihood of having to employ different systems, from the US, for example. This will create even more issues regarding sovereignty, security, and information ownership. Speed up modernization and improve cost effectiveness

Communication and information sharing within the armed forces is a hugely complex business. One that does not remain static and has the added requirement of needing to constantly remain ahead of any adversary. It is a major challenge for NATO and other coalitions around the world. But there is a solution. A change of model is required. One that encourages innovative projects in each of the national MODs that can be kept private and sovereign, but that also allows for the sharing of tools, ideas, resources and intelligence where privacy and secrecy is not paramount. New technologies – particularly multi-cloud – can enable this. Being able to safely share knowledge is the route to speeding up modernization and improving cost effectiveness – NATO would be an excellent vehicle for delivery to realise this vision. For more information on how VMware can support your next innovation project, or for more information on how the latest technologies and tools are being applied in a military environment, please contact me at mcrowley@vmware.com

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Creating future technology today

VMware is an industry leader in supporting users with modern applications, from secure hybrid working to servers primed for the battlefield – and much in-between

Joe Baguley

VP & Chief Technology Officer EMEA, VMware

How can VMware MultiCloud services enhance an organization’s capabilities?

Large organizations must adopt multiple clouds to select the right cloud for the right workloads and build new apps anywhere – fast. And, without doubt, they will need a different modus operandi for each cloud environment and that is not easy. In short, they need an operating model that allows them to operate across, and take advantage of, each of the various clouds without compromising security or developing silos of operations or competency.

VMware’s Multi-Cloud platform for all apps can make this journey less onerous and complex, thereby enabling the user to take advantage of one consistent technology platform in whichever cloud they are using as quickly and easily as possible with minimum risk and without disruption.

How secure is hybrid working?

Hybrid working can be far more secure than a lot of people realise. Most of the thinking about why hybrid can’t be secure is based on an outdated understanding of what security is, especially with regards to mobile working.

At VMware, we are constantly evolving some fantastic tools and technologies to make what we call ‘anywhere working’ safer by the day. For example, the traditional thinking about laptops is to restrict admin rights from the user to safeguard against unwanted intrusions and activity. However, that is a very outdated concept. VMware technology, tools and techniques have moved on so much now that users can have admin rights on their machines, and yet those machines will be even more secure, better controlled, better tracked and better managed than a laptop where the user doesn’t have admin rights.

What new technologies is VMware integrating into its offering?

At VMware, we are leading in the development and introduction of new technologies specifically to support users in the highly distributed nature of modern applications. We are committed to providing a secure, managed infrastructure all the way from the device in a person’s hand to the data centre and back. Two things spring to mind: our SD-WAN (software-defined wide area network) technology and our SASE (secure access service edge) platform that was built on its success.

In terms of military applications, it is worth mentioning the XR4000 server that our partner Dell has developed. This complements our technology and is ideal for remote C2 centres. It enables the same operational model, security and platform at the very edge – even on the battlefield – as at the data centre. With this combination, everything is greatly simplified because it is the same.

How does VMware address emerging and disruptive technology trends?

We don’t address emerging and disruptive technologies, we create them. As I mentioned already, we are leading on SASE and SD-WAN, but perhaps more importantly, we are one of the leading providers around telco platforms. This is significant because as telcos evolve from 2G to 5G, each iteration becomes more software defined and cloudy. At the moment, there is a clear separation in the market and in operational models between the network and the cloud, but 6G will introduce a generation of technologies where this distinction will disappear. The network, the cloud and compute will merge into one. So the next big trend for us is this perfect storm of networks, cloud computing and the Edge all coming together. We are ideally positioned for that.

As you would expect, we are also thinking about the impact of quantum computing on cryptography. To buck this trend, we are making sure that where cryptography is in our products we are making it as easy as possible to swap the entire cryptography stack out and replace it with another. In other words, the ability to quantumproof your capability deployment.