OEIRAS, Portugal -- 01 July 2011 -- JFC Lisbon served as standby period Headquarters for the NRF rotations in 2005-06. (NRF 5 and 6) and 2008-10 for (NRF 11, 12, 13 and 14). JFC Lisbon continues his expertise in NRF with NRF 17 in the second half of 2011 starting from 01 July 2011.
The NRF is a ready, agile and flexible force crucial to the success of our Alliance in the coming years. As a key element of our NATO military culture, the NRF enables the Alliance to better meet threats to security and stability in the 21st century.
Its characteristics
High readiness, deployability, sustainability and jointness, i.e., composed of land, maritime and air elements, are the main characteristics of this force created to conduct operations when and where necessary, as decided by the North Atlantic Council.
Its missions
The NRF’s main missions are those requiring the ability to react with the most capable forces in a very short time. The missions of the NRF will mirror primarily the requirements of rapid response in the initial phase of a crisis situation deployed as a stand-alone force for crisis response.
Its activation
When the decision to deploy is taken, member nations must transfer the authority for their committed forces to SACEUR, in order for the NRF to start its deployment within five days. Its components are to be tailored for the required mission and be capable of sustaining themselves without external support for one month.
The NRF, a catalyst for improvements
From its initial steps, the NRF has been acting as the engine for transforming NATO into a much stronger and more effective military organization. The NRF, as a key element of NATO’s military culture, will enable the Alliance to meet the threats to security and stability in the world.