The Nordstream affair was a naval military operation
conducted by one large NATO state.
The Nordstream affair management at the NATO level
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF)
is a United Kingdom-led
Northern European multi-national military partnership
designed for rapid response and expeditionary operations.
The JEF is a UK led mainly naval group.
Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) was
established by the UK and consists of 10 North-European countries, including Norway.
Together with the British Armed Forces, the following nine nations may form part of the JEF as required.
Denmark – Danish Defence
Estonia – Estonian Defence Forces
Finland – Finnish Defence Forces
Iceland – Icelandic Armed Forces
Latvia – Latvian National Armed Forces
Lithuania – Lithuanian Armed Forces
Netherlands – Armed forces of the Netherlands
Norway – Norwegian Armed Forces
Sweden – Swedish Armed Forces
The official purpose of the force is to be able to react quickly with joint efforts under British leadership, to improve NATO’s reaction time and to deter Russia.
The JEF is intended as a pool of high readiness, adaptable forces that is designed to enhance the UK's ability to respond rapidly, anywhere in the world, with like-minded allies, or on behalf of international organizations such as the UN or NATO. The UK's contribution will include the lead commando, airborne, armored, aviation, air and maritime task groups.
JEF includes the non-NATO-members Finland and Sweden, even though it is under British leadership and has as its purpose to support NATO.
Note that this excludes largest European countries Germany and France.
[MRT: France, Netherland and Germany are shareholders of Nordstream]
JEF is described as flexible and NATO-compatible, and is in practice an extension of the British military apparatus.
A Concept of NATO-led Groups
After the UK’s exit from the EU, it has become more clear that they have other and often conflicting interests with Germany.
JEF is thus a force that is not under the command of an EU country, and the non-EU-members Norway and Iceland also participate.
[MRT: This group also excludes USA.]
Thus, a number of EU countries are incorporated in a strength under British command. Additionally, it includes Sweden and Finland, which are not NATO members, under NATO-member UK’s leadership.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Members declared that jef, through exercises and “forward defence”, would seek to deter further Russian aggression—including provocations outside Ukraine that might stymie nato or fall under its threshold.
JEF being able to take collective action below the traditional threshold of conflict, if necessary, before NATO declares Article V, in a complementary capacity to NATO.
RELATED 2022 NEWS ... JEF after the Nordstream attack:27 Sept 2022 - The UK and Estonia have been conducting maritime operations in the Baltic Sea.
Interoperability is a key component of #JEFtogether, ten nations working across a range of different roles for the benefit of all.
30 Sept 2022 - JEF: Commander of the Naval Forces and Admiral Benelux - René Tas - Visited Joint Force Command Norfolk @JFCnorfolk this week. Sharing thoughts with NATO-Allies and Partners about current and future maritime warfare. Insightful discussions about world events, the shifting landscape and implications for @NATO #Strongertogether
[MRT: I read that it is how NATO will work together after one member attacked Russia and how to react would a retaliation arrive.]
3 Oct 2022 - UK: The Royal Navy's HMS Somerset (F82):
A Royal Navy frigate is being sent on a power line protection mission. " A Royal Navy frigate is working with the Norwegian Navy to reassure workers near natural gas pipelines in the North Sea," the UK Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Monday, October 3.
[MRT: I read that UK is scared of RU retaliatory attacks. For Norway they protect their main customer and long term delivery levels. Note that NOR PM assured DK that there was no other threat to them shortly after Nordstream was attacked. This hypothesis shows that NOR had an intel it shared with the USA - post here]
The frigate sent by the UK is also expected to join the JEF (NATO's Joint Expeditionary Force) task force, consisting of the UK, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, to protect the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines between Germany and Russia.
[MRT: Mopping some evidence? Preventing Russia its right to secure the crime scene?]
3 Oct 2022 - UK/JEF: After deliberate damage was caused to the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea,
@BWallaceMP today spoke to counterparts from Joint Expeditionary Force partners.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace added:
"In this period of heightened concern for all like-minded partner nations, it is right that we act with speed, agility and collective resolve to actively demonstrate our shared commitment to mutual security."
[MRT: For the UK Russian hydrocarbon exports brings energy insecurity - here, here and here plus the root case here.]
The group condemned the blatant attacks against civilian infrastructure.
[MRT: NOTE that the group was not able to jointly declare that that the case was a sabotage or a terrorist act (!).]
The JEF is a group of like-minded nations – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom. The nations share the same purpose, values and a common focus on security and stability in the JEF core regions of the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea region
The defence ministers from the countries within the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) defence cooperation met virtually on 3 October 2022, and gave the following statement:
3 Oct 2022 - JEF: Joint statement by Ministers of the Joint Expeditionary Force
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met virtually with ministers from Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) partner nations to discuss attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
The JEF condemns in the strongest terms the reckless sabotage in the Baltic Sea. It is discussing security responses, including increased maritime presence and Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance activities. It will seek to deter further such acts, reassure allies and demonstrate collective commitment to the security and stability of the region. Ministers discussed increasing shared intelligence assessments to ensure common situational awareness, as well as cooperation to secure critical infrastructure. The JEF will ensure complementarity, alignment and transparency with NATO as well as the investigation led by Danish, Swedish and German authorities.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace added:
In this period of heightened concern for all like-minded partner nations, it is right that we act with speed, agility and collective resolve to actively demonstrate our shared commitment to mutual security.
7 Oct 2022 - UK/SWE:
Brittiska Ambassaden Stockholm, @UKinSweden:
Teddy Larsson, regiment commander at Norrland's dragoon regiment, Stephan Sjöberg, head of the army's planning section and our defense attaché Martin Moore visited one of the exercises.
We were glad to welcome #JEF Defence Secretaries and Viceministers in Mālpils to discuss critical infrastructure security and other regional security issues.
17 Oct 2022 - UK/SWE:
UK and Swedish Air Forces conduct live air attack exercise Baltic Striker The exercise was conducted as part of an effort to continue enhancing the JEF interoperability.
24 - 25 Oct 2022 - JEF: ‘Global Britain’ and security in the near abroad Leadership through flexilateralism?
...While there has been an increased focus and optimism within the defence ministries of the JEF states as to JEF’s potential contribution to European security, it is interesting to note that following the 2022 sabotage actions against the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea, the opportunity to coordinate and act within a JEF frame was not taken.
[MRT: Perhaps because one of the members (UK) did it and that stunned everybody?]
One of the perceived benefits of JEF is that it is envisioned to be used in support to NATO in operations that fall below the Article 5 threshold.
[MRT: Note that the group was not possible to agree how to define the event and Russia was later excluded from suspects]
However, whereas the investigation of the explosions and patrolling the area could have been a low-hanging fruit for a JEF operation, the JEF states decided instead to act within a NATO framework, possibly to not exclude Germany from the process of dealing with the situation...
[MRT: The UK is a leader so other members were GAINST the UK´s leadership in this case. Why is self-evident.]
In addition to the above, the UK has also intensified its bi- and minilateral collaboration with Nordic and Baltic states in recent years – including bilaterally with Finland and Sweden following their decision to apply for NATO membership.
[MRT: There is nothing wrong with this. interesting is the amount of UK´s diplomatic missions with these nations shortly before and after the event.]
All these initiatives could be seen to play into the UK’s attempt to define itself as an actor in the Northern region and to maintain its status as a European great power and key player in the region.
In addition to the above, the UK has also intensified its bi- and minilateral collaboration with Nordic and Baltic states in recent years – including bilaterally with Finland and Sweden following their decision to apply for NATO membership. All these initiatives could be seen to play into the UK’s attempt to define itself as an actor in the Northern region and to maintain its status as a European great power and key player in the region.
27 Oct 2022 - JEF:
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) remains committed to Euro-Atlantic Security.
[MRT: Looks like the decision has been made not to dismantle the JEF.]
2 Nov 2022 - NED/UK/JEF: Netherlands Defence Attaché United Kingdom, @GHNijenhuis:
Today the JEF ministers discussed further cooperation and support of nations to Ukraine. @DefensieMin, @BWallaceMP, @Defensie, @DefenceHQ, @SJFHQ_UK, @NLinUK
10 Nov 2022 - UK/JEF: UK convenes Joint Expeditionary Force ministers in Edinburgh
10 Nov 2022 - JEF: The JEF Defence Ministers met in Edinburgh to discuss future cooperation.
JEF meetings develop both our shared understanding of events and agility to react to them, providing a valuable contribution to regional and wider European security.
The Prime Minister addressed the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Leaders' Meeting in Riga, Latvia.
We have reviewed the progress we have made in the development of the JEF as an agile, capable, and ready force, and today agreed to undertake a series of integrated military activities across our part of northern Europe – at sea, on land and in the air.
For example, we will shortly conduct an exercise demonstrating JEF nations’ freedom of movement in the Baltic Sea.
19 Dec 2022 - JEF: Joint Expeditionary Force leaders' statement
We, the Leaders of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden met today as members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a framework of nations established under NATO auspices in 2014.
We considered a range of security challenges affecting our region, including increased Russian military activity in the High North, North Atlantic and Baltic Sea region, and growing hybrid threats.
[MRT: The Nordstream attack aftershock and unsolved legal issues of it is quite security challenge. Better to deal with it jointly and lock the Broken Pipeline skeleton in a closet.]
We reaffirmed the role of the JEF, working in full complementarity with NATO, in addressing these tensions and upholding defence, security and stability in northern Europe.
[MRT: No more rogue solo actions allowed.]
...Intentional attacks against the civilian population and civilian objects constitute war crimes...
[MRT: Well, this statement will have certainly a legal status later.]
This year we strengthened our ability to operate together in a crisis, increasing our exercises in response to the challenges confronting us.
[MRT: JEF members opted out and operated through NATO coordination. Nordstream affair is a long term crisis and it will be difficult to solve it.]
Today we agreed to accelerate cooperation in tackling hybrid threats, with a focus on deterring and defending against threats to our shared subsea data and energy infrastructure.
[MRT: Russia has the right to retaliate against destruction of its fully Gazprom owned Nord Stream 2 AG pipelies.]
Old (but still very relevant) post about the JEF and MARCOM
043 - The role of JEF & NATO MARCOM AND PJHQ in Nordstream Affair
most of the research about UK´s role, motives has been conducted in 2023
The summary is here:
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