UK Standing Joint Force Headquarters (SJFHQ), comprised of 400 staff, is currently in the Danish town of Nymundegab to lead the most important JEF exercise, Joint Protector. The participants plan for various operations to meet threats and to exercise cooperation.
“My part in this exercise is to be the senior military representative for Sweden in the forward JEF HQ. Primarily, I’m a part of the force commander’s command team, and I also represent the will and support to JEF on behalf of Sweden and the Swedish Armed Forces”, says Lieutenant Colonel Johan Boyle.
Johan Boyle is in charge of relations and contacts with Sweden and the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters, and also with the political decision-makers in the Swedish Government Offices.
Joint Protector exercises so-called multi-domain scenarios. That means not only military actions to meet complex threats, but also the way civilian and military authorities cooperate and are coordinated in a complex threat situation. The exercise therefore includes experts on law, politics, intelligence service, logistics and air, ground and naval forces that provide realistic input, to really try and develop the JEF staff.
“Hopefully, the exercise will result in us developing our capability to operate in international staffs, and that this joint exercise leads to a better protection of Sweden”, says Lieutenant Colonel Johan Boyle.
The Joint Protector exercise has been planned for a long time. Last year, JEF held a similar exercise in Sweden. The JEF cooperation supports Nato and focuses on the security situation in the Baltic Sea region, the North Atlantic, and the Arctic.
Participating in the 2022 exercise are Denmark, the UK, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands. The exercise takes place between 31 October and 12 November.