STRIKFORNATO and MARCOM host 5th Annual Ballistic Missile Defence Table Top Exercise

OEIRAS, Portugal – Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) and Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) co-hosted the 5th annual NATO Maritime Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) Table Top Exercise at STRIKFORNATO headquarters this week with participants from NATO commands and nations. This event, with support from U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, brought together NATO Senior Military Leaders, BMD experts from NATO, and other national leaders with interest in BMD, especially in the maritime area.

This table top exercise was a scenario-based exercise with the objective of building a common understanding of NATO maritime BMD operations. This year, the exercise added a scenario showing how NATO will advance BMD in the coming years, as the United States executes phase three of the European Phase Adaptive Approach. By 2021, the United States will deploy new weapon systems and ships while upgrading communication networks to increase the lethality and capability of the NATO BMD forces. This exercise was critical in building understanding of how to effectively employ these new systems in support of the Alliance.

STRIKFORNATO plays an important role in this integration of efforts, as the headquarters is responsible for the command and control of the maritime portion of NATO BMD capability. This is one of the three roles the maritime-led command has within NATO, in order to deliver assurance, deterrence, and collective defence for the Alliance.