In 2014, at the NATO Wales Summit, the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF)- a UK-led, 10-member defence framework focused on northern Europe - signed its founding Letter of Intent to develop a rapidly deployable force to operate across the full spectrum of operations.
During its first decade, the JEF has made an important contribution to European security – for example, it was able to quickly respond to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and incursion into the Donbas, and Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
As a result of these successes, in 2023 the JEF agreed a 10-year vision, and with it an ambition to be a key framework within the future European security architecture.
However, its second decade will be more challenging; European security has deteriorated since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the reliability of the US security commitment to Europe under the second presidency of Donald Trump is of concern.
Within this geopolitical context, the JEF finds itself at an inflection point. While it can celebrate successes over its first decade, it remains untested, both politically and operationally.Without increased attention and resources, the JEF risks being unable to deliver on its self-imposed mandate.
With this in mind, our new paper provides several recommendations for the UK to strengthen the JEF to increase its value to NATO and best contribute to European security. Head over to our website to learn more.
Comments