When we look at the security issues of the Baltic Region it is easy to forget that new force structures are being created that can have an important impact. One such force structure is the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) that was created in December 2012. The JEF is initially a British led expeditionary force centred on maritime capabilities. In September 2014 the first letters of intent were signed between Britain and likeminded partners. These partners are the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Just how important is the role of the JEF for Baltic security?
What is the JEF?
The Joint Expeditionary Force is Britain’s answer on how to maintain the abilities to project maritime power on land and intervene in conflicts. The decreases in defence spending in Western Europe translate themselves also to the maritime capabilities. Britain found it more and more difficult to intervene abroad on a large scale and was looking for likeminded partners to create a joint force that would be capable to deploy and translate maritime power into power on land.
The JEF is mainly a maritime creation between the UK, the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark. These countries are pooling their naval resources together to create a expeditionary task force that can perform its tasks through the entire spectrum of naval warfare and intervene were needed as long as it can be done overseas. The coalition of JEF partners however got expanded when the three Baltic States saw the potential of this task force for their own security.
The JEF and the Baltic States
The Baltic States are geographically positioned between several larger powers and depending the balance between these powers the Baltic States face threats from all sides. It is easy to see the Baltic States as independent nations but most of their history was under the occupation of a foreign power, the Soviet Union being the later.
The biggest threat to the independence of the Baltic States in today’s world is Russia. Russia’s actions in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea have shown that Russia is willing to use military might in order to create a buffer between itself and NATO. The Baltic States still form an area where the buffer is not in place so the possibility of Russia intervening is high.
In case of a Russian intervention in the Baltic States there is little positive news for the Baltic States. Estimates are that Russia can overrun the Baltic States in two days. Any move to liberate the Baltic States will see NATO making a countermove through the Suwlaki Gap and having to deal with Kaliningrad.
The JEF offers the possibilities to either insert a large force of troops with vehicles and tanks into the Baltic States before the conflict starts or to execute an amphibious assault in the Russian rear in order to draw Russian troops away and retake the Baltic States. If we take the amphibious capacity of the JEF in account we can calculate that the JEF can bring in 3.200 troops, 430 vehicles, 65 battle tanks and 38 helicopters. These numbers are calculated from the basic load-out of all amphibious warships in the JEF but can change as amphibious warships with their large hangars allow different load-outs depending on the situation the troops will encounter.
Aside from an amphibious capacity the JEF can also bring in several other naval platforms to execute missions in the whole spectrum of naval warfare. These capabilities will be needed in order to confront and beat back the Russian Baltic Fleet that will most likely secure sea control in the Baltic Sea in the first hours of a Russian attack.
The JEF is also created by countries surrounding the North Sea, making it the closest available force that can be called upon to intervene in the maritime domain. Follow-up assets will have to be drawn from the French and Spanish navies while the US Navy will have to transit the Atlantic Ocean before reaching Europe.
The JEF is expected to be ready for deployment by 2018 and while it is in the first case an UK led force to aid the UK in interventions around the world it is also a force that can be called upon by NATO while at the same time a framework for EU countries to keep integrating their military capabilities in order to increase their effectiveness in joint operations.
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