Support to Exercises and Operations
WE SUPPORT EXERCISES
JALLC support to exercises is multi-faceted and underpins all aspects of the JALLC Mission. The JALLC’s exercise support team, as well as military and civilian analysts, participate in all stages of the NATO Exercise Process, from Exercise Specification and Development, through Planning and Product Development, Operational Conduct to Analysis and Reporting. Exercises, especially Phases IIA/IIB (Crisis Response Planning) and Phase IIIB (Execution), are excellent venues to collect observations and to complete surveys, questionnaires, and interviews to collect the maximum amount of data possible in order to conduct analysis of a particular topic or subject area. The JALLC particularly focuses on identifying strategic level lessons, conducting Short Term Analysis in support to exercises, rather than direct support to exercise Officers of Primary Responsibility.
The JALLC aims to support five major NATO Exercises per year. Given the overall length of the whole process for one exercise (18 to 24 months), the JALLC’s exercise support staff officers simultaneously supports up to 10 exercises. The JALLC’s team also provide mentoring support, training and advice on the NATO Lessons Learned Process during all stages of the NATO Exercise Process to NATO Lessons Learned staff employed in the exercises. This frequently requires the JALLC’s team to participate in Exercise Planning Groups and Exercise Planning Conferences. The JALLC’s team contributes to the revision of key exercise documentation and delivers training at targeted exercise training events for Primary and Secondary Training Audiences such as Academics, Key Leader Training and Battle Staff Training. The JALLC’s team also works with Senior Mentors of major exercises, collecting and analysing observations in order to extract strategic level lessons, which need to be implemented and operationalized for future operations and exercises.
Examples of JALLC participation in recent exercises include:
- The deployment of a dedicated team to the Crisis Management Exercise (CMX19) held at NATO HQ Brussels where JALLC supported NATO HQ Staff by:
- Providing an ad hoc observation collection and management tool for the exercise;
- Providing the associated training to NATO HQ’s designated Lessons Learned Points of Contact;
- Supporting NATO HQ International Staff Operations division in collecting and analysing observations for further exploitation; and
- Providing further technical and analysis support in order to help NATO HQ Staff in building their Lessons Identified list.
- Since 2019, the JALLC has supported SHAPE by working with the Senior Mentors assigned to the annual Exercise STEADFAST BONUS to identify and extract strategic level lessons or lessons of strategic relevance.
- JALLC has also supported the CAPABLE LOGISTICIAN exercises since 2013, and the STEADFAST JUPITER series of exercises.
WE SUPPORT OPERATIONS
The JALLC provides support to operations by facilitating Lessons Learned Training, NLLP Active Content Management, and conducting JALLC Analysis. This support is tasked as required and includes support to operations in the form of support to Operational Planning, Key Leader Training and Subject Matter Expert Support for planning conferences.
The JALLC stands ready to support any NATO Operations all over the world as it has done in the past including for International Support Assistance Force (ISAF) and Resolute Support Mission (RSM). Dedicated analysis and Lessons Learned teams travel the NATO globe, committed to helping the Alliance and its people learn from experience and ensuring that NATO maintains its advantage as a forward leaning organization in today’s global security threat environment.