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Joint Expeditionary Force

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Combined Joint Expeditionary Force.

Joint Expeditionary Force
Royal NavyRoyal Marines
British ArmyRoyal Air Force
The JEF consists of personnel and equipment from all branches of the armed forces
Active2014–present
Countries
TypeExpeditionary force
RoleMilitary operations
Size10,000 personnel[1]
HeadquartersStanding Joint Force Headquarters, Northwood HQ
UK Components Royal Navy
 Royal Marines
 British Army
 Royal Air Force
Insignia
Emblem
Map of the JEF member states

The Joint Expeditionary Force (abbr. JEF) is a United Kingdom-led Northern European multi-national military partnership designed for rapid response and expeditionary operations. It consists of the United Kingdom, the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden), the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), and the Netherlands.[2] The UK is the lead nation of the partnership, and operational command is led by the Standing Joint Force Headquarters based at Northwood Headquarters, London.[3]

The JEF was established in 2014, and it has been fully operational since June 2018.[2][1] It is not part of NATO, but all of its members are also NATO member states.[2] It can act independently in its own right, but it can also be deployed in support of NATO or other cooperative ventures, for example as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force.[4][5]

History

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Formation (2012–2018)

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The then–Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, announced the JEF in 2012.[6] It was initially conceived as a UK-only formation, a successor to the Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF), which was established in 1999 but was disbanded due to insufficient resources as a result of the UK's focus on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.[7]

On 5 September 2014, the multinational JEF was officially launched with a letter of intent, signed by Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Norway, with the intent to be fully operational by 2018.[8] It was launched as a NATO initiative at the September 2014 Wales Summit, subsumed under the new "Framework Nations Concept" rubric. Under the rubric, Germany, the UK and Italy were to act as 'framework nations' for groups of NATO allies working together for the joint development of forces and capabilities required by NATO.[9] The UK element of the JEF consists of personnel and equipment from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force. It was designed to provide greater levels of integration than previously achieved, especially when combined with other countries' armed forces.[6]

Sweden, which was not a NATO member state until 2023, did not sign the initial letter of intent. In early October 2015 Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist explained that, although he did not rule out Sweden joining the JEF, no formal process exists that would allow them to join JEF. He was summoned by the Riksdag, the Swedish parliament, to confirm whether the Swedish government was engaged in formal talks to join the JEF without the knowledge of the parliament.[10]

On 30 November 2015, seven countries (UK, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, and Norway) signed the contract to establish the JEF at Lancaster House in London.[11]

On 22 June 2017 the Swedish government confirmed that Sweden would join the JEF. On 30 June 2017, Finland also joined the JEF.[12]

On 28 June 2018, a comprehensive memorandum of understanding was signed amongst nine partner countries. On that date, capability existed to deploy over 10,000 personnel.[1][13]

Activities (2019–present)

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On 20 April 2021, Ben Wallace, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, and Sturla Sigurjónsson, the Icelandic Ambassador to the United Kingdom, signed a 'Note of Joining', leading Iceland to become the 10th member of the JEF.[14]

In February 2022, the foreign ministers of the 10 JEF countries announced military drills (ground, air and navy) in northern Europe.[15]

In March 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed a meeting of the heads of government of the JEF, where he said "everything will be directed against Europe if Ukraine does not survive. Therefore, I ask you: help yourself by helping us."[4]

On 28 November 2023, it was announced that the UK's contribution to the JEF, the Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime), would deploy to patrol the Baltic Sea. Sweden announced that it would participate with two Visby-class corvettes.[16]

Requirements

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The aim of the JEF is to create a UK military framework for partners to join. It is developed around the UK's existing high readiness capabilities. At the signing of the JEF agreement, the UK Government stated its intention to fully integrate the JEF partners' contributions before 2018, but that the JEF would be able to deploy immediately if required.[8]

In a 2012 speech, then–Chief of Defence Staff David Richards stated that the JEF is designed to:

  1. act jointly and with allies, but able to act alone
  2. be well equipped, but not tied to platforms
  3. adapt as the environment changes[6]

Capabilities

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The JEF is intended as a pool of high readiness, adaptable forces that is designed to enhance the UK's ability to respond rapidly, anywhere in the world, with like-minded allies, or on behalf of international organisations such as the UN or NATO. The UK's contribution will include the lead commando, airborne, armoured, aviation, air and maritime task groups.

Speaking before the Royal United Services Institute in 2012, CDS General Sir David Richards outlined the specific applications that the capabilities of the Joint Expeditionary Force will allow.[6]

With the capability to 'punch' hard and not be a logistical or tactical drag on a coalition, we will be especially welcomed by our friends and feared by our enemies[...] JEF will be capable of projecting power with global effect and influence. Nowhere is more important to us than our friends in the Middle East and Gulf and in line with clear political intent we would expect, with other initiatives, for JEF elements to spend more time reassuring and deterring in that region.

— Sir David Richards, Defence Chief of Staff, (2012)

International partners

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Together with the British Armed Forces, the following ten states may form part of the JEF as required.[8]

Summits

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JEF Summits
# Year Dates Country City Leaders Ref. Image
1 2022 25 February United Kingdom Virtual meeting
(Video conference)
10
 [17]
2 14–15 March London
10
 [18]
3 19 December Latvia Riga
10
 [19]
4 2023 12–13 October Sweden Visby
10
 [20]
5 2024 16–17 December Estonia Tallinn
10
 [21]
6 2025 8–9 May Norway Oslo
10
 [22][23]
7 2026 Q1 Finland TBD
10
 [24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Over 10,000 troops from nine nations ready to meet global challenges". gov.uk. London. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Knighton, Rosie (6 August 2024). "What is the Joint Expeditionary Force?". House of Commons Library. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  3. ^ "A decade done: What next for the Joint Expeditionary Force?". The Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b Monaghan, Sean; Arnold, Ed (27 June 2022). "Indispensable: NATO's Framework Nations Concept beyond Madrid".
  5. ^ Zandee, Dick; Stoetman, Adája (July 2022). Specialising in European defence: To choose or not to choose? (PDF) (Report). Clingendael. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d Speech Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir David Richards Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), 17 December 2012
  7. ^ Saxi, Håkon Lunde (23 May 2018). "The UK Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF)" (PDF). brage.bibsys. Norway. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "International partners sign Joint Expeditionary Force agreement". GOV.UK. 5 September 2014.
  9. ^ Glatz, Rainer L; Zapfe, Martin (1 April 2019). "NATO´s Framework Nations Concept". ETHzurich. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020.
  10. ^ O'Dwyer, Gerard (4 October 2015). "Sweden Considers Joining UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force". DefenseNews. Helsinki: Tenga. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
  11. ^ "UK-led joint force launched to tackle common threats". GOV.UK. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  12. ^ "Finland to participate in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) led by Great Britain - Finnish Government".
  13. ^ Zandee, Dick; Kruijver, Kimberley (December 2019). Another solution with added value?: The European Intervention Initiative as a new kid on the block of multinational defence cooperation (PDF) (Report). Policy Brief. Clingendael. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Iceland becomes 10th nation to join UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force". Army Recognition. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Desmit valstu Apvienotie reaģēšanas spēki plāno militārus vingrinājumus Ziemeļeiropā". www.lsm.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  16. ^ Granlund, John (28 November 2023). "Beslutet: JEF ska patrullera Östersjön med 20-tal fartyg". SVT Nyheter – via www.svt.se.
  17. ^ "PM call with JEF leaders: 25 February 2022". GOV.UK. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  18. ^ "President Niinistö attended JEF Leaders' Summit in London and met Prime Minister Johnson". Office of the President of the Republic of Finland. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  19. ^ Cabinet of Ministers Republic of Latvia (18 December 2022). "Rīga to host the summit of heads of state and government of Joint Expeditionary Force". Cabinet of Ministers Republic of Latvia. Archived from the original on 9 May 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  20. ^ "JEF Visby". Government Offices of Sweden. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  21. ^ "Joint Expeditionary Force Leaders' Summit in Tallinn". Republic of Estonia Government. Archived from the original on 17 March 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  22. ^ Government.no (4 May 2025). "Joint Expeditionary Force in Oslo". Government.no. Archived from the original on 8 May 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  23. ^ Minister, Office of the Prime (9 May 2025). "JEF nations to enhance cooperation with Ukraine". Government.no.
  24. ^ Downie, Graeme; Carns, Al (8 December 2025). "Russia: Arctic". UK Parliament. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
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