Allied Forces Central Europe
Encyclopedia
Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC-B) is the NATO military command based in Brunssum
, Netherlands
. JFC-B reports to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
(SHAPE) based at Casteau
, Belgium
. It is one of three operational level commands in the NATO command structure, the others being Joint Force Command Naples
, Italy
and Joint Command Lisbon
, Portugal
. JFC-B also serves as the NATO higher headquarters for the International Security Assistance Force
in Afghanistan
.
, France
.
One of the command's exercises in the 1950s was Operation Counter Punch. Counter Punch was a September 1957 AFCENT air-ground military exercise that also tested NATO's integrated air-defense system in its central European front. The exercise involved the national air-defense systems of Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, with Général d'Armée
Jean-Étienne Valluy
, French Army
, NATO's Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Central Europe
(CINCENT), in overall command. Operation Counter Punch revealed deficiencies in the Integrated NATO Air Defense System
as well as air force responsiveness to theoretical Soviet and Warsaw Pact ground advances.
AFCENT remained in France under French command until 1967, when France removed itself from the military command structure. The headquarters was moved to Brunssum in 1967 and activated under German command. In 2001 a British General was appointed as commander, setting up the rotation between Germany and the UK that is currently in use.
In 2000, the deactivation of Headquarters, Allied Forces Northern Europe
(AFNORTH) in Kolsås
, Norway
led to the redesignation of AFCENT as Regional Headquarters, Allied Forces Northern Europe (RHQ AFNORTH). The headquarters operated as RHQ AFNORTH until 2004, when it was renamed Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC-B) to add flexibility to the military command structure by removing regional restrictions.
Hendrik Camp also boasts an all ranks club called Club 13, a small tax-free department store called the B&S Store, a film theatre, and a gymnasium. Additional services are provided by the AAFES on US Army
Garrison Schinnen.
, Germany
. SWHQ Castlegate is operated in caretaker status by a German military
contingent.
, AFCENT was the higher headquarters for the Northern Army Group
(NORTHAG), the Central Army Group (CENTAG) (with III Corps
, V Corps, VII Corps and II Corps from north to south) and Allied Air Forces Central Europe
(AAFCE). The commanders of these units, called Principal Subordinate Commanders (PSC), had only limited peacetime authority. For example, the British Army of the Rhine
(BAOR) was assigned to NORTHAG, but the PSC has little or no say in areas such as training, doctrine, logistics, and rules of engagement (ROE).
The U.S. III Corps was allocated as the AFCENT reserve. On activation, it would have deployed to Europe from bases in the United States. A forward element, 3rd Brigade, US 2nd Armored Division, was located at Garlstedt, Germany. US III Corps also maintained a forward headquarters at Tapijn Kazerne, Maastricht
, Netherlands.
Today the three subordinate commands of JFC-B are Allied Force Command Heidelberg
, the land component command, Allied Maritime Component Command Headquarters Northwood, at Northwood
, and Allied Air Component Command, Ramstein
, at Ramstein Air Base
in Germany.
Because of the NATO relationship with France, they install permanently a liaison-officer, who communicate on high level with the several commanders in charge. Different then by the commanders of AFCENT, always a General from the UK or Germany,the liaison-officer is always a high-ranking officer with the grade of Major or Colonel, and is mostly in a rotation of 4 years between the SAS-countries, The Netherlands and Belgium. By example, between 1978 and 1986, Air Force Major Paul De Wever, a Belgian high-ranking Officer, was in this function installed.
. The current commander is German General Wolf-Dieter Langheld.
{ class="wikitable"
Name
From
To
Title of Command
Wolf-Dieter Langheld (GER)
29 September 2010
---
Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum
Egon Ramms
(GER)
26 January 2007
29 September 2010
Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum
Gerhard W. Back (GER)
January 2004
26 January 2007
until July 1, 2004 Commander in Chief Allied Forces North Europe; aftermath Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum
Sir Jack Deverell
(GB)
March 2001
January 2004
Commander in Chief Allied Forces North Europe
Joachim Spiering (GER)
30 March 1998
March 2001
until March 3, 2000 Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe; aftermath Commander in Chief Allied Forces North Europe
Dieter Stöckmann
(GER)
March1996
30 March 1998
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Helge Hansen (GER)
1 April 1994
March 1996
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Henning von Ondarza (GER)
27 September 1991
23 March 1994
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Hans-Henning von Sandrart (GER)
1 October 1987
27 September 1991
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Leopold Chalupa (GER)
28 September 1983
1 October 1987
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Ferdinand von Senger und Etterlin (GER)
1 October 1979
28 September 1983
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Franz-Joseph Schulze (GER)
7 January 1977
30 September 1979
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Karl Schnell (GER)
1 October 1975
7 January 1977
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Ernst Ferber (GER)
1 October 1973
30 September 1975
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Jürgen Bennecke (GER)
1 July 1968
30 September 1973
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Johann Adolf Graf von Kielmansegg (GER)
15 March 1967
1 April 1968
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Jean Albert Emile Crépin (FR)
December 1963
June 1966
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe; from July 1, 1966 France was no longer part of NATO's military command structure
Pierre-Élie Jacquot (FR)
March 1961
December 1963
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Maurice Challe
(FR)
May 1960
February 1961
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Jean-Etienne Valluy
(FR)
October 1956
May 1960
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Alphonse Juin
(FR)
20 August 1953
September 1956
Commander in Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe
Brunssum
Brunssum is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands. Brunssum was formerly a center of coal mining in the Netherlands and there are a few active mines remaining in the area...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. JFC-B reports to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons...
(SHAPE) based at Casteau
Casteau
Casteau is a village of Belgium in the French-speaking region. With the others villages Chaussée-Notre-Dame-Louvignies, Horrues, Naast, Neufvilles, Soignies , and Thieusies, they compose the municipality of Soignies....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. It is one of three operational level commands in the NATO command structure, the others being Joint Force Command Naples
Joint Force Command Naples
Allied Joint Force Command Naples is a NATO military command. It was activated on 15 March 2004, after what was effectively a redesignation of its predecessor command, Allied Forces Southern Europe , originally formed in 1951...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Joint Command Lisbon
Joint Command Lisbon
Allied Joint Force Command Lisbon or JFC Lisbon is one of the three main subdivisions of NATO's Allied Command Operations. It is based in Oeiras, near Lisbon, Portugal...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. JFC-B also serves as the NATO higher headquarters for the International Security Assistance Force
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
History
The NATO command at Brunssum has been renamed twice due to reorganization within NATO. Originally it was known as Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT) when it was activated in 1953 in FontainebleauFontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
One of the command's exercises in the 1950s was Operation Counter Punch. Counter Punch was a September 1957 AFCENT air-ground military exercise that also tested NATO's integrated air-defense system in its central European front. The exercise involved the national air-defense systems of Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, with Général d'Armée
Army General (France)
A Général d'Armée is the highest active military rank of the French Army.Officially, Général d'armée is not a rank , but a position and style bestowed on some Généraux de division in charge of important commands, such as chief of staff of the army...
Jean-Étienne Valluy
Jean-Étienne Valluy
Jean Etienne Valluy was a French general .He was born in Rive-de-Gier, Loire, on 15 May 1899 to Claude Valluy and Jeanne, Adrienne Cossanges. In 1917 he entered the military academy of Saint-Cyr...
, French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
, NATO's Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Central Europe
Allied Forces Central Europe
Joint Force Command Brunssum is the NATO military command based in Brunssum, Netherlands. JFC-B reports to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe based at Casteau, Belgium. It is one of three operational level commands in the NATO command structure, the others being Joint Force Command...
(CINCENT), in overall command. Operation Counter Punch revealed deficiencies in the Integrated NATO Air Defense System
Integrated NATO Air Defense System
Integrated NATO Air Defense System or INADS was the NATO response to the Russian development of long range bombers in the 1950s. The need to maintain a credible deterrence when early warning and intercept times were massively reduced led to the development of an improved air defense ...
as well as air force responsiveness to theoretical Soviet and Warsaw Pact ground advances.
AFCENT remained in France under French command until 1967, when France removed itself from the military command structure. The headquarters was moved to Brunssum in 1967 and activated under German command. In 2001 a British General was appointed as commander, setting up the rotation between Germany and the UK that is currently in use.
In 2000, the deactivation of Headquarters, Allied Forces Northern Europe
Allied Forces Northern Europe
Allied Forces Northern Europe was the most northern NATO command located at Kolsås outside Oslo. It was part of Allied Command Europe from around 1952 to 2003...
(AFNORTH) in Kolsås
Kolsås
Kolsås is a wooded mountain ridge in the municipality of Bærum, Norway. Geologically, Kolsås belongs to the Oslo Graben area. Its two peaks consist of hard rhomb porphyric lava covering softer rocks, forming steep cliffs to the east, south and west....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
led to the redesignation of AFCENT as Regional Headquarters, Allied Forces Northern Europe (RHQ AFNORTH). The headquarters operated as RHQ AFNORTH until 2004, when it was renamed Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC-B) to add flexibility to the military command structure by removing regional restrictions.
Hendrik Camp
Hendrick Camp is the headquarters and main base area of JFC Brunssum. Other organizations located on Hendrik Camp are the NATO Communication and Information Systems Services Agency, Sector Brunssum (NCSA-B) and the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Programme Management Agency (NAPMA).Hendrik Camp also boasts an all ranks club called Club 13, a small tax-free department store called the B&S Store, a film theatre, and a gymnasium. Additional services are provided by the AAFES on US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Garrison Schinnen.
Static War Headquarters Castlegate
Static War Headquarters Castlegate is a NATO command and communications bunker located approximately 2 km north-east of the town of LinnichLinnich
Linnich is a town in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the river Rur, approx. 10 km north-west of Jülich.-Economy:Linnich is the home of SIG Combibloc the specialist for aseptic carton packaging....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. SWHQ Castlegate is operated in caretaker status by a German military
Bundeswehr
The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...
contingent.
Subordinate Commands
During the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, AFCENT was the higher headquarters for the Northern Army Group
Northern Army Group
The Northern Army Group was a NATO military formation comprising four Western European Army Corps, during the Cold War as part of NATO's forward defence in the Federal Republic of Germany.- History :...
(NORTHAG), the Central Army Group (CENTAG) (with III Corps
III Corps (Bundeswehr)
III Corps was a corps of the German Army active from 1957 to 1994.The preparation of the staff of the corps took place from 16 March 1957 at Gneisenau-Kaserne, Koblenz; the corps was officially formed on 6th April 1957. Initially, the 2nd Panzergrenadier Division and 5th Armoured Division from the...
, V Corps, VII Corps and II Corps from north to south) and Allied Air Forces Central Europe
Allied Air Forces Central Europe
Allied Air Forces Central Europe was the headquarters for NATO air forces in Central Europe from 1951 to 1967 and from 1974 to 1993.-History:It was first based at Fontainebleau , and originally activated in April 1951...
(AAFCE). The commanders of these units, called Principal Subordinate Commanders (PSC), had only limited peacetime authority. For example, the British Army of the Rhine
British Army of the Rhine
There have been two formations named British Army of the Rhine . Both were originally occupation forces in Germany, one after the First World War, and the other after the Second World War.-1919–1929:...
(BAOR) was assigned to NORTHAG, but the PSC has little or no say in areas such as training, doctrine, logistics, and rules of engagement (ROE).
The U.S. III Corps was allocated as the AFCENT reserve. On activation, it would have deployed to Europe from bases in the United States. A forward element, 3rd Brigade, US 2nd Armored Division, was located at Garlstedt, Germany. US III Corps also maintained a forward headquarters at Tapijn Kazerne, Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
, Netherlands.
Today the three subordinate commands of JFC-B are Allied Force Command Heidelberg
Force Command Heidelberg
Allied Force Command Heidelberg is a unit with the NATO Military Command Structure responsible for providing Deployable Joint Staff Elements in support of NATO operations world-wide. HQ FC HB is garrisoned at Campbell Barracks, Germany and reports to Joint Force Command Brunssum, the Netherlands...
, the land component command, Allied Maritime Component Command Headquarters Northwood, at Northwood
Northwood
Northwood is a suburban area in Greater London, and is part of the London Borough of Hillingdon.The population was recorded as 11,068 in 2008, by the Office for National Statistics.-Toponomy:...
, and Allied Air Component Command, Ramstein
Allied Air Forces Central Europe
Allied Air Forces Central Europe was the headquarters for NATO air forces in Central Europe from 1951 to 1967 and from 1974 to 1993.-History:It was first based at Fontainebleau , and originally activated in April 1951...
, at Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
in Germany.
Because of the NATO relationship with France, they install permanently a liaison-officer, who communicate on high level with the several commanders in charge. Different then by the commanders of AFCENT, always a General from the UK or Germany,the liaison-officer is always a high-ranking officer with the grade of Major or Colonel, and is mostly in a rotation of 4 years between the SAS-countries, The Netherlands and Belgium. By example, between 1978 and 1986, Air Force Major Paul De Wever, a Belgian high-ranking Officer, was in this function installed.
Commanders
The commander of JFC-B is known as Commander, Joint Force Command Brunssum. The position was formerly known as Commander-in-Chief North (CINCNORTH) and Commander-in-Chief Central (CINCCENT). Based on a rotation, JFC-B is commanded alternately by a British or a German GeneralGeneral
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
. The current commander is German General Wolf-Dieter Langheld.
{
Egon Ramms
Egon Ramms is a retired German general who held numerous international commands. Ramms is a father of two.His last assignment was commander of NATO's Joint Force Command in Brunssum, the Netherlands...
(GER)
Jack Deverell
General Sir Jack Deverell KCB OBE was Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe.-Military career:...
(GB)
Dieter Stöckmann
Dieter Stöckmann is a retired German general of the Bundeswehr. He was Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Central Europe from 1996-98.- Biography :Stöckmann was born in Stolp, Pomerania...
(GER)
Maurice Challe
Maurice Challe was a French general during the Algerian War, one of four generals who took part in the Algiers putsch...
(FR)
Jean-Étienne Valluy
Jean Etienne Valluy was a French general .He was born in Rive-de-Gier, Loire, on 15 May 1899 to Claude Valluy and Jeanne, Adrienne Cossanges. In 1917 he entered the military academy of Saint-Cyr...
(FR)
Alphonse Juin
- Early years :Juin was born at Bône in French Algeria, and enlisted in the French Army, graduating from the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr in 1912.- Career :...
(FR)
External links
- Official JFC-B Website
- Allied Land Forces Central Europe
- http://www.1-33rdar.org/centralfront.htm - collection of maps covering AFCENT defence sectors during the Cold War