Over 50 commanders and senior staff officers took part in NATO’s exercises STEADFAST PYRAMID and STEADFAST PINNACLE 2024, also known as STPYPI24. Participants from close to 20 NATO countries attended the two events in order to share and increase their knowledge of operational planning and ability to lead within the NATO Command Structure and NATO Force Structure.
The exercises were delivered between 02 and 13 September at the Joint Headquarters of the Latvian National Armed Forces in Riga, where the Host Nation provided a superb venue with exceptional support, allowing for smooth execution of both events. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe with Admiral Sir Keith Blount, DSACEUR, serving as Officer Scheduling the Exercise was responsible for the planning and organisation of the exercises. NATO Joint Force Training Centre, with its Commander, Major General Norbert Wagner, serving as the Officer Conducting the Exercise, delivered the exercise through a team of exercise planners, subject matter experts and facilitators. The events were executed under the guidance of very experienced NATO senior mentors (General (Retd) Sir James Everard, General (Retd) Sir Timothy Radford and Lieutenant General (Retd) John C. Thomson III).
“Focused on the Commander’s perspective and oriented on interactions with Operational Forces and Allied higher headquarters, the exercise provides NATO with more skilled and more professional senior commanders and senior staff officers. And now, the Alliance needs Commanders proficient in knowledge of the NATO “Family of Plans” for deterrence and defence as well as in utilising the Operational Planning Process and operational art more than ever”, said Major General Norbert Wagner, JFTC Commander.
NATO has conducted the STPYPI exercise series for over two decades. The exercises are designed to prepare senior commanders and senior staff officers on assuming assignments across Allied Command Operations, to plan, prepare and conduct joint operations through application of informed decision-making, operational art, and the operations planning process. This year was no different. Exercise STEADFAST PYRAMID, prepared senior staff officers to support commanders during NATO operational planning and joint operations. Exercise STEADFAST PINNACLE broadened the knowledge and understanding of flag officers expected to lead within the NATO Command Structure as well as NATO Force Structure, and provided them with detailed insight and guidance from the political, military, strategic and operational levels of the Alliance.
