Major General Norbert Wagner, Commander of the NATO Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC), led a team of exercise planners and experts during the execution of Exercises STEADFAST PYRAMID AND STEADFAST PINNACLE 2023 (STPYPI23) from 4 to 15 September 2023. Participants from more than 20 countries attended the two events in order to increase their knowledge of operational planning and ability to lead within the NATO Command Structure (NCS) and NATO Force Structure (NFS).

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) directed the two week-long events, with Admiral Sir Keith Blount, DSACEUR, serving as Officer Scheduling the Exercise. Exercise STEADFAST PYRAMID was designed to develop the abilities of senior staff officers across the Alliance to lead operational planning and support commanders during joint operations. Exercise STEADFAST PINNACLE was intended for those expected to lead within the NCS and NFS. This exercise was altered significantly from previous years to place more emphasis on providing them with detailed insight and guidance from the political, military, strategic and operational levels of the Alliance.

For the fifth time in the history of this exercise series, hosted in Riga since 2011, JFTC was tasked with its preparation and execution. The JFTC staff, supported by experts and facilitators from across NATO, including the two very experienced senior mentors (General (ret.) Sir James Everard and Lieutenant General (ret.) John C. Thomson III), as well as the Joint Headquarters of the Latvian National Armed Forces, provided realistic scenario-based training, an engaging curriculum, and valuable networking opportunities for the participants.