Readiness Action Plan
The Readiness Action Plan (RAP) was a comprehensive package of assurance and adaptation measures that was agreed in 2014 and became part of the overall baseline of the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture as of 2016. The RAP was an essential driver of NATO’s military adaptation to the evolving security environment following Russia’s illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea in 2014, and it launched the most significant reinforcement of NATO's collective defence since the end of the Cold War. At the 2016 Warsaw Summit, Allied Leaders welcomed its implementation and agreed additional measures to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence posture. In 2020, Allies built upon the RAP by adopting the Concept for Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA), which set NATO’s military posture and guided its further adaptation.
Polish soldiers from the NATO Response Force (NRF) stand ready to begin a live-fire exercise alongside French and Romanian troops at the NATO multinational battlegroup in Romania in June 2022. The NRF was enhanced under the Readiness Action Plan.
- The Readiness Action Plan was launched at the NATO Summit in Wales in September 2014, which took place after Russia’s illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea in March 2014. Responding to the changed security environment in the Euro-Atlantic area, the RAP included assurance measures for NATO Allies in Central and Eastern Europe to reassure their populations, deter potential aggression and reinforce their defence.
- Assurance measures under the RAP comprised a series of land, sea and air activities in, on and around the eastern part of Alliance territory, reinforced by exercises focused on collective defence and crisis management.
- The RAP also included adaptation measures – longer-term changes to NATO’s forces and command structure so that the Alliance could react more swiftly and decisively to sudden crises. This included tripling the size of the NATO Response Force (NRF), the establishment of a Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) able to deploy at very short notice, and enhanced Standing Naval Forces.
- To facilitate readiness and the rapid deployment of forces, the RAP also led to the creation of eight NATO Force Integration Units (NFIUs) – which are small headquarters – in Central and Eastern Europe. Headquarters for the Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin, Poland and the Multinational Division Southeast in Bucharest, Romania were also established. In addition, a standing joint logistics support group headquarters was set up.
- In December 2015, Allies further agreed on tailored assurance measures for Türkiye to respond to the growing security challenges from the south.
- At the 2016 Warsaw Summit, Allies welcomed the implementation of the RAP and agreed that its assurance and adaptation measures would continue to form the baseline of the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture. Allies also agreed to further strengthen this posture, including by establishing a forward presence in the eastern and southeastern part of Alliance territory and a framework for NATO’s adaptation in response to growing challenges and threats emanating from the south. This led to the establishment of NATO multinational battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in 2017.
- In June 2020, Allied Chiefs of Defence and Defence Ministers agreed the Concept for Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA), which built off the RAP’s contribution to the Alliance’s deterrence and defence baseline. The DDA Concept provides a single, coherent framework for NATO Allies to contest, deter and defend against the Alliance’s main threats in a multi-domain environment.
- Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Allies further enhanced NATO’s military presence in the east of the Alliance, ensuring that forces remain ready to respond to any development. This included establishing four additional battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. At the 2022 Madrid Summit, Allies committed to deploying additional forces on the Alliance’s eastern flank, by scaling up beyond the battalion-size multinational battlegroups to brigade-size units, where and when required.
- Also at the 2022 Madrid Summit, Allies further agreed a new NATO Force Model to organise, manage, activate and command Allied national forces in support of NATO’s three core tasks: deterrence and defence, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security. The NATO Force Model provides a larger pool of high-readiness forces across all domains.
- As of 2025, many of the assurance and adaptation measures initially launched under the RAP are still in place.
Assurance measures
The Readiness Action Plan introduced a wide range of assurance measures, many of which continue to this day. These measures consist of a series of land, sea and air activities in, on and around the territory of NATO Allies in Central and Eastern Europe, designed to reinforce their defence, reassure their populations and deter potential aggression. The adoption of these measures was a direct result of Russia’s illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea, Ukraine in 2014, and they have been further enhanced following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. All NATO Allies are now contributing to these measures on a rotational basis, ensuring a continuous military presence in the east of the Alliance. Assurance measures can be stepped up or reduced as necessary, depending on the security situation.
In addition to creating the structure for NATO’s forward land forces, the RAP led to bolstered activities in the air domain. Since May 2014, NATO has increased the number of fighter jets on air policing patrols over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and deployed fighter jets to Bulgaria, Romania and Poland. In December 2015, a further package of tailored assurance measures was agreed for Türkiye. The Alliance conducts regular AWACS surveillance flights over the territory of its eastern Allies, and maritime patrol aircraft flights along the eastern borders of Allied territory.
To provide assurance at sea, NATO deploys a number of maritime forces such as two Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Groups patrolling the Baltic Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, and an enlarged Standing NATO Maritime Group conducting maritime assurance measures in addition to counter-terrorism patrols.
In all domains, NATO has increased the number of exercises it organises. Military exercises provide important opportunities to improve the ability of Allies and partners to work together and are a valuable demonstration of NATO's readiness to respond to potential threats. These exercises take place on land, at sea, in the air and in cyberspace with scenarios based on collective defence and crisis management.
Adaptation measures
The RAP also introduced adaptation measures: long-term changes to NATO’s forces and command structure, which have made the Alliance better able to react swiftly and decisively to sudden crises.
An enhanced NATO Response Force
The NATO Response Force (NRF) was a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and Special Operations Forces (SOF) components that the Alliance could deploy quickly, wherever needed.
At the 2014 Wales Summit, Allies decided to enhance the NRF to strengthen the Alliance’s collective defence and ensure that NATO had the right forces in the right place at the right time. The NRF consisted of about 40,000 personnel – a major increase from the previous level of 13,000. Its size was dependent on the task it was needed for.
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) had overall command of the NRF. Each year on rotation, NATO’s two Joint Force Commands (based in Brunssum, the Netherlands and Naples, Italy) had operational command of the NRF.
The NRF-based model was fully replaced by the NATO Force Model in July 2024. The NATO Force Model provides SACEUR with a much larger pool of high-readiness forces, prepared to respond to any situation.
Very High Readiness Joint Task Force
Within the NRF, the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) served as a “spearhead force” of around 20,000 troops, of which about 5,000 were ground forces. It was able to begin deployment within two to three days wherever it was needed. The VJTF land element was supported by air, maritime and SOF components.
Leadership and membership of the VJTF and NRF rotated among Allies on an annual basis. The VJTF and NRF forces were based in the lead countries, but able to deploy from there to wherever they were needed for exercises, crisis response or collective defence. The VJTF, which participated in its first deployment exercise in Poland in June 2015, was regularly tested during exercises.
The NATO Force Model includes a new multinational force called the Allied Reaction Force, which continues to provide the rapid deployment and agile response options of the VJTF.
NATO Force Integration Units
NATO Force Integration Units (NFIUs) are small, multinational headquarters that facilitate the rapid deployment of Allied forces. Each one is staffed by about 40 national and NATO specialists. Their task is to improve cooperation and coordination between NATO and national forces, as well as to prepare and support exercises and any deployments needed.
First, six NFIUs were established in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania and inaugurated in September 2015, constituting a visible and persistent NATO presence in these countries. Subsequently, two more NFIUs in Hungary and Slovakia were inaugurated, respectively, in September 2016 and January 2017.
High-readiness multinational headquarters
The Multinational Corps Northeast Headquarters (HQ MNC-NE) in Szczecin, Poland provides a high-readiness capability to command forces deployed to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, if so required. Established by Denmark, Germany and Poland, HQ MNC-NE has four main tasks:
- commanding NATO forces deployed to the north-eastern region of NATO;
- exercising operational control over the NFIUs in Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia;
- monitoring the security situation in the region; and
- acting as a regional hub for cooperation.
The Multinational Division Southeast Headquarters (HQ MND-SE) in Bucharest, Romania is able to command forces deployed within NATO’s southeast region. It executes command and control over the NFIUs in Bulgaria and Romania. It also monitors the security situation in the region and acts as a hub for regional cooperation among Allies. The HQ MND-SE was inaugurated on 1 December 2015 and achieved final operational capability on 22 March 2018.
In addition, the RAP called for a number of logistics enhancements, including the prepositioning of equipment and supplies, to enhance NATO's readiness to respond to any challenge to Allied security. A new standing joint logistics support group headquarters – the Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) – was established in Ulm, Germany as part of the NATO Command Structure.
Evolution
In September 2014, at the NATO Wales Summit, Allied Leaders approved the Readiness Action Plan to ensure the Alliance’s readiness to respond swiftly and firmly to new security challenges. The plan provided a comprehensive package of measures to respond to the changes in the security environment in and near Europe and to threats emanating from the Middle East and North Africa.
NATO Defence Ministers decided on 5 February 2015 that the VJTF would consist of a land component of around 5,000 troops with appropriate air, maritime and SOF units available. France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Türkiye and the United Kingdom agreed to assume lead roles for the VJTF on a rotational basis in the subsequent years. Ministers also set the goal of having an operationally capable VJTF by the 2016 Warsaw Summit – a goal that was met the following year.
In April 2015, more than 1,500 troops took part in Exercise Noble Jump, designed to test whether troops assigned to NATO’s Interim VJTF could be ready to deploy 48 hours after receiving an order-to-move.
On 9 June 2015, the VJTF deployed for the first time in Poland during Exercise Noble Jump, where over 2,100 troops from nine NATO countries participated.
On 24 June 2015, NATO Defence Ministers took decisions on air, maritime and SOF components of the enhanced NRF, agreeing that it could consist of up to 40,000 personnel. Ministers further took measures to speed up political and military decision-making, including authority for NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe to prepare troops for action as soon as a political decision is made. Allies also approved a new advance planning tool – Graduated Response Plans – enabling executable operations plans to be generated exceptionally quickly, commensurate with the readiness requirements of the forces. Allies also agreed on the establishment of a new standing joint logistics support group headquarters – the Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) – within the NATO Command Structure. Finally, Defence Ministers agreed that in October they would decide on the establishment of new NFIU HQs, in addition to the six existing multinational NFIU HQs.
In September 2015, NFIUs were inaugurated in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania.
In October 2015, NATO Defence Ministers gave their green light to the completed military concept for the enhanced NRF, including its command and control arrangements. They also agreed to set up two more NFIUs in Hungary and Slovakia.
In December 2015, NATO inaugurated the Multinational Division Southeast Headquarters in Bucharest, marking its official integration into the NATO Command Structure. The high-readiness headquarters is able to command forces deployed within NATO’s southeast region, supporting the Alliance’s defence. It is also a hub for regional cooperation among Allies.
In July 2016, at the Warsaw Summit, Allies welcomed the implementation of the Readiness Action Plan, affirmed that its assurance and adaptation measures would continue to form the baseline of the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture, and agreed to further strengthen this posture. The RAP provided the Alliance with a broad range of options to be able to respond to any threats from wherever they arose to protect Alliance territory, populations, airspace and sea lines of communication.
The additional two NFIUs in Hungary and Slovakia were inaugurated, respectively, on 18 November 2016 and 24 January 2017.
At the 2018 Brussels Summit, NATO Leaders reiterated their resolve to bolster the Alliance's readiness, responsiveness and reinforcement to respond to threats from any direction in a 360-degree approach. A NATO Readiness Initiative was launched to enhance the Alliance's rapid-response capability, either for reinforcement of Allies in support of deterrence or collective defence, including for high-intensity warfighting, or for rapid military crisis intervention, if required. Under this initiative, Allies have committed to providing 30 mechanised battalions, 30 air squadrons and 30 battleships ready to use within 30 days or less and are working to build and maintain the level of readiness of these forces and organise them into larger formations.
In 2020, Allies approved the Concept for the Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA). The DDA Concept provides a single, coherent framework for NATO Allies to contest, deter and defend against the Alliance’s main threats in a multi-domain environment. It also strengthens the Alliance’s preparedness to address challenges by enhancing NATO’s advance planning for potential crisis and conflict scenarios. Under the DDA Concept’s framework, NATO has developed strategic, domain-specific and regional military plans to improve the Alliance’s ability to respond to any contingencies.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Allies took further steps to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, including in NATO member countries in the east of the Alliance. These steps included activating NATO’s defence plans, deploying elements of the NRF, establishing additional multinational battlegroups, scaling up forward land forces to brigade size units when and where required, and placing 40,000 troops on the Alliance’s eastern flank, along with significant air and naval assets, under direct NATO command supported by Allies’ national deployments. These measures – which remain preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory – ensured the security and defence of all Allies across all domains and with a 360-degree approach.
At the 2022 Madrid Summit, Allies set a new baseline for NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, ensuring that the Alliance can continue to defend every inch of Allied territory at all times. This new baseline included an enhanced posture across all domains. Allied Leaders also agreed a new NATO Force Model to organise, manage, activate and command the Alliance’s forces, including to support the deterrence and defence posture.