Combined Joint Staff Exercise (CJSE) Joint Resolve (JR) 2023, held between 05-26 May 2023 in Tartu, Estonia, has now been successfully completed. The aim of the exercise, a collaborative project delivered by Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) and the Polish War Studies University (WSU) since 2019, was to formulate a solution to complex operational problems by developing and executing a viable joint operational plan using the NATO operational planning process and focusing on a challenging NATO Article 5 operation within an international staff. JOINT RESOLVE 2023, one of the flagship events in the calendar of the BALTDEFCOL´s Joint Command and General Staff Course (JCGSC) curriculum, is a culmination of the education received by students over the preceding 8 months of the course, with a particular emphasis on those topics covered in the Allied Joint Operations and Operational Planning modules of the JCGSC.

In the first phase of the exercise, participating students were divided into three Joint Operational Planning Groups (JOPGs), which in turn were divided into two smaller groups – a red and a blue team, all supported by Senior Mentors, Subject Matter Experts, and faculty members from both Professional Military Educational (PME) institutions and observed by external visitors.

As potential future JOPG members, exercise participants were required to analyze the operational environment and strategic guidance, develop multiple Courses of Action, as well as present a Mission Analysis Briefing.

This first element of the exercise culminated with a Decision Briefing to the Commanders, provided by a highly experienced pool of Senior Mentors, including GEN (ret) Erhard Bühler (DEU), LTG (ret) Bogusław Samol (POL), MG (ret) Andrzej Reudowicz (POL), MG (ret) Jukka Sonninen (FIN), and AIR CDRE (ret) Paddy Teakle (GBR) together with the BALTDEFCOL´s long-time Senior Mentor CDRE (ret) Hans Helseth (NOR). The appointed Senior Mentors fulfilled the role as Joint Force Commander for their respective JOPGs and offered advice and guidance at all levels and phases of the exercise.

It is noteworthy to mention that the exercise, including over 160 participants from 21 nations, provided a unique opportunity for the students of both institutions to collaborate in a multinational, multicultural environment, and demonstrate their collective knowledge, gained through their respective General Staff Courses.

The next edition of the exercise is scheduled to be hosted by the Polish WSU in Warsaw, Poland in May 2024.