Joint Force Training Centre

The Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC) is a NATO headquarters located in Bydgoszcz, Poland, responsible to Allied Command Transformation at Norfolk, Virginia, in the United States.

Joint Force Training Centre
Coat of arms
Founded	31 March 2004
Type	Military education and training
Role	Executing joint tactical level training for NATO and Partner forces
Part of	Allied Command Transformation
Headquarters	Poniatowski Barracks [pl], Bydgoszcz, Poland
Website	www.jftc.nato.int
Commanders
Current commander	Major General Bogdan Rycerski
Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff	BRG Zoltan Barany,  Hungarian Ground Forces[1]

History

The Joint Force Training Centre, which started on March 31, 2004, focuses on joint and combined training at the tactical level. In particular, it focuses on the conduct of joint tactical training to achieve joint tactical interoperability at the key tactical interfaces.^[2] It reached full operational capability on June 30, 2006.^[3]

It cooperates with other national training centres, including Partnership for Peace training centres and the Centre of Excellence. As a priority, the JFTC provides support to the NATO Response Force (NRF) joint and component commanders in the training and exercising of the NRF, focusing on joint and combined competences.^[4]

Location

POLITICAL-STRATEGIC LEVEL:

North Atlantic Council (NAC) NATO Headquarters, Brussels, BEL

Secretary-General (SECGEN) NATO Headquarters, Brussels, BEL

International Staff (IS) NATO Headquarters, Brussels, BEL

MILITARY-STRATEGIC LEVEL:

International Military Staff (IMS) NATO Headquarters, Brussels, BEL

Military Committee (MC) NATO Headquarters, Brussels, BEL

STRATEGIC COMMANDS:

Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Allied Command Transformation (ACT) Norfolk, U.S.

Supreme Allied Commander Europe Allied Command Operations (ACO) Mons, BEL

TRANSFORMATION COMMANDS:

OPERATIONAL COMMANDS:

Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) Stavanger, NOR

Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC Brunssum) Brunssum, NLD

Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) Ramstein, DEU

Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC) Bydgoszcz, POL

Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples) Naples, ITA

Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) İzmir, TUR

Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre (JALLC) Lisbon, PRT

Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC Norfolk) Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.

Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) Northwood, GBR

Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC) Ulm, DEU

In October 2008, JFTC relocated from its home on ul. gen.Józefa Dwernickiego (Gen. Józef Dwernicki Street) to a new simulations centre on ul. Szubińska (Szubińska Street).^[5]

SHAPE

    AC

LC

MC

JFCBS

JFCNP

JFC NF

 JSEC

HQ SACT

JWC

JFTC

JALLC

Locations of NATO's two strategic commands — Allied Command Transformation (ACT) with its subordinate centres (blue marks) and Allied Command Operations (ACO), headquartered at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) and including its subordinate and joint force commands (red marks).

Bydgoszcz, which is already a strategic hub of NATO activities, hosts the NATO Force Integration Unit, NATO Signal Battalion, NATO Military Police Centre of Excellence, NATO Communications and Information Support Centre, and JATEC (Joint Analysis, Training and Education Center – NATO-Ukraine military-civilian working level organization). The International School of Bydgoszcz, where children of NATO officers and employees are educated, is also located in the city.^[6]