Yesterday, Bydgoszcz, Poland celebrated the 20th anniversary of the founding of NATO’s Joint Force Training Centre in the town’s Old Market Square and on Mill Island. The Governor – known in Poland as a Voivode – of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region Mr. Michał Sztybel, Bydgoszcz’s Mayor Mr. Rafał Bruski, and Joint Force Training Centre Commander Major General Norbert Wagner led the festivities. They spoke about the importance of NATO, the mission of the Joint Force Training Centre, and the impact on Poland and the local community.
The Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz is one of three commands subordinate to Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, in the United States. The Centre has evolved over the course of its 20 years into a cornerstone in NATO’s training community, acting as a hub of joint training exercises focused on enhanced warfighting readiness, operational effectiveness, and Allied cohesion.
The motto of the Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz is “Transformation Through Training.” More specifically, the Centre is renowned as a flexible institution centred on complex, multi-domain, high intensity warfare exercises. It is integral to the LOYAL LEDA exercise series and conducts the Steadfast Pyramid and Pinnacle exercise series, pre-deployment training for the advisory NATO Mission Iraq, while also playing an important role in NATO’s Allied Command Transformation’s largest interoperability exercise Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exercise – commonly referred to as CWIX.
The year 2024 is one of anniversaries for NATO with the alliance celebrating its 75th anniversary, Poland celebrating the 25th anniversary of its ascension into NATO, and the Joint Force Training Centre celebrating its 20th anniversary. The Joint Force Training Centre’s host city, Bydgoszcz, has ushered in this anniversary in multiple ways including proclaiming 2024 “The Year of NATO and the Joint Force Training Centre.” The anniversary has been highlighted also on a city tram that was decorated with NATO and Joint Force Training Centre‘s elements and at Bydgoszcz Airport where an information board commemorating the 20 years awaits travellers.
Looking back on the JFTC history and the last three years I feel very satisfied with what we have achieved together with the men and women, military and civilian, working shoulder to shoulder in our Centre. All JFTC members, thank you very much for your everyday commitment and professionalism. It is a pleasure to be a part of such an experienced, dedicated and at the same time diverse but cohesive organisation.
Major General Norbert Wagner, JFTC Commander
The festivities for the anniversary opened on 22 May 2024 and carried on through the next day, beginning with opening remarks and a military picnic at Old Market Square and on Mill Island with tremendous representation by the Polish Armed Forces. Ceremonial units and military bands from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, and the United States, as well as military vehicles from Poland, the United States, and NATO added international flavour to the celebrations.
On 23 May 2024, Joint Force Training Centre Commander Major General Norbert Wagner hosted an official ceremony with close to 100 distinguished guests including Polish General Robert Głąb, representing Supreme Allied Command Transformation.
The 20th Anniversary of the Joint Force Training Centre is an important event to commemorate, representing more than the passage of time, it serves as a point of reflection on the significant evolution of the Centre in Bydgoszcz as well as NATO’s exponentially expanding collaboration, integration, and capabilities.
