The Commandant of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL), Brigadier General Alvydas Šiuparis, has made his first visit to Joint Resolve 2026, which included an office call with the Rector of the Finnish National Defence University, Brigadier General Jaro Kesänen, during which the Commandant expressed his appreciation to his Finnish counterparts for their excellent hosting of this year’s exercise. The meeting also provided an assurance of continued participation in future Joint Resolve series exercises and additional opportunities for future cooperation and continued collaboration in other activities between the two educational institutions.

Meanwhile, Exercise Joint Resolve 2026 has been picking up pace after a successful and measured start, with the four Joint Operational Planning Groups (JOPGs) diligently working through their understanding of the situation presented in the exercise scenario and the delivery of important Back Briefs. This early work culminated this morning, when the majority of teams delivered the Mission Analysis Brief (MAB) to their respective Senior Mentors, acting as Joint Force Commanders. The Commandant was able to attend two of the briefings in order to acquaint himself firsthand with the work that BALTDEFCOL students have contributed within their respective JOPGs.

The principal aim of the MAB was to present the Commander with a deep and comprehensive understanding of the operational environment and the challenges associated with the development of a successful plan to deliver an effective Joint Force campaign. In doing so, the key challenge for the JOPG is to provide a briefing that encompasses the wide range of considerations for the Joint Force Commander. At the same time, the MAB seeks to underline the collaborative aspect of any military plan since it needs to embrace all of the key considerations provided by those that support the Joint Commander from the Air, Land and Maritime domain, for example.

Throughout the last ten days the BALTDEFCOL students have been working in close cooperation with their colleagues from the Finnish National Defence University, Polish War Studies University, the Swedish Defence University and the National Defence University of Ukraine, in four mixed teams with students sharing the leadership and briefing roles accordingly. In addition, BALTDEFCOL has also hosted three German Führungsakademie students as part of a bi-lateral exchange programme during Joint Resolve 26. Behind the scenes, an equally mixed group of JOPG Facilitators and Subject Matter Experts, supervised by the Exercise Control (EXCON) group have been providing assistance to the exercise in order to provide as realistic a setting as possible.

The ultimate aim of the MAB is to provide the Joint Commander with the tools necessary to assist with further planning, including the Courses of Action (COAs) that may need to be considered. Over the coming days, the respective JOPGs will work through the further development of these COAs, which will include a wargaming session towards the end of the week.