Page 149 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo II

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headquarters. In the event of an emergency, the squadrons would not have been assigned
to the AMF, but to the respective Allied Tactical Air Force (ATAF). This organizational
rationale was in accordance with the tactical and organizational principles of the NATO
air forces.
Three battalions and three squadrons were assigned to each flank (north or south).
The forces available were therefore rather limited.
Nevertheless, the amount of effort for transport and logistic support proved to be so
immense that sophisticated flight plans had to be set up. In the event of an emergency,
large volumes of equipment and soldiers had to be delivered. Planners had projected
a dynamic and precise schedule of continuous slots of different nations via different
multiple air routes. Organizing and executing the whole enterprise proved to be very
expensive and extremely complicated. It provides a good blueprint for the global
operations of today.
NATO defined the AMF as a pioneer and elite force in the Flexible Response set-up.
The Force hat not only to act as the foremost manifestation of deterrence in the event of
an emergency, but also serve as a spearhead for the new strategy. Initially, it had even
been seen as providing a guideline for the development of all the Alliance’s forces. The
objective was to achieve extensive flexibility among as many NATO combat units as
possible, using the AMF as a model.
Along these lines, additional deployment forces were built up nationally. One good
example is the UK Mobile Force. The UK Mobile Force was created in 1968 to give
SACEUR an instrument to react in endangered areas in Europe and, if possible, to have
a strategic reserve. Its basic principles were developed quite according to the mission
profile of the AMF. Airportable troops should be ready at short notice and deployed to
crisis regions. The UK Mobile Force consisted mainly of the 3 Division, contained
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3 brigades and was supported by the Royal Air Force’s 38 Group. Included was a
Parachute Brigade. Different to the AMF was the fact that the UK Mobile Force was not
only earmarked to the flanks, but also to reinforce the Central Front in case of necessity.
The mission plans consisted of three Priorities: Zealand in Denmark, the Central Front
and North East Italy, the so-called Gorizia-Gap.
Interestingly, the UK Mobile Force has a pre-history. Its main body, the 3 Division,
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possesses a very distinctive tradition with a long combat history all over the world since
the beginning of the 19 century, including colonial wars. After 1945, the Division
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carried out global missions and was then redefinded as national strategic reserve. Its
task was to be a kind of global “Fire Brigade” acting from Britain all over the world
when necessary.
The creation of the UK Mobile Force of 1968 brought a new readjustment. According
to the military retreat from the regions East of Aden global missions were more or less
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ruled out for the 3 Division. Instead deployment in Europe as part of NATO defence
became Priority 1. Actually, however, a lot of units of the UKMF were afterwards sent
to Northern Ireland when the situation exploded there in 1969. But planning and training
for Europe went on.
Britain moved even closer to Europe when the next round of financial axes was