The term Combined Joined Task Force (CJTF) originally comes from US Army jargon. It refers to a task force consisting of armed forces from different countries and different parts of the military that come together for a joint task. It can exist either for a fixed period of time or until a specific objective is achieved. Combined Joint Task Forces under the leadership of the United States were deployed in the US operations for the invasion of Grenada in 1983 and from 2002 in the war in Afghanistan.
The term Combined Joint Task Force is also used by NATO. It consists of troops from various countries and branches of the military, such as the air force, navy or infantry. According to the NATO definition, CJTFs are primarily used for humanitarian aid and peacekeeping. Troops from non-NATO members may also be involved. A Combined Joint Task Force has been deployed since 2014 as part of Operation Inherent Resolve against the Islamic State and its allies.
Combined Joint Task Force: Concept
The concept of the Combined Joint Task Force is outlined by NATO with the following four consecutive definitions:
- A force is any grouping of military skills, manpower and equipment into organized units.
- A task force is a grouping organized to carry out a specific mission or task, which is disbanded once the task has been completed.
- A joined task force is a unit in which two or more armed forces (army, navy, air force, etc.) are involved.
- The armed forces of two or more nations are involved in a combined joint task force.
Joint task forces can specialize in certain tasks. For example, the VJTF (Very High Readiness Joint Task Force) is a NATO intervention unit that is geared towards rapid deployment capability. The Bundeswehr is also involved in this task force.
