Dec. 7 (UPI) -- NATO announced the operational capability of a special operations command on Monday, organized by Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark.
The Composite Special Operations Component Command, or C-SOCC, was launched in 2017 to provide a unified "deployable multinational headquarters, specifically designed for commanding several Special Operations Forces task groups."
The new command is expected to provide "the participating nations with a capability that exceeds the sum of their individual national contributions," a NATO statement on Monday said.
The effort is one of 13 NATO High Visibility Projects meant to reduce costs and improve operational values through shared equipment, training and procedures.
The announcement that the new command is fully functional came during NATO's 10-day "Operation Jupiter-Jackal 2020" exercise, in locations in Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Norway and Turkey.
The exercise focuses on readiness and interoperability, in anticipation of planning and execution of crisis response operations on a regional scale in NATO Strategic Direction South, on the military bloc's southern flank.
The new command will be available to the 2021 NATO Response Force rotation.
"Moving from political intent in 2017 to the actual delivery of a complete capability in 2020 is a remarkable achievement," said Camille Grand, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment. "It demonstrates that multinational cooperation can achieve rapid results when implemented effectively."
