SUMMARY
The UK MoD established a Permanent Joint
Headquarters (PJHQ) at Northwood in Middlesex for joint military operations
on 1 April 1996. This headquarters brought together, on a permanent basis,
intelligence, planning, operational and logistics staffs.
It contains
elements of a rapidly deployable in-theatre Joint Force Headquarters that
has the capability of commanding rapid deployment front line forces.
MoD officials have described the primary role
of PJHQ as:
"Working proactively to anticipate
crises and monitoring developments in areas of interest to the UK. The
establishment of PJHQ has set in place a proper, clear and unambiguous
connection between policy and the strategic direction and conduct of
operations.
Because it exists on a permanent basis rather
than being established for a particular operation, PJHQ is involved from the
very start of planning for a possible operation. It will then take
responsibility for the subsequent execution of those plans if
necessary."
PJHQ, commanded by the Chief of Joint
Operations (CJO), (currently a Three-Star Officer) occupies existing
accommodation above and below ground at Northwood in Middlesex.
PJHQ is responsible for planning all UK-led
joint, potentially joint, combined and multinational operations and
works in close partnership with MoD Head Office in the planning of
operations and policy formulation, thus ensuring PJHQ is well placed to
implement policy.
Having planned the operation,
and contributed advice to Ministers, PJHQ will then conduct such operations.
Amongst its many tasks PJHQ is currently (mid 2007) engaged in planning
and conducting UK military involvement in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
When another nation is in the lead, PJHQ will
exercise operational command of UK forces deployed on the operation.
Being a Permanent Joint Headquarters, PJHQ
provides continuity of experience from the planning phase to the execution
of the operation, and on to post-operation evaluation and learning of
lessons.
Principal additional tasks include
-
Monitoring
designated areas of operational interest
-
Preparing
contingency plans
-
Contributions
to the UK MoD's decision making process
-
Exercise
of operational control of overseas commands (Falklands, Cyprus and
Gibraltar)
-
Managing
its own budget
-
Formulation
of joint warfare doctrine at operational and tactical levels
-
Conducting
joint force exercises
-
Focus
for Joint Rapid Reaction Force planning and exercising
OVERVIEW
OF INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS
From 1 Aug 1996, PJHQ assumed responsibility
for military operations worldwide.
Non-core functions, such as the day-to-day management of the Overseas
Commands in Cyprus, Falkland Islands, and Gibraltar, are also delegated by
MoD Head Office to the PJHQ. This allows MoD Head Office to concentrate in
particular on policy formulation and strategic direction. As of early 2007
PJHQ has been involved with UK commitments in the following areas:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Bosnia, Burundi, East Timor, Eritrea,
Honduras, Iraq (including operations during 2003), Kosovo, Montenegro,
Montserrat, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, East Zaire, West Zaire (Democratic
Republic of the Congo).
Operations for which PJHQ is not responsible include: UK Strategic Nuclear
Deterrent; Defence of the UK Home Base; Defence of UK Territorial Waters and
Airspace; Support to the Civil Power in Northern Ireland; Counter-terrorism
in the UK and Operations in support of NATO (Article V General War).
PJHQ
COMMANDER - CHIEF OF JOINT OPERATIONS
Lieutenant General J N R
Houghton CBE (CJO)
Lieutenant General Nick
Houghton was born in 1954 in Otley, West Yorkshire. He was educated at
Woodhouse Grove School in Bradford, RMA Sandhurst and St Peter’s College,
Oxford, where he completed an in-service degree in Modern History.
Commissioned into the Green Howards in 1974, he had a variety of Regimental
and Staff appointments before attending the Army Command and Staff Course at
both Shrivenham and Camberley. Thereafter he was Military Assistant to the
Chief of Staff British Army of the Rhine and a member of the Directing Staff
at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham. At Regimental Duty he
was both a Company Commander in, and Commanding Officer of, 1st Battalion
The Green Howards in the Mechanised and Airmobile roles, and in Northern
Ireland.
More recently Lieutenant General Houghton was Deputy Assistant Chief of
Staff, G3 (Operations & Deployment) in HQ Land Command 1994 - 1997 and
attended the Higher Command and Staff Course in 1997. He commanded 39
Infantry Brigade in Northern Ireland from 1997 to 1999 and was the Director
of Military Operations in the Ministry of Defence from December 1999 to July
2002. He was Chief of Staff of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps from July
2002 to April 2004 before becoming the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff
(Operations) from May 2004 to October 2005. He was the Senior British
Military Representative Iraq and Deputy Commanding General of the
Multi-National Force-Iraq from October 2005 until assuming his current
appointment as Chief of Joint Operations at PJHQ (UK) in March 2006.
HEADQUARTERS
STRUCTURE
PJHQ, brings together at
Northwood some 400 civilian, specialist and tri-Service military staff from across the MoD.
The headquarters structure resembles the
normal Divisional organisation, but staff operate within multi-disciplinary
groups which draw from across the HQ. The headquarters must have the
capability of supporting a number of operations simultaneously on behalf of
the UK MoD.
PJHQ
IN THE MOD CHAIN OF COMMAND
Note: The Defence and Overseas Policy Committee (DOPC) is
responsible for the strategic direction of the UK Government’s defence
and overseas policy.
The DOPC is chaired by the Prime Minister and members include the
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Deputy
Chair); Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State; Chancellor
of the Exchequer; Secretary of State for Defence; Secretary of State
for the Home Department; Secretary of State for International
Development; Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
If necessary, other ministers, the Heads of the Intelligence Agencies
and the Chief of Defence Staff may be invited to attend.
PJHQ HEADQUARTERS STRUCTURE
Notes:
(1) CJO Chief of Joint Operations
(2) *** Denotes the rank of the incumbent
(3) DCJO – Deputy Chief of Joint Operations; DCJO (Op Sp) Deputy
Chief of Joint Operations (Operational Support)(4) ACOS - Assistant Chief of Staff
CJO has a civilian Command Secretary
who provides a wide range of policy, legal, presentational,
financial and civilian human resources advice.
PJHQ Departments
J1 Personnel and Admin
J2 Intelligence
J3 Operations (Sea-Air-Land)
J4 Logistics/Medical
J5 Policy and Crisis Planning
J6 Communication and Information Systems
J7 Joint Training
J8 Finance and Human Resources
J9 Legal
JFHQ High Readiness Deployable Commander
JFLog CHQ Standing Deployable Logistic Component Commander
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The annual PJHQ
budget is in the region of UK£606 million (for 2005/06). The annual running costs of the Headquarters is
estimated at approximately UK£52 million.
Included in the overall PJHQ budget are the costs of the UK forces
in the Falkland Islands, Cyprus and Gibraltar. Major operations such
as the Kosovo commitment, Afghanistan and Iraq are funded separately
by way of a supplementary budget, and in almost all cases this
requires government level approval. Small operations and the cost of
reconnaissance parties are funded from the standard PJHQ budget.
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