The CJEF is not conceived as a standing force; instead, is available at short notice for UK–French bilateral, NATO, European Union, United Nations or other operations.

This was outlined as "We will develop a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force suitable for a wide range of scenarios, up to and including high intensity operations.

We will begin with combined air and land exercises during 2011 and will develop the concept before the next UK-France Summit and progress towards full capability in subsequent years.

[3] It was announced that the CJEF would be operational from 2016 and that it would be "an early entry force capable of facing multiple threats up to the highest intensity".

[6] The creation of an integrated national Joint Task Force Headquarters was announced, as well as a Combined Logistics Support Group to sustain the CJEF.

It was dubbed the CJEF's "biggest development test" by the UK Ministry of Defence and involved land, air and sea components.

[7] The CJEF comprises strategic, operational and tactical level Command and Control elements, together with deployable sea, land, air and logistical components.

It is designed to be rapidly deployable and, once ready in theatre, to be sustainable for up to three months of operations as a stand-alone force; as well as having the ability to include other nations as coalition partners.