HEADQUARTERS MULTINATIONAL CORPS NORTHEAST- POLAND :
www . mncne . pl
Eye On The Northeast
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Exercise Brilliant Capability 2016 DvDay Szczecin NFIU COMs ( Photo by Karol Sito , Adam Lapszynski )
High Readiness Joint Task Force ( VJTF ), also referred to as the “ spearhead force ”.
“ This is a completely new situation in comparison to what we have dealt with in the old Western world so far . That is why there is a need to think outside the box .” – says Lieutenant General Manfred Hofmann , the Corps ’ Commander .
Following the decisions taken at the most recent Summit in Warsaw , NATO has approved a schedule of measures to boost security in and around Europe . One of them is signalling the ability to promptly scale-up its deterrence presence along the “ Eastern flank ” in the event of deteriorating crisis . This has resulted in increasing the strategic importance of the Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast ( HQ MNC NE ), located in Szczecin , North-western Poland . As stated in the official declaration issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the Summit , the Corps is now fully operational to undertake the tasks coming out of the Readiness Action Plan ( RAP ).
Multinational Corps Northeast was founded on 18th September 1999 following a joint initiative started by Denmark , Germany and Poland – the Corps ’ Framework Nations . Since the beginning , it has been situated in Szczecin ( North-western Poland ) and , as such , is the only NATO corps established on former Warsaw Pact soil . No less importantly , it is also the only NATO unit with a specified territorial responsibility , which spans the Northeastern part of the Alliance . Currently , the Corps consists of soldiers representing 25
countries . Next to the three Framework Nations , they are Belgium , Canada , Croatia , the Czech Republic , Estonia , Finland , France , Greece , Hungary , Iceland , Latvia , Lithuania , the Netherlands , Norway , Romania , Slovakia , Slovenia , Spain , Sweden , Turkey , the United Kingdom and the United States .
Multinational Corps Northeast , as a part of the NATO Force Structure , falls under the authority of its Framework Nations . Nonetheless , it may be deployed to a mission area on order of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe ( SACEUR ) to conduct different type of operations , including the joined ones . To perform the duties assigned to it , the Corps has been upgrading its readiness status from low to high . The path leading to this long-term goal covered many stages and began at the Wales Summit in 2014 . The Readiness Action Plan , authorised in Newport , paved the way for the Corps to take over the responsibility for the Northeastern flank of NATO . This has resulted directly from the four tasks written in the Plan – establishing an area-covering Joint Comprehensive Situational Awareness , being involved in all Assurance Measures within the region as well as providing command and control over the NATO Force Integration Units ( NFIUs ) and the Very
To comply with the given role , for the past several months the Corps has been undergoing a major transformation . This process began in June 2015 with introducing a new organizational structure . As a consequence , the number of personnel has been doubled to 400 military staff including joint capabilities of land , air force , navy and special operations specialists . Also , the Corps ’ multinational family has grown from 13 to 25 nations . Shortly afterwards , more fundamental changes have followed .
“ The team spirit has been rising week by week , month by month . In the end , it was a common understanding of the task and a common commitment . – emphasizes General Hofmann .
To be able to fulfill these increased requirements , the Corps ’ personnel were involved in an extended series of exercises that culminated with ” Brilliant Capability 2016 ”. Both “ Trident Joust ” and “ Brilliant Jump ” – the two preceding parts in a very tight training schedule – have laid a strong foundation for the Corps to meet the final challenge in terms of high readiness , effectiveness and command and control capabilities . This was , again , treading a new path :
“ When we talk about the Reception , Staging and Onward Movement , no one has done what we have done for our certification together with the Spanish VJTF .” ¬– reminds General Hofmann .
With the Corps ’ substantial assistance , the Spaniards moved 40 % of their assigned combat power to the territory of Poland in less than a few days . Later on , it has been successfully certified that the Corps is ready to assume command and
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