The Multinational Corps Northeast was formed on 18 September 1999 at

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, which became its headquarters. It evolved from what was for many years the only multinational corps in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

, Allied Land Forces Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland (LANDJUT) (in its turn, a part of Allied Forces Northern Europe). From 1962 LANDJUT had been responsible for the defence of the Baltic Approaches from a headquarters at

Rendsburg Rendsburg (, also ''Rensborg'', , also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the Eider (river), River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Eckernfoerde, Rends ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. It comprised the 6th Panzergrenadier Division and the Danish Jutland Division. The Corps is under the operational command of the Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum.

History

A tri-national working group was established following the July 1997 decision that Poland was to be admitted to NATO with the aim of establishing the corps as part of NATO’s Main Defence Forces. Its missions are three-fold: to participate in the collective defence of NATO territory, under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, to contribute to multinational crisis management including peace support operations, and to provide command and control for humanitarian, rescue, and disaster relief operations. In July 1997, Ministers of Defence of Denmark,

and

decided to establish a Danish-German-Polish Corps. This corps was to be named Multinational Corps Northeast with its headquarters located in

. The Headquarters Allied Land Forces Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland (LANDJUT) from

was to form the nucleus of this new command. Ministers of Defence of Denmark,

and

signed the Corps Convention in 1998, when Poland was not yet a member of

, but the date of the country’s accession (12 March 1999) had already been set. On 18 September 1999, the three Framework Nations –

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

– could hoist their flags in the Baltic Barracks, the seat of the Corps in

. The Corps has significantly developed decisively since that time. Though it is a NATO-affiliated formation, the Corps Convention is a trilateral agreement between the three nations. The positions of commander, deputy commander, and chief of staff rotate between the three nations. For common purposes of practice and training the corps was assigned to Joint Sub-Regional Command Northeast (JSRC NE), at Karup,

. For Article 5 common defence purposes, the Corps was to have been assigned either to JSRC NE or the JSRC Centre at

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

. Following the 2006-2010 reorganisation, it might have reported if designated for operations in Central Europe to Allied Force Command Heidelberg. The 14th Panzergrenadier Division of the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

used to be part of the Corps, but disbanded at the end of 2008. Due to its geographical location, the only NATO HQ East of the former ''

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On the east side of the Iron Curtain were countries connected to the So ...

'', Multinational Corps North East has a key function in the integration of new NATO member states. This is reflected in the structure of its personnel. Officers and NCO's from the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

are serving at Multinational Corps North East. Since April 2004, the flags of

and

have been fluttering at the Headquarters. In January 2005,

joined Multinational Corps Northeast, whereas the

- in October 2005. The US flag was hoisted in November 2006 indicating the US membership in the Corps. In July 2008, first

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n officers arrived to serve at the HQ. In August 2009,

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

entered the MNC NE family. In January 2012,

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

officially became the twelfth nation of the Corps. In July 2013, the flag of

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

was hoisted in Baltic Barracks.

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, a non-NATO member, sent its representative to the Baltic Barracks in autumn 2014. In 2015 Turkish,

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, French and Dutch officers started their tours of duty in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

joined the Corps in 2016. In 2005, during the Compact Eagle exercise, the headquarters achieved full operational capability. From January to August 2007 a considerable number of personnel from Multinational Corps Northeast were put at the disposal of

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...

's headquarters in

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. On 5 February 2015, a trilateral statement by the Corps Convention countries stated, in part, that: * 'At the NATO Summit in September 2014 the Ministers of Defence from Germany, Poland and Denmark informed their colleagues and signed a statement that they had decided to raise the level of readiness of the Headquarters MNC NE from a Forces of Lower Readiness Headquarters to a High Readiness Force Headquarters and to enhance its capability to address future threats and challenges'. * '..the level of readiness f the corps will be raisedand fulfil a joint and regional role within the framework of NATO’s Readiness Action Plan, for both Assurance and Adaptation Measures in order to exercise command and control in the full range of Alliance missions in the north-eastern region (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) of the Alliance with the emphasis on Article 5 operations including command and control over the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). Additionally, MNC NE will execute command and control over the NATO Force Integration Units (NFIUs) in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.'BMVG statement, 5 February 2015. In June 2016, during the exercise Brilliant Capability 16 the Corps has become operationally capable to assume command of the VJTF, also referred to as the “spearhead force”.

Mission in Afghanistan

The MNC NE staff formed part of the

(ISAF) during the

War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) The war in Afghanistan was a prolonged armed conflict lasting from 2001 to 2021. It began with United States invasion of Afghanistan, the invasion by a Participants in Operation Enduring Freedom, United States-led coalition under the name Oper ...

. MNC NE officially took over ISAF duties for the first time on 4 February 2007. Nearly 160 officers and non-commissioned officers spent over 6 month in

. The majority of the MNC NE staff filled the posts in a newly established composite ISAF Headquarters in

. From February to August 2010, the personnel of the Corps participated in the ISAF mission for the second time. The majority of approximately 130 officers and non-commissioned officers filled the posts at the ISAF Joint Command, a tactical level headquarters. Serving at different branches, they were gaining valuable mission experience and improving their skills. The third deployment with the participation of more than 120 soldiers from the Corps and partnering formations started in January 2014 and ended in January 2015. As soon as the ISAF mandate expired, the

Resolute Support Mission Resolute Support Mission (RSM) or Operation Resolute Support was a NATO-led multinational mission in Afghanistan. It began on 1 January 2015 as the successor to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which was completed on 28 Dece ...

commenced in January 2015. Mission:

* February – August 2007 * February – August 2010 * January 2014 – January 2015

Subordinate units

*HQ-Coy (

) *Command Support Brigade (HQ

) *

Multinational Division Northeast * 1st Division ** Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf ** Infantry Brigade Griffin ** Infantry Brigade Aukštaitija * Emblem for the Multinational Division North

Emblem for the Multinational Division North

Multinational Division North ** Insignia of Latvian Land Forces Mechanized Infantry Brigade

Mechanised Infantry Brigade ** NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia ** 1st Brigade * Estonian Division ** 1st Infantry Brigade *** NATO eFP Battlegroup Estonia ** 2nd Infantry Brigade *NATO Force Integration Unit Estonia *NATO Force Integration Unit Latvia *NATO Force Integration Unit Lithuania *NATO Force Integration Unit Poland *NATO Force Integration Unit Slovakia *NATO Force Integration Unit Hungary

Commanders

* 1999-2001 – LTG Henrik Ekmann ** Deputy Corps Commander – MG Edward Pietrzyk (since 2000 BG Zdzisław Goral) ** Chief of Staff – BG Joachim Sachau * 2001-2003 – LTG Zygmunt Sadowski ** Deputy Corps Commander – MG Rolf Schneider ** Chief of Staff – BG Karl Nielsen * 2004-2006 – LTG Egon Ramms ** Deputy Corps Commander – MG Rolf Schneider (since 2004 MG Jan Andersen) ** Chief of Staff – BG Karl Nielsen (since 2004 BG Henryk Skarżyński) * 2006-2009 – LTG Zdzisław Goral ** Deputy Corps Commander – MG Jan Andersen (since 2008 MG Ole Køppen) ** Chief of Staff – BG Josef Heinrichs (since 2008 BG Josef Heinrichs) * 2009-2012 – LTG Rainer Korff ** Deputy Corps Commander – MG Ryszard Sorokosz (since 2012 MG Bogusław Samol) ** Chief of Staff – BG Morten Danielsson * 2013-2015 – LTG Bogusław Samol (since December 2012) ** Deputy Corps Commander – BG Morten Danielsson (since May 2013 MG Agner Rokos) ** Chief of Staff – BG Lutz Niemann * 2015-2018 – LTG Manfred Hofmann ** Deputy Corps Commander – BG Krzysztof Król (till January 2016 MG Agner Rokos) ** Chief of Staff – BG Per Orluff Knudsen (till January 2016 BG Lutz Niemann) * 2018-2021 – LTG Sławomir Wojciechowski ** Deputy Corps Commander – MG Ulrich Hellebjerg ** Chief of Staff – BG Wolf-Juergen Stahl * 2021–2024 – LTG Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart ** Deputy Corps Commander – MG Ulrich Hellebjerg, MG Peter Harling Boysen (since July 2023) ** Chief of Staff – BG Bogdan Rycerski * 2025–present – LTG Dariusz Parylak ** Deputy Corps Commander – MG Brian Nissen ** Chief of Staff – BG Ullrich Spannuth

References

External links