The Headquarters Multinational Corps Southeast (HQ MNC-SE) in

Sibiu Sibiu ( , , german: link=no, Hermannstadt , la, Cibinium, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Härmeschtat'', hu, Nagyszeben ) is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Located some north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Ci ...

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

, is a

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

-level

command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or e ...

structure under the operational control of the

Allied Joint Force Command Naples Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples) is a NATO military command based in Lago Patria, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy. It was activated on 15 March 2004, after effectively redesigning its predecessor command, Allied Forces Sout ...

. With Romania as the framework nation, the Corps is integrated within NATO's military command structure. It was formed on 23 July 2020, and is the second NATO Multinational Corps on the Eastern flank after

Multinational Corps Northeast Multinational Corps Northeast was formed on 18 September 1999 at Szczecin, Poland, which became its headquarters. It evolved from what was for many years the only multinational corps in NATO, Allied Land Forces Schleswig-Holstein and Jutland (LAN ...

from Poland. The Corps is part of the security architecture on the Eastern flank of the Alliance in the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, ...

region. It is designed to provide corps-level command and control for NATO land operations during crises or war.

History

NATO corps Defender Europe 21 command post exercise

During the

2018 Brussels summit The 2018 Brussels Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was the 29th formal meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, held in Brussels, Belgium, on 11 and 12 July 2018. ...

, the

President of Romania The president of Romania ( ro, Președintele României) is the head of state of Romania. Following a modification to the Romanian Constitution in 2003, the president is directly elected by a two-round system and serves for five years. An indiv ...

announced that Romania offered to develop a command and control capability on its territory to continue the adaptation process to the NATO Command Structure. The decision to establish a Multinational Corps Headquarters was approved by the Supreme Council of National Defence on 20 April 2020. At first, the Headquarters were to be temporarily located in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...

, then relocated to Sibiu. The

Romanian Parliament The Parliament of Romania ( ro, Parlamentul României) is the national bicameral legislature of Romania, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies ( ro, Camera Deputaților) and the Senate ( ro, Senat). It meets at the Palace of the Parliament in Bu ...

approved the decision on 18 June 2020. On 23 July 2020, the establishment ceremony took place at the Joint National Training Center in

Cincu Cincu (german: Großschenk; hu, Nagysink) is a commune in Brașov County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Cincu and Toarcla (''Tarteln''; ''Kisprázsmár''). Each of these has a fortified church. Geography The commune is ...

. During the ceremony, Major General Tomiță-Cătălin Tomescu, the units new commander, received the

military colours In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt som ...

from President

Klaus Iohannis Klaus Werner Iohannis (; ; also spelled Johannis; born 13 June 1959) is a Romanian politician, physicist and former teacher who has been serving as the president of Romania since 2014. He became leader of the National Liberal Party (Romania), Na ...

. A short notice exercise, during which 1.000 soldiers participated, was held after the ceremony. The exercise was meant to perfect the process of executing complex military actions without the usual planning stages. The

Initial operating capability Initial operating capability or initial operational capability (IOC) is the state achieved when a capability is available in its minimum usefully deployable form. The term is often used in government or military procurement. The United States De ...

was achieved in June 2021, with the conclusion of the

Defender-Europe 21 Defender-Europe 21 was a large-scale, United States Army-led, multinational joint exercise designed to build readiness and interoperability between the United States, NATO and partner militaries. Taking place between mid-March and June, it was one o ...

command post exercise. A month later, on 1 July, the Headquarters were moved to the Sibiu Garrison. On 28 February 2022, with the retirement of Lieutenant General Tomiță-Cătălin Tomescu, the command was handed over to Major General Dragoș-Dumitru Iacob. The Multinational Corps Southeast assumed command and control over the NATO land forces deployed to Romania and Bulgaria on 20 January 2023:

Headquarters Multinational Division Southeast Headquarters Multinational Division Southeast (HQ MND-SE) is NATO's command and control military body in the South-East region under the Multinational Corps Southeast. The operational control is handled by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe ( ...

, NATO Force Integration Unit Bulgaria, and NATO Force Integration Unit Romania. During the event, commanders of the French-led Multinational Battle Group in Romania, the Italian-led Multinational Battle Group in Bulgaria, and the Headquarters Multinational Brigade South East, also participated. The Corps was declared fully operational on 23 October 2023, a year earlier than planned due to the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...

, following the conclusion of exercise Steadfast Jupiter 2023. As needed, the corps can command up to five

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military * Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

s of 20,000 soldiers each.

Symbols

Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and Multinational Corps Southeast unit patches

The

heraldic Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

emblem of the Corps has a green and blue background, symbolizing the land-oriented character of the HQ, and the core values of NATO (preserving the peace and freedom of its member states) respectively. A NATO

compass rose A compass rose, sometimes called a wind rose, rose of the winds or compass star, is a figure on a compass, map, nautical chart, or monument used to display the orientation of the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west) and their int ...

is located in the center of the shield, behind which there are two crossed weapons: a double-headed

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

, and a

saber A sabre (French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

, symbolizing the sovereignty of the states and the combat power of the Corps. The three stars indicate the hierarchical rank of the HQ, while the

Romanian flag The national flag of Romania ( ro, drapelul României) is a tricolour. The Constitution of Romania states that "The flag of Romania is tricolour; the colours are arranged vertically in the following order from the flagpole: blue, yellow, red". ...

indicates the Framework Nation of the HQ. The motto of the unit, "FORTIS IN UNUM!" ("Strong Together!"), is meant to show Romania's resolution, as part of the Alliance, to ensure a safe and secure environment in the region.

Structure

* Headquarters Multinational Corps Southeast, in

**46th Support Regiment ***Communication and Informatics (CIS) Battalion ***Logistic Support Battalion ** 25px

, in

***45th Communications and Information Battalion "Captain Grigore Giosanu" ***300th Support Battalion "SARMIS" ***French Brigade Forward Command Element *** Multinational Battlegroup Romania ***Multinational Battlegroup Bulgaria *** Multinational Brigade South-East, in

Craiova ) , official_name = Craiova , image_skyline = , image_caption = From left: Dolj County Prefecture • Constantin Mihail Palace • Bibescu Manor House • Carol I National College • Museum of Oltenia • University of Craiova , i ...

**NATO Force Integration Unit Bulgaria **NATO Force Integration Unit Romania

Contributing nations

As of December 2022, there were 9 troop-contributing nations to the Headquarters:

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

, Canada,

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...

, France, Germany,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

, Italy,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

, and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. Another 6 nations are set to join:

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Commanders

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Tomiță-Cătălin Tomescu 23 July 2020 – 28 February 2022 *Major General Dragoș-Dumitru Iacob 28 February 2022 – 15 January 2024 *Major General Cristian-Daniel Dan 15 January 2024 – present

References

External links

Official website
{{North Atlantic Treaty Organization Military units and formations of NATO Military units and formations established in 2020 2020 establishments in Romania Multinational army units and formations Romania and NATO NATO Rapid Deployable Corps