New regional NATO headquarters in the Baltics

TT

Published 15.13

 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a visit to an army base in Münster in April. Archive photo. Photo: Markus Schreiber/AP/TT

Germany and the Netherlands will set up a new regional NATO headquarters in the Baltics.

A statement from the German and Dutch defense ministries announced that the joint First German-Dutch Corps (1GNC) will take over responsibility for the command of NATO forces in Estonia and Latvia from this summer, which are currently under a headquarters in Szczecin, Poland.

“By establishing a second corps headquarters in the region, alongside MNC NE (in Stettin), Germany and the Netherlands are proving their willingness and ability to take responsibility for deterrence and defense of NATO’s eastern flank,” the statement said.

1GNC, based in Münster, Germany, was created in 1995 as a joint task force that could be deployed within 20-40 days.