Beginnings
Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast has been operational since September 18, 1999, the year Poland joined NATO. It was established under a treaty signed in 1998 by the defence ministers of Poland, Germany, and Denmark, the framework nations of the Corps. Apart from geographical and military reasons, Multinational Corps Northeast was also to serve as a symbol that would significantly accelerate the integration of the Polish Armed Forces of Poland into the multinational NATO structure. Initially, the MNC NE Headquarters operated based solely on the partnership of these three Allies from the Baltic region, with its primary mission focused on fostering trilateral cooperation. The first countries to join the Szczecin-based command were Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in 2004. Since then, the Headquarters has expanded, and today it includes over 20 member nations.
Transformation
In 2014, following Russia's invasion of eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, NATO leaders decided to expand Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast and assign it specific responsibility for the Baltic Sea region. This decision aimed to strengthen NATO's deterrence and defence posture on its key eastern borders. As a result, MNC NE became NATO's first regionally-oriented corps, with subordinate forces deployed on the ground, including divisions and multinational battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. With the escalation of Russia's aggression, culminating in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Corps and its Headquarters have continued to evolve. Today, MNC NE serves as a NATO Response Corps within the Allied Force Structure.
Missions and Exercises
Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast's first large-scale expeditionary operations took place in Afghanistan in 2007, 2010, and 2014. However, with Russia's hostile actions against Ukraine, NATO shifted its strategic priorities toward deterrence and defence within its own borders. The current training and exercise program ensures MNC NE's readiness for defensive operations. Exercises remain a vital tool for testing and refining procedures, systems, and tactics so that the Corps maintains interoperability, robust deterrence capabilities and is always ready to respond to emerging threats, whenever they may arise.