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On 17 April, General Riccardo Marchiò, Commander Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS), visited Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE). It was the last stage on his route through the Baltic States and Poland, where the newly appointed JFCBS Commander inspected the troops constituting NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP). 

General Riccardo Marchiò has been in command of JFCBS – HQ MNC NE’s superior headquarters – since February 2018. As stated by General Marchiò himself, he took over from his predecessor, General Salvatore Farina, in the challenging time when the concept of security has undergone considerable evolution. Focusing on the recent actions authorized by NATO in its Eastern peripheries, he said: 

Every commander has to have a direct view on what is happening on the ground. What I have seen is a success story. It is a clear demonstration of the commitment of all NATO countries.

Thus, General Marchiò emphasized the importance of the enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) initiative. It has been a year since the Alliance placed four battalion-sized Battle Groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. With their multinational composition and robust combat capabilities, these forces perform a deterrence function – making it clear that an attack on one Ally will be considered an attack on the whole Alliance. The eFP Battle Groups were integrated into their host nations’ brigades and attached to the chain of command that follows through Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast, Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum and Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.

General Riccardo Marchiò, Commander Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS), visited Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE).

You perform your role perfectly. You have made a great effort to integrate all the elements that come from the different parts of the Alliance. You are a very strong element providing security for the members of NATO in the East.

The General reaffirmed that these initiatives will be pushed forward and continued in the set direction. As expressed in his closing remarks, a good working relationship of JFCBS and HQ MNC NE contributes to making the north-eastern part of NATO more secure and demonstrates how efficiently NATO adapts to the new security challenges.

General Riccardo Marchiò, Commander Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS), was briefed on current status and way ahead of Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE).

A gift exchange between General Riccardo Marchiò, Commander JFCBS,and Lieutenant General Manfred Hofmann, Commander HQ MNC NE.

General Riccardo Marchiò, Commander Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum in an interview with HQ MNC NE.