Dec 7 2018

Multinational Division Northeast Fully Operational

On 6 December, the Polish-led exercise “Anakonda 18” culminated with the official certification of Multinational Division North East. The Division Headquarters stationed in Elbląg, north-eastern Poland, has gained Full Operational Capability and now completes the chain of command that goes from the four enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Groups up to Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE) as the highest body of the NATO Force Structure in the Baltic region.

The ceremony was carried out in Elbląg in the presence of the President of the Republic of Poland, Mr Andrzej Duda. “This year’s ‘Anakonda’ military exercise has managed to achieve all its goals” – said the President while addressing the multinational participants of the manoeuvre.

This year’s ‘Anakonda’ military exercise has managed to achieve all its goals

For some years now, “Anakonda” has been featuring prominently in NATO’s exercise programme. With over 12 000 participants from 10 Allied states, this year’s edition has stressed their joint capabilities to execute full-spectrum military operations across the Baltic region after invoking Article 5.

“We may take satisfaction in seeing the NATO Warsaw Summit decisions being put into effect” – stated Mr Mariusz Błaszczak, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Poland, who accompanied President Duda during the visit – “I would like to congratulate the Division Commander and all the soldiers. You have proven your skills, military knowledge and dedication to constitute this very important pillar of security on the eastern flank of NATO.”

While in Elbląg, President Duda appointed the Division Commander, Brigadier General Krzysztof Motacki, to the rank of Major General. Accordingly, the Division Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff Support MNC NE, Colonels Piotr Malinowski and Dariusz Żuchowski, were promoted to Brigadier Generals.

Amongst many operational objectives pursued by Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast, “Anakonda 18” served as a platform for mentoring the Division and ensuring that they pass the Combat Readiness Evaluation (CREVAL) to become a high-readiness unit. A team of evaluators was led by Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) and included 40 specialists from multiple NATO entities.

With the fully operational division headquarters under its command, HQ MNC NE continues to increase synergy between its subordinate troops across the Baltic area. The enhanced Forward Presence has been fostered to a greater degree and remains devoted to delivering a credible deterrence in service of the people in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

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Story by Multinational Corps Northeast Public Affairs Office

The ceremony was carried out in Elbląg in the presence of the President of the Republic of Poland, Mr Andrzej Duda.

The Division Headquarters stationed in Elbląg, north-eastern Poland, has gained Full Operational Capability and now completes the chain of command that goes from the four enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battle Groups up to Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE) as the highest body of the NATO Force Structure in the Baltic region.

With over 12 000 participants from 10 Allied states, this year’s edition has stressed their joint capabilities to execute full-spectrum military operations across the Baltic region after invoking Article 5.