Home  /  Newsroom  /  News  /  2020  /  4th Commander's Conference

SZCZECIN, Poland — On December 8-9, Lieutenant General Sławomir Wojciechowski chaired the 4th Multinational Corps Northeast Commander’s Conference. During the two-day online symposium, decision-makers from across NATO worked on increasing cohesion between the troops deployed to the Baltic region. The meeting was attended remotely by General Jörg Vollmer, Commander Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum.

The conference brought together numerous officials representing the Corps’ framework nations, NATO headquarters, multinational forces, and the MNCNE subordinate units stationed in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, including the Commanders of Multinational Divisions North East and North.

The fact that we meet despite the adverse COVID-19 conditions shows both the strength of the Alliance and the importance of tasks entrusted to us. This conference is a forum for dynamic debate at all levels. Every voice and every idea are welcomed, and they can have a major impact on our posture,

Lieutenant General Sławomir Wojciechowski, Commander Multinational Corps Northeast, emphasized the vital role of an aligned approach to regional security in his opening remarks.

He also noted that challenges triggered by the global pandemic should assist in the development of our potentials. As indicated by the General, the demands of today's operational environment have already revealed an underlying truth that the Allied forces should always remain flexible and ready to try new approaches.

“Robust yet adaptive planning, which takes into account the unknown and the unpredictable, is what 2020 taught us.” –  General Wojciechowski indicated –

While NATO's core function remains unchanged, we have to be prepared to tackle threats that know no boundaries – the spread of infectious diseases, cyberterrorism, cyberespionage and inter-regional conflicts.

In order to do it effectively and efficiently, Multinational Corps Northeast, its regional partners and subordinate units shall further consolidate their common approach, especially with regard to trainings and exercises. A coordinated and synchronized Trg&Ex effort is necessary given the wide range of forces in the Corps’ Area of Operations. Only through cooperative work will all subordinate and affiliated formations be able to build their training cycles and fit into overarching training activities in order to maintain high readiness, responsiveness and persuasive military capabilities.

When discussing the expected development path, the stakeholders emphasized how important it was to translate operational concepts into tactical-level requirements and make them comprehensible to everyone in the chain of command. This, in turn, should result in optimizing the capabilities of the NATO forces to provide credible deterrence across the Baltic region.