Ministers sign memo establishing Multinational Division North headquarters
The Ministers of Defence of Estonia, Latvia and Denmark on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of the Headquarters of NATO's Multinational Division North (MND-N) which will serve as the basis for the functioning of the alliance's new international division.
Headquarters Multinational Division North (HQ MND-N) will constitute part of the NATO troop structure which links up the military units of Estonia's region to the alliance's higher command structure, spokespeople for the Ministry of Defence said.
MND-N will be tasked with command of military operations in its area of responsibility. With that in mind, the headquarters will engage in planning and oversight over military operations, planning and integration of the NATO units deployed to the region as reinforcements, as well as organising training on the headquarters level in accordance with national and NATO defence plans.
At the ceremony of signing of the memorandum, the Minister of Defence Jüri Luik (Isamaa) hailed fast and smooth cooperation among the defence structures of the three countries in the establishment of MND-N.
"With the launch of Multinational Division North, we will achieve a new level in strengthening NATO's response capacity in standing up against the threats faced by our region," Mr Luik said. "The alliance's deterrence capability and capability to defend us will increase significantly when Multinational Division North becomes operational."
The framework nations of Multinational Division North are Estonia, Latvia and Denmark. Elements of the headquarters of the division will be located in time of peace mainly in Ādaži, Latvia, but also in Karup, Denmark. Estonia will have at least 15 personnel assigned to the headquarters.
The first commander of Multinational Division North will be a major general of the Danish Defence.
HQ MND-N will be inaugurated in Ādaži on 8 March. The headquarters is to achieve initial operability in the first half of 2019 and full operability within a few years.
In addition to the framework nations, the armed forces of other allies, first and foremost those contributing to the presence of allies in the region, will be involved in the activity of MND-N as well. After the full inception of the headquarters, regional partners will be also awaited to contribute.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
