WELCOMING WORDS

It has been a pleasure and a great honour for me to be appointed Commanding General of EUROCORPS by our Framework Nations (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain) and I am perfectly aware of the challenges I will have to master during the next two years.

Born in 1992 as the result of an idea of French President Mitterrand and German Chancellor Kohl, Headquarters EUROCORPS (HQ EC) has become an example of a true multinational headquarters within both NATO and the EU in the past 17 years. The professionalism of all our predecessors has made this possible. EUROCORPS is meanwhile certified as Rapid Reaction Corps and as LCC, a force capable of fulfilling the full range of missions it may be entrusted with.

On 26 February 2009 a milestone in EUROCORPS history was achieved when the Treaty of Strasbourg entered into force after having been ratified by the parliaments of the Framework Nations (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain). This treaty gives our Headquarters legal capacity and makes EUROCORPS unique indeed. Moreover it provides a well-suited frame for the further development of a European Defence.

But EUROCORPS is more than just a highly efficient Headquarters. It is an outstanding and exciting experience, gathering in Strasbourg men and women with different backgrounds who work together in perfect synergy. In a true spirit of multinational military cooperation, the Staff composed of 12 nations performs as a team. This spirit is our main road to success!

During the next year EUROCORPS will undergo the NRF certification again. We are looking forward to carrying out this very important "NRF 15" mission that we are already training for. All the numerous exercises and training activities will serve only one single goal: the full commitment of EUROCORPS to NRF. This will forge our cohesion and improve our skills and procedures. Afterwards, from July until December 2010, we will be NATO's answer to any crisis occurring in the world. Regardless of any possible commitment, this period is an outstanding opportunity to train the capabilities of EUROCORPS in the function as a Land Component Command, ready to conduct all kinds of operations in a joint environment, which is nowadays a standard feature of all operational deployments.

Looking further into the future we already know that Headquarters EUROCORPS will take over the command of ISAF for the second time in 2012. This mission will put HQ EUROCORPS into the spotlight again. An intensive preparation phase scheduled to start in 2011 will even increase the capacities of our Headquarters to meet the requirements of NATO's most challenging mission.

The Command Group and I, we are looking forward to experiencing the time ahead of us. NRF 15, the ISAF preparation, my new tasks linked to the Treaty of Strasbourg and the EUROCORPS teamwork are going to be my main points of effort. Together we will prove that EUROCORPS is a skilled, professional, experienced and highly motivated HQ, anytime available to the Atlantic Alliance as well as to the European Union.

Author : Lieutenant General Hans-Lothar Domröse