DefMin Ciuca pays working visit to HQ MNC-SE

Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca paid a working visit on Thursday to the NATO's Headquarters Multinational Corps South East (HQ MNC-SE), which is temporarily deployed in Bucharest.

Corps Commander Catalin Tomescu presented the latest developments achieving the objectives to be for declaring the initial operational capability and the activation of this corps by NATO, according to the Defence Ministry (MApN).

Part of the meeting, Ciuca was introduced to the outlines of efforts in the development plan of the corps that will operate in Sibiu, with emphasis on the main objectives that will be gradually achieved until the headquarters becomes fully operational in 2024.

Ciuca mentioned MApN's full readiness for the development of this multinational structure that is important to the entire eastern flank of NATO, adding that the MNC-SE will play an important role in preparing contingencies in exercising command and control of other NATO components on Romanian soil - NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU), Multinational Brigade South-East and the Headquarters Multinational Division South-East - to secure a link between tactical and strategic levels.

"The four NATO components in our country represent Romania's contribution to consolidating a credible deterrence and credible defence posture of the North Atlantic Alliance on the eastern flank and in the Black Sea region," according to Ciuca.