The mission time has come for the Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE). On 2 February 2010, about 70 Corps’ personnel set from the airport in Goleniów heading for Kabul. Almost nine hours later, the C-17 aircraft successfully landed in Afghanistan.
The weather conditions were not favourable. However, the icy wind, the snow blurring the view and the temperatures below zero did not discourage families of the deploying personnel from waving goodbye at the Szczecin-Goleniów airport. After all, it is going to be a six-month mission. MNC NE Deputy Commander Major General Ole Køppen was also there with the personnel. "Put your fingerprint upon that headquarters in Kabul and come back with lots of experiences to share", he said to the gathered servicemen. "And be close friend with each other", he added. Already the day before MNC NE Commander Lieutenant General Rainer Korff adressed the Corps’ personnel: "I am sure that you will perform you duty as professionally as always and that you will do an excellent job representing our Corps". He also stressed that the main effort for the personnel staying in Szczecin would be the Family Care Centre offering assistance to families of the deployed personnel.
Since the weather was getting worse, as soon as check-in was completed, the servicemen immediately started to board. A few minutes later, the aircraft soared leaving the blizzard behind.
ISAF mission
In the next couple of days, another 60 servicemen are going to deploy to Afghanistan. About 130 MNC NE officers and non-commissioned officers will spend approximately 6 months serving in Kabul. Most of them are assuming posts at the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Joint Command of a tactical level, which is superior to Regional Commands. Thus they will have a direct influence upon the conduct of the operation in Afghanistan. "We are going to help the Afghan people to create a better country for them during our 6 months of deployment. I also hope that we will gain some knowledge and experiences", Slovak Major Partik Adamec said about his expectations of the mission. The MNC NE personnel are assigned to different branches and cells across the ISAF Joint Command. MNC NE Chief of Staff Brigadier General Josef Heinrichs has been appointed the highest post as Chief of Logistics. Some MNC NE personnel are to serve at the operational ISAF Headquarters, too.
Preparations
Even though it is already the second mission of the Multinational Corps Northeast in Afghanistan, each officer and non-commissioned officer underwent a complex preparation process to get familiarized with the current situation in Afghanistan and well prepare for their jobs. The process included e.g. individual preparations, training within and across functional areas (in other words different branches and cells) as well as the final Mission Rehearsal Training and Exercise at the Joint Warfare Centre in Norwegian Stavanger. There were also lectures, specific courses, key leaders training, not to forget national training of all personnel deploying to Afghanistan.
