Danish Defence Attaché accredited to Warsaw Colonel Carsten Rasmussen paid an official visit to the Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast on August 11, 2008.
Colonel Carsten Rasmussen has been Danish Defence Attaché accredited to Warsaw since June 1, 2008 and his visit to the Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast was meant to provide a better understanding of the Corps’ matters and challenges for the upcoming months and years. Colonel Rasmussen was hosted by the Corps’ Commander Lieutenant General Zdzisław Goral, Deputy Commander Major General Ole Køppen and Chief of Staff Brigadier General Josef Heinrichs. He was briefed on the Corps-related issues; moreover, he addressed the Danish personnel, too. It seems that Colonel Rasmussen was content with the visit – "I got very good impressions of this Headquarters as a very dynamic place. What particularly impressed me was the way this Headquarters managed to integrate lessons learned from a deployment to ISAF into the future training and exercises system".
As a representative of one of the three framework nations, Colonel Rasmussen expects to be a regular guest to the Headquarters. He is especially looking forward to the next year’s 10th anniversary of the Corps. "I think the Danish participation in the Corps like this, with two our big neighbour countries, is very important. I would see MNC NE as a success story coming as an old NATO Corps, which integrates Poland, one of our relatively new NATO members, and other countries, too", he stated.
In a broader sense, his service as a Defence Attaché accredited to Warsaw requires more intense cooperation with Polish people. However, as Colonel Rasmussen notices, it is quite easy to work in Warsaw. "First of all, it is because I am representing a close allied nation. And secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I think there are many common things among Danes and Poles. If I should mention one thing, the Polish sense of humour is what I appreciate very much. It really helps to establish working relations with my Polish colleagues in Warsaw", he explains.
