Five-person delegation from the Slovenian General Staff came to Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE) to discuss details concerning Slovenia’s accession to MNC NE. The talks were held from 18 to 20 March 2009 at Baltic Barracks in Szczecin.
Slovenia ready to join MNC NE
Slovenia has declared to become the 11th participating state of MNC NE. In order to prepare the accession, talks were held between the Slovenian delegation from the General Staff with Major Tadej Novak as a leader and representatives of HQ MNC NE. The negotiations encompassed integration of Slovenian officers and non-commissioned officers into the HQ structure, affiliation of a Slovenian Chemical Biological Radial Nuclear (CBRN) Battalion/Task Force and establishing mutual training support. In the course of negotiations, the issues of Slovenia’s accession to MNC NE and affiliation of troops have been spread in time so that joining the MNC NE family by Slovenia could be speeded up.
All in all, “it was a very fruitful discussion and at the end we had a very clear picture on how we want to proceed step by step”, summarized Lieutenant Colonel Lothar Hoffmann, one representative of the Corps’ delegation. Major Novak thanked for proper preparation of the meeting and said he was looking forward to become a member of this HQ.
Slovenia’s way to MNC NE step by step
In fact, this meeting was not the first one. Slovenia’s accession to MNC NE and possible affiliation of a battalion was already discussed last year in March, when the Slovenian delegation entered Baltic Barracks for the first time. Then, in January 2009, the Slovenian Brigadier General David Humar as the Senior National Representative in NATO took part in the Plenary session of the Corps Committee.
Waiting for Slovenian soldiers
Right now, after all details have been agreed on, necessary procedures and national staffing of founding documents have to be completed within the Framework Nations so that during the next Corps Committee meeting, scheduled for April 2009, the Note of Slovenia’s Accession to Multinational Corps Northeast can be finally signed. Then, the first Slovenian officers and non-commissioned officers will arrive in July 2009 and the flag of Slovenia will be proudly raised. It will be another success of Multinational Corps Northeast, which even in its name praises the idea of soldiers from different nations working together to achieve a common goal.
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