It was an extraordinary visit of outgoing and designated Commander of the Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) to the Joint Warfare Centre in Stavanger, Norway. On 8th and 9th December 2009, MNC NE Commander Lieutenant General Zdzisław Goral, Polish Army, and his successor Lieutenant General Rainer Korff, German Army, met the MNC NE personnel during the ongoing Mission Rehearsal Exercise, the final step of preparations for the upcoming mission in Afghanistan.
Lieutenant General Zdzisław Goral and Lieutenant General Rainer Korff were warmly welcomed by the staff of the Joint Warfare Centre (JWC). Both Generals had an official meeting with Commander Joint Warfare Centre Lieutenant General Wolfgang Korte. Apart from that, General Goral and General Korff were briefed about the current situation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission and the ongoing exercise itself. A highlight was definitely meeting Supreme Allied Commander Transformation French Air Force General Stephane Abrial, whose visit coincided with the presence of General Goral and General Korff in Stavanger.
However, both Generals were spending most of the time with the MNC NE personnel, who were taking part in the last stage within their mission preparation process. They have visited several exercise sites within the Ulsnes Training area, where the current Mission Rehearsal Training is being conducted, talking to people and checking how the exercise proceeds.
Multi-purpose visit
For Lieutenant General Zdzisław Goral, going to Stavanger was an excellent opportunity to supervise the final step within the overall process of mission preparation, lasting several months of intensive work. "I am sure that the MNC NE soldiers will become well trained and prepared for the mission after this training", General Goral said after visiting different exercise sites where the MNC NE personnel were getting ready for their jobs in Afghanistan. "Based on what I have seen, the exercise seems to be well planned. The involvement of our servicemen as well as trainers and experts, often coming directly from Afghanistan, make me certain that all exercise objectives will be achieved. These experts forward the latest pieces of information which are essential for assuming the positions in ISAF", MNC NE Commander explained. Even though General Goral is not going together with the soldiers to the theatre, as his tour of duty is just about to end, it was essential to him as the Commander to enjoy the fruit of common labour, which has filled up the calendar with training events for the last couple of months.
On the other hand, for General Korff who is preparing to take command of the Multinational Corps Northeast next week, this visit seemed to be highly significant, too. "It is very important to see the people and that the people have the opportunity to see me. And I have enough time for our handover phase with the Commander and acting Chief of Staff", General Korff emphasized. As he added, even though he gave the exercise the secondary priority, he learnt a lot of interesting things such as how the new ISAF Headquarters and the Headquarters of tactical level really work and cooperate together.
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