From 30 May to 1 June 2011, the delegation from Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE) representing the three Framework Nations and headed by the MNC NE Commander Lieutenant General Rainer Korff paid a visit to Moscow to brief the accredited Defence Attachés in Russia and representatives of Russia about MNC NE.
The trip was initiated by Brigadier General Kl. Lawes, Brigadier General J. Niebecker and Colonel M. Czarnota – the Defence Attachés of Denmark, Germany and Poland in Moscow. The intent was to inform the Moscow Defence Attaché Community and representatives of the Russian Armed Forces about the development and achievements of MNC NE since its establishment and the experiences gained in multinational cooperation and during the missions in Afghanistan. Therefore, on 31 May, two briefing sessions were planned to meet the intent and the respective prerequisites by the different nations and audiences.
The evening before, the MNC NE delegation consisting of Lieutenant General R. Korff, Colonel S.B. Bojesen, Lieutenant Colonel V. Quante, Major M. Leszczyński and Captain S. Bley, were invited by the Moscow Association of Military Attachés (MAMA) for a quarterly MAMA dinner and welcomed by the Head, Colonel Urs Sulzer, the Defence Attaché of Switzerland in Russia. He stressed the importance of the visit as a good opportunity for all Defence Attachés and other participants to “learn at first hand about the multinational cooperation within NATO and for a better understanding of NATO’s role as a whole” and invited again all Defence Attachés to participate in the next days’ briefings.
The first session was conducted for the Defence Attachés of NATO countries under the frame of the Military Liaison Mission of NATO in Russia and hosted by the Polish Embassy. After the welcome and a short introduction given by the Polish Defence Attaché Colonel M. Czarnota, the Head of the Military Liaison Mission Major General Lazzlo Makk gave the floor to General Korff. Lieutenant Colonel Quante provided an extended briefing about MNC NE and the Headquarters’ view on the current and upcoming changes in NATO and the nations. The Commander MNC NE contributed personally with his view on how to shape MNC NE for the future and how to bring our Vision 2015 into life.
After the briefing, an open and fruitful discussion started about NATO’s role after the Lisbon Summit with a special look towards the cooperation with Russia, and MNC NE’s role and capabilities for future missions and tasks.
General Makk thanked General Korff and the briefer for the interesting lecture about MNC NE and the provided overview about the ongoing changes within NATO. “It was a pleasure to hear you this morning and discuss the different topics, I have to say it was a brilliant idea to invite you and I would like to thank my three colleagues from Denmark, Germany and Poland”.
The second session in the afternoon was hosted by the German Embassy. Invited were the Defence Attachés of non-NATO countries like Iran, Brazil, North and South Korea or Sweden and representatives from the Russian Armed Forces. On the occasion of the “MAMA Speaker Corner” these personnel meet on a regular basis for lectures and discussions on several topics.
The outline of the briefing was similar to the morning session. Additionally, Major Leszczyński provided a short briefing about MNC NE’s mission experiences in ISAF and our Lessons Identified and Lessons Learned.
After an open question and answer period, the Deputy Head of MAMA the British Deputy Defence Attaché thanked General Korff for the outstanding and interesting lecture and handed over the crest of MAMA as a “sign of appreciation”. He said: “It was again a very good briefing and discussion with you and your staff. I can say this although I took part in the first session today. Thank you.” Also the representatives from the Russian Armed Forces addressed the Commander and handed over a small crest and a flag as special thanks for the lecture.
For the last day of the visit, the three Framework Nations prepared a short cultural and sightseeing program to present the capital of Russia, including the visit to the Victory Park and the Museum of the “Great Patriotic War” and some time spent in the city itself. One of the highlights was the visit to the Red Square and the Kremlin.
