Other events in Baltic States

he ministers of defense of Estonia, Latvia and Denmark during a meeting in Brussels on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of Headquarters Multinational Division North of NATO, which will serve as basis for the functioning of the new international division of the alliance.

“The creation of Headquarters Multinational Division North in Latvia is a highly important step not only in strengthening Latvia’s defense but also for the entire region’s security. We are proud to be the headquarters’ host country,” said Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks.

"With the launch of Multinational Division North, we will achieve a new level in strengthening NATO's response capacity in standing up against the threats faced by our region. The alliance's deterrence capability and capability to defend us will increase significantly when Multinational Division North becomes operational," said Estonian Defense Minister Juri Luik.

Headquarters Multinational Division North (HQ MND N) will be a part of the NATO troop structure which links up the military units of our region to the alliance's higher command structure, spokespeople for the Estonian Ministry of Defense said.

Multinational Division North will be tasked with command of military operations in its area of responsibility. With that in mind, the headquarters will engage in planning and oversight over military operations, planning and integration of the NATO units deployed to the region as reinforcements, as well as organizing training on the level of headquarters in accordance with national and NATO defense plans.

The framework nations of Multinational Division North are Estonia, Latvia and Denmark. Elements of the headquarters of the division will be located in time of peace mainly in Adazi, Latvia, but also in Karup, Denmark. Estonia will have at least 15 personnel assigned to the headquarters.

The first commander of Multinational Division North will be a major-general of the defense forces of Denmark.

The headquarters of Multinational Division North will be inaugurated in Adazi on March 8. The headquarters is to achieve initial operability in the first half of 2019 and full operability in a few years.

In addition to the framework nations, also the armed forces of other allies, first and foremost those contributing to the presence of allies in our region, will be involved in the activity of Multinational Division North. After the full inception of the headquarters, also regional partners will be awaited to make a contribution.