Latvia and Estonia to Come Under New NATO Command Structure on Alliance Eastern Flank

The land forces of Latvia and Estonia will come under the operational command of NATO’s 1st German/Netherlands Corps from July 1.

The decision will be formalized during a ceremony on June 30 in the border town of Valga-Valka, Delfi reports.

The new command structure is being launched as part of the Alliance’s command structure restructuring. NATO leadership plans to accelerate the response of allied forces and increase combat readiness on the eastern flank. NATO’s Northeastern Corps, which previously coordinated this region, will focus further activities on Poland and Lithuania.

The focus will also remain on protecting the Suwałki Corridor, a critically important section between the Kaliningrad region and Belarus.

The Ministers of Defense of Estonia (Hanno Pevkur), Germany (Boris Pistorius), the Netherlands (Dilan Yeşilgöz), and Latvia (Raivis Melnis), as well as General Ingo Gerhartz, the Commander of the NATO Joint Force in Brunssum, will attend the ceremony on June 30.

Lieutenant General Dariusz Parylak, the Commander of the NATO Multinational Corps Northeast, and Lieutenant General Peter Mirow, the Commander of the 1st (German/Netherlands) Corps, will also attend the event.

At the end of May 2026, Germany and the Netherlands, in coordination with NATO, agreed to assign a multinational German/Netherlands Corps (I. DEU/NLD Corps), headquartered in Münster, to the defense of Latvia and Estonia.

The 1st German/Netherlands Corps (1GNC) is one of the key headquarters of NATO’s high-readiness forces. Created in 1995, it is based in the German city of Münster.

Related article: «Multinational Division “Center” (MND-C) on the Border with Ukraine: Its Role in Regional Defense of Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia».

This is a binational formation in which Germany and the Netherlands share equal responsibility for command and control, while representatives of 10 other Alliance countries are involved in the corps’ work.

The 1st German/Netherlands Corps is primarily a management body, so its task is not so much to obtain additional equipment, but to integrate subordinate forces into a single structure.

In addition, it should not be confused with the 45th Armored Brigade (Panzerbrigade 45), which is unrelated to the corps and is not among the forces being transferred to the command of 1GNC in Estonia and Latvia.

The brigade is a historically unprecedented project for modern Germany, as it is the first permanent deployment of German troops abroad since World War II. Created on May 22, 2025, it has become a key element of NATO’s deterrence strategy on the eastern flank and aims to ensure the collective defense of Lithuania and the entire Baltic region.

According to the plan, the full strength of the brigade will be about 4,800 military personnel and 200 civilian employees who will ensure the operation of equipment and logistics.

The main deployment points are the Rudninkai training ground, where a modern military camp is being built for the main part of the personnel, and Rukla, where Alliance units are already based.

To achieve full operational readiness, planned for 2027, Germany and Lithuania are implementing a large-scale infrastructure program that includes the construction of residential, training, and repair facilities.

The unit has already started conducting the first large-scale exercises, such as Freedom Shield, during which interaction with other NATO units and the use of modern technologies, in particular anti-drone protection for equipment, are practiced.

The German military is actively incorporating lessons from the war in Ukraine by equipping its Leopard 2 tanks and Fuchs armored personnel carriers with special nets and screens to protect against UAVs.

Despite some difficulties with manning and logistics that accompanied the formation phase, the brigade is gradually increasing its presence, transforming the training rotation format into a permanent military presence, which significantly increases Lithuania’s defense capability and readiness to respond quickly to any threats from Belarus or the Kaliningrad region.

The brigade is subordinate to the 10th Panzer Division, and its headquarters and units are gradually moving from Germany to Lithuania to establish a stable, combat-ready force.