Brunssum, Netherlands – On 31 May, our headquarters and the local community will join together to celebrate 50 years of a NATO presence in the city of Brunssum. A wide range of military and civilian dignitaries will attend, including: King Willem- Alexander of the Netherlands; Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Curtis M. Scaparrotti; JFC Brunssum Commander, General Salvatore Farina; the Dutch Minister of Defence, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert; and the Mayor of Brunssum, Mr. Luc Winants.
The anniversary celebration features a full day of events, amongst other things, including the dedication of a new wing of the headquarters building, a military parade, dedication of a anniversary monument, a NATO press conference, music concerts, family activities, international food booths and military displays.
"In 1967, during the Cold War, political developments required that NATO move its facilities out of France. The Netherlands government kindly offered the Hendrik mine facilities, here in Brunssum, to NATO and the rest is now history,” said General Farina. "For five decades, thousands of civilian and military personnel from across the Alliance have come to the headquarters now called Joint Force Command Brunssum to experience the benefits of working and living in a multi-national environment. In honour of this historic anniversary, we invite everyone to join us on the 31st of May to celebrate the outstanding cooperation, friendship and support that has grown between NATO and the local community throughout the last 50 years.”
Media Highlights- The following details about the 31 May events are provided for press planning and to facilitate press registration. Events with an asterisk (*) require media pre-registration, all other events are open to the public and do not require access authorization. Media highlights include:
*09:30- Headquarters wing opening ceremony attended by Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, the JFC Brunssum Commander, General Salvatore Farina, and Brunssum Mayor, Mr. Luc Winants. (access restricted, authorization required)
10:30- Arrival of King Willem-Alexander
*10:45- Military parade (access restricted, authorization required)
12:10- Unveiling of community monument dedicated to NATO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jfcbs/ #50Daysto50Years
*12:30-13:00 Press conference with SACEUR, Commander JFC Brunssum, Netherlands Minister of Defence, Mayor of Brunssum (access restricted, authorization required)
16:00 Commander JFC Brunssum/ Brunssum Mayor Family Day remarks
16:30 NATO international food and drinks available
19:30-21:00 Royal Netherlands Air Force Orchestra concert
Media Registration- Media registration must be made online using the website https://jfcbs50.eventbrite.com. The registration deadline is 24 May. Due to security requirements, media who are not registered by the deadline will not be permitted access to the press areas within the security perimeter. When registering online, media must indicate a coverage option for the specific events they want to attend. Pick only one registration option.
Option A- Wing Opening, military parade and Anniversary press conference
Option B- Military parade and Anniversary press conference
Option C- Military parade only
Option D- Anniversary Press Conference Only
Media accreditation procedures-
On 31 May, all media who have registered online must report to the press registration desk at the Brunssum City Hall to present their media identification cards and receive a media access badge. The times for media accreditation are as follows:
Option A: Wing Opening, military parade & press conference- 08:00 to 08:20
Option B: Media attending only the parade & press conference- 08:30 to 09:00
Option C- Military parade only- 08:30-09:00
Option D- Anniversary press conference only- 09:00-11:30
For more information contact: Joint Force Command Brunssum Public Affairs Office:
Tel: +31(0) 45 526 2657 or +31(0) 45 526 3485 Email: jfcbs50@gmail.com