Brunssum, the Netherlands – As the summer leave period is fast approaching General Riccardo Marchiò, Commander JFC Brunssum, took the opportunity to address his staff today.

 

General Marchiò started his speech by reminding his audience of his initial remarks, in March, where his two central themes were continuity and trust. On this occasion he complemented the staff for their sustained professional execution of the headquarters’ missions/tasks and made the following statement: "We have focused on refining and developing our Lines of Effort to execute our tasks as an operational headquarters. We have taken a series of steps forward towards deterrence and deliberate planning revisions. We are working to improve and evolve our enhanced Forward Presence direction and guidance. You have taken my Commander’s Intent and through the initiative of each and every one of you, we are improving across every function and every mission. You have earned my trust.”

 

The Commander also took the time to outline his thoughts with regard to the ongoing Command Structure Adaptation (NCSA) initiative and how it is likely to impact JFC Brunssum. Note: the objective of NCSA is to adapt NATO’s existing command structure such that it is better able to respond to emerging security threats.  In this, two new Headquarters will be established to better maintain sea lines of communication in the Atlantic Ocean and to provide enabling support in the rear area respectively. JFC Brunssum is planned to increase in size, embrace new capabilities and adjust its internal structure. 

 

To conclude, the Commander recognised the outstanding efforts of 14 staff members, both military and civilian, by awarding them his Commanders’ Commendation.