Brunssum, The Netherlands – On Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th April, Headquarters Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) hosted the visit of the Chief of the German Army, Lieutenant General Alfons Mais.
I thank the German Army for its ongoing engagement at NATO’s eastern flank in the Baltic States.
Commander JFC Brunssum, General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta, welcomed Lt Gen Mais before the Chief of the German Army received briefings on various topics of relevance to JFCBS, in particular in light of the ongoing Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
General Miglietta underlined the German contribution to the defence of the Alliance, saying, “I thank the German Army for its ongoing engagement at NATO’s eastern flank in the Baltic States, and in particular Germany’s role as the framework nation of the Forward Land Forces Battle Group in Lithuania.” He also highlighted the efforts the German Army is undertaking to provide an additional combat brigade ready to deploy on short notice to Lithuania to strengthen the defence of NATO’s eastern flank.
Lt Gen Mais also took the opportunity to address the German delegation at JFCBS on the changes the German Army is making in response to Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine. These will see a shift back to defending Germany, Europe, and the NATO Alliance, rather than conducting out-of-area operations. The General has commanded the German Army since February 2020 and has thus been personally responsible for many of these changes to the posture of the German Land Forces.
The Chief of the German Army also described Germany’s increasing interoperability with Allied armies and the ongoing integration of forces from different NATO nations as a result of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Here Lt Gen Mais in particular praised the level of cooperation achieved by the armies of Germany and the Netherlands, which will only improve further in years to come.
