Brunssum, the Netherlands - The Mayor and Municipal Council of Brunssum visited Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) on Monday, April 8.
We are proud to house this organisation and provide a home for the men and women who work here
The visit began with the guests receiving a tour of the base, which is rich in both mining and NATO history. Following this the Mayor, Wilma van der Rijt, and the Municipal Council were warmly welcomed by the commander of JFCBS, General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta.
As part of his welcoming address, General Miglietta, thanked the mayor for the excellent cooperation between his headquarters and the municipality of Brunssum. 'I am really looking forward to the open-air concert on May 31 to celebrate 75 years of NATO. Last year we celebrated the 70 years anniversary of JFCBS and that event was a great success," said the general.
The mayor indicated that the presence of the base is of great importance to Brunssum. “We are proud to house this organisation and provide a home for the men and women who work here, especially considering the important work they do: guaranteeing our peace and security every day,” said Van der Rijt.
The guests received a presentation about JFCBS and the beneficial economic impact that the base has on Brunssum and the wider South Limburg region.
The arrival of NATO headquarters in Brunssum in 1967, was one of the measures taken by the Dutch government to ease the impact on the local community from the closing of the mines.
JFCBS is an operational warfighting HQ, responsible for central and north-east Europe, including the eastern flank of NATO from Finland to Hungary.
