NATO assigns German Netherlands corps to Baltic defense

NATO is establishing a new military command structure to strengthen the defense of its eastern flank, specifically to facilitate the rapid deployment of forces to Latvia and Estonia in the event of a conflict with Russia, according to sources familiar with the matter. The move underscores the alliance's heightened focus on the Baltic region following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Currently, NATO forces in the three Baltic nations and northern Poland are commanded by a single multinational headquarters in Szczecin, Poland. The new plan involves assigning a second army corps to the region. Military officials said this will allow the alliance to bring in "mass at speed," addressing the area's limited strategic depth and perceived vulnerability. A fully operational army corps typically commands between 40,000 and 60,000 troops across three divisions. In peacetime, such a corps functions as a skeleton command structure with specialist functions in place to enable swift troop deployment when required.

Germany and the Netherlands, in coordination with NATO, have agreed to assign the German-Netherlands Corps, headquartered in Muenster, Germany, to the defense of Latvia and Estonia....