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Germany and the Netherlands take command on NATO's eastern flank

30 June 2026 15:03 (UTC +04:00)

Germany and the Netherlands have established a military command center in the Baltic region to deter Russia as part of broader efforts to take on more responsibility within NATO ahead of the alliance's summit next week, Bloomberg reports.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Tuesday attended a ceremony in the Estonian city of Valga on the border with Latvia, during which the 1st German-Netherlands Corps (1GNC) assumed command of NATO defense units on the eastern flank from the Multinational Corps Northeast (MNC NE).

"By adding another highly capable headquarters to NATO's eastern flank, we improve our readiness, refine our command and control structures, and strengthen our ability to deter any potential adversary," Pistorius said in his speech.

U.S. General Christopher Donahue, commander of NATO's Allied Land Command, acknowledged these efforts, stating that Europe is taking on more than it has in the last 35 years.

The defense ministers of the Netherlands, Estonia, and Latvia joined the ceremony a week before the NATO leaders' summit in Turkey's capital, Ankara. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has been trying to convince U.S. President Donald Trump that the U.S. president's demands for increased European defense spending are being addressed, including during a visit to the White House last week, where he used visual effects and charts to demonstrate the region's rising defense expenditures.

The new command center of the German-Netherlands Corps will serve as a tactical headquarters for part of NATO's eastern flank. The corps will command all NATO units stationed in Estonia and Latvia, as well as national army elements.

The new command center will oversee military exercises, preparatory measures, and the defense of the region in the worst-case scenario of an attack by Russian forces.

Additionally, Germany is currently establishing a permanent tank brigade of up to 5,000 soldiers in Lithuania, the third Baltic country.