| 1 German/Netherlands Corps | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1995 - present |
| Country | Germany, The Netherlands |
| Branch | Army |
| Role | Conventional warfare, peacekeeping operations |
| Size | 30,000[1] |
| Part of | NATO Response Force |
| HQ/Garrisons | Münster (D), Eibergen (NL), Garderen (NL) |
| Motto | Communitate valemus Together we are strong |
| Commanders | |
| Corps Commander | Lieutenant General Ton van Loon |
| Deputy Corps Commander | Major General Harm de Jonge |
| Chief of Staff | Brigadier General Theo Ent |
1 German/Netherlands Corps is a multinational formation consisting of units from both the Royal Dutch Army and German Army. It is also part of NATO's Response Force, a military force consisting of approximately 25,000 troops. The Corps' headquarters are situated in Münster (Westphalia), formerly the headquarters of the German Army's I. Corps out of which 1 German/Netherlands Corps evolved. The corps has national and multinational operational responsibilities, and its commanding officer is the only one in Europe to have OPCON in peacetime.[2] Due to its role as a NATO High Readiness Forces Headquarters, soldiers from other NATO member states, the United States, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom amongst others, are also stationed at Münster.
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In 1991 the defence ministers of The Netherlands and Germany decided to establish a binational unit to replace one German and one Dutch corps. In 1993 a treaty between the two countries was signed which resulted in two previously independent corps being amalgamated to form 1 German/Netherlands Corps or 1(GE/NL) Corps consisting of one German and one Dutch divisions.[3] The corps' readiness for action was achieved on August 30, 1995 and celebrated in the presence of the Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok and the German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. The headquarters were chosen to be in Münster because Munster was already the location of a corps headquarters. For publicity reasons, it was announced that the Münster location was due to the particular significance for both countries as the place where the Peace of Westphalia was signed.
The original tasks of the corps lay in the defence of the territories of NATO member states as part of NATO's main defence force as well as taking part in peacekeeping missions, humanitarian missions and emergency aid during natural disasters.
Soon after its readiness for action, the corps was given new tasks: it was designated "Forces Answerable to the Western European Union",[4] and since December 1999, the corps is a Land Component Command within NATO's command structure. At this time its subordinated divisions were the 1st German Panzer Division from Military District Command II in Hanover, and the Netherlands First Division 7 December, a mechanised infantry formation stationed in Apeldoorn, principally its 41st Armoured Brigade, in 1990s 41st Light Brigade?) that had been stationed in Seedorf, Lower Saxony as part of NATO deployments for several decades.[5]
At the same time, the transition to a multinational unit began, which included not inconsiderable issues in organisational psychology between the two forces.[6] After concluding exercise "Cannon Cloud" at the Baumholder proving ground in November 2002, the corps became a "High Readiness Forces (Land) Headquarters" (HRF(L) HQ) as part of NATO's Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF). The first deployment within this framework took place between February and August 2003 when the corps operated as ISAF's headquarters in Afghanistan.[7] (HQ ISAF III?)
Following this, the "Land Component Command" was further developed. From the beginning of 2004, the corps was subordinate to NATO Allied Joint Force Command Naples and became "NATO Response Force-Headquarters" (NRF) in November 2004. During the first half of 2006 it was deployed as the fourth headquarters (NRF-4) relieving NRF-3, NATO Rapid Deployable Italian Corps (NRDC-IT) at Solbiate Olona. The corps successfully completed exercise "Iron Sword" in June 2005 whereby more than 6,000 troops and 2,500 vehicles were moved from Central Europe to Norway.
With the transfer of the first Belgian officer in 2005 and ten French Armed Forces officers in 2006 to Münster, twelve nations are represented at 1 German/Netherlands Corps.
| Nr. | Name | Country | Start of appointment | End of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Lt Gen Ton van Loon | Netherlands | 13 April 2010 | --- |
| 6 | Lt Gen Volker Wieker | Germany | 1 July 2008 | 13 April 2010 |
| 5 | Lt Gen Tony van Diepenbrugge | Netherlands | 1 July 2005 | 1 July 2008 |
| 4 | Lt Gen Norbert van Heyst | Germany | 4 July 2002 | 1 July 2005 |
| 3 | Lt Gen Marcel Urlings | Netherlands | 22 March 2000 | 4 July 2002 |
| 2 | Lt Gen Karsten Oltmanns | Germany | 27 November 1997 | 22 March 2000 |
| 1 | Lt Gen Ruurd Reitsma | Netherlands | 30 August 1995 | 27 November 1997 |
When not deployed, 1 German/Netherlands Corps consists only of administration and logistic support. However, in an emergency the corps must be able to deploy and lead a military mission inside and outside NATO territory within twenty to thirty days.
The current Commander (COM), as noted above, is the Dutch Lieutenant General Ton van Loon; the Chief of Staff is (COS) is the German Brigadier General Jörg Vollmer. The Deputy Commander (DCOM) is (German) Major General Werner Kullack. Through adjustment to NATO structures, since mid-2006 a further level of command was instituted, containing 3 entities led by Brigadier Generals, the Support Division, the Operations Division, and the Rear Support Command.
The following units are permanently part of HQ 1 German/Netherlands Corps:
All these units are fully binational, manned with German and Dutch soldiers. In the event of a full deployment, each country would supply an armoured division (or division sized element):