Increasing Land Expertise in the new NATO Command Structure

ALCC HQ HD conducts high level conference

Commander ALCC HQ HQ Lieutenant General Kather during his opening speech

Multimedia 12 June 2008 High resolution photos News 9 June 2008 “The Crown Jewels in the New NATO Command Structure!” - ALCC HQ HD paves the way for future developments

From 10 to 12 June 2008 Allied Land Component Command Headquarters Heidelberg (ALCC HQ HD) conducted the Allied Chief of Army Staff Talks (ACAST) in Dresden, Germany.

Commander ALCC HQ HD, Lieutenant General Roland Kather, who presided over the conference together with the commander of the sister Command in Madrid, Lieutenant General Cayetano Miro Valls and the German Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Hans-Otto Budde, had put these years’ talks under the motto “NATO’s Army Vision – Increasing Land Expertise in the new NATO Force Structure Peacetime Establishment.”

ACAST grew out of the two previous forums – that of the former Central Region and the Southern Region. Land COM Heidelberg developed this new concept putting the separate conferences under one roof, which was intended to foster greater awareness of Alliance associations and interoperability by all NATO Army Chiefs in a single forum.

This year 23 NATO Army Chiefs or their deputies participated in the ACAST forum, which promoted open dialogue on issues such like the threats from Islamic insurgencies, Religious Fundamentalism, the NATO Command Structure, and Joint Logistics support.
Especially the lectures and discussions on the next step in NATO transformation raised intensive discussions.

This new approach raises a number of important questions, which will have significant impact on the relations between the NATO Command Structure (NCS) and the NATO Force Structure (NFS), thus concerning all nations contributing with High Readiness Forces to NATO’s posture.

Within the NCS the Land Component Command headquarters in Heidelberg and Madrid will completely reorganize to meet the new requirements of NATO. (see related article)

Apart from the working sessions of the conference the participants were offered the chance to get acquainted with the city of Dresden, which also is known as the Florence at the river Elbe, and contains a vast amount of history and architecture.

Highlights of this by program were a reception by the newly appointed Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony (Dresden is the capital of Saxony) and a visit to the Frauenkirche.

The Frauenkirche was destroyed during the last days of World War II. Only after German reunification the reconstruction started. This process was supported by nations which had been at war, and so can be considered to stand as a symbol of reconciliation between former wartime enemies.