Lt. Gen. Dariusz Parylak was on a working visit to Latvia on January 13, 2025, which was part of his familiarization with the area of responsibility of the Multinational Corps Northeast in Szczecin. At the Ādaži base, Jacek Raubo (Defence24) had the opportunity to talk to Lt. Gen. Parylak, asking about the role of the Corps on NATO’s eastern flank but also the challenges it faces in the current international reality.
Lt. Gen. Dariusz Parylak emphasized that the Multinational Corps Northeast is the only one on the eastern flank with a permanent allocation of forces, which allows it to operate effectively in times of peace, crisis, and potentially war. He also emphasized that one of the most significant challenges for the Corps« operations is building interoperability between allies who provide forces and resources within it. Lt. Gen. Dariusz Parylak also noted that an appropriate approach to training processes and integrating exercises and maneuvers is essential. All this is not only to improve one’s forces but also to diagnose potential areas for improvement.
We should note that during his visit to Latvia, Lt. Gen. Dariusz Parylak also met with Polish soldiers serving as part of PKW Latvia, which is one of the key parts of the NATO battle group in this Baltic country. Hence, during the interview itself, one can see, among other things, Polish Leopard 2PL tanks, which have just now been included in the current rotation (XVI rotation fielded by the 11th Lubuska Armored Cavalry Division „Black Division”) for the first time in action as part of a NATO battle group.

The Multinational Corps Northeast (MNCNE) was established in April 1999 by Poland, Denmark, and Germany. Since 2017, it has been NATO’s high readiness command. It is responsible for NATO land forces in Poland and the Baltic states. It is responsible for the multinational division’s North-East, headquartered in Elbląg, and North, headquartered in Ādaži, Latvia. The corps also has a division of the Estonian Armed Forces. It is commanded alternately for three-year terms by generals of the Polish Army and the Germany Bundeswehr. In 2024, Lieutenant General Dariusz Parylak took over command from German Lieutenant General Jürgen-Joachim von Sandrart.