The Commanding General of Allied Land Command, Lieutenant General Frederick B. Hodges, spoke of the impressive progress made by NRDC-ITA in preparing to become a Joint Headquarters, during a visit to Solbiate Olona on 30 April 2014.
He was welcomed by the Commander of NRDC-ITA, Lieutenant General Giorgio Battisti, and his staff at Ugo Mara Barracks, and witnessed at first hand some of the developments in the Headquarters as it moves towards national and NATO certification exercises.
Lieutenant General Hodges said: “This impressive facility is clearly a very important part of NATO’s contribution.There has been significant investment in training and in systems.”
Lieutenant General Hodges highlighted that NRDC-ITA was in line with NATO priorities, which include the transformation of the Alliance post-Afghanistan from a focus on operations to contingency, continuing to build relationships both inside the Alliance and with partner nations, and to get the most out of young officers and non-commissioned officers in NATO.
He also commented on the multinational environment at NRDC-ITA, where 15 different nations combine to deliver a culturally aware and rapidly deployable command.
He said: “It is so essential to our success as an Alliance that you have trust. A friend of mine says ‘You cannot surge trust; you cannot surge a relationship’.
“When I see an Italian soldier, I see a NATO soldier.”
Lieutenant General Hodges said that his own Headquarters, the Allied Land Command, based in Izmir, Turkey, is on track to achieve full operational capability by the end of 2014 as it continues to develop capabilities in support of NATO transformation.
The Allied Land Command offers advice and support to NRDC-ITA and other NATO Headquarters in areas such as planning, training and exercises, and was activated in December.