For the first time in its history, the Eurocorps will be commanded by a Polish general who took office on Thursday in Strasbourg after Poland joined the organization as a framework nation in January 2022, AFP and Agerpres reported.

At the head of this rapid reaction corps of the European army, the Belgian general Peter Devogelaier gave way to the Polish general Jarosław Gromadzynski.

He becomes the 16th general to take the rotating command of Eurocorps, which changes every two years.

“Today, we face complex and multidimensional challenges,” said General Gromadzynskiy in his inaugural speech.

“We are witnessing a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as hybrid attacks on the borders of countries in the East, while further south, in the Middle East and Africa, we see the emergence of a security situation that has already taken enough lives and fueled mass migration movements. Paradoxically, this context strengthened and even strengthened the ties of cooperation between the EU and NATO, as well as our allies and partners,” he added.

“I firmly believe that Eurocorps, as a multinational force strengthened by solid operational experience, will know how to face all the challenges of today and tomorrow,” he concluded.

How Eurocorpus works

Founded in 1992, Eurocorps is a one-of-a-kind army corps that brings together a thousand soldiers from six member countries, called “frame nations” (France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, and now also Poland), which finances and manages organizations.

Some “associated countries” (Greece, Turkey, Italy, Romania and Austria) also support Eurocorps by providing officers at the General Staff.

The Army Corps, tasked with leading and coordinating large-scale multinational operations for the EU and NATO, can command up to 60,000 ground forces.

It is installed in Strasbourg, a city symbol of Franco-German reconciliation and European construction.