1 (German-Netherlands) Corps is NATO stand-by force

Muenster- The formal hand over / take-over of the tasks and responsibilities of the NATO Response Force Land Component Command took place on 14 January, 2015. Lieutenant General John W. Nicholson, the representative of NATO and the Commander of Land Command in Izmir, relieved his French colleague Eric Margail, the Commander of the Rapid Reaction Corps in Lille of his NRF duties. He praised Margail for his vision, leadership and performance over the past year. Subsequently, Nicholson passed on these duties to German Lieutenant General Volker Halbauer, Commander of the Muenster-based Headquarters. According to Nicholson, the NRF is composed of some of the best units in NATO.”

In his address, Halbauer referred to the attack last week on innocent civilians in Paris, an attack on the free media and the freedom of speech. "These freedoms are core values within all NATO member-states. These events do not weaken us. On the contrary, they strengthen our will to commonly defend these freedoms,” according to the General. In support of France and out of respect for those who died in the terrorist attacks last week, the German Army Band played the French national anthem, the Marseillaise.

While the 1(German-Netherlands) Corps will command the Land Component, the Immediate Response Force Brigade which is the main quickly deployable element, is formed around the 11 Air Maneuver Brigade from Schaarsbergen, The Netherlands, supplemented with elements from various Norway, Germany and other NATO member states. The duration of the stand-by phase is one year.