IZMIR, Turkey – NATO Headquarters’ Military Committee (MC) visited Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) Headquarters on Feb. 20 and 21, 2019, to gain an appreciation for LANDCOM’s current activities, priorities, and role in the NATO Command Structure.
During the first day, the MC met with the Host Nation receiving a presentation from the Turkish General Staff that highlighted Turkey’s view of the complex security environment, their support to current NATO priories and their commitment to the Alliance. The MC engaged in discussions with key LANDCOM leaders and staff and gleaned information about LANDCOM’s mission, operational design, intent for 2019, new approach to combat readiness evaluations, readiness, interoperability, command and control concepts, and roles of being a Multi-Corps Land Component Command and a Theater Land Component. The second day focused on touring LANDCOM facilities including a cultural tour of historical Ephesus.
Lt. Gen. John Thomson, the LANDCOM Commander, and several key LANDCOM staff officers presented crucial information to the MC to assist them in understanding LANDCOM’s role in the land domain.
Thomson explained the primary things that LANDCOM does. LANDCOM builds and sustains readiness, conducts mission command, and is the land advocate for various topics. "We welcome a military strategy on which we can base a campaign plan,” Thomson articulated.
British Royal Air Force Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, the Chairman of the MC, praised LANDCOM and thanked them for the tremendous visit. "This was a really good discussion today. We’ll take this information that we received on this visit back to Brussels. We’ll talk about these topics in our discussions, [because] the decisions we make now will have significant impacts for the future,” Peach said. This was a historic visit for the MC, because it was the first time a military representative from North Macedonia participated.