NATO’s six new small headquarters in Eastern Europe – the NATO Force Integration Units (NFIUs) – will become fully operational by the Warsaw Summit in July 2016, the Alliance has announced.

The new units have been inaugurated in Bucharest (Romania), Sofia (Bulgaria), Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Vilnius (Lithuania), and Bydgoszcz (Poland) six months ago. Since then, these units have participated in major military exercises and welcomed new staff. 

The new units serve as a vital link between national forces and multinational NATO forces. Moreover, if required, they will also support reinforcements, helping forces move quickly and effectively, according to an official statement.

At full length, each office will have around 40 staff, half coming from the host country and half from the Alliance.

NATO will activate two other small headquarters in the near future, in Hungary and Slovakia.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com