HISTORY AND MILESTONES
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Headquarters Multinational Division South-East – HQ MND-SE – is a North Atlantic Council-activated NATO military body located in Bucharest, Romania. Under the operational command of Supreme Allied Commander Europe and the operational control of Headquarters Multinational Corps South-East, HQ MND-SE is prepared to command and control an Article 5 collective-defence operation as a divisional headquarters in NATO’s south-eastern region.
September 2014
At the NATO Summit in Wales, Allied leaders approved the Readiness Action Plan – RAP – to strengthen the Alliance’s readiness and responsiveness in a changed security environment. The plan provided the political and military framework for new command-and-control structures on NATO’s eastern flank, including HQ MND-SE.
5 February 2015
NATO Defence Ministers welcomed Romania’s intention to make available a new deployable multinational divisional headquarters as Multinational Division South-East.
23 June 2015
The Romanian Parliament adopted Decision No. 32, approving the establishment on Romanian territory of Headquarters Multinational Division South-East and NATO Force Integration Unit Romania.
31 August – 1 September 2015
The command of the Romanian 1st Infantry Division “Dacica” was handed over as part of the process through which the formation was transformed into Headquarters Multinational Division South-East. The establishment of HQ MND-SE took effect on 1 September 2015.
1 December 2015
HQ MND-SE was formally activated during a ceremony in Bucharest, marking its official integration as a NATO military headquarters.
1 July 2016
HQ MND-SE declared Initial Operational Capability – IOC – demonstrating its ability to perform its initial assigned command-and-control functions.
9 July 2016
At the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Allied leaders formally welcomed the establishment of HQ MND-SE in Romania as part of the NATO Force Structure, providing command and control for NATO Force Integration Units and flexible command options in the south-eastern region.
22 March 2018
HQ MND-SE achieved Full Operational Capability – FOC – following its NATO evaluation during Exercise DACIAN LANCER 18 at the Joint National Training Centre in Cincu.
19 May – 1 June 2021
During Exercise NOBLE JUMP II 21, HQ MND-SE and NATO Force Integration Unit Romania facilitated the deployment of land elements of NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force to Romania. Approximately 4,000 troops from 12 Allied countries participated, demonstrating NATO’s ability to rapidly reinforce its south-eastern region.
February – March 2022
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, NATO deployed the highest-readiness element of the NATO Response Force to Romania for the first time in a deterrence and defence role. In March, Allied leaders agreed to establish additional multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
30 November – 9 December 2022
HQ MND-SE participated in Exercise LOYAL LEDA 22, a LANDCOM-sponsored command-post and computer-assisted exercise based on an Article 5 major joint-operation scenario. The exercise supported the Headquarters’ Combat Readiness Evaluation and validated its readiness to perform the role of a NATO Warfighting Division Headquarters.
20 January 2023
Headquarters Multinational Corps South-East assumed command and control of NATO land forces assigned in Romania and Bulgaria, including HQ MND-SE and the NATO Force Integration Units in Romania and Bulgaria. HQ MND-SE consequently became part of the corps-level command-and-control architecture for NATO’s south-eastern region.
October 2024
Exercise CARPATHIAN ARC 24 was a tactical-level command post and computer-assisted exercise scheduled and directed by HQ MNC-SE. It trained HQ MND-SE, the Romanian 2nd Infantry Division “Getica”, Forward Land Forces Battle Group Romania and their subordinate units within an integrated multinational structure. Conducted in Sibiu, Buzău and Cincu, the exercise trained participating structures in large-scale combat operations against a peer adversary, while strengthening interoperability and cooperation among the involved NATO formations. CARPATHIAN ARC 24 also supported HQ MND-SE’s preparation for its planned 2026 recertification as a Warfighting Division.
5 – 23 May 2025
HQ MND-SE planned and led Exercise DACIAN SPRING 25, a major Allied exercise conducted at the Smârdan, Cincu, Capu Midia, Bogata and Frecăței training areas in Romania. Approximately 4,000 troops and 913 technical assets from ten Allied nations participated. The exercise rehearsed a collective defence operation and focused on strengthening interoperability, cohesion and the integration of participating forces into HQ MND-SE’s command-and-control architecture.
DASP 25 also marked the first deployment of a Belgian manoeuvre battalion to Romania. Belgian and Luxembourg personnel, vehicles and equipment deployed to Romania through Operation CARPATHIAN FLOW 25, a large-scale multimodal logistics operation using road, rail, sea, air and inland waterways. The use of all five transport modes in a single deployment was a first for Belgian Defence. The participating units subsequently joined Romanian and other Allied forces for DASP 25. The deployment represented an important milestone in Allied reinforcement and multinational integration on NATO’s south-eastern flank and underscored the contributions of Belgium and Luxembourg to NATO’s collective defence posture.
22 September 2025 – Ten years of service
HQ MND-SE marked ten years since its establishment, recognising a decade of multinational service, readiness and cooperation in support of NATO’s deterrence and collective-defence posture.
20 October – 13 November 2025
HQ MND-SE planned, organised and led Exercise DACIAN FALL 25, a major multinational exercise conducted in Romania and Bulgaria to operationally integrate its subordinate and affiliated formations and test the rapid reinforcement of NATO forces on the south-eastern flank. More than 5,000 troops and approximately 1,200 pieces of equipment from ten Allied nations trained across nine training areas in Romania and at the Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria.
In Romania, NATO Forward Land Forces Battlegroup Romania demonstrated its ability to expand rapidly to an armored brigade, integrating approximately 2,400 personnel from the French 7th Armored Brigade with Romanian and other Allied forces. The exercise demonstrated the Alliance’s ability to deploy, integrate and command multinational reinforcements and supported the implementation of the brigade-scaling and reinforcement commitments agreed at the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid and reaffirmed at the 2023 Vilnius Summit. It marked an important milestone in strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense posture in the Black Sea region.
25 – 29 May 2026
During Exercise DACIAN LANCER 26, HQ MND-SE and participating structures tested command-and-control procedures, decision-making processes and coordination among Allied forces in a complex operational scenario.
Current role – July 2026
HQ MND-SE remains a high-readiness NATO divisional headquarters under the operational control of HQ MNC-SE. Together, the two headquarters contribute to the command-and-control architecture covering NATO’s Forward Land Forces in Romania and Bulgaria and support the Alliance’s ability to deter aggression, reinforce the region and defend Allied territory.
Last reviewed and updated: 31 July 2026