BRUSSELS—The U.S. Army is establishing a new military headquarters to coordinate with European allies in countering potential threats from Russia, the head of the Army said Tuesday.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper is expected to meet with Eastern European counterparts in Brussels at a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization defense ministers on Wednesday, in part to discuss where to base the new command post, defense officials said.

The headquarters will be known as the Fifth Corps, or “V Corps,” reconstituting an Army operation first created in World War I and serving through nearly a century of conflicts until it was deactivated in 2013. The Fifth Corps at that time was based in Germany.

The new Fifth Corps headquarters will be based at Fort Knox, Ky., and will include more than 600 troops, the Army said. About 200 soldiers will take turns rotating through Europe once a site for a European command post is selected, likely this fall, officials said.

The new Army headquarters is needed to better coordinate activities including exercises, training and potential operations with its European partners, Army officials said. As the largest force among its European partners, the U.S. Army has more resources and personnel to work with allies.