German Lieutenant General, Manfred Hofmann, takes command of the International Northeast Corps in Szczecin, north-western Poland, on Thursday.

Hofmann takes over from Lieutenant General Bogusław Samol, who had served as unit commander since December 2012. The ceremony will be attended by Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Hofmann began his military career in the 3rd Company of the 471st Light Infantry Battalion in Oberbexbach. He later worked at the Bundeswehr Personnel Department in Cologne and the German Ministry of Defence. In 2005-2006 he served as chief of staff at the mission headquarters EUFOR Althea in Sarajevo.

The term of office of the Corps commander is three years and is rotated by Polish and German generals. The position of Deputy Chief of Staff is covered periodically by military figures from Denmark, Germany and Poland, the three countries which in 1999 established the unit in Szczecin.

Soldiers from Szczecin will take part in the biggest exercise in NATO history "Compact Eagle 2015," which will take place in November near Mińsk Mazowiecki on the outskirts of the Polish capital Warsaw.

Soldiers from 16 countries are currently stationed in Szczecin and were recently joined by troops from the United Kingdom and Turkey. This year NATO plans to include further Member States: Greece, France and the Netherlands. (jh/rk)