Mar 18 2021

NATO COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS GROUP VIRTUAL CHANGE OF COMMAND

MONS, Belgium – Major General Wolfgang E. Renner relinquished command of the NATO CIS Group (NCISG) to Major General Frank Schlösser on Monday, 15 March, 2021 during a ceremony presided over by General Tod D. Wolters, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremony was live-streamed and 100 guests were virtually present from 22 locations in 11 countries NATO-wide. NCISG’s three NATO Signal Battalions at Wesel, Germany; Grazzanise, Italy and Bydgoszcz, Poland, provided the military formation from their respective locations.

Wolfgang, congratulations… fair winds…and fast bandwidth.

Major General Schlösser and Major General Renner

SACEUR highlighted Major General Renner’s flexibility in successfully transitioning day-to-day operations, exercises and training to virtual engagement in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also praised his leadership of NATO’s inaugural Cyberspace Operations Centre at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). He concluded, “Wolfgang, congratulations… fair winds…and fast bandwidth."

Major General Renner thanked the Allied Command Operations (ACO) leadership and said it had been his honour and privilege to work with them. He expressed his heartfelt thanks to Brigadier General Hans Folmer, his “trusted Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff in the CIS Group” who always stood ready to shoulder the load.

He also conveyed his thanks to the well-trained and highly-skilled personnel of NCISG who had “adapted and met the challenge” and to their spouses and family members for providing invaluable emotional and moral support.

SACEUR welcomed Major General Schlösser to the team, who “(...) arrives loaded with experience, with a rich instructional and operational background” and who is “the perfect fit for this challenging command”

Handover of the NCISG flag from our CSEL Command Sergeant Major Knöringer to Major General Schlösser

In his first speech as Commander of the NCISG, Major General Schlösser stated that this challenging command is the highlight of his military career. He thanked Major General Renner and wished him all the best for the new chapter in his life. In closing he expressed his wish to be able to visit the men and women of the NCISG as soon as the coronavirus situation allows and stated that “It is an honour to be your commander and I look forward to working with you.”