NATO officials recently signed two agreements at their headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, to create new training centers in Poland and Belgium.

The first, signed by NATO Allied Commander Transformation Adm. Edmund Giambastiani and Polish deputy defense minister Janusz Zemke, will establish a NATO joint training center in Bydgoszcz, Poland, by June 30, 2006.

The second establishes a formal relationship between the Allied Commander Transformation and the Belgium-Netherlands Naval Mine Warfare School in Oostende, Belgium. Giambastiani signed that agreement with Belgian Army Lt. Gen. Hendrik Jennart and Royal Netherlands Air Force Lt. Gen. Jo Goddery.

The school is currently staffed by about 50 multinational military and civilian personnel and will assume control of NATO’s naval mine warfare education and training. It will train individuals and crews, and serve as advisers to NATO countries and commands in naval mine warfare.

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