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Aug 27 2020

Meet your ACO CSELS: CSM PETER KNÖRINGER

SHAPE, Belgium – German Army Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Peter Knöringer serves as the Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL) of NATO’s Communication Information Systems Group (NCISG) located near Mons, Belgium.

As CSEL, CSM Knöringer serves as the principal advisor to his commander, German Army Major General Wolfgang Renner, on matters affecting non-commissioned members (NCM) in the Alliance, while providing the command’s force structure and staff with NCM and junior officer development, utilisation and engagement. He has been in the position since July 2019.

Visiting our personnel on various deployments, exercises and in their home location, seeing the service they deliver, sometimes under peculiar conditions and knowing that I am a part of this team, makes me feel extremely proud

“NCISG is a unique provider of NATO deployable communication information systems (CIS) for missions and exercises all over the NATO area of responsibility,” said CSM Knöringer. “Working in this Group with 3 NATO Signal Battalions(NSB), 18 Deployable Communication Modules (DCM) distributed all over the heart of Europe, and more than 1,400 troops and civilians, with the majority being NCOs, is challenging; but at the same time a great opportunity.”

Command Sergeant Major Peter Knöringer, centre, the Command Senior Enlisted Leader of NATO's Communication Information Systems Group (NCISG) poses for a photo with non-commissioned officers  during the NCISG Commander's Conference December of 2019.

CSM Knöringer is a native of Ludwigshafen, Germany and joined the German Army in 1990 as a Technician for Communication and Cryptologic equipment. His first assignment was with the 1st Tank Artillery Battalion 345 in Kusel, Germany where he worked as a radio technician. He has served in various positions throughout Germany but was also assigned to NATO from 2002 to 2004 at the Chief Network Section in Naples, Italy. From 2012 to 2016 he was notably selected as part of the Military Exchange Personnel to U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR). In this post he served as the Sergeant Major of G37 Training and Exercises/Multinational Training Division within USAREUR. From 2016 to 2019 he served as the First Sergeant of the German detachment to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium before taking his current post. CSM Knöringer has completed multiple deployments including Bosnia, Kosovo, and three tours to Afghanistan.

“Visiting our personnel on various deployments, exercises and in their home location, seeing the service they deliver, sometimes under peculiar conditions and knowing that I am a part of this team, makes me feel extremely proud,” said CSM Knöringer.

NCISG HQ was established on July 1, 2012 to be the command level over the originally just two NSBs. Shortly after that, a third NSB was added to the command structure and thus the Communications and Information Systems Group was complete.

To form the basis of NCISG the former NCSA (NATO CIS Support Agency) was split to create two separate entities: NCISG and NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA). NCIA is the customer funded agency that develops and supplies, owns and maintains the Deployable CIS assets that NCISG manages and deploys to NATO Headquarters. NCIA and NCISG therefore are closely related strong partners in delivering C2-support to NATO.

The HQ of NCISG has a clear task and mission, but it is also clear that SACEUR’s Cyber directorate and NCISG are functionally intimately related. In order to retain this strong link to SHAPE, Commander NCISG is dual-hatted: he is also the Director Cyberspace for SACEUR. The combination of these two positions in one post helps to better face and solve challenges and problems in the cyber domain and DCIS.

This is part eight of a SHAPE Public Affairs series, introducing CSELs within Allied Command Operations. Following highlights will include CSELs from: NATO Force Structure components, and other units from multiple domains and subcommands.

Story by SHAPE Public Affairs Office

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