Then-Maj. Gen. Charles D. Costanza shakes soldiers’ hands May 19. 2023, while commanding the 3rd Infantry Division. Costanza on Monday took command of V Corps at the unit's headquarters in Poznan, Poland. (Summer Parish/U.S. Army)
Lt. Gen. Charles D. Costanza, who previously led the 3rd Infantry Division, took command Monday of an Army headquarters in Poland that is responsible for ensuring soldiers are prepared should conflict break out on NATO’s eastern flank.
Costanza replaced Lt. Gen. John S. Kolasheski, who brought V Corps back to Europe in 2020 after the headquarters was reestablished to bolster the Army’s mission on the Continent.
“V Corps Forward in Europe is perhaps more important than ever before,” said U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s Gen. Darryl Williams during a ceremony at the corps’ headquarters in the city of Poznan.
Williams said V Corps, which was a mainstay in Europe throughout the Cold War, was back for the long-term with a mission to deter and, if needed, “respond to Russian aggression.”
V Corps’ forward headquarters in Poznan is home to the Army’s first permanent base in Poland. It has a separate command post at Fort Knox in Kentucky.
The unit oversees the Army’s Europe-based units and additional rotational forces carrying out maneuvers along NATO’s eastern flank.
The reactivation of the headquarters, which was disbanded in 2013 as part of a long post-Cold War reduction in Europe, was a turning part for the service on the Continent. With the return of a three-star headquarters able to manage troop movements, USAREUR-AF’s four-star headquarters was able to dedicate more attention to overarching strategy.
Williams told Costanza that his task would be to ensure his forces are at the highest levels of combat preparedness.
“Army senior leadership refers to us as the tip of the joint force spear,” Williams said. “Your most important job is to keep that spear sharp.”
Kolasheski’s task for more than three years revolved around rebuilding V Corps in Europe from scratch. His tenure was marked by unpredictable events, ranging from restoring the command during the COVID-19 pandemic to dealing with the ramifications of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s attack “changed Europe forever,” said Kolasheski, who is retiring. “It created the most complex threat environment seen in several generations.”
After the invasion, the Pentagon sent thousands of additional troops to Europe, mostly drawn from the Army. That meant more training missions and exercises aimed at reassuring allies and deterring Russia.
“More than any other period in the last 30 years here in Europe, we face dangers and uncertainty,” Kolasheski said. The Russian invasion of Ukraine “threatens the freedom and values for which previous generations fought so valiantly.”
Costanza said he’d carry V Corps’ mission forward with an aim to deter Russian aggression.
“And if required, defeat that aggression should deterrence fail,” he said.
