In 1997, following peace support operations conducted in the Balkans, NATO recognized the need for a dedicated Civil-Military Cooperation capability, able to interface with the civil environment and facilitate the accomplishment of its missions. As a consequence, NATO reviewed its doctrine and decided to establish a specialized unit specifically tasked with Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC).

Italy, among other Allies, responded to this requirement and, as Framework Nation, promoted the establishment of “CIMIC Group South” in Motta di Livenza on 1 January 2002, with the participation of Greece (Letter of Intent in 2002), Hungary (Letter of Intent in 2003) and Portugal (Letter of Intent in 2003).

In 2004, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the representatives of the four Participating Nations – Italy, Greece, Portugal and Hungary – in the presence of a SHAPE representative. In 2009, Romania joined the unit and, in the same year, the designation “CIMIC Group South” was changed to “Multinational CIMIC Group (MNCG)”.

This modification was approved by the Participating Nations and reflected in a new MoU, signed by SHAPE and the National Military Representatives. In March 2012, MNCG was officially affiliated to SHAPE and, in 2014, Slovenia joined the unit by signing the MoU.

Since then, the Multinational CIMIC Group has evolved into a key CIMIC asset for NATO and a primary provider of civil-military cooperation capabilities in support of joint and combined operations, from the operational down to the tactical level. Today, MNCG operates as a multinational hub of CIMIC expertise, training and reach-back, regularly contributing personnel and capabilities to NATO-led operations, missions and exercises.