NATO Defense College
Encyclopedia
NATO Defense College is an international military college for North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries located in Rome
, Italy
.
, the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe, who identified very early on the need for a new international institution with a unique education mission. On 19 November 1951, the NATO Defense College opened its doors to Course 1 in Paris
. In 1966, France withdrew from the Alliance's integrated military structure and the College moved to Rome
where it continues to fulfil its mission. First, on 10 September 1999, the new College building, twice the size of the old one, was inaugurated Cecchignola Città Militare, a military zone 2 km from the former site. Then, on 25 September 2001, the NATO Defense College celebrated its 50th Anniversary and hosted the 48th Annual Conference and Seminar of the Association of Anciens. 8 years later on 25 September 2009 celebration of the 60th Anniversary of NATO and the NATO Defense College ten years in Cecchignola.
and the NATO Military Committee (MC123/8), the NDC Mission is:
is an officer with the rank of Lieutenant-General; the current Commandant, appointed in March 2008, is Lt.Gen. Wolf-Dieter Loeser German Army
. To accomplish its mission the College is organized into four main divisions that perform education and research tasks coordinated by the DEAN (civilian equivalent of a 2-star General) of the College.
The divisions work closely together to provide breadth, flexibility and quality of high-level strategic education.
The Director of Management (a Brigadier General) supervises management of the NDC’s financial and technical resources with the aim of improving the quality of life in the College and creating the best conditions for work and study.
Over the last year, the Research Division published about 20 studies and analyses, about 30 articles in journals (International Herald Tribune, International Affairs, Defense News, Politique Étrangère, Washington Times, etc.), was regularly quoted in the New York Times, Newsweek, Le Figaro and news agencies, etc. The RD also organized 8 conferences and workshops and co-facilitated Reykjavik Conferences on Arctic Security and a Military Committee workshop on the Strategic Concept.
The formal aims of the International Week are:
The Introduction to NATO (the NATO Defense College is the content provider for this course); European Security and Defence Policy, and RMA - the Revolution in Military Affairs.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
History
The idea of a NATO Defense College originated with General Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe, who identified very early on the need for a new international institution with a unique education mission. On 19 November 1951, the NATO Defense College opened its doors to Course 1 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In 1966, France withdrew from the Alliance's integrated military structure and the College moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
where it continues to fulfil its mission. First, on 10 September 1999, the new College building, twice the size of the old one, was inaugurated Cecchignola Città Militare, a military zone 2 km from the former site. Then, on 25 September 2001, the NATO Defense College celebrated its 50th Anniversary and hosted the 48th Annual Conference and Seminar of the Association of Anciens. 8 years later on 25 September 2009 celebration of the 60th Anniversary of NATO and the NATO Defense College ten years in Cecchignola.
Mission
In response to Strategic Guidance issued to the NDC by the North Atlantic CouncilNorth Atlantic Council
North Atlantic Council is the most senior political governing body of NATO established by Article 9 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The NAC can be held at the Permanent Representative Level , or can be composed of member states' Ministers of State, Defense, or Heads of Government. The NAC has the...
and the NATO Military Committee (MC123/8), the NDC Mission is:
- Contribute to effectiveness and cohesion of Alliance
- Foster strategic level thinking on pol-mil matters
- Develop major center of education, study, and research:
- Prepare selected officers and officials for important NATO and NATO-related multinational appointments
- Conduct academic studies and research in support of the Alliance’s wider goals
- Support an active outreach programme with other educational institutions
- “There is a high priority requirement to develop individuals, both on the military and on the civilian side, who will have a thorough grasp of the many complicated factors which are involved in the problem of creating an adequate defense posture for the North Atlantic Treaty area.
- “These considerations have brought me to the conclusion that it is highly desirable to establish in the near future a NATO Defense College for the training of individuals who will be needed to serve in key capacities in NATO Organizations.”
-
- - General Dwight D.Eisenhower
Organization
The CommandantCommandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
is an officer with the rank of Lieutenant-General; the current Commandant, appointed in March 2008, is Lt.Gen. Wolf-Dieter Loeser German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
. To accomplish its mission the College is organized into four main divisions that perform education and research tasks coordinated by the DEAN (civilian equivalent of a 2-star General) of the College.
The divisions work closely together to provide breadth, flexibility and quality of high-level strategic education.
The Director of Management (a Brigadier General) supervises management of the NDC’s financial and technical resources with the aim of improving the quality of life in the College and creating the best conditions for work and study.
Education
Three regular courses are held at the College:- The Senior Course: The most important course at the NDC. It lasts 5½ months and runs twice a year. Some 15 weeks are spent in the College, with the rest of the time on Field Studies. There is a 2-3 day crisis management exercise at the end of the Course. The Course is open to officers (Colonels, Lieutenant Colonels) and civilian officials and diplomats (of equivalent rank). Over 200 attend each year (approximately 25% civilian). The Senior Course is open not only to NATO nations but also to Partnership for Peace-Mediterranean Dialogue-Istanbul Cooperation Initiative nations, Contact Countries and Iraq.
- Generals, Flag Officers & Ambassadors' Course (GFOAC): This high-level course seeks to enhance mutual understanding of security concerns and of NATO's interests and capabilities among Generals and Flag Officers and high-ranking civilians including ambassadors from NATO, PfP, Med Dialogue and ICI nations, Contact Countries & Iraq. It also provides opportunities for networking among one- to three-star officers and civilians of equivalent rank.
- NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC): Commissioned by the North Atlantic Council at the Riga summit in 2006, after two years of preparation the NRCC was inaugurated at the College in 2009 to link issues of concern to both MD and ICI Nations and NATO, and to develop mutual understanding and networking among participants. It shares lecturers with the Senior Course (40% of the time), and also has its own separate facilities and lecturers, mostly from the ME region, and its own Faculty Advisors and staff. The NRCC offers a ten-week academic programme twice each year.
Research
Research at the NATO Defense College, carried out by the Research Division (RD), provides the NATO’s senior leaders with timely analyses and recommendations on current issues concerning the Alliance. The activities of the RD can help to convey NATO’s positions to the wider audience of the international strategic community. The RD performs its tasks mainly through research papers – short academic essays and academic reports, and forum papers – in-depth studies, analyses and reports.Over the last year, the Research Division published about 20 studies and analyses, about 30 articles in journals (International Herald Tribune, International Affairs, Defense News, Politique Étrangère, Washington Times, etc.), was regularly quoted in the New York Times, Newsweek, Le Figaro and news agencies, etc. The RD also organized 8 conferences and workshops and co-facilitated Reykjavik Conferences on Arctic Security and a Military Committee workshop on the Strategic Concept.
The Conference of Commandants (of Defence Colleges)
Which has a dual purpose.- firstly, to facilitate the exchange of information between those responsible for higher defence education with a view to improving curricula and teaching methods;
- secondly, to promote cooperation in higher defence education between colleges in NATO countries and their counterparts in central and east European and Mediterranean Dialogue countries.
Kyiv Week
NATO's support for senior military education in Ukraine started with the first "International Week”, held in February 2001. Since then a similar course has been running every year involving more than 500 participants at a time.The formal aims of the International Week are:
- to improve knowledge of NATO, its organization and working methods;
- to discuss the challenges facing the Atlantic Alliance and its partners in today’s security environment;
- to address key, current issues in the field of international security; *to demonstrate the importance of a strong partnership between Ukraine and NATO.
The Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Was established in 1999 at the Washington Summit as a Consortium of the Willing and founded in the spirit of Partnership for Peace (PfP). By Military Committee direction, the NATO Defense College "is the focal military point of contact within NATO" for the consortium, composed of 300 organizations in 46 countries. The NDC is actively involved in 6 of the 10 working groups.Advanced Distributed Learning
ADL’s goal is to provide learning systems that are both more effective and more cost-effective. Course members must follow at least one of the three different ADL courses, to ensure that they have all attained the same level of knowledge before embarking on the Senior Course.The Introduction to NATO (the NATO Defense College is the content provider for this course); European Security and Defence Policy, and RMA - the Revolution in Military Affairs.