As the year draws to a close, I extend my warmest wishes to the entire NATO Defense College (NDC) community, and to all our Allies, partners and friends across the Alliance and around the globe. This season offers an opportunity to reflect on our shared achievements, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the dedication of every member of our community who helped make them possible.
2025 was a year devoted to preparing our Alliance for the future, ensuring that our institution continues to equip the next generation of leaders with the skills, perspectives and networks they need to meet today’s and tomorrow’s security challenges. We have fully implemented our updated curriculum, and we have worked on how we can adapt the NDC to meet the future challenges facing the Alliance.
This year again, we proudly graduated multiple cohorts of leaders from Allied and partner nations. We successfully conducted two Senior Courses, two NATO Regional Cooperation Courses, two Generals, Flag Officers and Ambassadors’ Courses, as well as several Modular Short Courses. At the NDC, we have full confidence that these new leaders will carry forward the knowledge and insights gained at our institution, making us stronger and safer.
We also advanced the future of security and defence through forward-looking dialogue. The Allied Foresight Conference 2025, hosted here at the NDC in cooperation with Allied Command Transformation (ACT), explored how NATO adapts to maintain its edge in an evolving strategic landscape, and reaffirmed our commitment to innovation. This year’s Conference of Commandants, which was held in Athens, examined the impact of emerging technologies and the integration of AI into strategic education, underscoring the necessity for institutions like ours to adapt their methodologies in order to better prepare our future leaders for the years to come.
In 2025, our global reach flourished, reflecting our commitment to fostering key partnerships worldwide. We deepened our relationships in the South by conducting the Generals, Flag Officers and Ambassadors’ Course for Partners – Sahel (GFOAC-P Sahel) in Nouakchott, Mauritania. We also conducted the “Gulf Week” in Kuwait City and held our first Field Study in Qatar. Our enduring partnership with Ukraine was reaffirmed through another successful virtual International Week in Kyiv, held in cooperation with the National Defence University of Ukraine (NDUU). Finally, we strengthened ties with the newest members of the Alliance, welcoming Course Members, Staff and Faculty from Sweden and Finland, further building human interoperability across all 32 Allies.
These invaluable partnerships reaffirm a core truth: we are stronger together. The strength of our Alliance – the world’s most successful Alliance – rests on our enduring commitment to dialogue, mutual understanding and solidarity.
In this mission, the NATO Defense College remains an essential pillar, cultivating global perspectives and serving as a platform for our future leaders to learn from one another, and to develop the ability to think and work together.
Looking ahead, we are approaching a truly special milestone: the 75th anniversary of the NATO Defense College. This anniversary will not only be a moment to celebrate our legacy and the great people who have shaped this institution, but also an opportunity to drive the future of strategic education for decades to come.
I wish you and your family a festive season filled with joy, peace and restorative rest.
Have a wonderful holiday season and a New Year full of success.
Warm regards,
Lieutenant General (DNK AF) Max A.L.T. NIELSEN, NDC Commandant
NATO Defense College