On 13 and 14 November 2024, the NATO Defense College (NDC) welcomed distinguished participants for the 54th annual Academic Advisory Board (AAB) meeting. Chaired by Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, the Board is composed of senior representatives from NATO Headquarters, Allied Command Transformation and Allied Command Operations, as well as external members from the military, academic, scientific and diplomatic spheres.
The AAB provides the NDC Commandant with strategic advice, offering recommendations to enhance the College’s operations and activities. It also serves as a critical platform for strengthening the College’s ties with NATO HQ and Allied Commands, ensuring its educational objectives align with NATO’s overarching goals.
During the two-day meeting, the Board reviewed the College’s academic programmes, research efforts and engagement activities. Members received comprehensive updates on key initiatives, including the College’s revised Academic Curriculum. The revised Curriculum emphasizes strategic-level content to support the NDC’s mission, which is to develop future leaders capable of working effectively in political-military environments, foster cohesion and strengthen transatlantic solidarity. Updates also highlighted ongoing research projects and digital transformation efforts.
The discussions also addressed the NDC’s “drivers of change” in order to determine how the College can best support NATO’s core tasks in the future. These presentations sparked lively exchanges, with Board members sharing insights and offering constructive guidance to ensure the College continues to excel across its three main pillars: education, research and engagement.
Every year the Board is briefed on the current status of the College and on the intended course of action for the future. The purpose of the AAB is to review academic, research and engagement activities at the College and advise the Commandant on ways to proceed, and to submit recommendations to the Military Committee for improving and enhancing College operations.
The feedback from the Board was highly encouraging. Admiral Bauer highlighted the critical importance of the NDC’s mission in an era of complex security challenges, emphasizing the value of education in preparing future NATO leaders. The 54th AAB meeting reaffirmed the pivotal role of the NATO Defense College in supporting NATO’s strategic objectives, and its commitment to remaining relevant.
Besides the Chair, Admiral Bauer, other members of the Board are Ms Marie-Doha Besancenot, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy; Vice Admiral Simon Asquith, Chief of Staff at NATO’s Allied Command Transformation; Major General Tiberiu Serban, Director of the Cooperative Security Division at the NATO International Military Staff; Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Heist, Strategy and Policy Planner at SHAPE (acting on behalf of Major General Davide Re, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Development and Preparation, SHAPE); Mr Fergal Anthony O’Regan, Acting Head of the European Security and Defence College (acting on behalf of Mr Holger Osterrieder, Head of the European Security and Defence College); Dr Bastian Giegerich, Director-General and Chief Executive of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS); Dr Ashley Tellis, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Dr Bryan Wells, NATO Chief Scientist.
NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Ms Sofia Carvalheiro, PRT C)
NATO Defense College