As the world’s security landscape keeps evolving, so does the NATO Defense College (NDC). On 19 and 20 February 2024, the NDC convened its 53rd Academic Advisory Board (AAB), a recurring event designed to provide the College with guidance, helping to ensure that the NDC remains relevant in its mission as NATO’s leading strategic educational and research institution, and upholds its commitment to striving for excellence.
Chaired by the Chair of the Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, the AAB is composed of senior representatives from NATO HQ, ACT and ACO, and a group of external members representing military, academic, scientific and diplomatic institutions. The Board advises the Commandant of the NATO Defense College on ways to continue to improve the College’s operations and activities, and serves as a platform to strengthen practical links with NATO HQ and Allied Command Transformation, contributing to the alignment of the College’s educational objectives with those of the Alliance as a whole.
53rd meeting of the NATO Defense College Academic Advisory Board
The NDC Commandant, Lieutenant General Max A.L.T. Nielsen, briefed Board members on the current status of the College and on the intended course of action for the future: to provide transformative education that inspires and develops; leading research that innovates and informs; and extended engagement that builds networks and promotes cooperation. He also expressed his intent to find more ways for the NDC to keep offering support to the NATO enterprise, highlighting that “the guidance from the Academic Advisory Board, some of our most important stakeholders, is crucial to help us identify areas where we can improve and innovate our education, research, engagement and enablement tasks for the betterment of our Alliance and our partners”.
The Board received detailed updates on the College’s ongoing education activities and academic exercises scheduled for 2024, on the engagement programme, as well as on the Research Work Plan, upcoming projects and latest publications. The briefings were followed by comments and an exchange of views with the Board members on possible ways and opportunities for improvements and innovation within the College’s activities, in order to offer the best possible services in line with NATO’s current and future requirements.
In his closing remarks, Admiral Bauer encouraged the NDC to keep “striving for excellence, and to maintain its status as the Alliance’s premier education and training institution, as well as its leading research and innovation facility.”
In addition, Admiral Bauer took this opportunity to deliver a lecture and engage in a discussion with Course Members of Senior Course 144, NRCC 31 and Modular Short Course 144-1 on “NATO’s New Era of Collective Defence”.
The other members of the Academic Advisory Board that attended the meeting included Ms Marie-Doha Besancenot, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy; Vice-Admiral Guy Robinson, ACT Chief of Staff; Major General Davide Re, ACO Deputy Chief of Staff; Major General Tiberiu Serban, Director of the NATO IMS Cooperative Security Division; Mr Fergal Anthony O’Regan, European Security and Defence College; Dr Bernard Finel, Dean, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies; Dr Pierre Razoux, FMES Institute; Professor Andrea Prencipe, Rector of LUISS; and Dr Jamie M. Johnson, University of Leicester.
NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Ms Sofia Carvalheiro, PRT C)
NATO Defense College