A delegation of 24 General Officers and Senior Officers from 13 different countries visited the NATO Defense College on Wednesday 20 January to enhance communication between the NDC and the various institutions taking part in the Conference of Commandants.
After being welcomed by the NDC Commandant, Lieutenant General Wolf-Dieter LOESER, the heads of institutions and other representatives joined NDC key staff members to share their experiences in military education.
The meeting was organized by the Academic Policy Branch in the framework of the next Conference of Commandants, to be held in Istanbul in May 2010.
During the all day long sessions different topics were discussed and the guests gained a deep insight into the activities performed by the NDC to provide its Course Members with an outstanding and comprehensive education.
Lieutenant General Wolf-Dieter LOESER, Chairman of the Conference of Commandants, engaged in a very constructive dialogue with his counterparts, resulting in a broad common view of the challenges that educational institutions will face in the near future and identifying areas in which Colleges can provide assistance or support to one other.
The Conference of Commandants of Alliance Defence Colleges was established by Vice-Admiral J.C. O’Brien (Canada), Commandant of the NATO Defense College from 1970 to 1973, acting on a suggestion from Rear Admiral S. Mathwin DAVIS, the Commandant of the Canadian Defence College.
The Conference 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; and secondly, to promote cooperation in higher defence education between Colleges in NATO countries and their counterparts in Central and Eastern European and Mediterranean Dialogue countries.
The members of the Conference of Commandants are the Commandants of the main defence colleges in each of the Alliance countries; the NATO School; the George C. Marshall European Centre for Security Studies; the Geneva Centre for Security Studies; the European Union Security and Defense College; the Partnership for Peace (PfP) Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Institutions; and some Commandants of higher defence establishments in the PfP, Mediterranean Dialogue, Istanbul Cooperation Initiative and Contact Nations.
LtCol. Mario Masdea, Chief Public Affairs Office, ITA-A
NATO Defense College