Education

For over 70 years, NATO’s member nations have entrusted the NATO Defense College (NDC) with the responsibility of providing top-tier education for their officers and civilian officials. Over this period, nearly 9,000 Course Members (Anciens) have graduated from the NDC’s 22-week Senior Course and 10-week NATO Regional Cooperation Course. These Course Members come not only from NATO countries, but also from nations involved in the Partnership for Peace, the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, and from other global partners beyond the Euro-Atlantic area. In total, the College has welcomed participants from over 60 nations.

In calling for the creation of the NATO Defense College, General Eisenhower, wrote in 1951:

"The venture upon which we are now embarked is so new to all of us, and the problems which it raises are on such a different scale from those which have heretofore confronted the member nations, that we are continually broadening our points of view."

Those words are as true now as they were then, in that the College is providing strategic education in a constantly changing world with a complex, evolving security environment.

Through its Academic Curriculum, the College provides high-level strategic education characterized by its breadth, flexibility and quality.

* Breadth: In addition to NATO member countries, the six-month course is open to individuals nominated by Partnership for Peace nations, members of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, as well as Iraq and other partners across the globe as directed by the Alliance.

* Flexibility: The introduction of Modular Short Courses, which focus on specific aspects of the strategic environment over one to two weeks, allows nations to send personnel from diverse professional fields who cannot attend the full-length course.

*Quality: The Senior Course covers key areas of strategic and political-military thinking, addressing security issues in their broadest sense. The knowledge gained is further reinforced through innovative teaching methods that encourage critical analysis and strategic reasoning.

The College’s primary mission is to prepare senior officers, diplomats and civilian officials for leadership roles within NATO, in NATO-related positions in their home countries, and in other multinational organizations. This preparation focuses on strategic thinking, collaborative decision-making, and working in a multinational environment. The programme emphasizes understanding of cultural and language differences, national positions and regional perspectives, as well as the importance of achieving negotiated consensus. In this unique multinational setting, the College fosters “human interoperability”, a critical element of the overall interoperability and standardization needed for a 32-member alliance to operate effectively. The Curriculum includes lectures from world-class experts on international security, intense small-group discussions, individual and group writing exercises, and case studies in collaborative decision-making.

Course participants have the opportunity to engage with lecturers during coffee breaks, lunch, and afternoon seminars. Each day typically begins with a lecture followed by a question-and-answer session, and ends with Committee discussions focused on key issues related to the topic. These interactive, small-group discussions are central to the NDC's academic offering. Faculty advisors aim to draw out individual contributions, elevate the intellectual level of discussions and encourage personal engagement with the topics.