Senior Executive Seminar (SES)

The Senior Executive Seminar (SES 2024) is designed to bring together senior advisors to Heads of State and Government in Allied nations at the political level. The aim of the SES is to increase participants’ understanding of NATO issues and to encourage high-level, open and frank discussions between key policymakers and advisors about some of the most pressing military and security challenges affecting political decision-making in NATO. SES 2024 is also designed to enable the sharing of insights and the development of professional networks, which can help strengthen the Alliance.

The Seminar will take place over one and a half days and will be jointly hosted in Rome at the NATO Defense College and the Aspen Institute Italy. It will include a dinner hosted by the Italian Chief of Defence, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, among other networking events.

SES 2024 builds on the proven model of the Generals, Flag Officers and Ambassadors’ Course (GFOAC), which brings together senior military and civilian leaders to discuss the politico-military and security concerns of the Alliance. For its first iteration, the SES will share a one-day programme with the GFOAC under the overarching topic of “NATO at 75 and the Changing Security Landscape”, specifically focusing on NATO’s deterrence and defence and strengthening the Euro-Atlantic industrial capacity. On the first day of the SES, the two audiences will be brought together at the NATO Defense College in order to enhance interaction and networking among them.

The second day is planned jointly by the NDC and the Aspen Institute Italy, in Rome, and will focus on Euro-Atlantic security, including from the perspective of spurring (economic) resilience.

The Aspen method affords priority to debates behind closed doors, thus facilitating interpersonal relations and enabling the issues at hand to be discussed in a frank and open fashion.

Each NATO nation is invited to join the SES with one participant. In today’s fast-paced political and competitive landscape, the SES is a unique opportunity to engage with high-level practitioners and academics who have strategic vision and outstanding expertise in security, defence and military affairs. By fostering a better understanding of the deep changes in NATO’s security environment, the SES can help decision-makers craft strategic options for NATO and its member states.

Should you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us via email at ses.ndc.nato.int