On 25 and 26 November, the NATO Defense College’s Public Affairs Office proudly organized and hosted a visit by a group of five journalists from NATO partner countries. NATO HQ Press Officer Ms Simone DE MANSO (DEU C) accompanied Mr Farhan BOKHARI (Financial Times), Mr Nawab KHAN (Kuna News Agency), Mr Mansoor ALAM (APPTV, Samaa TV, AAJTV Pakistan), Mr Imran CHOUHDARY (Azaaz Multimedia Group Daily and other newspapers in Pakistan) and Mr Nagayo TANIGUCHI (SEKAI monthly) for two intense days of briefings, discussions and lectures, providing extensive insight into the College’s mission and educational and research activities.
The group were welcomed on their first day by BrigGen Gerd BISCHOF (DEU F), Director of the NDC Academic Planning and Policy Division, who presented the College and engaged in a discussion of its academic activities. After this comprehensive introduction to the NDC, the journalists then joined Senior Course 123 (SC 123) for a lecture on the topic of “Resource security: energy, water and food”. This was followed by a discussion with Mrs Heidi REISINGER (DEU C), from the NDC’s Research Division (RD). As the first member of the College research community to meet the journalists, she presented the RD, its goals and its main areas of activity. She also spoke briefly about her own research topic, NATO partnerships. Later in the day, the group had an opportunity to learn about the NDC Middle East Faculty (MEF) and the NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC), with a presentation and discussion led by MEF Director Col Giuseppe MORABITO (ITA A) and MEF Faculty Advisor Dr Jean-Loup SAMAAN (FRA C).
On the second day of the visit, the group again attended a lecture with SC 123, this time on the topic “Security perspectives of demographic trends”. Complementing the previous day’s meeting with the RD, the journalists then completed their visit with a thorough and engaging roundtable with newly appointed RD Director Dr Jeffrey LARSEN (USA C) and Research Advisor Dr Guillaume LASCONJARIAS (FRA C). The whole group took this unique opportunity to exchange opinions, not only on the Research Division’s activities, but also (and most interestingly) on areas of specialization with which Dr Larsen and Dr Lasconjarias are closely concerned, including transatlantic security and lessons learned from NATO military operations.
All the presentations attended during the two-day visit were opportunities for very lively and challenging debates between the speakers and the journalists. It was a great pleasure for the College to host such a visit, as part of its broader outreach activities to strengthen active engagement in partnership, dialogue and understanding with a wide variety of partners across the globe.
NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Ms Giulia Bruni Roccia, ITA C)
NATO Defense College