On 24th March Senior Course 120 moved from Paris to Berlin and, the following day, the group began its visit to German institutions and a number of the capital’s historic landmarks.
The first step was a visit to Potsdam’s Sanssouci Palace and Cecilienhof Palace, which provided an excellent opportunity for Course Members to learn about the heritage of Prussia in German and European history. At the Cecilienhof, seeing the conference room where the Heads of the Allied Powers held the Potsdam Conference in July 1945 to discuss the future of the European continent was an unforgettable experience for SC 120 Course Members.
On 26th March the group was welcomed by Major General H. Fritz, Director of Strategy and Operations at the Federal Ministry of Defence. Course Members were then briefed by Colonel T. Hambach, Chief of Branch, Policy Issues and Political-Military Interests, Armed Forces Staff, about German national defence and security policy and the challenges it is currently facing. The lecturer provided an overview of the revised organizational structure of the Ministry of Defence and the mainstays of its cooperation with multinational organizations, highlighting the importance of the Comprehensive Approach in military and non-military operations.
The floor was then given to Colonel H. Renk, Head of the Central Coordinating Unit, Joint Operations Staff, who gave an informative overview of the operations in which German personnel are currently deployed. The speaker also offered a detailed explanation of the rationale for the reorganization of the Ministry of Defence.
Following the briefings, Course Members had the opportunity to discuss a number of issues in detail with both speakers during a much appreciated Q&A session.
In the afternoon NDC Staff and Course Members moved to the national Parliament, the Bundestag, where they were welcomed by Member of Parliament Herr Ruprecht Polenz, Chairman of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee. He led the group through a wide-ranging discussion which helped Course Members to better understand Germany’s approach to its current challenges.
After a very profitable afternoon in the Bundestag, the NATO Defense College group had the opportunity to spend some time at the German Resistance Memorial Centre and pay tribute to the uniquely important historical legacy commemorated there.
At the end of the day, the State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence, Herr Stéphane Beemelmans, took leave of the group with the expression of his heartfelt greetings to the NATO Defense College.
The Field Study will continue with a visit the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, one of the Alliance’s main partners in the Middle East region.
More about the Field Study:
Collège de Défense de l'OTAN 