Senior Course 123 graduates from The NATO Defense College

On 7th February, the NATO Defense College (NDC) celebrated the graduation of Senior Course 123 (SC 123), thereby concluding five months of intensive study for this group of 79 high-ranking officers and civilians from 34 different countries.

The Course brought together representatives of thirteen countries from the Partnership for Peace, the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, as well as Global Partners. For the first time in the College’s history, there were Course Members from Mongolia and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The Commandant of the NDC, LtGen Arne Bård DALHAUG, welcomed a distinguished audience of Ambassadors, Military Attachés, Italian civilian and military authorities, together with Course Members’ families, Faculty and Staff. In his introductory speech, he commented on the objectives of the Course and the excellent results achieved by all Course Members. He also emphasized the significance of the NDC’s mission “to continue to make every effort to keep striving for peace and prosperity”. In addition, LtGen Dalhaug stressed the important role the NDC is playing in paving the way towards global dialogue and providing Course Members with outstanding professional insight and a forum for discussing international affairs, geopolitical strategic thinking and global and regional security challenges.

The guest of honour at the ceremony was Gen Hans-Lothar
DOMRÖSE, Commander JFC Brunssum and German Military Representative to NATO and to the European Union in Brussels. In his remarkable international career, Gen DOMRÖSE has served at NATO HQ, EUROCORPS and CENTCOM, as well as on operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan. In his address, he underlined the value of the NDC’s courses and the important role that education plays in operations and missions.

Gen DOMRÖSE spoke of the achievements accomplished so far by the ISAF mission, and referred to the challenges facing the Afghan nation in the near future, such as successful political transition which, hopefully, will be completed with the Presidential elections due on 5th April 2014. He also observed that only economic transition would provide the Afghan state with ‘social security’ and stability.

The climax of the Ceremony was the conferment of the graduation
diploma, which each Course Member received individually in the presence of Gen DOMRÖSE, LtGen Arne Bård DALHAUG, NDC Dean Dr Daria DANIELS ŠKODNIK and senior NDC leadership.

The experiences and knowledge gained during SC 123 will stand Course Members in good stead for their future careers. Over the last five months, they have had the opportunity to attend lectures provided by distinguished lecturers and visiting professors, including, most notably, the Lecture of Opportunity delivered by Gen (ret.) John R. ALLEN, US Marine Corps and former ISAF Commander, currently serving as Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of Defense; the Eisenhower Lecture provided by Gen Patrick de ROUSIERS, Chairman of the European Union Military Committee (EUMC); and the lecture given by LtGen Mark O. SCHISSLER, Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee (DCMC) at NATO HQ.

During the three Field Studies, Course Members also had a chance to travel outside the NDC. The European Perspectives Field Study in October included institutional visits and briefings in Madrid, Lisbon, London, Paris and Berlin, offering new perspectives on political, economic and security issues as seen from national and regional viewpoints.

In November, the Transatlantic Link Field Study took Course Members to the United Nations (UN) in New York City, Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Norfolk (Va), the Pentagon, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in Washington DC, as well as NATO HQ and the European Union in Brussels. This Field Study provided Course Members with insight into international security challenges faced by NATO in current and future missions, as well as NATO cooperation in maintaining and establishing global and regional peace and security.

The final Field Study, in December, focused on Regional Approaches and the Partnership for Peace. It included visits to Slovenia, Greece, Hungary, Turkey, Serbia and the Republic of Montenegro, with opportunities to discuss regional issues and challenges with local military officials and government representatives.

As SC 123 prepares to take leave of the College, SC 124 is scheduled to begin on 24th February.

NDC Public Affairs Office