Iraqi delegation visits the NATO Defense College

From 24 to 27 October 2022, a delegation from the Iraqi National Defense College (INDC) – which is part of the Defense University of Higher Military Studies (DUHMS) – visited the NATO Defense College (NDC).

The aim of the 4-day visit was to give the visitors a better understanding and a more comprehensive overview of the NRCC 28 and SC 141 educational curriculums, and to introduce the NDC’s main activities. The visit was requested by NATO’s Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) and contributed to the overall training and capacity building of the NATO Mission in Iraq (NMI). NMI has a robust educational support footprint in Baghdad. NATO DEEP and NMI advisors work in partnership with the Iraqi DUHMS, with the INDC, with the as well as the Iraqi War College, the Iraqi Defence Language Institute and the Iraqi Security Studies and Research Centre and Staff College.

On the first day, the INDC delegation composed of Major General Dr Ali Hendul Mudhkhur Shaaban (Head of the National Defense College Faculty) and Major General Hatem Karim Salloum Obaid Al-Obaidi (Senior Instructor in the National Defense College Faculty) had an Office Call with the Commandant of the NATO Defense College, Lieutenant-General Olivier Rittimann, and subsequently with the Dean of the NATO Defense College, Dr Christopher M. Schnaubelt.

In the morning, the visiting delegation joined the “Deterrence and Defence” lecture given to NATO Regional Cooperation Course 28 by the NDC Commandant and Dr Christian Mölling, focusing on the new challenges for defence and the role played by deterrence strategies. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session and the discussion continued in the afternoon with Committee work.

On the second day, the lecture centred on “First Lessons Learned from the War in Ukraine” and was delivered by Dr Hans Stark, Dr Claudia Major and Ambassador Michel Duclos. They presented the general historical background up to the start of the war in Ukraine, and went on to share an in-depth analysis of the geopolitical framework and of the foreign policy role of European countries within that framework. The lecture was followed by a Q&A period and the topic was further examined in the afternoon during Committee discussions.

On the third day, the delegation was briefed on the work conducted by the NDC’s Academic Support Branch and then introduced to the Capstone Analysis Project, an activity aimed at exercising the Course Members’ strategic decision-making skills in crisis situations. In the afternoon, the delegation had an orientation meeting with the NDC’s Curriculum Planning Branch and Research Division.

On the last day of the visit, the Capstone Analysis Project concluded and Major General Dr Ali Hendul Mudhkhur Shaaban and the rest of the delegation had two meetings with the Commandant and the Dean of the NATO Defense College. The Major General showed appreciation for the opportunity to visit the College and underlined the importance of cooperation between the two prestigious institutions: the NATO Defense College and the Iraqi National Defense College.

NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Mr David Lucio Rossi, ITA C)