Modular Short Course – Partners Integrated 142-1 on “The Global Security Environment and Drivers of Change”

Modular Short Course – Partners Integrated (MSCPI) 142-1 on “The Global Security Environment and Drivers of Change” took place at the NATO Defense College (NDC) from 27 to 31 March 2023. On the opening day of the Course, participants were received with welcoming remarks and the NDC Brief by Brigadier General Ferenc Molnar, Head of the NDC’s Academic Operations Division.

This Course gives participants from partner nations within the Partnership for Peace, the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative or among Partners across the Globe the opportunity to exchange views with Course Members from NATO nations. The lectures were held in coordination with Senior Course 142, providing participants with a unique outlook on global security challenges.

The Course is designed to help participants analyse the complex, challenging and evolving environment in which NATO operates today, with a view to reflecting on how NATO needs to change and adapt in order for the Alliance to remain a relevant and effective force for good, both now and for the future. Introductory in nature, the issues presented to MSCPI 142-1 aim to provide Course Members with an overview of some of the global security challenges identified within the scope described as “The Global Security Environment and Drivers of Change”.

Topics of the Course included: “EU Roles and Institutions, Common Security and Defence Policy”, with Dr Ricardo Borges de Castro and Dr Thierry Tardy; “Technology as a Driver of Change”, with Dr Bryan Wells and Dr Peter Singer; “Energy Security”, with Prof. Theresa Sabonis-Helf and Prof. Dr Gonzalo Escribano; and “Cyber Security and Defence” with Dr Max Smeets, Mr Christian Lifländer and Mr Dan Black.

The Course was structured so that Members could take part in preparatory discussions in Committees, with the NDC Faculty Advisors, before attending the lectures and panel discussions, each followed by Q&A sessions, as well as engaging in further discussions in Committees on the subject matters addressed as part of the programme. The Course concluded on Friday 31 March with the conferment of certificates and a speech delivered by NDC Dean Dr Schnaubelt, congratulating the participants.

NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Ms Zsofia Juhasz, HUN C)