On Monday, 17 January 2022, NDC Commandant, Lieutenant General Olivier Rittimann (FRA A), opened the annual Field Studies Planning Conference, which took place virtually, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The main aim of this year’s Conference was to bring together the national representatives and points of contact of the Field Studies Section to exchange information, good practices and lessons learned, with a focus on planning, coordinating and executing cost-effective Field Studies in 2022 in fulfillment of NDC academic objectives. Field Studies allow the Senior Courses (SCs) and the NATO Regional Cooperation Courses (NRCC) to be briefed on national perspectives, as well as those of NATO, the European Union, the United Nations and other international organizations.
Participants were warmly welcomed by the Commandant, followed by BGEN Ferenc Molnár (HUN A), Director of the Academic Operations Division; COL Sylvain Curtenaz (CHE A), Head of Curriculum and Planning Branch; and LTC Aldo Rutigliano (ITA A) Head of the Academic Field Studies Section.
In light of the constantly evolving security environment and the changing needs of the Alliance, the Conference aimed to align the Field Studies programme to such changes. Due to the changing COVID-19 situation, the group also discussed logistic arrangements for future Field Studies, as well as plans to harmonize the academic programmes for the upcoming Senior Courses 140 and 141 with those for NRCC 27 and 28.
NDC thanks all attendees for their great support during the conference and for their continuous cooperation.
NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Ms Maria Stanciu, ROU C)
Collège de Défense de l'OTAN