From 2 to 4 December 2013, the Middle East Faculty of the NATO Defense College concluded the academic programme of the tenth NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC-10) with a three-day simulation exercise in crisis management.
The main purpose of the exercise was to enhance strategic thinking and problem-solving skills: guided by an international team of highly experienced facilitators, participants were tasked to produce a critical and realistic analysis of an imaginary – but highly plausible – international crisis scenario. On this basis, they were then required to simulate a multinational civil-military platform as a necessary basis for stability and security in the envisaged setting, and assess all potential implications of any proposed solution. This provided a basis for a natural progression from identification of problems to responsible definition of potential short- and long-term approaches.
Participants were encouraged to assimilate practical examples from different areas of expertise: diplomacy, politics, intelligence, economics, law and humanitarian aid. Particular attention was also paid to identification of appropriate external actors to involve (the UN, NATO, the UE, national governments, NGOs), and to envisaging what kind of role these actors could play in such a complex situation.
In conclusion, Middle East Faculty Director Col Giuseppe Morabito (ITA A) and his team of experts are firmly convinced that this exercise was extremely beneficial not only for enhancement of participants’ analytical skills, but above all for sharing of perspectives and approaches between NATO and Partner nations.
NDC Public Affairs Office
Collège de Défense de l'OTAN