Senior Course 142: Committee Study Project Presentations

Members of Senior Course (SC) 142 presented their Committee Study Projects (CSPs) on 6 and 7 July at the NATO Defense College.

The CSPs, along with Individual Papers (IPs), are among the main deliverables of the SC curriculum, and are the product of months of learning, finalized just before Graduation. The CSP’s two major learning objectives are to demonstrate strategic thinking on a topic relevant to NATO and consensus-building skills in answering the CSP research question.

In the final weeks of the academic year, the Course Members, working together within eight Committees, prepare their CSP Paper and present its findings in front of the NDC Command Group, Faculty, distinguished guests as well as their peers. Throughout the process, the Committees are each supported by a Faculty Advisor, a Mentor, and a Supporting Flag Officer.

The presentations were made this time before the NDC Commandant, Lieutenant General Olivier Rittimann, the NDC Dean, Dr Christopher Schnaubelt, as well as two special guests, Commandant-designate Lieutenant General Max A.L.T. Nielsen and Sir Michael Leigh, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and Academic Director of the Master of Arts in European Public Policy and of the Master of Arts in Global Risk at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

After presenting their Project, each Committee conducted a Q&A session, of which the first 10 minutes were dedicated to the panel of judges, consisting of the NDC Commandant, the NDC Flag Officers and the two external guests.

Throughout the two days of CSP presentations, the panel of judges along with the Course Members assessed the Committees’ work. Their evaluation contributes to the final assessment of the Committees’ Projects, ultimately deciding which Committee will receive the coveted Eisenhower Prize, which is formally awarded every semester on Graduation Day to the Committee with the best CSP.

The second day of the presentations was concluded with closing remarks by NDC Commandant Rittimann and the two special guests, Commandant-designate Lieutenant General Nielsen and Sir Michael Leigh, commending the Course Members for their hard work.

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