The 2nd week of this Study Period addressing NATO in Transformation ran from Tuesday 13th to Friday 16th April. In addition to members of the Senior Course, the Study Period was attended by participants in the NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC), Integrated Partner Orientation Course (IPOC) and Modular Short Course (MSC). The academic programme comprised lectures dealing with NATO’s Current Operations, NATO’s partnership initiatives and the Future Development of NATO as it develops its new Strategic Concept.
Continuing our examination of the strategic challenges posed by current NATO operations, the second part of this study period began with the visit of Brigadier Simon PORTER, the leaving Assistant Chief of Staff for J5 Plans and Policy on the Staff of SHAPE. He spoke about the challenges of the current and recent NATO’s operations in Kosovo, in the Mediterranean and off the Horn of Africa, as well as of the NATO training mission in Iraq, and he analysed NATO’s performance in these operations and missions.
On Wednesday 14th April, a series of lectures on NATO partnership initiatives was launched by Prof. Carlo MASALA, of the International Relations University of the German Armed Forces, speaking on Partnership for Peace. Prof. Viktor KREMENYUK, from the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, then discussed in more detail NATO relations with Russia, and the day’s programme concluded with a presentation on NATO-Ukraine relations from Mr. James SHERR, Head of the Russia and Eurasia Programme of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London. All three speakers examined the development of these partnerships, the current state of the relationships, and the prospects for future developments.
The same approach was taken on Thursday 15th April by Dr Alberto BIN, Head of the Regional Affairs Section at NATO HQ, and Dr Ashraf KISHK, Head of the Diplomatic Centre for Strategic Studies, Cairo Branch, who gave presentations, from their different academic and professional backgrounds, covering the Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.
The Study Period concluded with a panel of lectures on the topic “The Future Development of NATO: Towards a New Strategic Concept”. The speakers were Dr Karl-Heinz. KAMP, Director of the Research Division of the NADEFCOL, who stood in for Mr Michael RÜHLE, whose flight to Rome was cancelled, and Prof. Andrew MICHTA, Buckman Distinguished Professor of International Studies at Rhodes College (Memphis, Tennessee). These lectures brought together many of the topics and themes covered over the two weeks of the Study Period, providing a most fitting way to wind up the academic programme of this Study Period.
NDC Public Affairs Office
Collège de Défense de l'OTAN