News

• NDC Outlook 06-2024: Inequality kills: on Russian combat ineffectiveness in Ukraine and beyond, by Ulrich Pilster1 and Olesya Vinhas de Souza 2

For the first time since the onset of the war in Ukraine, the International Week in Kyiv resumed and took place from 15 to 17 October 2024. Jointly organized by the NATO Defense College (NDC) and the National Defence University of Ukraine (NDUU), the Kyiv Week 2024, entitled “NATO in the New Era of Collective Defence”, was held in a hybrid setting. Virtual lectures and panel discussions were livestreamed to participants attending the event in person in Kyiv and to other partner institutions in Lviv, Odessa, and Kharkiv in Ukraine.

On 14 October 2024, participants of the 32nd NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC 32) visited the Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFC-NP) and NATO’s Strategic Direction-South Hub (NSD-S HUB), as part of their Field Study programme. to the purpose of the visit was to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the NSD-S Hub's role, and explore JFC Naples' significant contributions to ensuring security and stability within the Supreme Allied Commander Europe's area of responsibility, and beyond.

On 18 October 2024, Sweden's Minister of Civil Defence Mr Carl-Oskar Bohlin visited the NATO Defense College (NDC) and delivered an insightful lecture on civil defence and resilience-building to the Senior Course, highlighting the Sweden’s significant contribution to NATO as its newest member. His lecture was followed by a Q&A session during which Course Members engaged in insightful exchanges with Mr Bohlin.

From 4 to 6 October, 2024, a NATO Defense College Regional Cooperation Course visited Tashkent as part of its Field Study, a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Uzbekistan’s strategic priorities. The delegation comprised NDC Staff and 36 Course Members from 20 nations, majority of them senior officers, civilians and diplomats from NATO partner nations. They engaged in a series of lectures and discussions with Uzbek government officials and military leaders.

The NATO Defense College’s Senior Course visited the United States of America from 7 to 12 October 2024. After visiting key NATO institutions in Brussels and learning about Canada’s defence priorities in Ottawa, this trip provided a complementary perspective on NATO’s presence in North America, its partnerships, as well as the region’s broader defence priorities. The visit included stops at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, at Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, and in Washington, DC.

Ottawa was the second capital visited as part of Senior Course 145's Field Study 1 itinerary, offering Course Members a valuable opportunity to engage with high-level officials and experts on Canada’s strategic priorities in an evolving security environment. Held on 4 October 2024, the visit included discussions with General Jennie Carignan, Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff; Ambassador David Angell, former Permanent Representative of Canada to NATO; and other key experts.

The NATO Defense College led a delegation of senior officers, diplomats and civil servants from NATO member countries and partner countries to NATO Headquarters (HQ), the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), and the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) in Brussels. Participants attended a high-level programme dealing with most pressing matters for the Alliance.

The Commandant of the NATO Defense College, Lieutenant General Max A.L.T. Nielsen, visited the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, on Monday, 07 October 2024.

From 16 to 20 September, the NATO Defense College (NDC) hosted a Modular Short Course on "Contemporary NATO", providing attendees with a comprehensive overview of the ever-evolving global security challenges faced by the Alliance. The Course was also attended by participants from partner countries in the Gulf region, at the NATO-ICI Regional Centre (NIRC), in Kuwait City.