SC140: Negotiation, Mediation and Decision-Making Exercise (NMDX)
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From 20 to 27 May 2022, Senior Course 140 took part in a Negotiation, Mediation and Decision-Making Exercise (NMDX). Over a period of six days, Course Members had the opportunity to examine NATO’s role in crisis response operations, and the Alliance’s organization and functioning in crisis management situations.
The aim of NMDX is to help Course Members develop a practical understanding of the techniques for negotiation, mediation and decision-making through consensus, which are part of NATO’s crisis management process. Course Members were divided into five Working Groups to simulate the roles of the various NATO bodies that take part in the decision-making process: the Political Committee, the Military Committee, the Operations Policy Committee and the North Atlantic Council. The exercise also included the development of a STRATCOM document and several sessions focused on media training, which involved drafting the Secretary General’s statement and preparing the Secretary General and the Spokesperson for a press conference and Q&A.
The Working Groups were advised and guided by Senior Mentors. The Senior Mentors were Ambassador (Ret) Tacan Ildem, former Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy appointed by the NATO Secretary General as part of the NATO 2030 initiative; Lieutenant General (Ret) Jan Broeks, former Director-General of NATO’s International Military Staff; Mr Ted Whiteside, who served in NATO HQ as Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy; Lieutenant General (Ret) Michel Yakovleff, former Vice Chief of Staff (VCOS) at SHAPE; and Major General (Ret) Tim Bevis, former Director Operations & Planning, International Military Staff at NATO HQ.
Course Members successfully completed the exercise with a consolidated knowledge of consensus building techniques in a context where differing national perspectives need to be reconciled.