News

On 16 May 2022, a delegation from the NATO HQ Armaments and Aerospace Capabilities Directorate, led by its Director, Dr Giorgio Cioni, visited the NATO Defense College (NDC). The aim of the visit was to explore opportunities for future cooperation with the College.

On 11 May 2022 SC140 Course Members spent the day in Norfolk, where they visited Allied Command Transformation.

Andrei Kokoshin’s important book, The Problems of the Applied Theory of War, illuminates many questions on how the Russian leadership regards the subject of war. The book is ambitious in scope, exploring what war actually means in the modern world, how political and military objectives interact in times of war, what comprises victory and defeat, and how crises could escalate from an “ordinary war” (obychnaya voina) to a strategic nuclear exchange. Although the author theorises about all contemporary wars, drawing on a wide range of international examples and presenting a methodology for the study of wars as a political and social phenomenon, the book’s main contribution is how it illuminates the key elements of war in Russian military thought. Indeed, published in 2018, the book’s conclusions are highly relevant, helping to understand what the war in Ukraine really means to Moscow, and to what extent the Kremlin might be willing to escalate the conflict and what outcomes it might consider acceptable.

• NDC Research Paper 23: War in Europe: preliminary lessons , edited by Thierry Tardy *

On 11 May 2022, the Ambassador of Montenegro to the Republic of Italy and San Marino, Her Excellency Milena Šofranac Ljubojević, visited the NATO Defense College (NDC). The aim of the visit was to introduce the College and its main activities to the Ambassador.

The second important visit in Washington, DC was at the Capitol Hill House Liaison Office, of the US Department of State.

On 11 May 2022, the NATO Defense College (NDC) welcomed the State Secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Defence, Mr. Marian Majer, and the Ambassador of Slovakia to Italy, H.E Karla Wursterová. The aim of this visit was to introduce the visitors to the NDC’s mission and activities.

Washington, DC was the first stop on the transatlantic trip, which included a truly insightful visit to the US Department of Defense, in the Pentagon.

On 11 May 2022, the Irish Deputy Military Representative to NATO PfP and the European Union Military Committee, Colonel Paul Kennedy, visited the NATO Defense College (NDC), accompanied by the Assistant Military Representative, Lieutenant Colonel Niall O’Hara. The aim of this visit was to explore potential future partnerships and collaborative research between the Irish Defence Forces and the NDC.

The Generals, Flag Officers and Ambassadors’ Course (GFOAC) took place from 2 to 6 May 2022 at the NATO Defense College (NDC). This high-level course aims to enhance the understanding of current political-military issues affecting the Alliance, to foster discussion, and to promote networking amongst the participants.