On 7th December Senior Course 119 made the second stop of its Regional Approaches and Mediterranean Dialogue Field Study, in the Netherlands.
In The Hague, the group first attended a morning of briefings at the Princess Juliana Barracks. Course Members were warmly welcomed by Commodore F. Sijtsma, Assistant Chief of Staff for International Military Cooperation.
Col J.W. Westerbeek, Chief of the Joint Plans Branch Operation Centre at the Ministry of Defense, then provided a detailed overview of the commitments of the Netherlands Armed Forces in operational theatres.
The second presentation was given by Dr Peter Henk Schroor, Head of Internal Affairs in the Department for Policy Affairs at the Ministry of Defense. He illustrated how the Netherlands defence policy review was designed and conducted.
Dr Vincent Roza, of the Crisis Management and Peacekeeping Operations Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then gave a very clear and frank explanation about the operational involvement of the Netherlands in these fields, and presented an insightful analysis from the MFA perspective.
Every briefing was followed by a very lively Q&A session, during which all the lecturers gave very open and frank answers to the challenging questions that were raised.
After a hosted lunch with the National Military Representatives and a number of Anciens, the SC moved to the International Criminal Court (ICC) building.
Course members were given a brief introduction to the court premises by a representative of the Protocol Unit. Mr Volker Nerlich, Legal Advisor in the Appeals Division, then gave an informative presentation about the jurisdiction of the ICC.
The Legal Advisor of the Legal Advisory Section of the Office of the Prosecutor, Mr Hans Bevers, extensively illustrated the structure, the functions, and the main duties of that office within the ICC.
The highlight of the visit was the opportunity for the SC119 group to sit in the public gallery, and witness a portion of the case against Mr. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo.
More about the Field Study:
NATO Defense College 
