Boosting training and education with NATO`s partners
Partnership Training and Education Centres (PTEC) play an essential role in supporting NATO’s objectives for partnership with non-member countries. Initially launched in 1999 under the Partnership for Peace programme to develop training and education activities with Euro-Atlantic partners, activities have since been opened to participation of all partners. Most of the 23 institutions that currently make up the network of centres – of which 12 are located in partner countries – took part in an annual networking event known as the “Marketplace” at NATO Headquarters on 15 and 16 February.
Opening the event, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, Ambassador Dirk Brengelmann, underlined the growing numbers of students and courses. “The PTEC community does not only represent a great variety of expertise and experience but also symbolises our common approach to partnerships across the various frameworks,” said Ambassador Brengelmann.
Organised together with the NATO School in Oberammergau, the annual "Marketplace" event provides an opportunity for participating Partnership Training and Education Centres to introduce themselves to the wider NATO community, which in turn helps to connect allied and partner forces by collaborating on training expertise. NATO School Commandant Colonel Mark Baines emphasised the impact of the training centres. “What this community does for peace and security around the world cannot be stated enough,” Colonel Baines said.
Major General Sándor Fucsku, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Military Cooperation Division, pointed out that the event goes beyond simply highlighting courses, but is itself a demonstration of the partnership community. The “Marketplace” also allows representatives to network among themselves, exchange experience and discuss further synergies and new courses, while also attracting more members to the network. With over 500 courses given to more than 3 000 students, “…this marketplace is a unique opportunity to learn and see what others are doing,” said Commodore Emil Eftimov, Deputy Director of the International Military Staff’s Cooperation and Regional Security Division.
A wide network of centres
The Partnership Training and Education Centres are national or multinationally sponsored facilities, recognised by NATO. They offer academic courses, seminars and workshops to both civilian and military personnel, providing education, training and instruction in diverse areas consistent with the objectives and priorities of NATO's policy on partnerships.
The centres also provide platforms for training of a more operational character by offering both classroom and field training or venues for exercises. An important objective is to promote capacity-building, interoperability and a comprehensive understanding of wider security issues.
Network membership was extended to partners participating in NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative in 2008. To date, 23 institutions have joined the network, including three centres located in Mediterranean partner countries. While respecting the different partnership frameworks, these institutions are now united under a single concept recently endorsed by the North Atlantic Council.
List of Partnership Training and Education Centres:
- Austrian Armed Forces International Centre, Götzendorf/Leitha, Austria*
- Peace Support Operations Training Centre, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina*
- Foreign Language Department, Vasil Leski National Military University, Shumen, Bulgaria
- Cairo Regional Centre for Training on Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping in Africa, Egypt*
- Finnish Defence Forces International Centre, Tuusula, Finland*
- Mountain Training Center, Sachkhere, Georgia
- German Armed Forces UN Training Centre, Hammelburg, Germany*
- Hellenic Multinational Peace Support Operations Training Centre, Kristoni-Kilkis, Greece*
- International Institute of Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy*
- Defense Institute of Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan*
- Institute of Peace Operations Training, Jordan Armed Forces General HQ, Amman, Jordan*
- Language Institute, Jordan Armed Forces General HQ, Amman, Jordan*
- Regional Department of Defense Resources Management Studies, Brasov, Romania*
- Crisis Management and Multinational Operations Department, Bucharest, Romania
- Slovak Armed Forces Academy of General Milan Rastislav Stefanik, Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia*
- Slovenian PfP Language Training Center, Begunje, Slovenia
- Swedish Armed Forces International Centre, Kungsangen, Sweden*
- Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland*
- Swiss Armed Forces International Command, Stans Oberdorf, Switzerland*
- Turkish PfP Training Centre, Bakanliklar/Ankara, Turkey*
- International Peace and Security Centre, Yavoriv, Ukraine
- UK Defence Academy, Shrivenham, United Kingdom
- United States Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, USA*
(*) indicates institutions that participated in this year’s “Marketplace”