NATO officers lecture at Moscow Academy
A two-week course by NATO officers at Moscow Combined Arms Academy is part of a programme of cooperation between Russian and NATO forces.
MOSCOW — Today begins the third iteration of the NATO-Russia Interoperability course at the Combined Arms Academy, opened by NATO’s Chief Military Operations Officer at Allied Command Operations in Mons, Belgium, Maj. Gen. Joseph Stein. This course will span a two-week period at both the Frunze and the Military Academy of the Russian General Staff. The course will feature lectures by NATO General Officers and Senior Civilian leadership. While in Moscow, Maj. Gen. Stein will also have discussions with Russian Air Force officials on air safety issues.
The NATO Mobile Education Training Team course will cover interoperability topics that will explain NATO policies on a wide-range of subjects from security to crisis management, and how NATO communicates with the public. Lectures will also cover the major NATO operations in which more than 30,000 personnel are deployed from all 26 NATO countries plus many from non-NATO nations. Most importantly, NATO and Russian officers will have discussions about the future of NATO-Russian interoperability.
“As we work together on fighting terror there is plenty for everyone to do and we need each others teamwork and support,” said Stein. “The cooperation, intelligence sharing, and the changes that we’ve seen in the cooperation between NATO and Russia have been enormous.”
September 2006 was a historic month, as Russian vessels participated for the first time in NATO’s Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR, an anti-terror mission on the Mediterranean Sea. This was the culmination of nearly two years of preparatory work, and marks the first time when Russian ships flew the NATO colors and participated in a North Atlantic Treaty Article V operation. NATO and Russia also conducted their first Strategic Communications Exercise and the first phase of a Strategic Lift Exercise in 2006.
“These METT events are excellent learning opportunities for everyone involved,” said Stein. “This year Russian officers went to the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany to teach NATO officers. This is a remarkable exchange programme that is leading to greater understanding between our militaries.”
About half of the course participants are members of the CAA faculty. Others range in rank from captain to colonel and are students in one of the five programmes taught at CAA.
Next week NATO will conduct a similar interoperability course at the General Staff Academy for Russia’s future senior leaders. Together, the courses are one of 42 events in the NATO-Russia Interoperability Framework Programme this year.