The 50th NATO Defense College Academic Advisory Board meeting

  • 03 Dec. 2020 - 04 Dec. 2020
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  • Last updated: 07 Dec. 2020 17:01

On 3 and 4 December 2020, the NATO Defense College Academic Advisory Board (AAB) convened its 50th annual meeting in Rome, Italy. The AAB aims to advise the Commandant on ways in which to improve the academic, research and outreach activities of the College, to enhance links with NATO HQ and Allied Command Transformation, and to ensure that NDC outreach strategies contribute to those of the Alliance.

The meeting began with Opening Remarks from the Commandant of the NATO Defense College (NDC), Lieutenant General Olivier Rittimann and the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach. The Chairman provided an overview of the recent NATO Foreign Ministerials, including the conclusions set out by the independent group of experts part of the Secretary General's NATO 2030 initiative. “The outcomes of the Ministerial meeting provide an excellent backdrop for the AAB discussions we will conduct over the next two days to ensure the NATO Defense College also remains fit for purpose and responsive to the current and upcoming challenges”, specified Sir Stuart Peach.

The Board received an update from the Director of the NDC Research Division, Dr. Thierry Tardy who briefed on the 2021 Research Plan and the NDC’s contribution to NATO 2030. The participants then reviewed this year’s and next year’s programmes for the Senior Course and the shorter courses. Air Chief Marshal Peach commended the NDC for the great resilience it demonstrated during this pandemic and the willingness to adapt and adopt new technological solutions to successfully conclude this academic year. “The AAB recommendations that emerge from our deliberations will be important to inform the thinking of the Military Committee on how to best enable the College to further enhance its training and education output, in support of the Alliance’s strategic objectives” he highlighted.

Concluding the meeting, Sir Stuart Peach encouraged the NDC to continue “experimenting with new course formats, increasing the cooperation with NATO entities and Partners in the respective frameworks, and continue to do support the Alliance with relevant research to NATO”.