NATO and Iraq continue to strengthen their cooperation through defence education activities
Representatives from eight Iraqi professional military education institutions, led by Staff Lieutenant General Aqeel Mustafa Mahdi Al Rammah, President of the Iraqi Defence University for Military Studies, visited NATO Headquarters on 12 and 13 December 2023. The visit was part of the annual review of their defence education activities, within the framework of NATO’s Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP).
NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations, Tom Goffus, welcomed the President of the University and highlighted the mutually beneficial partnership between Iraq and NATO, and the importance of continued cooperation to strengthen Iraq’s security forces.
The visiting delegation exchanged views with personnel from NATO’s international staff and NATO Mission Iraq and subject-matter experts from Allied countries. Together they assessed the progress made on the achievement of objectives related to defence education that were set out in 2022. They also reviewed the activities conducted in this domain in 2023 and agreed on the development of objectives for 2024 and beyond. Staff Lieutenant General Aqeel underlined the importance of this regular stock-taking and added that NATO DEEP is an efficient and reliable partner in supporting the Iraqi Defence University to improve and further develop.