11 - 13 Nov. 2003

Training, education and interoperability News 21/10/2003 - NATO PfP Education and training seminar 2003 Background Partnership for Peace Links United States Joint Forces Command Allied Command Transformation Representatives from NATO's nine PfP Training Centres, together with other participants, met for the fourth annual PfP training and education institutions commandants' conference, at the Defence Training Centre Poljce in Slovenia, 11-13 November. The aim of the conference was to continue efforts in improving interoperability and to discuss the way forward for future cooperation in the area of training and education. Among the principal issues raised during the four-day event were, in particular, the need to update education and training in the context of the transformation process and the creation of Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Norfolk, Virginia. In addition, the evolution of the role of the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany - whose main objective is to train officers from NATO and partner countries - vis-à-vis the PfP Training Centres was discussed. One of the participants, the United States Joint Forces Command (US JFCOM, which is co-located with ACT) announced that his organisation was ready to contribute to a future digital academic contents library in developing Advanced Distance Learning Courses (i.e., e-learning courses). Other issues discussed included the impact of these long distance learning courses on simulation, as well as the benchmarking, certification and validation of courses. The conference was also an opportunity to raise other issues such as updating websites, train-the-trainers programme, new tools in education and training, planning and assessment tools and regional cooperation. PfP Training Centres are high-quality national training institutions that are recognised by NATO as such. They specialise in different areas and generally contribute to improving practical working conditions between the 46 members of NATO's Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. They actively participate in developments in long distance learning and simulation that have an enormous bearing on their training and education capabilities. The nine PfP Training Centres recognised since 1999 are based in Austria, Finland, Greece, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.