NATO Field School and Simulation Program

Off-duty moments from Italy 🇮🇹

📍Brussels, Belgium
🚀European External Action Services

NATO Field School students spent the afternoon at EESA, where they were welcomed and briefed by three specialists. Discussions focused on EU’s Security and Defence Agenda, the EU-NATO strategic partnership, and the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) in support of Ukraine.

Congratulations to our NATO Field School students recognized for their outstanding performance during the NMDX Simulation at the NATO Defense College!

Working Group A — Best National Representative: Umar Ahmed Badami
Working Group B — Best National Representative: Zachary Chung
Working Group C — Best National Representative: Elizabeth Liteplo
Best Official — Daisy Mottershaw
Best Secretary General — Joana Le Louarn

Congratulations to all five award recipients and to the entire cohort on an incredible simulation!

Off-duty moments from Germany 🇩🇪

📍 Rome, Italy 🇮🇹
🎖️ NATO Security Force Assistance Centre of Excellence (NATO SFA COE)

NATO Field School students visited the NATO Security Force Assistance Centre of Excellence, which supports the Alliance in how it trains, advises, and assists security forces in partner countries. Students received briefings on the Centre’s work and the role of Security Force Assistance in NATO operations, before touring the facilities and learning more about how personnel are prepared for different missions. Students also got to take a look at different equipment use at the SFA CE, and has the opportunity to observe a training procedure.

Off-duty moments from Latvia 🇱🇻

📍 Brunssum, Netherlands 
🛡️ Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC Brunssum)

As the second NATO operational command visited during the program, JFC Brunssum offered students a valuable point of comparison for understanding how different headquarters contribute to the Alliance’s mission. Through briefings on the command’s area of responsibility and a tour of the site, students explored both the operational role of the headquarters and its place within the local community.

📍 Monte Cassino, Italy

Guided by Colonel Soren Knudsen, NATO Field School students spent the day exploring the historic battlefield of Monte Cassino, one of the most significant and hard-fought campaigns of the Second World War. Students hiked to Point 593, the fiercely contested high ground that played a pivotal role in the battle, before paying their respects at the Polish Memorial. The visit also included the Abbey of Monte Cassino, destroyed during the fighting in 1944 and later rebuilt, as well as the Commonwealth War Cemetery.

This week in Rome, the NATO Field School cohort spent an intensive week at the NATO Defence College participating in the Negotiation, Mediation, and Decision-Making Exercise (NMDX).

Throughout the simulation, students navigated a complex international crisis invovlving negotiation, strategic decision-making, policy briefings, press conferences, and addresses from the Secretary General. The exercise challenged participants to think critically under pressure and build consensus among Allies to ultimately determine a respond to a rapidly evolving developments in a realistic NATO environment.

Congratulations to all of our students for successfully completing this demanding week.

Thank you to Lisa Schumacher () for some of the shots in this post!

📍 Naples, Italy
🛡️ Joint Force Command Naples (JFC Naples)

NATO Field School students spent the day at JFC Naples, receiving briefings on the command’s role in maintaining readiness across its area of responsibility. Students explored topics ranging from strategic communications and cognitive warfare to security developments in North Africa, the Middle East, and the Sahel.

The NFS was also honoured to receive a plaque from LtGen Peter K. Scott that recognized the ongoing work of the NFS in educating and equipping to become the future leaders in defence and security policy.