For NATO, ensuring the security of its members hinges on maintaining a force capable of preventing, detecting, deterring, and defending against potential threats. This is where Allied Command Transformation comes in. This command serves as the backbone of NATO’s educational and training efforts, fostering cohesion, effectiveness, and readiness within the multinational forces of the Alliance.
A Longstanding Commitment to Collective Training
Education and training, in its individual and collective form, have been instrumental in NATO’s security mission since its inception in 1949. This commitment has grown geographically, with NATO now collaborating with numerous countries. Institutionally, the creation of Allied Command Transformation in 2002 solidified the Alliance’s dedication to continuous improvement. The year 2014 saw the introduction of Global Programming, further streamlining and strengthening NATO’s educational and training activities.
A Multifaceted Approach to Building a Ready Force
Allied Command Transformation’s approach to preparing the Alliance is multifaceted. It encompasses:
- Education Programmes: Designed to enhance individual knowledge, skills, and competencies to tackle a wider range of security challenges.
- Individual Training: Focused on developing the specific skills required for performing assigned tasks and duties.
- Collective Training: Putting the acquired individual skills into practice through collaborative training to build the teams.
- Exercises: The ultimate test, where learned knowledge and skills are applied in scenario-based live or computer-assisted simulations, often involving multinational participation. These exercises are crucial for maintaining, testing, and evaluating the readiness and interoperability of Allied, partner, and non-NATO forces.
Equipping for the Future: Addressing Emerging Challenges
The focus isn’t just on present threats. Allied Command Transformation proactively collaborates with multiple actors to identify future training needs and anticipates the evolving skillsets required for new warfighting capabilities. Among other things, this includes ensuring NATO forces can apply the law of armed conflict in novel contexts, as human enhancement, cyber warfare, the use of artificial intelligence, and the blurring lines between combatants and civilians.
Building a Network of Expertise
Maintaining a technological edge is vital for NATO’s success. To achieve this, Allied Command Transformation fosters collaboration with partners, industry and academia and coordinates the delivery of training to more than 10,000 personnel annually. This vast network leverages a robust backbone:
- More than 200 Education and Training Facilities
- 29 training disciplines
- 30 NATO-accredited Centres of Excellence
- Over 800 unique courses
Through this comprehensive system, NATO ensures it has “the right skills with the right people” to safeguard the Alliance’s security, both today and in the years to come.