OMAHA, NEBRASKA – On October 6th, NATO Allied Command Transformation facilitated a NATO Model Event, hosted by the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Participants from the university each represented a NATO member nation during a simulated North Atlantic Council session regarding challenges in the High North, a pertinent and growing topic within geopolitics.
During this iteration of the NATO Model Event, students from the University of Nebraska each represented one of NATO’s 31 member states, as well as Sweden as an invitee. In advance of the event, participants conducted research on their country’s policy toward countering geopolitical and climate change threats in the High North region (the area between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole). The High North holds increasing significance for NATO as it links North America and Europe. Students explored the potential options that their countries would be most likely to follow under the given circumstances of the scenario.
On the day of the event, the students demonstrated their ability to negotiate and think critically while also accounting for the geopolitical perspectives of various member nations. The goal of the day’s session sought to reach an Alliance-wide consensus on NATO’s course of action.
Allied Command Transformation staff spearheaded the event and provided important perspectives on the actual functions of North Atlantic Council meetings, leveraging experience in these sessions to guide and inform the NATO Model Event. These staff members acted as the Secretary General, Chair of the Military Committee and Assistant Secretary General, operating much as an actual North Atlantic Council session would. This format encourages a real-life atmosphere that fosters debate, problem solving and consensus-driven decision-making among the Allied countries represented by students from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
NATO Model Events hold importance for both the Alliance and the students. The outreach for Allied Command Transformation strengthens its mission of encouraging youth engagement and academic values in NATO member nations. Furthermore, this event increases the awareness of NATO’s mission and its role while also providing a valuable education opportunity for student participants. For many students, the NATO Model Event is their first exposure to the NATO decision-making process.
Garrett Connely, an International Studies and Political Science Major, who represented Slovenia at the event shared that “the Model NATO simulation was an amazing opportunity to get a hands-on, in-person look at the work NATO does day in and day out. I enjoyed conducting research and presenting it to others involved in the simulation as though I was the NATO Ambassador from Slovenia. Not only did I learn about how NATO functions as an alliance, but I got an in-depth view of the issues that will confront the Alliance over the decades to come, and how NATO will work to solve them. I feel fortunate to have been a part of something that so few other students and universities have had the chance to experience. I hope the NATO Allied Command Transformation team will work with us again in the future to continue bringing this exciting and unique opportunity to University of Nebraska at Omaha.”
Following the event, Allied Command Transformation personnel held an informative seminar with University of Nebraska at Omaha students, answering questions on the structure of NATO and career opportunities with the Alliance.
The NATO Model Event serves as an important bridge between the academia, military organizations and the NATO Alliance. As one of NATO’s two strategic commands, NATO Allied Command Transformation’s mission is to contribute to preserving the peace, security and territorial integrity of Alliance member states by leading the transformation efforts of military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines.
