NORFOLK, VIRGINIA – From September 19th – 21st, 105 Command Senior Enlisted Leaders and other Non-Commissioned Officers from an array of Allied and Partner nations convened for NATO’s annual Command Senior Enlisted Leaders Conference. Seeking to broadly foster interoperability and define Non-Commissioned Officers roles within NATO, the theme of this year’s Conference centred on developing assessments on Allied and Partner nations’ capabilities and training gaps.
In conjunction with NATO Allied Command Operations and the U.S. European Command, NATO Allied Command Transformation hosted a truly global group of Command Senior Enlisted Leaders and Non-Commissioned Officers for its annual Conference. Attendees included personnel from Allied and Partner nations, with 41 countries represented in total. The diverse set of stakeholders provided the Conference with varied training backgrounds, operational doctrines, and standards of conduct that are integral to fostering greater interoperability and readiness among stakeholders.
Speaking on the importance of the Conference for fostering greater cohesion within the Alliance, Allied Command Transformation’s Senior Command Enlisted Leader Brion Blaise asserted, “There is no better venue with which to shape both national and NATO professional non-commissioned officer development efforts. This week we both validated a revision of the NATO Bi-Strategic Command Employment and developed a new strategy, as well as outlined a new framework for Non-Commissioned Corps Assessment Mechanisms.”
The Conference began with speeches from the Command Senior Enlisted Leaders of NATO Allied Command Transformation, NATO Allied Command Operations, and United States European Command and a recap of last year’s conference activities, which sought to define Non-Commissioned Officers roles within the NATO command structure. The findings and recommendations of the previous Conference are currently in the final phases of the approval process for incorporation within the Alliance ecosystem, speaking to the tangible importance of these meetings.
Speaking on the importance of fostering relationships and standardized doctrinal development, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation General Philippe Lavigne asserted that “the vital role non-commissioned officers play in the NATO Command Structure ensure[s] the interoperability and cohesiveness of our Alliance.”
The primary objective of this year’s conference sought to assess gaps across nations’ training doctrines and capabilities in an effort to promote interoperability across Allied and Partner countries. In addition to the traditional meeting-like programme of speeches and presentations from subject matter experts, the conference leveraged ‘syndicates’ to foster discussion that allowed alternative or outside-the-box thinking to come to the fore. The syndicates consisted of small groups of attendees who collaborated in breakout sessions to identify existing mechanisms within their respective experiences, ways to standardize these practices across nations, and methods to build capabilities for interoperability assessments. The syndicates then presented their findings to the Conference, which will be developed into this year’s recommendations and findings to senior leaders.
Following syndicate presentations, Sergeant Major Troy Black, the Sergeant Major of the United States Marine Corps, gave a keynote speech highlighting the implementation of Large-Scale Organizational Change. Sergeant Major Black has hands-on experience conducting assessments on gaps in force capability during his assistance to United States Marine Corps doctrinal overhaul. The inputs from Sergeant Major Black provided real-life examples and challenges to changing standards and doctrines within a major national force.
The presence of a Ukrainian delegation further benefited overall Conference goals, as the Alliance’s Ukrainian partners provided perspectives on the lessons identified in Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia. These findings addressed challenges to Non-Commissioned Officers in active, all-domain warfare, including communications, operational decision-making and overall organizational composition. NATO Allied Command Transformation and Command Senior Enlisted Leader Conference participants alike will continue to monitor the perspectives of Ukraine’s Non-Commissioned Officers and incorporate these findings into overall assessments on interoperability to assist Allied and Partner nations.
The conference highlighted the benefits of international collaboration among Allied and Partner nation Command Senior Enlisted Leader and Non-Commissioned Officers. Participants in the conference not only fostered relationships between Allied and Partner nations but also initiated potential bottom-up change through deliverables aimed at influencing senior leaders and decision makers. These conferences are an important piece of Allied Command Transformation’s initiatives to promote overall interoperability with not only Allied Command Operations and United States European Command, but also with other Allied and Partner nations.
