The Command and Control Centre of Excellence in Utrecht, the Netherlands, is a dynamic organization committed to enhancing command and control mechanisms in support of Allied Command Transformation’s mission. This Centre of Excellence assists NATO nations and international organizations by providing expertise at the operational and higher tactical levels, aiming to catalyse change by motivating, encouraging, and stimulating necessary improvements.
As the only Alliance-related organization focused exclusively on overarching joint Command and Control functions, the NATO Command and Control Centre of Excellence plays an important role in orchestrating international capabilities through research, experimentation, and analysis. It serves as a bridge between civilian and military sectors (as knowledge brokers), facilitating the exchange of knowledge to build robust interoperability.
The Centre provides continuous support to exercises such as the STEADFAST and JACKAL series, deploying subject matter experts throughout the command ecosystem to assist training audiences and contribute to the development of Lessons Learned. Beyond exercise support, the NATO Command and Control Centre of Excellence is actively involved in global discussions and events, serving as a hub for knowledge sharing and collaboration. Through keynote speeches, workshops, and presentations, the Centre shares ideas and insights, reinforcing its dedication to being a catalyst for Command and Control by capturing, creating, assessing, and distributing this knowledge.
The Centre also organizes its own conferences on a range of Command and Control topics. Last year’s conference, titled “The Future of NATO Decision-Making,” sparked discussions on the hypothesis that NATO’s current decision-making processes may no longer be sufficient to meet the challenges posed by rapid technological changes, evolving global threats, and multi-domain operations. This conference set the stage for an in-depth examination of how NATO can continuously adapt its decision-making processes to remain effective and responsive in a rapidly changing world. Participants were challenged on the theory and arguments surrounding Multi-Domain Operations and Multi-Domain Command and Control by being exposed to the latest insights from Command and Control experts.
Building on the previous year’s discussions, this year’s conference theme will focus on “NATO Multi-Domain Operations Synchronization – Command and Control Implications: How to Achieve Converging Effects in the Continuum of Competition.” Once again, the conference will bring together experts from both civilian and military realms, providing a platform for engagement through plenary sessions, panel discussions, and breakout sessions, fostering opportunities for speaking, teaching, learning, and interaction. (More information: c2coe.org/conference)
In addition to its conceptual development and personnel training efforts, the Command and Control Centre of Excellence maintains an active outreach role through various publications, including articles, studies, and papers, as well as a recurring podcast series. These podcasts feature guests who are specialists in doctrine related to Command and Control and provide the Centre with a platform to promote its innovations and showcase the depth of innovation the Alliance is pursuing within the Command and Control arena. A new podcast series focusing solely on the Senior Mentor Programme is now available online. This programme allows former Flag or General officers to support NATO commanders as they train and prepare for operations, ensuring that the lessons learned from their careers are integrated into current and future commands.
This year, in collaboration with the Canadian Joint Warfare Centre, the NATO Command and Control Centre of Excellence launched the “NATO Command and Control Centre of Excellence Annals of Command and Control”, a peer-reviewed military journal designed for the publication of scholarly papers in C2 and related disciplines. The first edition is now available on the Centre’s website: c2coe.org/annals
As part of its Global Programming role, the NATO Command and Control Centre of Excellence continues to serve as the Department Head for the Operations Planning, Operations Assessment, and Alternative Analyses discipline. The Department Head assembles a discipline Education and Training programme and strives to ensure that solutions are delivered in the most effective, efficient, and affordable manner through NATO Allies, partners, and non-NATO entities.
The NATO Command and Control Centre of Excellence exemplifies Allied Command Transformation’s mission by pushing the boundaries of existing capabilities and exploring greater integration across Multi-Domain Operations. By combining real-world Command and Control experience with a focus on processes, the Centre continues to advance the Alliance’s capabilities within Multi-Domain Operations.
