The Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence is a NATO multinational military body sponsored by the Hellenic Republic, the Republic of Poland, Romania, Hungary and the Republic of Bulgaria. Located in Sofia, Bulgaria, the Centre currently has a team of 40 civilian and military experts who continuously address a wide range of crisis management and disaster response-related issues to support NATO’s standardization and transformation.
The Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence was established in 2013 and received NATO-accreditation in 2015 as the 21st NATO Centre of Excellence. The Centre provides tailor-made education and training for senior military and civilian leaders within its area of expertise. In this regard, the Centre can deploy mobile training teams and subject matter experts to facilitate the training of national and multinational military and/or civilian units involved in crisis management and disaster relief.
The Crisis Management and Disaster Relief Centre of Excellence has established an operations laboratory and continues to develop software and hardware standards to support the planning and conduct of NATO, Allied and Partner exercises and experiments, including the development and validation of disaster response scenarios. The application of mathematical models (modelling) to the accuracy and adequacy of input data (for weather, terrain, obstacles, conditions, etc.) provides visualizations of the effects of such events in a virtual environment (like simulations). The aim is to support decision-making, the planning process and the evaluation of contingency plans for response and recovery.
Over the years, the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence has gained international recognition not only as a centre of expertise in crisis management and disaster relief, but also as a hub for innovation, knowledge exchange and best practice in the field. As such, the Centre has established excellent partnerships and cooperation with key NATO and European Union bodies, institutions and agencies. Currently, the Centre focuses on curriculum development and critical thinking in disciplines such as crisis and disaster management; environmental risks; climate change and security; building resilience through preparedness; building integrity; modelling and simulation; and artificial intelligence technical architecture for decision makers and gender focal points.
In addition, the Centre serves as a platform for major NATO events and numerous crisis management and disaster response-related conferences, workshops and training courses. One of the Centre’s recent achievements has been to become the Department Head for the new NATO discipline of Business Continuity Management, with further developments and activities to come.
The Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence is determined to firmly establish and maintain its position as an internationally recognized and highly regarded body. They provide value-added education and training products, research and analysis, strategic policy recommendations and advice using concept experimentation and doctrine development.
Find out more about the Centre on its Website.
