NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Philippe Lavigne, met with the Joint Force Training Centre’s leadership and staff. The head of the Joint Force Training Centre higher headquarters visited the NATO training centre in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on 6 May.
Major General Norbert Wagner, the Joint Force Training Centre Commander, and his key staff provided General Lavigne with details and in-depth analysis of the Centre’s current program of work as well as future challenges. Discussions focused on training events and exercises, integration of warfare development with the Joint Force Training Centre activities, Battle Laboratory capabilities and their importance in strengthening NATO’s cohesion.
“We must take advantage of every opportunity to test concepts, doctrine, equipment and even processes, and exercises are great opportunities. Experimentation in exercises is one powerful means to confront new ideas, concepts and tools with reality. (…) It allows for testing and learning reliable lessons”, said General Lavigne highlighting the importance of the Joint Force Training Centre training and exercises.
The impact of the current geopolitical situation on Joint Force Training Centre’s work was particularly emphasised as were challenges the centre faced in the complex and dynamic NATO training environment.
General Lavigne also met with the Joint Force Training Centre staff during the All Hands Meeting. Responding to staff members’ questions, General Lavigne assured of his and the Allied Command Transformation’s continuous support to the Centre and its mission.
“The Joint Force Training Centre has a unique role within NATO Command Structure focusing on joint and combined training at the tactical level. (…) I want you to know how pleased I am to see the Joint Force Training Centre conforms so flexibly to the new mindset we are all trying to instil throughout NATO”, General Lavigne added. “We need to think big but we need to act small and fast. We need to adopt the incremental approach that will allow us to gain in speed and agility.”
A walk around the Joint Force Training Centre premises that complemented the official part of the visit provided General Lavigne with a full picture of the centre and its capabilities.
[from www.jftc.nato.int]
