The NATO Security Force Assistance Centre of Excellence officially enters NATO’s Community.
The Opening Ceremony of the NATO Security Force Assistance Centre of Excellence, held in Rome on March 26th 2019, marks its official entrance into NATO’s Community.
The Security Force Assistance Centre of Excellence was formally established during the 2017 Chiefs of Transformation Conference in Norfolk, Virginia, when the three sponsoring nations Italy, Slovenia and Albania signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. It obtained the NATO accreditation in December 2018. The Centre aims at creating a reference hub dedicated to promoting the efforts of the Alliance for stabilization and reconstruction in conflict and post-conflict scenarios. It will contribute, in the Security Force Assistance domain, to the development and experimentation of concepts, doctrine, lessons learned in operational theatres and the standardization of capacities within the Alliance.
The Director of the Centre, Colonel Franco Merlino, outlined its role and its future endeavours when addressing the sponsoring nations’ authorities, Allied Command Transformation’s Deputy Chief of Staff Resource & Management, Major General Nerim Bitlislioglu, and NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Operations, Mr John Manza.
Allied Command Transformation is leading the transformation of military structures, forces, capabilities and doctrines throughout NATO, and Centres of Excellence are one of the driving forces of such transformation. Centres of Excellence are frequently referred to as “COEs” and are leading experts in their specific area. They are providing NATO with an ability to deliver innovative ideas and timely expertise which make them critical actors in bridging the current and future posture of the Alliance. NATO’s warfare development efforts will leverage the strength of these Centres of Excellence to ensure future interoperability and to maintain our warfighting edge.
To learn more about the Security Force Assistance Centre of Excellence, click here.