Introduction
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a European military alliance that was incepted in 1949 with a motive of creating a counterweight to the Soviet armies that were stationed in the eastern and central Europe after World War II ( Whitfield, 2012). Currently, the alliance is comprised of 29 European nations. Essentially, the heart of NATO was manifested in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, where all member states concurred that an armed aggression against a member in Europe or North America shall be regarded as an aggression the entire alliance, and consequently in the exercise of their collective or individual self-defense entailed in Article 51 of the charter of the United Nations, will aid the member or members so invaded through available mechanisms, including the deployment of armed forces to reinstate and perpetuate the security and freedom of the North Atlantic area ( Whitfield, 2012 . Fundamentally, NATO was established purposely to foster freedom and security of its signatory members via political and military measures (NATO, n.d). The alliance established the North Atlantic Council (NAC) as its key decision-making body, where each signatory member has a seat. Further, NAC meets every week or whenever a need arises. Also, NAC is headed by the secretary general who aids members to collectively agree on major issues (NATO, n.d). Notably, on the political aspect, NATO fosters democratic values and enable member-states to consult and collaborate on security and defense-linked matters to solve challenges, build trust, and eventually avert conflicts. Moreover, on the military aspect, NATO pledges its devotion to promoting the peaceful resolution of dissensions, where if diplomatic mechanisms fail, it is empowered to employ military power to undertake crisis management operations (NATO, n.d). Since its inceptions, the alliance has adopted numerous education reforms to streamline its military operations and alliance’s capacity to respond to the emerging security challenges. Hence, this paper will explore the education structure and reforms adopted to foster NATO military operations and missions.
Reforms in NATO Organization
Essentially, to fulfill its primary and enduring purpose, NATO needs to maintain its capacity to detect and protect its members against any threats of aggressions (NATO, 2018). Therefore, NATO conducts education and training programs to foster cohesion, effectiveness, and readiness of its multinational forces. Equally important, NATO helps its member nations in their education and training reform endeavors (NATO, 2018). Since its establishment, NATO has continually engaged in education and training activities, which have remarkably expanded institutionally and gradually over time. First, the establishment of Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in 2002 exhibited NATO's commitment to promoting education and training (NATO, 2018). Importantly, the ACT has been wholly devoted to leading the transformation of NATO's military framework, forces, capacities, and teachings, especially through exercise and training designs and management. In addition, the ACT entails a comprehensive approach to education and training. It provides unity of effort and helps distinguish gaps and prevent duplication while guaranteeing efficiency and effectiveness through global programming (NATO, 2018). Moreover, these endeavors are complementary to national programs adopted by member states.
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Additionally, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) plays a major role in the provision of strategic-level guidance and setting the priorities and the four major dimensions of NATO’S activities, which incorporates education, training, exercises, and evaluation (ETEE) (NATO, 2018). These activities are executed with the purpose of enhancing individual and collective knowledge and skills to enhance competencies to encounter a variety of security and defense challenges. Also, as an area of concern, NATO has been using education and training to ensure that its commands and multinational forces remain organized, responsive, interoperable, and adaptable despite variances in training at national levels, tactic, structures, doctrines, and language (NATO, 2018). Furthermore, NATO’s endeavors to promote stability to crisis regions go beyond mere deployment of troops. Hence, NATO has incorporated education and training programs to help partners in developing security frameworks and institutions to provide for their own security.
For instance, NATO is currently conducting a non-combat operation to offer training, counsel, and support to Afghanistan institution and security forces (NATO, 2018). This mission was launched in 2015 with its major functions entailing assisting in planning, budgeting and programming, fostering transparency, oversight and accountability, promoting the compliance to the essentials of good governance and rule of law, assisting in the promoting the of sustainable processes such as recruitment, training, force generation, development of personnel, and managing the security activities (NATO, 2018). The overall significance of the current NATO’s involvement in Afghanistan is to assist the nation in developing its own security forces and institutions to offer sufficient security to its citizens. Notably, this partnership was established through the signing of a declaration on an enduring partnership. Further, NATO is also conducting another training and capacity building in Iraq that began in 2017 (NATO, 2018). This program courses on countering improvised explosives, civil-military planning support to operations, technical maintenance of military equipment, civil emergency planning, reform of the nation's security institutions, and training in military medicine. Moreover, NATO has also been training Iraqi's instructors and developing military schools to assists Iraqi forces to deter terrorism, deter the re-emergence of ISIS, and stabilize their sovereignty (NATO, 2018).
Additionally, NATO’s education and training reforms have progressively led to the establishment of more education and training facilities (NATO, 2018). First, NATO runs a defense college in Rome, which primarily focus on areas of study such as contemporary trends in the international security environment and their possible impacts on NATO member states. This school provides training for senior commanders (NATO, 2018). Second, NATO runs another school in Oberammergau in Germany, which is the major operational-level training facility for students. Principally, operational-level training concentrates on collaborative planning on NATO logistics, communications, operations planning, civil-military cooperation, defense planning, and civil emergency planning (NATO, 2018). Additionally, NATO operates a Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Center (JALLC) in Portugal, which is the main agency for the assessment of operations, collection and distribution of lessons learned, and training and experiments. JALLC is bestowed with the responsibility of deploying project teams globally and delivering analysis support to NATO at the operational and strategic level (NATO, 2018). Furthermore, NATO operates the Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Center (NMIOTC) in Greece, which conducts practical and theoretical training, including aerial surveillance, simulation, sub-surface, and special operation activities. Also, NATO runs three more schools, including the Joint Warfare Center (JWC) in Norway, the Joint Force Training Center (JFTC) in Poland, and Communications and Information Systems School (NCISS) in Italy (NATO, 2018).
Change Management in NATO
Advances in NATO’s education and training framework are often executed by different wings . Notably, the education and training structures are constituted by multiple departments, such as defense colleges, schools, training and training groups ( NATO, 2017) . Also, these structures entail multiple numerous accredited centers of excellence, such as civil-military cooperation (CIMIC), cooperative cyber defense, command and control, energy security center, human intelligence (HUMINT), defense against terrorists (DAT), the energy security center of excellence, and military medicine (MILMED) among many other departments ( NATO, 2017) . Notably, each department executes changes after concise deliberations and approval by NAC. Fundamentally, NATO’s international staff advances the operations of the alliance by chairing committees, assessing the execution of decisions, writing decisions and reports, and acting as a contact point for third parties ( NATO, n.d) . Generally, the adoption of changes within NATO is always based on the key forces that enhance cohesion within the alliance. In some particular situations when the security environment transforms, various matters such as joint vulnerability viewpoint, the mutual regard in upholding the U.S. presence in Europe, and mutual values come under close examination. For instance, when the U.S. became exposed for the first time in the 1960s due to the development of Soviet intercontinental missiles, NATO retaliated by altering its strategic principle from one of huge reprisal to one of adaptable response, and through the endorsement of the 1967’s Harmel Report, the alliance redefined its future purpose as both providing deterrence and fostering security ( NATO, n.d) .
Key Stakeholders
NATO is comprised of many stakeholders, including all 29 member states, which are represented in the North Atlantic Council (NAC) through one seat for each member. Additionally, other stakeholders include Allied Command Transformation (ACT), NATO Consultation, Command and Control Board (NC3B) and its subordinate structure; the Military Committee (MC); the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), the NATO Support Agency (NSPA), NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Program (SPSP), the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO); and the supporting staff at NATO Headquarters, and the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) and its subordinate structure: the Main Armaments Groups (MAGs) and the NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) ( NATO, 2014) . Additional stakeholders include the task force of the Chiefs of Military Medical Services (COMEDS) and its subordinate structure, NATO’s Defense Against Terrorism (DAT), the NATO Centers of Excellence (CoE), the NATO Defense College (NDC), the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) and its sub-structure, the von Karman Institute (VKI), research institutes, academia and industry ( NATO, 2014) . Notably, NATO’s community of stakeholders is broadening, reinforcing the drive to co-operate within the NATO framework.
Effective Activities
The noteworthy degree of unity which characterizes all the NATO agencies presents a remarkable achievement in securing stakeholder engagement and approval. For instance, the NATO Defense College incorporates officers from all member states, and this platform enables these officers to work together in the same study group, launch together thereafter, enables them to learn each other’s ideologies and perspectives, and enhance friendship that lasts perhaps for a lifetime ( NATO , 2001). Generally, NATO has been able to bring together nations and servicemen from different countries, speaking divergent languages, and putting on divergent uniforms to perform together with admirable precision, activities of impressive magnitude. NATO has made the unity of purpose a reality across Europe ( NATO , 2001).
Ineffective Activities
Despite NATO having several assistant secretary generals for various departments, it lacked one assistant secretary general to oversee intelligence. Hence, NATO lacked effective intelligence oversight (DeViney & Buckley, 2012). Resultantly, the alliance was impeded by duplication of effort and over-of tasking of intelligence analysis center for same products. Notably, the leadership of intellectual endeavor was assigned to the deputy secretary general, who was overwhelmed by a myriad of responsibilities that hindered a holistic focus on intelligence (DeViney & Buckley, 2012). Hence, NATO should establish an assistant secretary general for intelligence to supervise its intelligence personnel, structure, and systems to foster intelligence sharing and to enhance timely prediction of potential crisis to attain its peace and security goal.
Conclusion
NATO is a fundamental initiative for its member states since security is a core determinant for prosperity. Importantly, education and training is a crucial component for the alliance in training its forces and fostering collaboration among member states. Hence, since its inception, NATO has undertaken multiple reforms to foster education and training for its forces in its quest to offer security and freedom of its signatory members. Importantly, different schools and excellent centers operated by NATO provides fundamental knowledge to its military forces and partners in its endeavor to boost security.
References
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