24th CCOE Coordinating Committee Meeting
The 24th CCOE Coordinating Committee (CC) Meeting took place at The Hague on the 8th and 9th of November to decide on the resources for the upcoming year and provide the final approval of the CIMIC Centre of Excellence’s Programme of Work 2023. The Coordinating Committee is the executive multinational body for decision, supervision and policy guidance of the CCOE. The Coordinating Committee consists of one representative nominated by each Sponsoring Nation being Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, The Netherlands and Poland. The chairmanship rotates on an annual basis. In 2022 the CC Meeting was chaired by Colonel Mattia Zuzzi, Italian Defence General Staff who has the “Hammer” in his hand, symbolizing his empowerment.
The Director of the CCOE, Colonel (DEU A) Andreas Eckel underlined in his welcome remarks the continuous importance to share collective knowledge and gain unity of purpose in the field of Civil-Military Interaction. Due to the war in Ukraine the CIMIC Liaison activities that ensure the integration and increase the interoperability of NATO forces deploying to allied nations gain more and more importance.
After one year where meetings had to be conducted virtually dictated by COVID pandemic the Director was delighted to host the CC in presence at the premises of the Majoor Jan Linzel Complex at The Hague. “No technical equipment can replace the personal contacts meeting with a cup of coffee or tea to exchange opinions and foster a fruitful relationship” he stated.
Exchange of views and discussions are vital between representatives of the sponsoring nations and NATO representatives as NATO is the key stakeholder for COEs.
A lot of effort was taken by the Branch Chiefs to present the results of their work during the current year to then propose their respective Programme of Work (POW) for 2023. Of special interest were the provision of some insights and captions from the latest training and education activities from the eastern flank of NATO. This region is the current focus area for the Alliance’s deterrence and collective defence efforts as a result on the Russian aggression against Ukraine.
The 24th Meeting of the CCOE Coordinating Committee was terminated with passing the hammer from Colonel Mattia Zuzzi, Italian Army to Lieutenant Colonel Mark Friebel from the Dutch Ministry of Defence who will be the Chairman for the year 2023.
Finally Colonel Andreas Eckel farewelled Colonel Mattia Zuzzi with best wishes and the Director’s Coin of the CIMIC Centre of Excellence in appreciation for his long lasting support in the field of Civil-Military Interaction.
Glad to have you at the CCOE to share collective knowledge and gain unity of purpose in the field of Civil-Military Interaction. See you next year again at The Hague