Transatlantic NATO Partner Cooperation.

The mutual exchange of instructors in support of CIMIC courses has already been established for a long time, from which students on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean have greatly benefited.

In some areas globalisation is being perceived as a threat, particularly for smaller entities, which may have difficulties to compete on the big international markets. When looking from the perspective of military cooperation, however, this globalization disregarding geographic distance of the respective institutions, must be considered as a great advantage.

A good example of such cooperation is the recent working visit of CCOE Deputy Branch Chief Waldemar Torbicki to the Canadian Peace Support Centre (PSCT). Next to its primary purpose – the support of a course by providing professional expertise – did also have a number of further dimensions:

  • to exchange knowledge, experience and gain further insight on how to improve CCOE own Training & Education performance in the future, and
  • to enhance cooperation between the partner organizations, pursuing Training & education in the same subject matter of Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC).

CIMIC STAFF OFFICER COURSE 0018

Picture: CIMIC STAFF OFFICER COURSE 0018 – Canadian Peace Support Training Centre (PSTC) 17 – 28 October 2016, Kingston, Canada Source: Canadian Peace Support Training Centre

The PSTC was established in December 2000, with the initial role to deliver pre-deployment training for Canadian Forces personnel and others selected for Peace Support Operations, and to provide Peace Support Operations training assistance to Canadian and international organizations.

Since 2004, the PSTC has been assigned as the Canadian Centre of Excellence and Individual Training with responsibilities for Influence Activities including: Information Operations, Psychological Operations, and Civil-Military Cooperation.

Thanks to the well-functioning NATO system of mutual support, such relations and activities make up the daily duty of staff personnel at the CCOE. The particularly effective cooperation between the Canadian Forces (including PSTC) and the CCOE serves as one example of many. During this event, both the PSTC staff, as well as Canadian students, demonstrated a highly professional attitude, creating a very friendly and rewarding learning environment. With this foundation, there will be an even more intensive cooperation between the partner institutions in the future.

Article is written by: LTC Waldemar Torbicki (POL A) Deputy Chief of Training and Education