Future top military leaders in NATO environment

The delegation was received by Major General Dr. László Sticz, Hungary’s national military representative and Brigadier General Didier Polomé, Director of Management at SHAPE. The program focused on introducing the main scopes of duties belonging to NATO’s strategic-level headquarters, with special regard to the mechanisms the Alliance uses to provide military advice to political decision-makers of the organization. Thus, the course participants were able to personally experience how strategic-level thinking is connected with the planning and conduct of operations in multinational environments.

During the day, the lecturers presented the activities of different SHAPE staff elements in the fields of military operations, planning, training and innovation. They outlined the current and anticipated challenges of the Alliance, the processes of crisis management in various situations, as well as the connections between strategic-level operational planning and execution. The participants also received a comprehensive picture of how NATO reacts to the rapidly changing challenges of the current security situation, and how SHAPE can play a crisis management role in this system.

Within the framework of a separate lecture, the Office of the National Military Representative of Hungary presented its tasks, emphasizing Hungary’s active engagement in NATO’s planning and coordination processes. The visitors were also given a glimpse into the rules for liaising between Hungarian and NATO structures.

The professional program significantly contributed to the future top military leaders’ forming a comprehensive picture of NATO’s functioning, and the experiences they gained enable them to perform their tasks more preparedly within national and Alliance frameworks.