On the 14th of October, the NATO SFA COE gave a lecture to the Intermediate Command and Staff Course at the UK Defence Academy.
The Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land) (ICSC(L) is a 26-week residential, comprehensive and generalist mandatory career course held at the Army Division of the Joint Services Command and Staff College at the Defence Academy.
The course provides training and education for all Army and Royal Marine majors and, where possible, for UK civil servants and international partners across a broad range of subjects.
During the lecture, the Director illustrated the evolution of the Security Force Assistance Concept in NATO since its origins and provided a general overview of SFA activities, the framework and the principles.
He also described the NATO SFA COE line of efforts, its policy and vision, highlighting how the Centre is enriched by research based on best practices and lessons learned, in the NATO doctrinal revision process or in drafting and delivering independent research papers and publications.
The Concept Development and Doctrine Branch head continued the briefing presenting a case study of a field operation. He stressed the importance of the assessment of the Host Nation’s Local Forces , as a pivotal activity to understand the current conditions affecting the specific units in order to fill their existing capability gaps, while analysing and taking into consideration as many other local variables and actors as possible.
The lecture was concluded by giving the stakeholders the most important features of Security Force Assistance, stressing in particular the importance of making a Political, financial and long-term commitment, while also utilising a joint, interagency, intergovernmental and multinational coordination.
