Bringing human security to the forefront – NATO education and training leaders met in Helsinki

Last week was eventful in the Finnish Defence Forces International Centre (FINCENT) in Santahamina, Finland. The 2nd co-located NATO Annual Discipline Conference (ADC) was successfully conducted in Helsinki, in cooperation between FINCENT and the Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence (CCOE). A record-breaking audience with over 80 participants got together to review and develop training solutions for NATO. The conference was a great example of the strong collaboration between two leading training providers, offering mutual benefits for all parties.

The event was opened with a key note speech by Ms. Anastasiia Piddubna from the NATO representation to Ukraine. In her speech, she raised the importance of developing training solutions for Ukraine. On the second day of the conference, FINCENT and CCOE presented their Discipline Alignment Plans (DAP) which were reviewed and evaluated by the community of interest. The third and last day of the event included more interactive sessions and highlighted experiences from civil-military cooperation in Ukraine. The conference was concluded by the Commandant of FINCENT, Lt Col. Niclas von Bonsdorff and the Director of CCOE, Col. Andreas Eckel.

Alignment sparked a lively discussion

Lively discussions on the topics were successfully conducted throughout the conference and the participants were mostly satisfied with the outcomes. During the conference, a key discussion point concerned the alignment of the operations of the two centers. This is necessary in order to further enhance the efficacy of cooperation. The Requirement Authority of both disciplines, SHAPE ACOS J9 Brig. Gen. Editson Zarka is looking forward to future alignments. 

“The conference offered an opportunity for the attending participants to discuss together the requirements for the alignment and make the process more realistic in the future. We have the expertise already but how we can exploit it efficiently in the future is the most important matter for us.”

Overall, Zarka is pleased with the event and cooperation with FINCENT in general. “We have worked together with FINCENT as a trusted partner already for a long time but I’m very happy to be here now that Finland is a member of NATO.” 

The role of human security becomes more prominent in the future

In addition to alignment, a key topic of the conference was human security. Sustaining human security is a mutual mission for both of the training providers. It is also highlighted in the new NATO strategic concept from 2022. Human security is one of the clusters under FINCENT’s field of expertise and stages the significance of FINCENT as a leading training developer. Providing expertise in human security is one of the main resources that FINCENT has to offer for NATO and partners.

The conference offered a great stage for FINCENT to host a NATO event with Finland being a fresh member of the alliance. FINCENT has much to offer for the alliance and its partners with its highly valued expertise in training and education. The themes concerning military contribution to peace support are raising their significance and making FINCENT a relevant actor in the future as well.