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Master’s Course in Comprehensive Crisis Management Exercise

National Defence University
Publication date 5.6.2018 14.26
Press release

In May the Department of Leadership and Military Pedagogy organized the Comprehensive crisis management course and the Leadership in a Crisis Management Operation course together with the Finnish Defence Forces International Centre (FINCENT). The first course is part of the advanced studies for military pedagogy and the second course is also known as (Tactical) Junior Staff Officer Course. Both courses are part of the studies of Master’s student.

The course is a part of the cooperation between the Nordic military Academies through the NORDEFCO project and the Finnish Police University College.

Although, there were no international students on the courses this year, the goal is to develop the cooperation and include international students on the course next year.

The purpose of the courses is to give students a deeper understanding of the operating environment of comprehensive crisis management operations and working in NATO-led crisis management operation. The Goal of the study module is that the student has the capability to work in a multinational staff on the battalion-level, the ability to produce plans and orders using the NATO planning process The goal is also that the student understands how different management styles and communication strategies work in a crisis management operation and that they gain knowledge of the factors that influence crisis management operations from the perspective of leadership and training and education.

First Lieutenant Kimmo, who took part in this course, also majors in leadership. He says that the selection of your major subject directs your studies to a certain direction but you will still have to attend mutual mandatory courses.

- I have had a lot of courses about leadership but also mandatory courses, which have been seen as being useful for everyone. For example, everyone should know the basics of tactics. In this course we have mainly studied how operations are planned and led and also what kind of process it is to organize such operations, Kimmo says.

Studying in the degree program of interagency cooperation, Noora Viinamäki studies with the Master’s course but as a civilian, she will not get a military rank or a job. She thinks it is important to go through as many different scenarios as possible. She also thinks it is important to learn about leadership in crisis management operations and learn the importance of planning.

- We have gone through how planning is done and things are executed in a crisis management operation and what other variables you must consider. For example, there are a lot of humanitarian organizations involved, each with their own mission. You need to know how to coordinate with them. I myself am more oriented on legislative issues, what can be done and what not, according to the law and there are many different things involved. The operating environment, however, during peace time in units with the conscripts is quite different and therefore it is good to go through many different scenarios, Viinamäki says.

The course is attended by Master’s students majoring in military pedagogy and leadership on the Master of Military Sciences Programme as well as elective students of the other major subjects. The leaders for both of the courses were Captain Sippo Juures (Department of Leadership and Military Pedagogy) and Major Jukka-Pekka Kolehmainen (FINCENT).

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