The sixth iteration of the Senior Leaders' Course successfully conducted
From the 20th of April to the 27th of April, the Baltic Defence College
(BALTDEFCOL) conducted the sixth iteration of the Senior Leaders’ Course (SLC)
in Riga, Latvia. Originally planned for 2020, the course itself faced
disruptions caused by Covid 19, being cancelled in 2020, and postponed from
2021.
The course gathered General and Flag Officers, along with their civilian
counterparts representing eleven NATO nations and NATO Headquarters. A
one-week long course aimed at developing a shared understanding of security
concerns in the Baltic Sea Region. The participants were offered unique
insights into current allied and national strategies and policies related to
the security and defence of the Baltic Sea Region. At the same time, the
course facilitated executive level professional networking among Allied
General and Flag Officers and their senior civilian equivalents.
This year, the main theme of the Senior Leaders’ Course was “The World of
Disruptions”. The discussion focused on drivers for disruptions in the
security environment and their impact on the security and defence of the Euro
Atlantic community and the Baltic countries. Course participants were exposed
to different perspectives on the topic offered by governmental and
institutional speakers, internationally recognized experts, high-level
practitioners in the field of security and defence as well as researchers,
academic professors and think thank analysts. Panel discussions were followed
by Q&A sessions.
Photos by Gatis Dieziņš
The course offered unique opportunities to discuss problems caused by
disruptions to the security environment. As the course rotates between the
capitals of the Baltic states annually, the host nation's responsibilities
change every year. This year, the Latvian Ministry of Defence has provided
most of the support to the organisation and conduct of the course. Being the
Framework Nation for NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence in Latvia, Canada
contributed significantly to the Senior Leaders’ Course’s curriculum and
professional networking.