42nd Conference of Commandants in Oslo

Baltic Defence College (BALDEFCOL) Commandant Major General Vitalijus Vaikšnoras attended the 42nd Conference of Commandants which was held in Oslo, Norway on 27-29 May. The conference entitled “The Role of Education in the Post-Afghanistan Era” was co-hosted by the NATO Defense College (NDC) and the Norwegian Defence University College (NDUC). More than 65 distinguished participants from NATO nations took opportunity to participate and discuss the ways how to face new challenges as efficiently as possible.

"The Conference comes on the eve of a very important phase for the Alliance and our global partners, and it is my intention that we take full advantage of this unique forum to examine how to face new challenges as efficiently and effectively as possible. IT is our mission as commandants to find ways of implementing educational theory into day-to-day practice, so that our students are as well-prepared as possible to fulfill the tasks that await them" said Lieutenant General Arne Bard Dalhaug, Commandant of NATO Defense College and the Chairman of the Conference.

The program of the Conference was intensive and featured numerous presentations and speeches with Q&A sessions. The participants of the Conference had many opportunities to share and develop ideas and experiences, both during the Conference as well as the socio-cultural events.

The annual Conference of Commandants was established by the NDC in 1972. Since then the Conference has continued to reconvene periodically in Rome, but has also been hosted with increasing frequency by its member institutions in their respective countries.