Combined Joint Staff Exercise 2012

On 16-26 April students of the JCGSC 2011/2012 together with CSC 2012 and College faculty members participated in the Combined Joint Staff Exercise (CJSE) 2012. The exercise was conducted by the Swedish Armed Forces and the Folke Bernadotte Academy, and supprted by BALTDEFCOL, Finnish National Defence University, Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College, Swiss Armed Forces and Headquarters Norwegian Operational Headquarters in Bodö. The aim of CJSE 12 was to prepare the individual participants for work in an international staff within a multifunctional/multinational Crisis Response Operations (CRO), based on a Comprehensive Approach and focusing on co-operation and co-ordination within an unstable environment, involving all stakeholders. It took place in three locations simultaneously: Enköping, Uppsala and Karlskrona in the Kingdom of Sweden.

The BALTDEFCOL students were acting as staff officers in the Combined Joint Tasks Forces and in different Component Commands Headquarters. For the first time the Civil Servant Course (CSC) students took part in such exercise. Some CSC students were active in HICON/Game, other were active in the training audience as POLADs and CIMIC specialists. Directing Staff members acted in the wide variety of positions – from Training Audience to the Exersice Evaluation Team. The exercise gave a great opportunity for all to apply the skills they had previously obtained in College into practise in a different multinational working environment. Until the exercise CJSE-2012, the students had experienced planning process at operational level. It was important to provide students with the opportunity to see how planned operations are executed in staffs in the area of operations. According to the Course Director statement, students presented their Countries at the highest manner possible.

After nine days full of activity the students had an opportunity to visit museums in Stockholm, and spend time in the beautiful capital of Kingdom of Sweden.

Commandant of the BALTDEFCOL Brigadier General Meelis Kiili also visited the JCGSC and CSC students during the exercise to keep their spirits high and motivated.