Last week, 8 trainees from the Ministry of Defence and 4 trainees from other ministries successfully finished the second of two training modules on international security at the Clingendael Institute. Topics included “The Geopolitics of 2018”, “Trends in (in)Security” and “Regional Cooperation in Defence”. The set-up allowed for a wide range of topics to be addressed and discussed with expert researchers and experienced practitioners. The training is tailor-made for the Ministry of Defence and has been running since 2016.

The participants critically discussed the threats but also opportunities connected to international security trends. They looked at developments within the EU, UN and NATO, and at specific regions and actors, such as the Middle East, Russia or China and its neighbours. The participants further sharpened their knowledge by personally interviewing representatives of non-governmental actors about cooperation with the Ministry of Defence. The programme also allowed for more in-depth analysis during focused case-studies, such as on the Dutch contribution to the MINUSMA mission (Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission). The trainees discussed the mandate of this mission, the future of Dutch contributions to peace-keeping missions and civilian-military cooperation with MINUSMA’s former deputy chief of operations. 

All in all, we look back on an intensive but very successful programme and wish the trainees the best in their careers.