Clingendael Academy recently hosted an intensive two week training programme for the Advanced Staff and Command Course. Clingendael has for many years cooperated extensively with the Netherlands Defence Academy.

The international operational environment for high level defence personnel is no longer limited to the military arena, increasingly officers who are stationed abroad are required to operate within a distinctly non-military environment. Military attaches are expected to bridge the gap between the diplomatic  world and the defence perspective, which requires both political awareness and diplomatic skills.

To this purpose, Officers from land-,  air- and maritime forces participated in interactive lectures on international crisis management, EU and NATO decision making processes, as well as extensive deep-dives into the conflicts currently afflicting the Middle East. Additionally, throughout the programme, participants received high level negotiation training and engaged in a three day international crisis management simulation in which these negotiation skills were put to the test.

Enhanced insight, diplomatic skills and a variety of tools were the major take-aways for this officers class of 2018-2019, which will prove useful in their upcoming international deployments.