STAVANGER, Norway – Nearly 120 military and civilian personnel from different NATO entities attended the NATO Exercise Planning Couse (EPC) held at the Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) from February 3 to 7, 2025.
The EPC primarily targets exercise planners at the strategic and operational levels while ensuring an understanding of NATO’s complex 18-month exercise planning process. However, the EPC also welcomes a diverse group of NATO professionals, ranging from gender advisors and public affairs officers to real life support specialists.
CDR Carl, JWC’s course director and instructor, explained that the mix of expertise fosters a holistic approach to exercise planning, encouraging collaboration across different functions for mission success.
“The purpose of the course is to provide an opportunity for NATO’s J7 joint staff as well as personnel from all areas to understand how exercises are developed and delivered using resources across a headquarters’ staff,” CDR Carl said.
He added: “Our success in building, designing and executing NATO’s multi-domain, major joint exercises which involve multiple commands at all levels depends on this collaborative effort. Additionally, the course gives participants a venue to establish and expand their network in the exercise planning area.”
Supported by Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) and the Joint Force Training Centre (JFTC), the EPC in Stavanger was designed to conform to the EPC run by the NATO School Oberammergau in Germany.
Overall, NATO conducts five EPCs each year. Based on the Bilateral Strategic Command (Bi-SC) 075-003 Collective Training and Exercise Directive, the EPC curriculum is developed to assist the participants with critical thinking skills, supported by detailed presentations, discussions, syndicate work and practical exercises.
This year’s first EPC at the JWC focused on exercise programming and the four-stage exercise process, from planning and development through execution.
The lectures included J2 and CAX support to exercises; a presentation on planning and coordination aspects of NATO’s live exercises; exercise plans, training objectives and scenario content development; exercise feedback channels and lessons learned, as well as the SHAPE-led evaluation process following the conclusion of the exercise.
“Exercise planning is a team sport,” CDR Carl said. “Every exercise tests our ability to execute the developed plans cooperatively in a NATO joint and multinational environment. The NATO Exercise Planning Course provides a wide range of NATO staff a broader understanding of today’s very complex, multi-domain and multi-tier exercises.”
