STAVANGER, Norway – Brigadier General Mark A. Cunningham, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Joint Warfare Centre (JWC), hosted this year’s annual NATO Senior Mentor Seminar at the JWC’s In-Rock Facility on June 15-16, 2023.
The aim of the seminar was to share the JWC’s ambitious 2023/2024 Programme of Work with the senior mentors to ensure they have a comprehensive update on how the JWC adapts its delivery of exercises under the new NATO Force Model (NFM).
In this context, particular focus was given to the JWC’s 2024 multi-domain exercise series to further strengthen NATO’s command and control structure and achieve the Alliance’s long-term goal of enhanced deterrence and defence.
In his opening speech, Brigadier General Cunningham underlined the importance of the seminar, saying that it provides the JWC and the Senior Mentor Programme a great opportunity to exchange views on the way ahead for the JWC’s upcoming large-scale exercises, wargaming, and the Enabling Decision-Making Workshop and the Joint Operations Planning Group (JOPG) Leaders Workshop.
Additionally, this year’s seminar focused on the JWC’s current activities in support of NATO’s Warfare Development Agenda, as well as its Continuous Improvement programme, which ensures that the JWC remains fit for purpose in line with the Alliance’s vision for 2030.
The aim of the NATO 2030 initiative is to make sure that the Alliance remains “ready, strong and united for a new era of increased global competition”, as stated on the NATO 2030 fact sheet.
One of the key topics discussed at the seminar was STEADFAST JUPITER 2023 (STJU23) – NATO’s largest and most complex computer-assisted command post exercise (CAX/CPX) to date, which will be directed by the JWC this autumn.
The NATO Senior Mentor Programme is composed of former Flag or General Officers, recommended by their respective Chiefs of Defence to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), to support NATO commanders and commands as they train and prepare for operations.
The programme is led by General Sir James Everard KCB CBE (Retired), the Lead Senior Mentor, who previously served as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR) from 2017 to 2020.
