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STAVANGER, Norway – Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATO’s new Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), paid his first visit to the Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) on December 17, 2024, to reaffirm the crucial role played by the JWC in today’s Alliance and discuss key areas in training and warfare development to accelerate NATO’s military transformation.

The visit to the JWC included an office call with Major General Ruprecht von Butler, Commander JWC, and Brigadier General Raymond L. Adams, the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff; a series of dynamic presentations focusing on the JWC’s outputs and capabilities, and a round-table discussion with the senior leadership. The visit also included an all-hands event during which the SACT addressed the JWC’s multinational workforce and spoke about his priorities and strategic guidance.

Admiral Vandier’s visit to the JWC comes as part of ongoing efforts to keep NATO ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing world, while maintaining its commitment to deliver the Alliance’s defence and deterrence strategic objectives. This includes strengthening NATO’s combat superiority whether through military doctrine, capabilities or training and readiness.

During the visit, Admiral Vandier highlighted the importance of JWC’s mission saying, “What makes us better as an Alliance is training.” He underscored that as part of NATO’s defence architecture, the JWC helped NATO’s three- and four-star warfigthing headquarters “to adapt and to learn” in order to outpace adversaries, to protect our one billion people, and to save lives. “We need to act quickly and smartly,” the SACT said.

SACT highlighted that transformation was not an end state; it is a continuous and proactive process of developing and integrating innovative concepts, doctrine and capabilities – especially technological advancements – in order to adapt and improve NATO forces’ military interoperability and operational readiness.