Stavanger, NORWAY – NATO's Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) conducted its 23rd Joint Operations Planning Group (JOPG) Leaders Workshop from November 6 to 9, 2023.
The JWC’s JOPG Leaders Workshop is a collective training event designed to address complexities in NATO’s operational-level planning process, as well as organizational and procedural preparations of the staff.
This last iteration of the workshop was designed specifically to address the requirements of the JOPG teams from different training headquarters in support of NATO’s new exercise series, STEADFAST DETERRENCE 2024 and STEADFAST DUEL 2024, both of which will be directed by the JWC.
The workshop included lectures, best practices and lessons learned discussions, and practical exercises to challenge 18 participants from seven NATO Command and Force Structure Headquarters.
Colonel Nicolas Tachon, Head of the JWC's Transformation Delivery Division, gave the opening remarks on November 6, recognizing the JWC’s role in advancing NATO’s warfare development efforts through events like the JOPG Leaders Workshop and the imperative of training to be fit for the future.
Lieutenant Colonel Jens, the lead planner of the workshop, explained that the curriculum covered topics including JOPG battle rhythm and organization, command group and cross-echelon alignment, Operational Liaison and Reconnaissance Team (OLRT) best practices, “framing the problem” principles, and wargaming tips.
During the workshop, participants gained insight into critical and creative thinking techniques, as well as wargame process and risk assessment frameworks, enabling them to improve JOPG organizational management and processes for the aforementioned exercises.
The JWC has conducted the JOPG workshop since February 2021 to approximately 400 NATO staff officers from 14 headquarters.
Overall, the workshop strives to enable a better understanding of the NATO operations planning process and provides opportunities for seamless collaborative planning for effective decision-making and mission success.