From 26-28 February, NATO’s Military Committee (MC) is visiting one of the two NATO Strategic Commands; Allied Command Transformation (ACT). This year, at the request of Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), General Denis Mercier (French Air Force), the JALLC is hosting the visit at NATO’s facilities in Lisbon, Portugal.
Today marked the first day of the three-day working visit of the MC. SACT himself kicked off the first day’s talks by welcoming the MC, chaired by General Petr Pavel (Czech Army; chairman of the MC (CMC) since June 2015), to the JALLC’s facilities at the Portuguese Air Force Base in Lisbon.
SACT stressed the importance of Lessons Learned (LL) in the Alliance and how the NATO Command Structure (NCS) adaptation is an opportunity for ACT and the MC to how together to improve NATO. The JALLC’s Commander, Brigadier General Mario Barreto (Portuguese Air Force), followed SACT informing the MC of the JALLC’s refocused mission, its activities, and the NATO Lessons Learned Portal, NATO’s single tool for Lessons-related information.
An interesting discussion on Lessons Learned ensued, with representatives from various Nations asking pertinent questions on the NATO Lessons Learned Process, the Portal, and the JALLC's role. Questions were answered by ACT's leadership including the JALLC's commander. All formed the morning session productive and informative. You can find out more about the NATO Lessons Learned Portal on our website and by watching this informative video.
The second part of the visit took place at the Reduto Gomes Freire Base in Oeiras, just outside of Lisbon. SACT first briefed the MC in more detail on the adaptation of the NCS from ACT’s perspective and informed the representatives of how ACT is contributing to the adaptation process and to ensuring that the Alliance is Fit for Purpose. Chief of Staff HQ SACT, Air Marshall Sir Graham Stacey (British Air Force) contributed to the discussion noting that NATO needs to be a flexible, adaptive, and responsive organization for this century’s threats. The MC posed questions to ACT’s leadership, including Deputy Chiefs of Staff from NATO’s Joint Force Trainer and the Military Partnership on topics such as resourcing, the future of the Alliance, and the coordination and working relationship between ACT and Allied Command Operations. This presentation was then followed by discussion on various related topics including the Future Framework for Alliance Operations.
This first day, was deemed informative and productive by all with many relevant topics being addressed by key speakers and discussed among the MC. Tomorrow, 27 February, sees the MC gathering again to further discuss the future of the Alliance. The JALLC is proud to host this event and looks forward to fruitful discussions during these three days.