On the morning of 26JAN18, the JALLC received the visit of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The Secretary General was accompanied by the Portuguese Minister of Defense José Azeredo Lopes and several other NATO and Portuguese dignitaries. During the visit to the JALLC, the Secretary General had an office call with the JALLC Commander Brigadier General Mário Barreto, followed by a briefing about the refocused mission of the JALLC.
After the briefing, the Secretary General addressed the staff of the JALLC, thanking them for the good work the Centre has been doing for the past 15 years, and expressing his confidence in the restructuring process the JALLC is undergoing in order to lead the Lessons Learned Process in NATO. In his address, he stated that:
"The JALLC is key for NATO's adaptation"
He emphasized this point with the example of a JALLC analysis report on Defence Metrics, which he often uses as a reference in discussions with Nations, particularly regarding the issue of burden sharing in NATO. Referring to Lessons Learned activities, the Secretary General said:
"At the end of the day, this is all about saving lives"
He finished by thanking all JALLC staff members for their commitment and contribution to the Alliance's shared security.