The Joint Operations Department aims to provide individual training course that focus on the planning and conduct of NATO Operations, and support to NATO operations. Our courses are designed to educate officers and Senior Non Commissioned Officers serving not only in NATO appointments but also in national appointments and other coalitions where a sound understanding of how NATO plans and conducts operations is desirable. In particular, nations who are new to the NATO operating environment will benefit by gaining an understanding of how NATO, NATO nations, and Partners operate in increasingly Joint and Multi-agency environments. Most courses run by the department are open to students from our Euro-Atlantic Partner Nations and an increasing number of the courses are also open to students from Mediterranean Dialogue and African Union countries.

The Joint Operations Department (JOPS) focuses on:

• Crisis Management in NATO
• Logistic Planning and Operations in NATO
• Medical Planning and Operations in NATO

As well as providing specific courses on:
o Peace Support Operations
o Space Operations
o Psychological Operations
o Information Operations
o Space Operations
o Military Police Operations
o Ground Based Air Defence and Theatre Missile Defence
o ISAF Provincial Reconstruction Teams
o NATO Combat Readiness Evaluations
o NATO Resource Management Education Programme
o Combined Joint Operations Centres

The Joint Operations Department at the NATO School initiates and develops training to help ensure that staff officers committed to NATO HQs and ultimately, national force contributions meet the operational commander's needs by using the latest instructional techniques, including computer guided exercises and modelling and simulation systems. We continue to develop pre-learning packages and post courses studies through the use of Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) on all relevant courses. This will enable the department to increase the effectiveness of on-site training for all potential customers, without lengthening our residential courses themselves. The permanent goal is to continue to use the best available teaching methods, and to secure the best qualified speakers who can assist in achieving the course aims in the most effective way.