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NATO is all about expansion of friendships and the building of relationships. NATO's Allied Command Transformation (ACT) plays a vital role on this path to future cooperation with non-NATO countries.

Finland's Minister of Defence (MoD), Stefan Wallin, visited Headquarters, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT) 11 May for meetings with Command leadership and roundtable discussions. He met with Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, French Air Force General Stephane Abrial, to discuss NATO's transformation through Strategic Thinking, Capability Development and Education and Training. ACT's goal is to provide NATO's member nations the best security return possible on their investment.

Mr Wallin is the leader of the Finnish Swedish People's party and has been a Member of Parliament since 2007. Finland is one of NATO's important partner countries.

The NATO Spokesperson held a press briefing on Monday 7 May 2012. She was joined via video-teleconference by General Stéphane Abrial, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, who briefed on defence reform and Smart Defence issues.

Allied Command Transformation's (ACT) Joint Force Trainer, German Air Force Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck, met with Commanders from the Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) and Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre (JALLC) recently to discuss a new directive that assigns collective exercise and training (E&T) responsibility to ACT.

The directive, referred to as the Bi-Strategic Command (Bi-SC) Directive for the Handover of Collective Training and Exercise responsibility, describes the agreement between SACEUR's headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SHAPE) and HQ SACT in the transition period from July to December 2012.

"It will give SACT the opportunity to plan Education and Training holistically, using all available means; be it e-Learning, residential courses, key leader training or exercises, in order to cover SACEUR's requirements," said Lieutenant General Viereck.

This new and holistic approach will take into account the relationship between the NATO Force Structure and a reduced NATO Command Structure and the incorporation of political guidance, SACEUR's requirements and lessons learned.

"The post 2014 Afghanistan environment, the new NATO Command Structure and the Secretary General's Connected Forces Initiative, will require a new way to plan exercises in the future," said Viereck.

Photo: From left to right, Chief of Staff Joint Warfare Centre (JWC),
U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Steven J. DePalmer;
Commander JWC, French Army Major General Jean Fred Berger;
ACT Assistant Chief of Staff Joint Force Trainer, German Air Force Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck;
Commander Joint Force Training Centre, Slovakian Army Major General Pavel Macko;
Commander Joint Analysis and Lessons Learned Centre, Brigadier General Peter Sonneby.

This week, staff from Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT) Capability Engineering Division are leading a week-long experiment on the Business Process Model (BPM) that supports the Operations Logistics Chain Management (OLCM) project. The experiment takes place at the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany and involves 50 logistics experts from NATO and its member nations.

The OLCM capability is designed to optimise the collaborative planning and coordination of logistic support to NATO operations. This includes the prioritisation and coordination of "...the flow of logistic resources and provision of services into, within and out of the NATO Joint Operational Area based on the NATO Commander's intent." The NATO OLCM Concept and the OLCM Concept of Operations (CONOPS) were developed as the first step in building an OLCM capability. These in turn formed the basis for the new OLCM Deployment and Sustainment BPM.

HQ SACT through the Joint Deployment and Sustainment (JD&S) Division has led collaborative work with NATO member nations, the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) and the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) and produced the latest version (5.1) of the OLCM BPM on which the experiment is based.

The experiment is being run as a Concept Development Assessment Game (CDAG), a relatively new experiment tool. A CDAG is a table top assessment game during which teams are fed scenarios and react to those scenarios adhering to BPM process principles. During this reaction phase the essential pieces of the process are fully scrutinised.

The results of this experiment will assist in refining the current version of the OLCM BPM in preparation for further critical validation during Exercise CAPABLE LOGISTICIAN 2013 in Slovakia in June 2013.

Allied Command Transformation's Bi-Annual magazine has now made its way into the cyber sphere, where you can interact with the article authors! Every article has a blog function attached to it.

The Atlantic Council of the United States (ACUS), a Washington 'Think Tank' and an established partner of Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT), organised a Young Atlanticists Summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, 11th - 13th April 2012. This Summit was conducted as part of the GlobSec 2012 Global Security Forum and was the first of two major events that ACUS is promoting and conducting in the run-up to the NATO Summit in Chicago 20th and 21st of May. Following the Bratislava Summit, a second event will take place in Chicago in parallel with the NATO Summit. Both events are being supported by NATO Headquarters' Public Diplomacy Division.

An understanding of the multi-faceted decision-making process required in a consensus based organisation was deemed necessary by ACUS - especially in today's complex security environment. In light of this, the Atlantic Council requested, through NATO HQ, that HQ SACT prepare and conduct two NATO Model Events for the Young Atlanticists in support of both events. On the 12th of April 2012, Allied Command Transformation conducted the first NATO Model Event Simulation for 35 pre-selected Young Atlanticists from NATO Member Nations and partner countries.

Previous to the event, each participant was assigned either a permanent representative role for a NATO country, or a News Media role. The Secretary General began the session by leading an emergency discussion in the North Atlantic Council (NAC, NATO's highest decision making body) on piracy. The question of what to do; how and when to act, was exacerbated by an emerging cyber-attack against a major European bank and financial group. Pressure increased on the Council members as they were confronted with simulated News Releases and interviews, prepared in reaction to NAC decisions by those playing the role of the media. Media participants were asked to critically analyse the actions (or lack thereof) taken by the NAC. The News Media added a significant layer of complexity and realism in a world globally connected by a 24/7 information-sharing technology where information is often misconstrued.

From the very beginning, the participants showed a deep interest and knowledge in all topics. Key aspects covered during the debate were NATO's role in dealing with failing/failed states, how to do more in an age of austerity (i.e. 'Smart Defence'), the security implications of an Alliance less financially committed, and the applicability of the Washington Treaty's Articles 4 and 5 in relation to cyber-attacks on NATO Member Nations.

The Young Professionals (Atlanticists to the core) departed Bratislava with a sense of accomplishment and great anticipation as they prepare to attend part II in Chicago.

There is, no doubt, a lot of buzz around the upcoming NATO Summit in Chicago this month. But there is an aspect of the Summit you may not be aware of: The role that Social Media will play.

There is, no doubt, a lot of buzz around the upcoming NATO Summit in Chicago this month. But there is an aspect of the Summit you may not be aware of: The role that Social Media will play.

One cannot be faulted for assuming that the average age of today's digital gamer is somewhere in the range of 12-18 years of age. In fact, the average age of today's digital gamer is 37.

Albania's Chief of Defence, Major General Xhemal Gjunkshi, visited Headquarters, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT) 3 April for office calls with Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, French Air Force General Stephane Abrial.

Gjunkshi also attended a roundtable discussion hosted by Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Polish Army General Mieczyslaw Bieniek on Smart Defence. Additional discussion topics included the NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP), Cyber Defence and the Integration of NATO's new members.

Three years after Albania joined NATO progress has been made in a relatively short time to integrate the new member, with full support from ACT. Albania became a member of NATO on 1 April 2009, and has become a reliable and respected member of the Alliance.

Photo 1: Albania's Chief of Defence, Major General Xhemal (left) visited Headquarters,
Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT) 3 April where he had an office call
with Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Stephane Abrial.

Photo 2: Albania's Chief of Defence, Major General Xhemal Gjunkshi flanked by
Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, General Mieczyslaw Bieniek (right)
and Deputy Chief of Staff Integrated Resource Management Major General Ugur Tarcin.

NATO's Allied Command Transformation was the centre of attention on April 3, 2012 when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stopped by to meet with the staff of ACT to discuss the road to the NATO Summit and ACT's major contributions to this very important event.

NORFOLK, Va. – U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, will visit Allied Command Transformation HQ today as part of a visit to the Norfolk area. This visit will be an opportunity to talk about how NATO's structures face future challenges on behalf of the Allied Nations.

Secretary Clinton will have a meeting with the Commander, General Stéphane Abrial, and address assembled ACT staff.

"The Secretary's visit highlights the importance the US attaches to NATO's transformation – or preparation to meet the full range of future security challenges. It also serves to raise awareness of the presence of this strategic headquarters and the role it plays as link between the other 27 European and North American allies and the US military" said SACT's political Advisor, U.S. Ambassador Ravic Huso.

After her discussions at the HQ, the Secretary will deliver remarks at a banquet later in the evening which ACT is proud to co-host with the World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads.

"All the men and women who serve in my Headquarters are honoured to host Secretary Clinton. I look forward to exchanging views with her on a range of issues central to the work of my command and to NATO's continued relevance and vitality to European and North American security. I am particularly eager to discuss ACT's on-going work to translate political and military guidance into capabilities that will enable NATO to fulfil its key missions of ensuring our collective defence and to respond effectively to crises" said General Abrial.

ACT (Allied Command Transformation) is one of the two strategic commands of NATO. Its HQ is located in Norfolk Naval Support Activity base and has a staff of around 700 members. They are highly qualified civilian and military personnel, designated by the 28 Nations of NATO usually for three year tours. Together, they bring the impressive variety of experience and skills necessary to drive NATO's transformation process.

General Abrial shared his thoughts on Smart Defence and the future of multinational cooperation during a dinner at the Hilton Chicago Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, on March 28th, kicking off the International Conference for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Twenty-eight Norfolk students participated in the Model NATO Challenge, a mock debate, hosted by NATO Allied Command Transformation. "The Model NATO Challenge is a great opportunity for a student to experience first-hand how a global crisis situation is truly handled by NATO nations as it unfolds" said Trish Carrier, Norfolk NATO Festival's Director.

Each student represented a differing NATO nation and debated a fictitious scenario. Competition was fierce as the winner of the debate was invited to the NATO Summit in Chicago; attended the World Affairs Council dinner where U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, made remarks; and won a scholarship to be applied to the school of their choice.

The debates were spirited and judging critical. Participants were evaluated on a number of criteria on a scale of one to ten. The overall scores were handed out and the winners were notified in April.

Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), General, Stephane Abrial encouraged the students stating, "You're all winners already and this is a great experience in negotiation towards consensus-building, which I am sure will be a great part of your future professional lives."

The students expressed enthusiasm and enjoyed a unique, once in a lifetime experience. Michael Blaesing, Czech Republic student representative said he learned a great deal about the government and culture of the Czech Republic and how "the local transportation system there is much more advanced than and not as expensive as the one in the United States." Blaesing's sponsor, Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Kovacs, the Czech Republic National Liaison Representative at Headquarters SACT said, "It was such a great honor to support such a diligent student, I admire his dedication and devotion to this event and I'm impressed with his broad range of knowledge concerning International governments."

Deputy Supreme Allied Commander General Mieczyslaw Bieniek discussed the transformation of the Slovenian Armed Forces and of the rest of the NATO Alliance with the country’s leadership during a visit recently. Bieniek met with the newly appointed Minister of Defence, Mr Ales Hojs and Secretary of State, Mr Peter Stavanja, with whom he continued his discussions on transformation, the upcoming Chicago Summit and Slovenia’s long-term development plans, as well as Smart Defence and the ‘Pooling and Sharing’ initiative. With the Chief of Defence, Brigadier General Dobran Bozic General Bieniek also discussed the Slovenian Armed Forces’ current and future cooperation with NATO, and ACT in particular. Bieniek praised the level of existing cooperation and stressed the importance of the country’s involvement in ‘Smart Defence’. Bozic stressed that Slovenia intends to maintain the current level of cooperation and seek further enhancements to the program. During visits to the Doctrine Development Education and Training Command and the Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence, General Bieniek reiterated ACT’s support to Slovenia’s efforts to increase access to national education and training facilities and more shared training opportunities.

Photo: Deputy Supreme Allied Commander General Mieczyslaw Bieniek recently visited Slovenia
where he among other topics discussed the ‘Smart Defence’ initiative with the country’s leadership.

The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE) located in Tallinn, Estonia was established May 14, 2008 by seven NATO nations. From October 2011 to March 2012, the Centre of Excellence has gained three new nations; the Netherlands, Poland and the United States - bringing the total to 11 nations which support this COE. These nations have come together to enhance the cyber defence capability not only for themselves but for the overall structure of NATO. This Centre of Excellence will go through the NATO accreditation process approximately six months from now.

For more information on the Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence please click here.

The annual Concept Development and Experimentation Working Group (CD&E WG) hosted by Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation's (HQ SACT) Capabilities Engineering Division this week discussed ACT's concepts that are currently under development or have been proposed for future development.

Chairman of the work group and Branch Head of Capability Engineering, Plans and Policy, Polish Army, Colonel Zbignew Wolas, provided opening remarks where he stressed the need for continuing collaboration to synergise CD&E efforts.

Among other things, the agenda also included a review of Other objectives included reviewing the CD&E activities for the past year's Comprehensive Campaign (CC) Plan, and a discussion on Nations' and NATO entities' interaction in CD&E – to identify areas of cooperation and collaboration.

Following the workshop there will be a report with suggested concepts and experiments to be included in the CD&E program of work for the next five years.

The working group this year was supported by 132 attendees representing NATO, 22 Nations, eight Centres of Excellence and other organisations. Some of the attendees at the conference were participating virtually via web conferencing.

Photo: The annual Concept Development and Experimentation Working Group (CD&E WG)
hosted by Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation, gathered 132 attendees.

During a recent trip to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* General Bieniek had an opportunity to discuss the ongoing transformation of the country's armed forces and the process of NATO membership accession with Minister of Defence, Mr Fatmir Besimi and Deputy Chief of Defence, Major General Naser Sejdini.

On 7 March Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation General Mieczyslaw Bieniek visited the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operations Training Centre (NMIOTC) in Chania, Greece to discuss curriculum, current activities and way ahead.

Bieniek and the centre's commandant, Adrianos Poulos, discussed NMIOTC's programme of work and Bieniek expressed his appreciation of the high value of the training for the overall transformational efforts of the Alliance. He assured Commodore Poulos of continuous ACT's support for the mission of NMIOTC.

Bieniek discussed the centre's role to facilitate NATO Member nations' training in Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) with the faculty. Special attention was given to possible ways of expanding the curriculum and attract an even greater training audience from both NATO member and partner nations, including participants in the Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) programs.

General Bieniek was also briefed on the challenges facing NMIOTC in 2012, including development of a Maritime Intelligence Course, conduct of a Maritime Counter Explosive Device (C-IED) course and participation in ACT's CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) experimentation.

Photo: Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Transformation General Mieczyslaw Bieniek
listening to staff at the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operations Training Centre in Chania, Greece.