Original Coverage & Source Attribution: jfcnaples.nato.int
NAPLES, Italy — Allied commanders and specialist military leadership instructors gathered at NATO’s Joint Force Command Naples on Tuesday to launch a two-day professional development programme aimed at honing command skills and multinational interoperability among non-commissioned officers and junior officers.
The event, which follows six months of planning, brings together personnel across NATO nations to strengthen cohesion, operational communication, and mission command amid an increasingly demanding strategic environment for the Alliance.
“I am very glad that our junior officers and NCOs had this opportunity to be equipped with modern tools in communication, teamwork, and mission command to ensure they are ready to make decisive calls on the ground,” said Sergeant Major Peer-Olof Schulz, Command Senior Enlisted Leader at JFC Naples. “Operating in an Alliance as diverse as NATO requires more than standard procedures; it demands trust and shared leadership values across borders.”
The event was led by the British Army NCO Academy alongside subject-matter experts from the Leadership, Education and Development Group (LEDG) including the Centre for Army Leadership, and academics from the Department of Communication and Applied Behavioural Science (CABs).
“Mission command only works when our junior leaders at every rank possess the confidence, behavioural understanding, and clarity of purpose to act within the commander’s intent,” said Warrant Officer Class 1 Matt Howarth, Command Sergeant Major of the British Army NCO Academy. “Bringing our instructional development programme together with allied counterparts in Naples establishes a lasting benchmark for collaborative professional development across NATO.”
