It has long been a tradition for the Centre for Security and Military Strategic Studies to organize, as part of the General Staff Course, international study visits to national and international representations of the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union based in Belgium and the Netherlands.

This was also the case this year, when from 9 to 12 March, participants of the 44th General Staff Course conducted a study visit to the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the European Union, the Permanent Delegation of the Czech Republic to NATO in Brussels, the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE/ACO) in Mons, and the Joint Force Command Brunssum in the Netherlands.

During the visit, course participants met with representatives of the Czech Republic serving in NATO and European Union institutions and had the opportunity to compare their theoretical knowledge, acquired during their studies so far, with the practical reality of addressing current defence and security challenges at the politico-strategic, military-strategic, and operational levels.

The thematic lectures and subsequent discussions naturally focused primarily on the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, as well as on the need to respond adequately to the deteriorating security environment resulting from the current aggressive policy of the Russian Federation towards both the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union. The practical insights and presentations of the planned strategic approaches of NATO and the EU enabled course participants to further broaden their experience and gain a number of valuable insights not only for their continued studies but also for their future roles in command and specialist positions.

Author: Ing. Zdeněk Petráš, Ph.D.