"We are very happy to be here and can’t wait to conduct this training", said Commander Bobby Baker (US Navy), one of three-person delegation of the NATO School that arrived at Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast for so-called site survey. It was a prerequisite for organising a course in Baltic Barracks by Mobile Education Training Team, delegated by the NATO School in Oberammergau.
Mobile Teams
In order to meet varied expectations, apart from resident courses, the NATO School organises so-called Mobile Education Training Teams (METT) capable of conducting training outside the NATO School located in Oberammergau Germany. As Commander Bobby Baker explained, "basically, it is taking training that already exists, modifying it slightly to the needs of the customer or for needs specific to the request for training and then we conduct it at a host facility". In comparison to ordinary resident courses, it probably takes more time to arrange such a course. First, a contact has to be established. Then, a METT request form is usually filled up, which specifies basic needs, goals for the training and time frames. Then, arranging all the details starts. An important element of that process is so-called site survey, when NATO School representatives actually visit the host facility to check if the Mobile Education Training Team is able to conduct the course there. Afterwards, there is still a lot of work to tailor upon a course schedule so that it is developed as envisioned. At the end, the course administrator and the chief of support have to ensure that, for example, the speakers all arrive on time etc. Only then, the course can be conducted.
Mobile Course in Baltic Barracks
The idea to invite the NATO School representatives to Szczecin came from the Headquarters G2 Division. As Lieutenant Colonel Guido Altendorf, the project officer from the Headquarters’ side explained, such solution allows for avoiding traveling to the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany, but it also gives the possibility to influence the content of the course and already start team building for the upcoming mission in Afghanistan in 2010. In fact, also the future course director Lieutenant Colonel Egil Haave admits that the training conducted in host facility is advantageous: "this is a set group of students – the students know each other, they are coming from the same headquarters; the resident courses at NATO School will be individual augmentees traveling from their country or their headquarters down to NATO School to do the course as an individual". Even more importantly, he also underlined the fact that "the programme is more or less the same but the value for the students I would assume is better here since they are interacting before and afterwards". It is important to add that one of the main challenges is to tailor the message according to the students’ knowledge and experience.
The course for HQ MNC NE will take place in October this year as a part of the mission preparation process. It will be foreseen mainly for soldiers from G2 Division, who will fill the equivalent positions at the Headquarters ISAF CJ2 in Afghanistan. "But as we are not alone in the Headquarters ISAF, we have ties to other staff divisions, we also invite members from G3 and G5 Divisions", said Lieutenant Colonel Altendorf. The topics mainly cover the intelligence area to prepare the soldiers to fulfill all tasks during the mission. The Mobile Education Training Team will encompass 4 members of the staff and between 7 to 10 instructors.
As Commander Baker said, recently the NATO School "has shifted the gears" and instead of conducting traditional operational level training, the support to the current NATO operations and soldiers preparing for the mission is the highest priority. And in fact, this particular course within G2 area will be conducted outside Oberammergau for the first time.
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