The Joint Mobile Training Team from the Joint Force Command (JFC) Brunssum visited the Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE) on 7 September 2010 offering special training for civilian personnel.
“It is a great opportunity to meet other people and inform people of anything that’s going on within NATO,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Josephine Plowman, Canadian Navy, one of the trainers from the Joint Mobile Training Tea who arrived in Szczecin for one-day training. “It is very important considering that we have so many nations that participate and make up NATO: we are all different,” admitted the second trainer – Sergeant Major Isaac Horton, US Army.
The training organised by JFC Brunssum and HQ MNC NE G1 Division covered several topics referring to the NATO organisation and its multinational community. As Petty Officer 1st Class Josephine Plowman said, the Joint Mobile Training Team always tries to adjust themes to the needs and expectations of audiences to make them as interesting as possible. It was also the first training prepared for civilian personnel only. “Normally, these presentations are geared more towards the military aspects of what is going on and also more focus is now being placed on theatre operations,” she explained.
Even though it is impossible to present all aspects of NATO during one-day training, a lot of topics were raised, including some general information about NATO and its structure, correspondence as well as document handling system. An emphasis was put on the multinational environment of NATO and abilities to cooperate and communicate effectively in order to avoid conflicts. This included covering the areas of cultural differences and active listening skills allowing for more attentive approach towards the others. It was not a teacher-to-student type of training, on the contrary, as Sergeant Major Isaac Horton stressed “these are facilitated discussions, so we would like the students to actually ask questions.”
Trainers from the Joint Mobile Training Team travel a lot spreading the NATO gospel, as they say. “This is probably my 15th trip and my 2nd time in this Headquarters in Szczecin,” admitted Sergeant Major Isaac Horton. “It is very important to make sure that when we go to different places, the people understand what our Headquarters does,” he said. Indeed, Joint Mobile Training Teams come all over the different places meeting people, discussing and exchanging experiences. With their aim to spread information about NATO and the network that ties NATO together, they are actually contributing to making this network work.
