NATO Mobile Education Training Team delivers training in Ethiopia

NAPLES, Italy – A Mobile Education Training Team (METT) conducted a week of training in the principles of NATO Operations Planning Process in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from July 26 to 30.

At the request of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Division (PSOD), the METT, comprised of members from the NATO School Oberammergau (NSO) and Allied Joint Force Command Naples with NATO Senior Military Liaison Office to AU, conducted a week of training in the principles of OPP.

The requirement for OPP training comes from the role of the Africa Standby Force (ASF) to provide the AU with the necessary capabilities for the deployment of Peace Support Operations (PSOs). The ASF must have the capability to deploy rapidly to conduct PSOs. These types of operations include observation and monitoring missions, peace support missions, intervention in a Member State, preventive deployments, peace building including post conflict disarmament and demobilization and Humanitarian Assistance. The METT helps build both collective and individual AU capability in the planning these various operations.

Twenty-Five participants, a mix of military, police and civilian, took part and were drawn from the AU and the Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms Planning Elements at Eastern Africa Standby Force HQ and Logistic Base in Addis Ababa. The attendees came from 14 different African countries.

The METT started on 26 June with opening remarks from EASF Force Commander Brigadier General Alaadin Osman Mirghani representing the AU and Course Director Colonel Gregorios Diolatzis from the NSO. The course provided students with fundamental planning process knowledge and introduced basic documents, definitions and responsibilities through plenary and syndicate sessions and discussions. NATO HQ and UN office to the AU (UNOAU) also provided a briefing on the Strategic and Comprehensive level. Indicative of the recognised need for understanding, cooperation and coordination on the ground between international organisations were present in Addis.

JFC Naples Assistant Chief Of Staff J9, Brigadier General Reinhard Kloss attended the closing ceremony. At the ceremony, Mirghani and the participants expressed their appreciation to NATO for sponsoring and conducting this valuable and relevant training course.