NATO Defense College

📡Secure, encrypted, rekeyed daily: tactical datalinks are the invisible backbone letting NATO jets, ships & radars share 🎯 targeting data in real time.

From Cold War-era Link-1 to today's Link-16, they're an unsung success story now central to NATO's Multi-Domain Operations vision.

🔗https://www.ndc.nato.int/tactical-datalinks-why-they-matter-to-the-future-of-war/

Following the graduation of Senior Course 148, Lieutenant General Max A.L.T. Nielsen 🇩🇰 formally handed over command of the NATO Defense College to Lieutenant General Jérôme Goisque 🇫🇷, the College’s 34th Commandant.

🎓 After three years of dedicated leadership, Lieutenant General Nielsen reflected on a tenure guided by Alliance and the College’s continued evolution in support of NATO's mission and core tasks.

🛡️ Welcoming Lieutenant General Goisque, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone highlighted the importance of the mission ahead: preparing leaders for an increasingly complex security environment while building on the College’s momentum and strengthening its role at the heart of the Alliance.

👏 We thank Lieutenant General Nielsen for his dedicated service and leadership, and warmly welcome Lieutenant General Goisque as he begins his new command in Rome.

🔗 Read more: https://www.ndc.nato.int/ndc-change-of-command-2026/

🎓 A new cohort of future NATO leaders

📌 The NATO Defense College proudly celebrated the graduation of Senior Course 148, with 80 senior military and civilian officials from 34 Allied and partner nations successfully completing six months of intensive study & .

🏫 As the College’s flagship programme, the Senior Course prepares future leaders to strengthen NATO by enhancing their strategic thinking, fostering -building, and equipping them to address the Alliance’s evolving security challenges.

The ceremony took place during a landmark year for the College, celebrating its 75th anniversary and 60 years since its relocation to Rome.

🎉 Congratulations to all the new graduates!

🔗 Read more about the graduation ceremony: https://www.ndc.nato.int/sc148-graduation/

🎉 The College proudly celebrates 75 years of shaping future leaders

💎 Today, the NATO Defense College marked a unique double milestone: its 75th Anniversary and 60 years in Rome under the theme “Today’s Alliance – Tomorrow’s Leaders”.

🎓 Since welcoming its first Senior Course in 1951, the NDC has united and partner leaders to strengthen cooperation, build a shared understanding of security challenges, and promote the multinational perspective that is vital to lead the Alliance.

🛡️ This landmark anniversary brought together distinguished guests from Italy and across the Alliance, notably the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.

🎤 Senior leaders including NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Admiral Pierre VANDIER and Italian Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto, all shared powerful messages underscoring the College’s essential role in reinforcing NATO’s hashtag , and .

💡 Blending military tradition with forward-looking discussions, the programme truly honoured the College’s legacy and Eisenhower’s living vision, while exploring NATO’s future post-Ankara Summit 🚀

🔗 Read more about the celebrations here: https://www.ndc.nato.int/ndc-75th-anniversary/

🏅 Congratulations to Dr Florence Gaub, Director of the Research Division at the NATO Defense College, on being awarded the NATO Meritorious Service Medal in recognition of her exceptional leadership and outstanding contributions to NATO

✍ Under her direction, the Research Division has significantly expanded its global impact. She has strengthened across NATO’s research and foresight communities, enhanced the visibility of the NDC’s , and led the content planning for major initiatives like the 2025 NATO - Allied Command Transformation (ACT) Foresight Conference in Rome.

🔮 Dr Gaub also spearheaded the creation of NATO 2099 – an innovative graphic novel developed with sci-fi authors and experts to explore the Alliance’s future security challenges.

🚀 Her forward-thinking approach has firmly positioned the College as a hub for strategic , culminating in high-profile milestones like the NDC’s first participation, and dedicated side panel, at the Munich Security Conference in 2025, alongside extensive coverage in leading international media.

👏 Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition.

🚀 NATO 2099: Honouring our past, shaping our future

Ever wonder what NATO will look like in 75 years?

🎉 As the NATO Defense College celebrates its 75th anniversary, and 60 years since its relocation to Rome, it is not only reflecting on its legacy but also looking ahead.

🎯 Preparing NATO's future leaders lies at the heart of the College's mission, strengthening the and cohesion that underpin the Alliance's for tomorrow.

🔎 The NDC Research Division puts this forward-looking mindset into practice by providing decision-makers across the Alliance with strategic .

📔 Released in 2024, NATO 2099 imagines what the Alliance, and the world, could look like 75 years from now. Bringing together 35 science fiction writers from across the Alliance, the graphic novel explores the challenges and opportunities that may lie ahead.

📖 Explore the future now: https://www.ndc.nato.int/nato2099/

🤔 How well does NATO actually understand modern warfare — and is that understanding good enough to guide billions in acquisitions spending?

A timely read for anyone following NATO procurement, defence innovation, or the broader debate over what Ukraine can and can't teach us about future wars.

🔗 https://www.ndc.nato.int/betting-on-blue-how-to-improve-nato-military-forecasting-for-acquisitions/

❓ Did you know that this week, the NDC Research Division Fellows are presenting their final projects to the College?

🔎 Each year, the Division welcomes research fellows from NATO member and partner countries. This shared opportunity allows scholars to advance the Division’s mission with their expertise, while gaining firsthand insight into NATO’s decision-making needs.

🏫 Building on a foundation established with the creation of the Research Branch in 2004, the Division evolved into its current form by 2007.

🛡️ Today, the Division focuses on expanding policy options, raising awareness, and evaluating new concepts, directly contributing to NATO’s by using techniques and scenario planning to anticipate future challenges.

🎊 As the NDC marks its 75th Anniversary and 60 years in Rome, the Research Division exemplifies how forward-looking research has become integral to the College’s contribution to the Alliance.

🔗Explore all NDC Research Publications here: https://www.ndc.nato.int/research/publications/