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The NATO School (SHAPE) PRESS RELEASE 20 JUNE 2003

20 June 2003

OBERAMMERGAU, Germany - The NATO School (SHAPE) celebrates its 50th Anniversary on 27 June 2003.  It was created in 1953 when General Matthew B. Ridgeway, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe at that time, directed that Alliance doctrine was to be developed and taught amongst NATO personnel.  At that time, the courses were of two types: First, a broad orientation course of three or four days duration for senior allied commanders and, second, a more detailed course of two weeks to qualify key staff officers in the necessary planning for the tactical use of, and defence against, atomic weapons.  The courses were first established and conducted in March 1953. Over the years, the academic programme has grown from two courses in 1953 to 64 different courses and 144 iterations in 2003.

 

Since 1953, more than 115,000 officers, non-commissioned officers and civilians from all allied and national military commands within the NATO Alliance have attended courses at the School.  After the fall of the Berlin Wall, many changes and new developments have occurred within NATO, especially in the area of training.  In 1991, the first nations of the Partnership for Peace Programme were invited to attend courses at the NATO School (SHAPE).  Since then, thousands of students from the Alliance's Partnership for Peace Programme, from nations comprising the Mediterranean Dialogue Initiative, and from other nations, have attended courses at the School.  From Argentina to Uzbekistan and beyond, numerous nations have sent students to attend the School's courses which vary in length from one to three weeks.

 

The focus of courses at the School is to develop NATO operational capability and multinational interoperability amongst combined joint operational staff officers and non-commissioned officers, to enable them to work more effectively together. Those who have attended courses at the School agree that the curriculum is extremely valuable in helping them to understand both NATO issues and worldwide challenges. There are four academic departments in the School which are responsible for the academic course programme: Policy, Joint Operations, Weapons of Mass Destruction and Operations and Plans.

 

Todays courses cover subjects ranging from basic NATO orientation, to NATO policy, multinational forces, weapons employment, environmental protection, electronic warfare, space planning, command and control, psychological operations, logistic operations, mobilization forces, weapons of mass destruction, peacekeeping missions, and crisis management.  To ensure its students are kept current with the most recent information on alliance matters, faculty members remain in close touch with all levels of NATO, especially Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation (HQ SACT), other Allied Command Europe and Allied Command Transformation headquarters and national capitals and commands. Students and faculty members also receive regular presentations from visiting political leaders and civilian and military experts.

 

The School fills a unique role in education and training within the Alliance. First, it is NATO's only institution for operational education. Second, its work is conducted in a fully multinational environment.  Because of NATOs constant demand for the education of its personnel, the School is required to conduct several iterations of most of the courses offered in its academic programme each year. Besides courses, the School is also well known as host to several conferences and important meetings which take place on a yearly basis, with the Defence Planning Symposium as one of the  most significant.  To keep up with NATOs future demands for interoperability amongst its personnel and the need to standardize its education, the School is in the middle of an Enlargement Project. Today, the School is capable of educating up to 8,000 students annually but once the new facilities are completed in 2005, the capacity will grow to enable the education of up to 12,000 students per year.


 

While Germany and the United States provide the largest national contingents, 20 other nations are represented on the faculty and staff.  The School's faculty and staff consists of more than 170 personnel from 22 different nations.

 

The School plays an important role in the daily life of Oberammergau, which is more usually known for its Passion Play and woodcarving.  The majority of the Schools staff and faculty have their residences in Oberammergau or the immediate surrounding area and they and their families integrated into the daily life in and around Oberammergau.  The International Friendship Club and the attendance of children from various nations at local Kindergartens and schools, are some great examples of the Schools relationship with the village. Additionally, most of the Schools students spend an average of six nights in one of the many hotels, pensions and family apartments in Oberammergau.

 

The NATO School will conduct a Change of Command Ceremony and a historic Transfer of Command Authority on 27 June 2003.  Colonel Mark P. Sullivan, US Air Force, assumes command of the School from Captain Richard E. Stevens, Jr., US Navy.  Formerly under the umbrella of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), the NATO School will now be under the operational control of the new Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation (HQ SACT). This Command Headquarters, established on 19 June 2003, is based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, and was established there following decisions made during the Prague Summit in 2002.  During this meeting, NATO nations agreed to focus on improving the interoperability of NATO forces and reducing the "transatlantic capabilities gap" by sharing innovation and experimentation with new concepts of warfare now possible because of improvements in technology.  HQ SACT will be responsible for developing concepts and doctrine; designing and conducting experiments; identifying future force requirements; supervising military education and training; and setting and assessing unit standards for jointness and transformation, activities in which the NATO School will play a major role.