EU Senior Mission Leaders Course

The second course for EU Senior Mission Leaders will be conducted on 29 September-11 October in Belgium. This unique FBA-initiative will continue this year in cooperation with the British Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the incoming Lithuanian EU Presidency. The course is held under the aegis of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC).

Unique Swedish initiative

The training is a Swedish initiative and aims to strengthen civilian and military synergies, provide a mission perspective, and also highlight the political context in which responses and management of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions take place from the Brussels institutions.

The EU SML course has been developed by the FBA in close collaboration with relevant European External Action Service (EEAS) directorates and the ESDC. The course is designed to help prepare participants for top level roles within CSDP civilian and military missions and operations.

The first two days will be held in Brussels, where the participants will be familiarized with the CSDP instruments and policies, presented by the very top authorities and experts within the EEAS and other relevant bodies. After an introduction to the political institutions in Brussels the course moves to Bruges for the remaining period of time.

In the Bruges part of the course the focus is on a more interactive methodology and the participants participate in exercises in negotiation, communication- and crisis management with a group of senior mentors and former mission leaders from both the EU and UN system. Course Director is the FBA Deputy Director General Mr Jonas Alberoth.