Nato Mw Coe Annual Publication 2018/19

NATO MW COE ANNUAL PUBLICATION 2018/19

NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

CONTENTS

FOREWORD ...... 5

MISSION AND VISION ...... 6

ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE ...... 6

DOCTRINE AND STANDARDIZATION BRANCH ...... 7

I) MAIN PROJECTS OF THE DOCTRINE AND STANDARDIZATION BRANCH IN 2018 ...... 7

• ATRAINP-6 DEVELOPMENT ...... 7

• 1ST MOUNTAIN WARFARE CONGRESS – “MOUNTAIN WARFARE AND LEADERSHIP” ...... 8

• DEVELOPMENT OF MOUNTAIN WARFARE TERMINOLOGY ...... 10

• ENHANCED KNOWLEDGE FOR OFFICERS & NCOS AT THE ISSW ...... 11

II) MAIN PROJECTS OF THE DOCTRINE AND STANDARDIZATION BRANCH IN 2019 .....13

• ENDORSEMENT AND PROMULGATION PROCESS OF ATRAINP-6 ...... 13

• MOUNTAIN WARFARE ALLIED TACTICAL PUBLICATION (ATP MW) ...... 13

• 2ND NATO MW CONGRESS “RISK MANAGEMENT – ACTING OUT OF KNOWLEDGE” ...... 14

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT, EXPERIMENTATION AND LESSONS LEARNED BRANCH ...... 15

MOUNTAIN WARFARE CONCEPT ...... 15

AVALANCHE RISK MANAGEMENT PROJECT ...... 16

3 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

MOUNTAIN WARFARE BATTLE DRESS UNIFORM PROJECT ...... 17

LOAD REDUCTION PROJECT ...... 18

LESSONS LEARNED PROCESS IN THE NATO MW COE ...... 18

EDUCATION AND TRAINING ...... 19

SEMINAR ON ISTAR ARCHITECTURE IN MOUNTAIN OPERATIONS ...... 19

MOUNTAINEERING COLLABORATIVE TRAINING ...... 24

NATO MW COE EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT ...... 24

MAIN PROJECTS OF THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING BRANCH IN 2019 ...... 25

MAIN EVENTS IN 2018 ...... 27

MAIN ACTIVITIES IN 2019 ...... 45

CONTACT INFORMATION ...... 46

This publication is produced by the NATO MW COE and is intended for external use. The information contained in this publication does not represent any official position of NATO policies and is designed to provide an independent analysis and position of the NATO MW COE.

Photos front and back page: © IAAMS, ITA-A.

4 FOREWORD

Located in Poljče, a small village in the Gorenjska region of Slovenia, the NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence (NATO MW COE) is a multi- nationally sponsored and accredited international military institution which offers recognized expertise and experience for the benefit of the Alliance, especially in support of its transformation endeavours. It provides opportunities to enhance education and training, to improve interoperability and capabilities, to assist in doctrine development, and to test and validate concepts through experimentation in mountain warfare.

The NATO MW COE is not part of the NATO Command Structure (NCS), COL Boštjan Blaznik, SVN but forms part of the wider framework supporting the NATO Command NATO MW COE Director Arrangements (NCA).

The NATO MW COE represents a core element with the required professional skills to develop standardized training. It is organized so as to allow the functioning of three pillars: Concept Development, Experimentation and Lessons Learned; Education and Training; and Doctrine and Standardization.

The NATO MW COE was established in order to contribute to the transformation and adaptation of the Alliance’s capabilities which enable its forces to better operate in the mountain environment. The NATO MW COE incorporates a professional core that ensures and develops the COL Alberto Zamboni, ITA subject matter expertise to meet the requirements of mountain warfare NATO MW COE Deputy Director /COS challenges. This enhances the ability of individuals and military units to engage in mountain warfare, as well as the Alliance’s readiness to operate in a mountain environment.

All the nations which have joined the NATO MW COE, as well as many other NATO and Partner Nations, have their own highly developed national mountain warfare capabilities. As part of the NATO MW COE concept, the Centre’s task is to develop capabilities ready to be used in NATO operations. Through implementing the NATO MW COE Programme of Work, the Centre will strive to meet and set standards and continue to foster interoperability, with the goal of upgrading the knowledge of mountain warfare already existing at the national level and also within NATO, and integrating it into the Alliance and Partnerships.

We are strongly convinced that all of this would not be possible without our qualified and dedicated staff members, who put great effort in contributing to the promotion and operation of the NATO MW COE, and sharing their expertise.

5 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

MISSION AND VISION

The mission of the NATO MW COE is to assist NATO member states, partners, other countries and international organizations in order to enhance mountain warfare capabilities through the following core areas: • The development of mountain warfare-specific doctrine and tactics, • Concept development and experimentation, • The mountain warfare lessons learned process, • Education and training, • Support of capability development.

The vision of the NATO MW COE is to be the hub for mountain warfare expertise in the NATO community.

ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

In accordance with the Operational Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Steering Committee (SC), composed of the representatives of the Sponsoring Nations (SNs), acts as the sole governing body of the NATO MW COE. The SC is permanently chaired by Slovenia, which also acts as the Framework Nation (FN). The NATO MW COE Director is responsible to and reports to the SC. The SC provides tasking to the Director as well as direction, guidance and advice to the effective execution of his mission, including the Centre’s Management.

There is neither a direct command and control relationship between the NATO MW COE and the NATO Command Structure, nor any command and control relationship between the FN and the NATO MW COE. These respective relationships are set out by the Functional MOU and appropriate arrangements. Taking into consideration that the overall responsibility for the COE’s coordination, employment, and concept and capability development within NATO lies with the HQ Supreme Allied Command Transformation (SACT), the SNs establish a clear functional relationship with the HQ SACT.

The HQ SACT forwards requests from NATO for the NATO MW COE’s services and products. The NATO MW COE responds to them after they have been approved by the SC and included as activities in the Centre’s Annual Programmes of Work.

STEERING COMMITTEE

DIRECTOR CSEL / DIRECTOR‘S ASSISTANT DEPUTY DIRECTOR / CHIEF OF STAFF

DIRECTOR΄S GROUP BUDFIN CELL

DOCTRINE AND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT, TRAINING AND SUPPORT STANDARDIZATION EXPERIMENTATION AND EDUCATION BRANCH BRANCH LESSONS LEARNED BRANCH BRANCH 6 DOCTRINE AND STANDARDIZATION BRANCH

I) MAIN PROJECTS OF THE DOCTRINE AND STANDARDIZATION BRANCH IN 2018

ATRAINP-6 DEVELOPMENT

The most important MW COE project in 2018 was the development of the first Mountain Warfare standard, AtrainP-6 (Allied Training Publication), which has concluded its writing round. After four writing sessions held in Poljče this year, a draft version was sent to the NATO Standardization Office (NSO) in Brussels to be reviewed and put on the NSO website. Since January 2019 the AtrainP-6 draft version has been published on the NSO website in the MJSB Forum, thus enabling nations to make comments or endorse it.

It is important to highlight once again that the publication will become a significant part of the Alliance’s architecture and contributes greatly to its interoperability. The blurry grey zone of Mountain Warfare is developing a clearer shape, and is going to be much more visible through publications that are to come in the near future.

Thanks go to all co-writers (18 SME’s from 7 countries); a great job was done, even though there is some time yet before this publication’s promulgation.

Figure 1: Workflow of AtrainP-6 7 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

1ST MOUNTAIN WARFARE CONGRESS – “MOUNTAIN WARFARE AND LEADERSHIP”

Figure 2: Leadership role

The first NATO Mountain Warfare Congress (12-15 June 2018) was entitled “Science meets real-life experience in Mountain Warfare”. The format was not based on opinions but on scientific knowledge and/ or experience from real Mountain Warfare missions such as “Operation Anaconda” or “Operation Dinner Out”. It was intended to give encouragement to the participants to “learn from knowledge”.

Like all Centres of Excellence, the MW COE is mandated to offer validated and generally accepted expertise and experience for the benefit of the Alliance in the assigned domain. The domain of Mountain Warfare offers a wide range of topics that need to be worked on more deeply. For the first Mountain Warfare Congress, themes on “Mountain Warfare and Leadership” were chosen.

In order to meet the demand for depth and accuracy of the statements, the selection of the speakers was based on the predicate “Excellence”. This ensured that the lectures were indeed verified knowledge and experience, not subjective personal opinions. All the speakers had a scientific background, most with a PhD, and/or they had been actual combatants in the previous MW operations Anaconda (USA) and Dinner Out (FRA).

Lecture on Operation Anaconda © NATO MW COE 8 Besides these highly valued lectures, the participants had the opportunity to test themselves in a real exercise in the field, where science and real life met and merged to provide an interesting experience.

The invitation to the first MW Congress was answered by a total of 78 participants from 14 nations, whose grade range, and thus range and depth of leadership, extended from Sergeant Major to General.

Leadership Exercise © NATO MW COE

Figure 3: Outcomes from MW Congress: www.mwcoe.org

9 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

DEVELOPMENT OF MOUNTAIN WARFARE TERMINOLOGY

Standardized and agreed terminology is of a great importance for the interoperability of the Alliance, even though it is not widely recognized. Members of the Doctrine and Standardization Branch have put in a great deal of effort to identify and develop MW Terminology in accordance with the NATO Terminology Office and their policy.

In 2018 two proposals were sent to the NATO Terminology Office (NTO) as a result of developing a NATO Standardization Publication:

1. Mountains

The proposal for this term was intentionally set in the plural form, as it has a very different meaning from a single mountain. While a single mountain represents one land feature with a more geographical meaning, “mountains” evidently have a wider influence on conducting operations, including the entire spectrum of shapes, features and landforms as cited by the agreed and confirmed definition:

‘’The spatially closed, higher parts of the earth’s surface, which are demarcated from their flatter surroundings by a distinct mountain foot, and are composed of single mountains, valleys and plateaus.’’

©www.gurusingh.com

10 2. Mountainous terrain

It was initially proposed by our COE that Mountain Warfare be defined as the ‘’engagement of forces in mountainous terrain with major differences in elevation, mobility restrictions, and particular meteorological effects, as well as poor or non-existent infrastructure’’, but during the consultation process concerning this particular term, it was established that another compound in the definition, i.e. mountainous terrain, should be studied instead. To follow this recommendation, we went back to the drawing board, trying to find another, more appropriate solution.

Figure 4: Excerpt from terminology proposal form

ENHANCED KNOWLEDGE FOR OFFICERS & NCOs AT THE ISSW

The International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW) promotes international and interdisciplinary exchange between experts in the snow community all around the globe. Around 1,000 local, national and international participants, from experts to decision-makers and stakeholders, attended the ISSW 2018 in Innsbruck from 8 to 12 October 2018. The typically broad audience of the ISSW includes scientists and practitioners from engineering, infrastructure, ski resorts, forecasting and warning services, ski and mountain guiding, search and rescue, research, and education, as well as tourism and industry. 11 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

The official motto of the conference, ‘A Merging of Theory and Practice’, was demonstrated by numerous real life and scientific lectures, posters, show ups and workshops.

The members of the D&S Branch of the MW COE who participated in this event in the Tyrolean capital received deeper information about the current state of the art in Avalanche Risk Management, to be updated for the upcoming Second MW Congress, which has the general topic of Risk Management.

This workshop also offered a perfect opportunity for networking and to establish a group of experts who could contribute as speakers at the next MW Congress, which will be held at the NATO MW COE here in Poljče in spring 2019.

©LTC Reinhold Ramesberger, NATO MW COE D&S Branch Head

ENDORSEMENT AND PROMULGATION PROCESS OF ATRAINP-6

The continuation of the AtrainP-6 project will focus on the finalization of the development of the first Mountain Warfare standard (STANAG 6525). The extent of the work will depend on the number of comments from NATO countries, and is indeed a normal procedure before any standard is finally promulgated. In parallel with this project we will also put some effort into developing NATO recognized MW terminology, as we are fully convinced that every standard should contain common, widely accepted terminology.

Figure 5: Finalization of the AtrainP-6

MOUNTAIN WARFARE ALLIED TACTICAL PUBLICATION (ATP MW)

During the Steering Committee Meeting 2018 there was a deep general agreement that an ATP MW is needed. The request for it was made by the SAF to NATO and it is expected that the MW COE will be tasked as its custodian.

This would undoubtedly be the next huge step towards better recognition and enforcement of MW throughout the Alliance. The MW COE is therefore working towards building a complete portfolio of publications in the domain of MW in the near future. 13 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

2ND NATO MW CONGRESS “RISK MANAGEMENT – ACTING OUT OF KNOWLEDGE”

The eyes and thoughts of the DSB are already focused on 2019, which looks to be quite exciting. The preparations and organization for the 2nd Mountain Warfare Congress (9-12 April 2019) are already ongoing, thus providing a top annual event in the field of Mountain Warfare. With this event the topic ‘’Risk Management in MW’’ will be highlighted from several different points of view to enhance the participants’ insights and competences, to enable them to act within their responsibility out of deeper knowledge of the state of the art in the field of Mountain Warfare.

Figure 6: 2nd MW Congress Invitation Flyer

14 CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT, EXPERIMENTATION AND LESSONS LEARNED BRANCH

MOUNTAIN WARFARE CONCEPT (MW CONCEPT)

Mountain Warfare as a specific area could be, in the future, closely linked to various unstable situations. These will create a number of new opportunities for NATO, but they also present challenges, particularly with respect to Safe and Secure Environment (SASE), Freedom of Movement (FOM) and protection of the environment/resources.

So as to optimize the force structure to deal with these challenges, NATO will need to be focused on providing the capability to manage those instabilities, while having the capacity to quickly deploy assets in order to conduct (rapid response) operations in situations as they arise in remote and distant mountain areas. However, in order for such a concept to work, NATO will need to focus on enhancing specific mountain-related capabilities.

In APR2018 the NATO MW COE proposed a potential Mountain Warfare (MW) Concept development initiative through NATO HQ SACT. The proposal was technically validated by Nations’ Concept Development and Experimentation representatives, and as a result it is included in the 2019 ACT Experimentation Programme of Work.

The MW COE has developed a preliminary working draft document, the “Initial MW Concept”, which represents a starting point for further consideration. The working draft document addresses MW and its operating environment, establishes the essentials to be tracked in order to facilitate a common understanding, interoperability and integration within the NATO framework of Combined Joint Forces, and recognizes future MW considerations and capability requirements.

The final outcome (the MW Concept) will be a NATO-approved product that provides an approach to MW with a view to the upcoming challenges. The document will present a solution-oriented idea based on the questions raised, i.e. “Why does NATO need MW?” and “How could adequate MW capabilities be delivered as part of the Alliance’s Land Forces in a joint and combined operation environment?”. The outcome will also provide a framework for potential doctrinal documents (ATP, AJP), revisions or developments. The estimated time of the final MW Concept production is the second half of 2020.

15 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

Figure 7: Concepts in NATO Defence Planning Process

AVALANCHE RISK MANAGEMENT PROJECT

MW units’ tactical activities take place in winter time, in mountainous terrain, where constant exposure to avalanche danger exists. To ensure maximum efficiency and safety, it is vital that the commanding and planning staff receive precise information about the avalanche situation in the field (terrain, snow situation, weather, etc.).

This project determined a framework for avalanche risk assessment and mitigation during NATO operations, guidelines and resources for advanced planning of military activities in avalanche terrain during NATO operations, avalanche risk management capability, and unified self-rescue procedures and self-protection measures.

This will increase situational awareness, planning and execution capabilities, and ensure the interoperability of multinational units participating in particular avalanche terrain during NATO-led operations.

The draft document of the project has been internally staffed, coordinated with the Italian Alpini METEOMONT organization, and additionally staffed by a Community of Interest within the Avalanche Risk Management SME Workshop in March 2018. The project was finalized at the end of 2018.

16 Alpini Meteomont Organization; Snow and Avalanche Forecast National Military Service in Bolzano, Italy © NATO MW COE

MOUNTAIN WARFARE BATTLE DRESS UNIFORM PROJECT

The proper use of a Mountain Warfare Battle Dress Uniform (MW BDU) allows MW soldiers to move and fight in mountainous terrain. The MW BDU must contain an effective combination of layers, with the purpose of protecting soldiers in different weather conditions, thus improving the mobility and survivability of MW units.

The structure and number of MW BDU layers depends on the weather, temperatures and intensity of the work. Soldiers must be trained to use the clothing appropriately in all conditions and combine different garments of MW BDU layers in order to protect themselves from high or low temperatures, humidity and rain or snow. The static or dynamic activities of the soldier in the field demand different structures of clothing in order to maintain proper body temperature and avoid sweating; in cold weather especially it is important to avoid sweating as much as possible.

The MW BDU Project was limited to the determination of MW BDU layers which are suitable for activities in a mountain environment. The Project also determined rules and regulations, how and when to combine certain layers of MW BDU depending on the time of the year – summer or winter – and the local geographical characteristics. The Project was finalized in MAY2018.

17 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

LOAD REDUCTION PROJECT

A mountain soldier’s mobility is affected by the weight of his personal, combat and mountaineering technical equipment. Reducing the weight would enable an improvement in the soldier’s tactical mobility in both summer and winter.

The main focus of the Load Reduction Project was to define possibilities of how equipment could be reduced in terms of weight, develop the task-tailored kits of personal and collective mountaineering technical equipment, and recommend the minimum acceptable equipment weight per soldier in order to be ready for tactical activities in the mountains.

The suggested solutions in heavy load reduction involve:

• Essential equipment only, • Improved physical fitness of mountain troops, • Lighter tactical equipment – helmet, ballistic vest, and backpack, • Lighter and reduced mountaineering equipment (improvisation, with a minimum of equipment to accomplish a maximum of results), • Logistics – pack animals, vehicles (ATV, snowmobiles), helicopter resupply, caches, lifts, etc.

The Project was finalized in APR2018.

LESSONS LEARNED PROCESS IN THE NATO MW COE

The primary focus of the 2018/19 NATO MW COE Lessons Learned activities is on:

• Maintaining and coordinating a COI in the area of Lessons Learned. The COI is currently composed of more than 20 SMEs from Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, and the United States; • Organizing and executing the Lessons Learned Process (capturing Observations and LI’s – Lessons Identified) during mountain warfare related Exercises (e.g. EU MTI CAPRICORN, SVN TRIGLAV STAR); • Actively participating in JALLC-organized Lessons Learned activities (NATO Lessons Learned Conference, COE Lessons Learned WS); • Acting as a mountain warfare Lessons Learned hub by providing the NATO MW COE Lessons Learned portal on the NATO MW COE’s website (Unclassified; login required). The portal contains mountain warfare-related LLs as well as manuals and handbooks, which can be downloaded. It is also possible to add new documents (principle of pooling & sharing).

You can join the MW LL portal on www.mwcoe.org and make a difference with your contribution.

18 Figure 8: The NATO LL process

EDUCATION AND TRAINING BRANCH

Today operations take place in different environments, including in mountainous areas (or in mountainous terrain). These operations fall into three distinct categories: combat operations, security operations and military assistance. These three categories require specific training, readiness, technical skills and equipment, as well as an unambiguous approach in terms of doctrine and tactics.

Combat in mountainous areas faces units with complex and ever-shifting hazards, difficulties, opportunities, and risks. Mountain combat calls for extreme physical fitness (readiness), mental toughness and endurance, and demands the utmost in tactical and technical proficiency on the part of all individuals. The use of small Task Elements in a compartmented area, often self-sufficient, is paramount in MW.

The key to a successful mountain operation is a prepared and combat-ready light infantry company that is task-organized with and supported by the other members of the combined arms team. A unit conducting operations in the mountains must overcome difficulties, measure risks, and exploit opportunities to close with the enemy and defeat them. Well-prepared commanders anticipate, understand, and adapt to the physical challenges posed to their units engaged in mountain environments.

SEMINAR ON ISTAR ARCHITECTURE IN MOUNTAIN OPERATIONS

The main event organized by the E&T Branch was a seminar on ISTAR Architecture in Mountainous Operations, with the intention of seeking conclusions which could serve as guidance for the employment of ISTAR capabilities in mountain operations, offering support to commanders and the decision-making process. 19 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

The seminar was held in October 2018, and aimed, among other things, to contribute to the development of future standards related to mountain warfare education and training. In addition, the seminar aimed to contribute to NATO’s operations planning process, as either an operational-level or functional-area planner, while serving within a joint operational-level headquarters.

ISTAR Architecture in Mountainous Operations Seminar © NATO MW COE

Figure 9: Intelligence as a combat function 20 When analysing the core combat functions through the specifics of mountainous operations, the following conclusions were reached: the mountain environment requires specific physical abilities of personnel and the necessary specialized additional mountaineering training for all personnel, from the lowest skilled up to expert level. Specialized tasks, performed in difficult terrain conditions, require additionally specialized technical equipment and capabilities for all branches and assets, including ISTAR.

One of the main goals was to establish recommendations regarding the future development of ISTAR capabilities. The 5-day seminar ISTAR Architecture in Mountain Operations was conducted between 8 and 12 October 2018 in Poljče, Slovenia, involving mainly classroom activities (ex-cathedra teaching and discussion).

Mountain Cell Lecture © NATO MW COE

The seminar was attended by 17 participants and several guest speakers from Austria, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Slovenia and the USA, and hosted by distinguished lecturers of the armed forces from all the participating nations. The seminar also involved academic-level lectures given by representatives of the Slovenian Faculty of Arts and the Slovenian Armed Forces Military Museum. A significant contribution was made by the Anton Melik Geographical Institute, the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

21 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

Lecture on fire support © NATO MW COE

The lectures were related to a general ISTAR overview, architecture, assets and products, and its relationship to the operational planning process and intelligence preparation of the battlefield. The ISTAR capabilities derived from the capabilities of the Light Mountain Infantry Brigade were explained. The seminar focused on the specifics of the use of different ISTAR assets in difficult mountain terrain and the role of mountain experts in the gathering and analysis of information.

As the seminar will serve as a platform for sharing and exchanging information in the field of Mountain Warfare, we believe that it was an ideal opportunity for all the participants to gain new knowledge and provide conclusions which could serve as guidance for the employment of ISTAR capabilities in mountain operations in support of the Commander and the decision-making process.

During the seminar, several common conclusions were arrived at which could serve for the planning of possible operations in mountains:

1. Timely information, collected from different sources, and disseminated in an appropriate form in accordance with the ISTAR principles: clarity, conciseness, standardization, urgency, regularity and security, is of great value for every commander.

2. Planning helps to manage chaos. Napoleon said that the winner is the one who best manages internal and external chaos. 22 3. Infantry Light Mountain Brigade and Infantry Light Mountain Battalion capabilities were explained. The proposal of the seminar is to relate them to “Rough and difficult/mountainous terrain”.

4. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are essential for gathering information and making targeting decisions in mountainous regions. but crews should be better trained in mountainous terrain.

5. “The COE can contribute to better results in Mountain Warfare (MW) by the development of the MW Concept and an appropriate training publication (ATrainP), meaning that all of the ISTAR capabilities should be explained in new publications under development.

6. Correct and up-to-date geographical data (maps) from an area of operation is of great importance for all personnel dealing with Intelligence Preparation of Battlefield (IPB) and planners. There are many possibilities for developing a new course related to terrain analysis and improving IMINT and GEOINT capabilities operating in a mountain environment using new technology solutions.

7. It is important to determine in a MW concept how we want to employ/use human intelligence – collecting data from human resources (HUMINT).

8. Artillery is able to offer perfect fire support to mountain units. Artillery ISTAR assets (counter-battery radar, mobile sound ranging array) usually used in flat terrain should be adapted to limited movement conditions; the terrain’s configuration may also put some limitations on detection capabilities.

9. A Mountain Cell, as is used in some armed forces, was recognized by all participants as a valuable asset, and a recommendation is to have it within S3 Branch and explain its capabilities and training in future NATO MW publications.

As the seminar involved the MW community of interest, it proved to be a unique opportunity to exchange and merge international know-how on this subject.

Training in a Mountainous Environment © NATO MW COE 23 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

MOUNTAINEERING COLLABORATIVE TRAINING

The NATO MW COE conducted Military Mountaineering Collaborative Training between 7 and 15 May 2018. The event took place in Poljče and its surrounding training area, and was carried out by the Education and Training Branch. The course participants were members of the US Army, 173rd Airborne Infantry Brigade.

The aim of the activity was to test the technical and tactical part of the MW Small Unit Leadership Course, and exchange of mountain warfare knowledge and experience.

The collaborative training was very successful, and all the participants expressed their satisfaction with the level of knowledge they had received. Exchanging knowledge is always a great opportunity for collaboration.

NATO MW COE EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT

Following national requirements, the NATO MW COE E&T Branch began to develop a new set of courses, at the Light Infantry Company level. These courses were developed in 2018, with a plan to deliver them twice a year from June 2019 on.

Figure 10: Development of the Small Unit MW Leadership Course

24 Due to the fact that a NATO MW doctrine does not exist, and mountain operations are mentioned only as part of ATP 3.2.1, for the first step there was a prior need to write an Initial Study Company Field Manual through an analysis of national doctrinal documents and field manuals. This document will act as a source of knowledge for the course.

At the moment, two completed courses, the “Mountain Warfare Small Unit Leadership Course” for Summer and Winter have been successfully uploaded to the NATO Education and Training Opportunities Catalogue (NATO ETOC) as LISTED.

MAIN PROJECTS OF THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING BRANCH IN 2019

In mountainous areas, the environment plays an essential role in the key conditions of engagement: intelligence and support. Mountainous areas require that the environment be well understood in order to work with it, not against it. Once this understanding has been achieved, the environment favours the acquisition of advantageous points as part of a tactical movement combining discretion with the evaluation of the enemy’s weaknesses, thereby fostering an indirect approach. The environment then reveals the opponent’s tactical weaknesses.

At the present time there are no standardized NATO documents which explain the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) for the capabilities and employment of Combat Service Support elements during operations in difficult mountainous terrain. The NATO MW COE will organise a seminar entitled “Combat Service Support in Mountain Operations” with the purpose of providing conclusions which could serve as guidance for the employment of CSS capabilities in mountain operations, offering support to the commanders and the decision-making process.

Figure 11: Sustainment as a combat function 25 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

Following the Bi-SC Agreed Capability Codes and Statements, which describe the Mountain Light Infantry Brigade and Mountain Light Infantry Battalion, the NATO MW COE decided to develop a set of courses in order to support development of those capabilities, starting with the Mountain Warfare Small Unit Leader Course which will be delivered twice in 2019 (JUNE, OCTOBER). This course has been designed for NATO and Partner members requiring the particular knowledge and skills necessary to safely and efficiently operate in the complex terrain and climatic conditions of the mountain environment. The aim of the course will be to provide officers at light infantry platoon/company level and staff officers of different branches at light infantry battalion/regiment level from NATO and Partner Nations with in-depth knowledge and understanding of mountain warfare. Additionally, the course will foster the development of leadership and management skills, and enhance the understanding of mountainous terrain specifics.

Following the Bi-SC Agreed Capability Codes and Statements which describe the Mountain Light Infantry Brigade, the NATO MW COE will develop a Mountain Warfare Staff Officer Course as the second level of progressive light infantry officer education, preparing the participants to perform staff duties in mountain operations. Its purpose is to provide independent and group in-service training during which the participants will use their acquired knowledge to plan, organize and conduct training in units of a particular branch/service/specialty, commands and staff. It comprises three modules: a General Module, a Module of Tactics and Doctrine of the branch/service/specialty, and a Staff Operations Module.

This course will be designed for NATO and Partner members requiring the particular knowledge and skills necessary to safely and efficiently operate in the complex terrain and climatic conditions of the mountain environment. The newly developed course should be uploaded to ETOC in the middle of 2019 and be delivered for the first time in 2020.

Figure 12: Development of Staff Officers MW Course 26 MAIN EVENTS IN 2018

JANUARY

Winter Symposium in Fort Drum

The Deputy Director and the Training and Education Branch Head attended the Annual Winter Symposium, held between 29 January and 2 February, 2018, in Fort Drum, NY, USA.

Fort Drum is home to the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), its supporting elements and several tenant units.

The main purpose of the Symposium was to discuss the technology, training, doctrine and material capability solutions required to enable forces to perform in Extreme Cold Weather and High-Altitude Environments.

Annual Winter Symposium in Fort Drum© NATO MW COE

FEBRUARY

Cold Regions Military Collaborative Training Event

The NATO MW COE Deputy Director and the Training and Education Branch Head attended the 2018 Cold Regions and Military Collaborative Training Event in Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska from 20 to 23 February 2018. This event focused on recovery operations in extreme cold weather at high elevations.

27 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

The event brought together experts from Canada, the USA, Italy, Germany, Nepal, Sweden, Norway, Japan, Finland and the NATO MW COE in order to share similar tactics, techniques and procedures and lessons learned, as well as to strengthen the relationship between all the participating nations and organizations.

2018 Cold Regions and Military Collaborative Training Event in Alaska © NATO MW COE

Second ATrain-6: Writing Session

The 2nd ATrainP-6 Writing Session was held between 19 and 23 February 2018. The expertise and points of view of five Nations were merged for the progress of this demanding project. The focus during this session was on the finalization of the classification chapter of mountains and their impact on mountain warfare, and the identification of peculiarities in combat functions in mountain warfare. Both Chapters (2 & 3) have been finalized at the Syndicate Level.

In addition, the Key-Element of the ATrain-6, namely the training modules, were discussed. In this Chapter, the individual basic skills level training module was completed.

ATrainP-6 will be the first Allied Publication dealing with mountain warfare, making a big step towards professionalism and interoperability in NATO-led missions in mountainous terrain.

28 The 2nd ATrainP-6 Writing Session © NATO MW COE

MARCH

Signing of Letter of Cooperation with Slovenian Society for Emergency Medicine

The NATO MW COE continues to build a wider Community of Interest in order to enhance a comprehensive approach to the development of mountain warfare capabilities and its interoperability. As part of this, a Letter of Cooperation between the Slovenian Society for Emergency Medicine and the NATO MW COE was signed on 7 March 2018.

The aim of this significant event was to establish close cooperation between both institutions in order to foster interoperability, exchange best practices, and share lessons learned. Great synergies could be achieved based on joint activities, resulting in the recognized excellence and reputation of the entire region, as well as the wider community.

Reaching mutual understanding fosters the good name of both institutions within the civilian and the military mountaineering community. The intent of both institutions is cooperation in the context of promoting the exchange of knowledge, experience and expertise, participating in each other’s events and research projects, carrying out joint research projects, and co-authoring joint publications.

29 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

Representatives of the Slovenian Society for Emergency Medicine © NATO MW COE

US Armed Forces Delegation on Visit

A delegation of three members of the United States Armed Forces paid a visit to the NATO MW COE on 12 March, 2018. During the visit possibilities for future cooperation and possible partnership in the organization of a mountain training event were discussed in order to test the tactics, doctrines, and standards that the NATO MW COE and the US Army Mountain Warfare School (US AMWS) are working on. The delegation was introduced to the ongoing NATO MW COE tasks and the planned activities in Training and Education in 2018.

Mutual understanding and a link-up for future collaboration were settled in order to support and complement each other, and to enhance Mountain Warfare interoperability within NATO and the Partner nations.

The visit also strengthened the excellent relationship between the US AMWS and the NATO MW COE.

Visit by US AF Members © NATO MW COE

30 NATO MW COE’s attendance at Ca.STA

Members of the NATO MW COE participated in the annual Alpine Troops Ski Championship (Campionati sciistici delle Truppe Alpine - Ca.STA) which this year took place at the Sestriere Ski Centre, Italy, 5-10 March.

The competition, the Ca.STA “Friendship Trophy”, is a psychophysically demanding competition and combines several facets which underlie the existence of alpine troops: training, professionalism, and connection with social reality. It is an important tool for assessing the training level achieved by the alpine and mountain troops of many friendly and allied countries, a perfect combination of sports competition and the demonstration of capabilities that are peculiar to the military.

About 1500 Armed Forces members from Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, France, Great Britain, Lebanon, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, the USA, and some NATO headquarters participated in this large winter military sports event, which testifies to the importance of the event.

The NATO MW COE Education and Training Branch representatives, OR-6 Miha Rakar and OR-7 Rajko Lotrič, led by the Doctrine and Standardization Branch Head, attended the Ski Mountaineering competition. OR-6 Rakar took 10th and OR-7 Lotrič 16th place out of 116 competitors.

The competition is a test of the competence and capability of the Italian Comando Truppe Alpine and Allied Forces.

Alpine Troops Ski Championship in Sestriere © www.truppealpine.eu

31 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

Avalanche Risk Management Workshop

An Avalanche Risk Management Workshop was held at the NATO MW COE in Poljče, Slovenia, from 19 to 22 March 2018. Subject Matter Experts from six NATO Nations and a Partner Nation provided expertise in order to address a unified approach towards risk assessment, risk mitigation and protective measures for snow avalanche danger in the mountains. Related capabilities requirements were also identified.

The goal was to increase situational awareness, planning and execution capabilities, and to ensure the interoperability of multinational units participating in particular avalanche terrain during NATO-led operations.

Avalanche Risk Management Workshop © NATO MW COE

32 APRIL

A DEU Delegation visited NATO MW COE

As part of the DEU-SVN bilateral staff talks held on 12 and 13 April 2018 at the SVN MoD, the NATO MW COE hosted a visit by the delegation involved in the talks.

The delegation visited the COE on 13 April in Poljče, Slovenia, and was briefed on the NATO MW COE’s activities. The guests were also provided with a comprehensive picture of the COE’s work and challenges. The NATO MW COE Director, Colonel Boštjan Blaznik, informed the delegation about the Centre and its scope of work. “As a mountain warfare community of interest has existed for centuries, the Centre’s ambition is to remain the hub for Mountain Warfare, as an independent military organization,” he emphasized. Afterwards each branch presented their main challenges and opportunities, following which a constructive debate developed.

The DEU delegation head, Colonel Bernd Stöckmann, Section Chief Plans in the Directorate-General for Planning, thanked the Director and the NATO MW COE staff for all the information provided, and wished them all good luck in their future work and challenges.

DEU Delegation on visit © NATO MW COE 33 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

Third ATrain-6: Writing Session

The 3rd ATrainP-6 Writing Session (WS) was held between 23 and 26 April 2018. The intent of this session was to accomplish the discussion phase of Chapter 6 and to prepare the drafts of Chapters 4 and 7. After four days of intensive work in plenary and syndicate mode, the SMEs from six nations reached the following results: Chapter 6 (Individual Training, Technical Skills, Advanced and Expert Level) was finalized and agreed at the WS members’ level; the Individual Training and Leadership Training Modules were completed and agreed at the syndicate level; and Chapters 4 and 7 were finalized and agreed at the WS members’ level.

Based on the progress and the results achieved, the decision was made that the next planned WS (No. 4) would be conducted by means of correspondence in the last week of June 2018. By then, the NATO MW COE internal working group would finalize the ATrainP-6 First Draft Version 1 and send it to all WS members with a request for internal feedback.

MAY

Mountaineering Collaborative Training

The NATO MW COE conducted Military Mountaineering Collaborative Training between 7 and 15 May 2018. The event took place in Poljče and its surrounding training area. The training participants were members of the US Army, 173rd Airborne Infantry Brigade. The training was carried out by the Education and Training Branch. The aim of the activity was to test the technical and tactical part of the MW Small Unit Leadership Course and exchange of mountain warfare knowledge and experience.

JUNE

MW Congress – When Science Meets Real-life Experience

The NATO MW COE organized the 1st Mountain Warfare (MW) Congress between 12 and 15 June 2018. The 1st MW Congress brought together subject matter experts from 13 nations with speakers who shared their knowledge and experience from different points of view not usually touched on during conventional career training. The congress focused on different aspects and points of view concerning mountain warfare and leadership. The event provided expert knowledge and real-life experience.

On the second day, focus was given to leadership topics. Leadership brings every system into existence. The current state of the art concerning popular leadership theories was presented by pointing out analogies from cybernetics, bionics and sports.

During the Congress, the NATO MW COE took the opportunity to solemnly announce Romania as the next Sponsoring Nation. On this occasion, the Honourable Ambassador of Romania to the Republic of Slovenia pointed out that the membership of Romania as a Sponsoring Nation is also the result of an excellent bilateral cooperation between Romania and Slovenia.

MW Congress Directors opening (left) and the speakers at the Congress (right) © NATO MW COE 35 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

JULY

“Five Towers 2018” Exercise

Surrounded by the impressive scenery of the Italian Dolomites, military mountain troops engaged in the multinational inter-force exercise “Five Towers 2018” on 4 July 2018.

The exercise and individual demonstrations, which were also open to the public, involved soldiers from 14 allied countries as well as staff members of various armed forces. In the mountain district of Cinque Torri (Five Towers), where the Italian artillery command was headquartered a hundred years ago, the mountain troops demonstrated their technical and tactical skills in the mountain environment.

36 Exciting demonstrations of rock climbing and rescue manoeuvres (with and without helicopters) and the ability to develop military actions in a particularly difficult and selective environment were presented.

The legacy of mountain soldiers who, during WWI, performed epic military mountaineering deeds in this part of the Alps was continued in the exercise by the mountain troops. Particular emphasis was given to the concept of “mountain warfare”, the evolution of traditional mountain fighting techniques, with procedures continuously updated, characterizing the modern mountain soldier as someone who is ready to be engaged and capable of operating in any possible environment.

The NATO MW COE participated in the “Five Towers” Exercise with four members of the Education and Training Branch.

37 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

SEPTEMBER

US Defence Attaché Visit

The United States Defence and Army Attaché visited the NATO MW COE on 5 September 2018.

The visit took place as a result of previously successful and active cooperation endeavours between the NATO MW COE and various US Armed Forces institutions. The meeting served as an excellent opportunity to continue these well-established relationships and was conducted in order to inform the US representative on the COE’s progress made so far and its current and future work, as well as exploring any other potential ways of future common efforts.

The NATO MW COE Director and his staff, briefed the guest on the Centre and its areas of work, highlighting the COE’s particular feature of a hub for Mountain Warfare.

The special position of the NATO MW COE as an international military organization was presented, considering that the overall responsibility for the COE’s coordination, concept and capability development within NATO lies with the Supreme Allied Command Transformation and Steering Committee, composed of the COE’s Sponsoring Nations, acting as the sole governing body of the NATO MW COE.

The visit also strengthened the excellent relationship between the US and the NATO MW COE.

Fifth ATrainP-6: Writing Session

The NATO MW COE was tasked by the Military Committee Joint Standardization Board (MCJSB) to be a custodian for developing, producing and maintaining a Standard entitled “Mountain Warfare Education and Training Publication” (abbreviated as ATrainP-6 Mountain Warfare). The Standard will provide a coherent publication forming a common basis for the education and training of formations, units, sub-units, and staffs, in order to enhance training within NATO and its Partner Nations. This will be an important step to enhance interoperability and to improve a unit’s readiness before being deployed to operations. 38 In accordance with the task given and the current Programme of Work, the NATO MW COE organized and conducted the final event this year, the 5th ATrainP-6 Writing Session, on 25-27 September, 2018. The core of this writing session was to finalize the substance work (content) with the SMEs from the contributing Nations. In deep work and specified discussion, with different approaches, from the Nations SMEs to certain special issues, the AtrainP-6 substance work at the ‘working level’ of a writing session was completed. It is now up to the custodian (NATO MW COE) to insert the session results in the complete work and to finalize the 1st Draft, Version 1 of the 1st NATO MOUNTAIN WARFARE Publication. By the end of the year, the Draft is intended to be sent to the NATO Standardization Office (NSO), thus enabling the NSO to start the endorsement and promulgation process.

OCTOBER

NATO MW COE Hosted NATO Training Planning Conference

Stakeholders from across NATO’s Individual Training and Education community convened at the NATO MW COE on 3-4 October for the autumn 2018 Individual Training and Education (ITEP) Planning Board (IPB II). Chaired by a SACT HQ (JFD) representative and conducted biannually, IPBs are a key component of NATO’s Education and Individual Training (E&IT) Production Planning Process. In addition to developing NATO’s E&IT Programme for 2019, this event also served to promote dialogue, identify and resolve emerging issues, foster interoperability, and promote a “unity of effort” among the E&IT stakeholders.

Thanks to the considerable effort on the part of the NATO MW COE staff hosts, the SACT HQ (JFD) representatives summed up that IPB II was successful in every respect!

39 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

Seminar on ISTAR Architecture in Mountain Operations

The main event organized by the E&T Branch was a seminar on ISTAR Architecture in Mountainous Operations, from 8 to 12 October 2018 in Poljče, Slovenia, with the intention of seeking conclusions which could serve as guidance for the employment of ISTAR capabilities in mountain operations, offering support to commanders and the decision-making process.

The seminar aimed to contribute to the development of future standards related to mountain warfare education and training, and to contribute to NATO’s operations planning process, as either an operational- level or functional-area planner, while serving within a joint operational-level headquarters. Another of the main goals was to establish recommendations regarding the future development of ISTAR capabilities. The seminar was attended by 17 participants and several guest speakers from Austria, Croatia, Italy, Germany, Slovenia and the USA, and hosted by distinguished lecturers of the armed forces from all the participating nations. It involved mainly classroom activities (ex-cathedra teaching and discussion), with academic-level lectures given by representatives of the Slovenian Faculty of Arts and the Slovenian Armed Forces Military Museum. A significant contribution was made by the Anton Melik Geographical Institute, the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Based on initial studies of past operations in mountain terrain, the seminar focused on the specifics and experience required for planning the employment of ISTAR assets and capabilities for mountain operations successfully in support of the Commander and the decision-making process, the use of different ISTAR assets in difficult mountain terrain, and the role of mountain experts in the gathering and analysis of information.

Meeting between the NATO MW COE and the EU P&S MTI

Based on an internationally expressed need to advance mountain warfare, these two organizations, the NATO MW COE and the European Union Pooling and Sharing Mountain Training Initiative (EU P&S MTI), have already worked together on previous occasions.

In this context, a third meeting was organized in Poljče, Slovenia, on 15 October 2018, providing an annual opportunity for the organizations to strengthen their cooperation, deepen contact, and become acquainted with both organizations’ innovations in their field of work. It was emphasized that the cooperation gives a “win-win” opportunity to both organizations.

As a result, future common opportunities for cooperation have been explored and set, including attendance at MW exercises, expert talks, conferences, and individual training events.

It was agreed that the next working meeting would take place in Austria.

HQ SACT Periodic Assessment for the NATO MW COE

Centres of Excellence are periodically assessed by the HQ SACT (TNB) to ensure they still meet the criteria for a NATO accredited Centre of Excellence. This assessment is also required to ensure that the products and services provided by the COE remain consistent with the quality, standards, practices and procedures within NATO.

On 16 and 17 October 2018 the NATO MW COE hosted members of the HQ SACT for the regular Periodic Assessment. During the visit, the NATO MW COE demonstrated compliance with both the MC Concept for Centres of Excellence and the NATO COEs Accreditation Criteria. The products and services provided by the NATO MW COE remain consistent with the quality, standards, practices and procedures within NATO, so the Training Network Branch (TNB), on behalf of HQ SACT, recommended NATO MW COE’s continued accreditation as a NATO Centre of Excellence.

NOVEMBER

5th NATO MW COE Steering Committee Meeting

The NATO MW COE Steering Committee (SC) Meeting was convened for the fifth time in Poljče, Slovenia, on 13-15 November 2018.

It was chaired by Brigadier General Klemen Medja, the NATO MW COE SC Chairman. Official delegates from the Sponsoring Nations (SN) – Croatia, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Slovenia, and the Contributing Partner (CP), Austria – effectively and efficiently contributed to the deliberations. Representatives of Montenegro and the USA also attended the meeting in an observer capacity. 42 During the two-day assembly, the NATO MW COE Programme of Work (POW) and Budget for 2019 were approved, and a series of 2019 POW activities were highlighted, including the hosting of the 2019 NATO COE Directors Conference as an event of wider importance.

The NATO MW COE expressed its appreciation to Brigadier General Klemen Medja for his three-year contribution as SC Chairman, and wished him all the best in his future assignments. After the conclusion of the meeting, Brigadier General Klemen Medja handed over the chairmanship to the incoming chairman, Colonel Robert Klinar, the former commander of the 132nd Mountain Regiment.

NATO MW COE 5th SC Meeting and the Deputy Commander/COS expressing appreciation to Brigadier General for his three-year contribution as a SC Chairman © NATO MW COE

Visit by the Army Corps General Claudio Berto, Alpini HQ Commander

The Army Corps General Claudio Berto, Alpini HQ Commander, visited the NATO MW COE on 22 November. The NATO MW COE’s Director and his staff warmly welcomed the General, and stressed what an honour and privilege it was for the NATO MW COE to host such an important guest.

The NATO MW COE appreciates the Alpini HQ’s (Italian Army support) backing in hosting the planned second MW Concept Development Workshop from 27 to 30 May, 2019, in Bolzano. The possibility of carrying out the first experiment exercise at the Brigade level in September 2019, in coordination with the Multinational Land Force (MLF), will also be of great value.

Building a comprehensive and mutually supportive Mountain Warfare Community is one of the main goals of the NATO MW COE, and the support of the Alpini is certainly the most visible achievement in this area so far.

At the end of the presentation and after a fruitful discussion, the respected guest thanked everyone for the opportunity to visit the NATO MW COE and signed the Visitors’ Book.

43 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

Participation in the EU P&S MTI Annual Conference

From 10 to 14 December 2018, representatives of the NATO MW COE took part in the European Union Pooling and Sharing Mountain Training Initiative (EU P&S MTI) 2018 Annual Conference, hosted by the Swedish Armed Forces in Arvidsjaur, Sweden. The event was attended by ten nations (AUT, BEL, BGR, CZE, DEU, ESP, FRA, NLD, POL, SVN, NOR and SWE). The NATO MW COE participates in the EU MTI in the capacity of a “permanent guest”, but on this occasion actively contributed to the Standardization Workshop. The NATO MW COE and the EU P&S MTI have already coordinated their areas of work in order to share resources and support each other in future activities. This well-established cooperation has proved to be fruitful and progressive for both the EU MTI and the NATO MW COE.

The NATO MW COE could contribute extensively to the development of MW training and course architecture. This includes the curricula of all training courses, as well as additional specific training modules. The MTI and the COE have co-established a common LL-process, using NATO LL-procedures. This will require further engagement by all involved Nations throughout the year in order to make this process as effective as possible.

The results of this MTI-harmonized MW training will be used by the NATO MW COE in the further standardization process within NATO.

• Completion of the development process of ATrainP-6 (STUDY 6525 NTG Ed.1) and the initiation of the NATO promulgation process. The NATO MW COE was tasked by the Military Committee Joint Standardization Board (MCJSB) to be a custodian for developing, producing and maintaining a Standard entitled “Mountain Warfare Education and Training Publication”, abbreviated as ATrainP-6 MW. The Standard will provide a coherent publication forming a common basis for the education and training of formations, units, sub- units, and staffs in order to enhance training within NATO and Partner Nations. This will be an important step to gain interoperability and to improve units’ readiness before being deployed to operations.

• Development of the NATO MW Concept (WS1: Understanding Mountainous Environment IOT build future MW capability; WS2: Identifying DOTMPFLI requirements for MW; WS Discovery Experiment: Test and Clarification of future MW requirements; WS3: Analysis of the Experiment’s Results). The concept will describe the Alliance’s approach to Mountain Warfare and facilitate related capabilities development in order to reach an adequate level of standards and interoperability.

• Development of the ATP for MW as custodian (if tasked).

• Participation in the revision of the AJP-3.2 Allied Joint Doctrine for Land Operations and ATP-3.2.1 Allied Land Tactics.

• Organization of the 2nd MW COE Congress 2019 including an industry day.

• Continued development of MW-related terminology.

• Cooperation and collaboration with international GO and NGO organizations. Following, developing and producing MW-related publications in the field of mobility, safety, mountain rescue, orientation and risk management.

• MW courses development IAW the Bi-SC Directive by initiating the process for a possible accreditation at Infantry/Mountain Battalion level (Company/BN Commanders and Staff).

• Seminar Combat Service Support in Mountain Operations.

• Training programme development for Special Forces Task Unit (SOTU).

• Keeping-track of MW-related events (Training, EXEs, etc.) IOT build a permanent LL Community of Interest to get Best Practices, Observations, LI and LL.

• Participation in annual COE conferences such as the NATO COE Legal Advisers (LEGAD) conference; the NATO COE Financial Controllers (FINCON) conference; the NATO COE CIS Specialists and Security Officers conference; and the NATO Information and Communicators Conference.

45 NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

• In July 2019, hosting of the NATO COE Directors Conference, with our DIR appointed as the COEs Dean for 2019.

• Continued cooperation with the EU Initiative on training, and a common set of Mountain Warfare capabilities (European Union Mountain Training Initiative – EU MTI), providing an example of integration of the interests and goals of the EU and NATO.

• Attendance at annual meetings of the wider-interest community (IAMMS, EU P&S MTI).

• Attendance at EU exercise `Capricorn´, and the national exercise `5 Torri´.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence MW COE Head Office: Poljče 27 T: 00386 (0) 4 532 3610 4275 Begunje na Gorenjskem E: [email protected] Slovenia Web page: www.mwcoe.org

NATO Mountain Warfare Centre of Excellence

Poljče 27 Phone: +386 4 532 3610 SI-4275 Begunje na Gorenjskem E-mail: [email protected] Slovenia www.mwcoe.org