Training in Civil-Military Interactions: The Design and Challenges
Training in Civil-Military Interactions: The Design and Challenges

Summary/Abstract: The changing nature of military operations forces adaptation of the offer of specialized training for soldiers. Recently, there has been a growing influence of the activities of civilian actors, such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local authorities, on the functioning of armed forces and peacekeeping operations. This development has raised a need to introduce specialised military training courses supporting Civil-Military Interactions (CMI) and Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC). These types of courses, developed primarily at the CIMIC Centre of Excellence in the Hague and conducted in a number of military training centres in Europe, are aimed at preparing soldiers to perform duties related to civil-military cooperation during NATO missions, as well as dissemination of knowledge about CIMIC and CMI among commanders and civilians cooperating with the armed forces. This article aims to discuss training courses on NATO’s civil-military cooperation model, with a particular focus on the NATO CIMIC Field Worker Course. The paper investigates teaching methods used in the Course, as well as discusses the main difficulties and challenges related to training and education in the field of civil-military interactions, as identified by instructors of NATO CIMIC courses.

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