Tale til Nato Defence College-konferanse i Oslo, 28. mai 2013

*Check against delivery*

 

Dear Generals, Commandants, Ladies and gentlemen,

In the absence of Minister Strøm-Erichsen, I take great pleasure in addressing this year’s conference of commandants. In particular I am happy talking to you on a strategic issue of great importance.

Discussing the role of education in the post Afghanistan era entails much more than the curricula or the level of recruitment. 

I believe it is much more fundamental.  Through the military education we start shaping the mindsets of future officers. We systemize recent experience and lessons. We continue developing the unique qualities of NATO.

We craft our future security and defence policy. 

Today, I will devote my remarks to three issues;

My first is that education in the post-Afghanistan era will most likely entail a new emphasis on the future role of NATO. Two things come to my mind. First, is the emerging strategic environment, and second is an expected lower level of operational engagement for NATO. 

My second issue concerns the economic turmoil. Now is definitely the time to stand up for each other and safeguard NATO. Our efforts must be guided by the efforts lay down by all men and women having served in ISAF. We must take our lessons from Afghanistan, while adapting them the new realities.

Thirdly, we need to ensure we have the right and skilled personnel in our structure. The future gold standard lies in the ability of businesses to attract, retain, refine and apply individual and collective competence. This also applies to us.

The impact of the ISAF-operation

First, allow me to make a couple of remarks on the long term implications of the ISAF-operation. 

I believe one can argue that day-to-day business shapes the mindset of our soldiers. And it also impacts on the educational footprint of NATO. As this is the case, the ISAF-operation has affected NATO in a fundamental way.

Almost 12 years operational engagement in a remote country has had tremendous impact on our defence structure. It has been an all absorbing effort for almost every allied nation.

No doubt, this operation has provided us with armed forces trained and well equipped of conducting complex operations under very challenging conditions.

It has been instrumental in many nations’ efforts in transforming their defence structures in to deployable capabilities.  

And NATO has obviously made remarkable progress in developing interoperability.  The ISAF-operation has also enabled NATO’s partner countries to improve interoperability with the Alliance.

NATO has become an expert in conducting “out of area” operations. We have officers with an intimate knowledge in how such operations are best prepared and carried out.

And we have a NATO command structure that has become expert in running several operational engagements simultaneously.  

Now we must however ask - at what cost?

Norway is offering a rather candid answer to this question. We have stated that the current Alliance is not sufficiently tuned for the traditional tasks of collective defence. 

And we have pointed to the fact that many of the qualities that once constituted NATO as an alliance, have faded away. 

I think no one would disagree that the political cohesion among NATOs Allies still has Article V at its core. This was true in 1949 and it is true today.

But we have realized that this fundamental feature may be forgotten in the day-to-day business.

I am not questioning the importance of the Alliance’s operational engagements. Quite on the contrary, in today’s security environment, there is a mutually constituting relationship between “out of area” and “in area”.

We must continue to use NATO when the UN and the global community request it. But the pendulum has swung too far. We have to find a sustainable balance. And we need to re-establish a firm belief in Article 5 and our collective capabilities.

Rather than solely focusing on the shifting demands of current operations, we must adapt political and military structures that effectively may execute even the most demanding tasks 

Today it is widely accepted that a complete overhaul of the Alliance’s capability to conduct Article V actually is long overdue. It is at the center of discussions at NATO. 

And it definitely should be addressed by this distinguished audience. An overhaul of Article V must begin when new officers enter our schools.

It should start with those young officers that tomorrow will form the backbone of NATO’s force and command structure.

Many of them have gained exceptional knowledge of “out of area” operations. One may ask, however, how well they know their own area?

It is vital that we manage to fully man and train the NATO force and command structure for future requirements as we move beyond the ISAF era.

For me this stands out an issue for educational institutions in NATO and allied countries to be addressed.

Allow me briefly to add one point on a particular issue which has surfaced in national as well as NATO’s educational system.

One thing we have learned from Afghanistan is the need for continued emphasis on NATO’s commitment to implement the United Nations Security Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security.   

We have made progress in operations as well as in capitols. The appointment of Mari Skåre as the Secretary General´s Special Representative is an important signal in this regard. However challenges remain.

Education and training must make this a priority. This is not purely for a few specialists. Rather it is something that should permeate the entire organisation and as such should constitute a pillar in education at all levels. Norway will continue to press for further action home as well as in NATO.

Turning now to a different level, where challenges appear daunting.

The Connected Forces Initiative

I am referring to maintaining a credible defense alliance in a time where there is less money for defense.

Today a number of European allies are required to cut entire elements from their defence structures. The financial turmoil is happening while nations face long overdue transformation. 

Looking at the emerging new world order, this does not necessarily offer any comfort. Europe must recognize that it is no longer the epicenter of geopolitics. Economic power and influence is shifting towards the Asia and the Pacific region.

In this situation Europe and NATO must play its cards wisely. Or as Ernest Rutheford once put it “We haven’t got the money so we have to think”. I would add courage and stamina.

Doing more together is the mantra of our times. It is strengthening our ability to work together in a truly connected way. And it is maintaining the readiness and interoperability of our forces, even as our operations draw down.

This is why we have strongly commended Smart Defence, and likewise the Connected Forces Initiative which perhaps has garnered less attention.

For me the Connected Force Initiative is about ensuring that Allies can work even more effectively together and with partners. The lessons learned from 20 years of operations must be maintained in to a new era.

Expanded education and training, increased exercises and better use of technology, are vital in this regard.   

So is doing things more efficiently and promoting a stronger sense of togetherness. 

Not only would it potentially alleviate the economic situation of the Alliance. It would also benefit our interoperability.  

As you all know, NATO has outstanding education facilities. And we have joint training centers in Poland and Norway. These offer unique opportunities for our forces to train and learn together. As do our Centres of Excellence which cover a wide range of specialist skills.

We need to see how we can get even more value out of them. We should consider bigger access to our national education facilities on all levels. Nations and regions possess different knowledge and expertise. A more extensive exchange of students as well as instructors would make sense.

I have personally experienced the value of such exchanges in the civilian university sector. I was granted my master upon studies at universities in Russia and France. 

On the issue of specialization, synergy, effectiveness, let me mention one example from my own region.

Since the 1960’s the Nordic nations have been co-operating in the field of education for Peacekeeping. In terms of resources and in providing interoperability, this is a success story.

It does not only save the Nordic nations from the need to hold all courses themselves. It also includes a substantial number of officers from third countries. As such it supports interoperability.    

Recruiting the best and brightest

In the defence sector we often tend to put great emphasis on capabilities. We often talk about advanced weapon systems, frigates and fighter aircraft.

However, these efforts are in vain if we don’t stand out as a reliable and serious employer. In Norway we expect a fierce competition in the labor market in the years to come.

I am convinced that our investments and restructuring efforts will pay off only if we adhere to a personnel policy that enables us to attract and retain capable men and women.

This is why the Norwegian defence sector has now embarked on the third and final phase of the transformation of the defence sector.

To this end we earlier this spring presented a White Paper to the Parliament addressing the need for a comprehensive competency reform. The overall direction of this paper is the need to engage more actively with the society at large.

The White Paper highlights the need for more diversity. Today’s Armed Forces are equipped with modern technology and are performing advanced tasks. We strongly believe in diversity in competence, educational background as well as gender.

We know for our own experience that a high female employment rate is crucial for ensuring labour supply and economic growth. And we also believe it would create better Armed Forces.

It is rather symbolic. In two weeks we commemorate 100 years of women suffrage. Only three days after, we expect the Parliament to approve conscription also for women. This is an historical achievement. This makes me proud!

One recommendation points at the need for more specialists. For Norway maritime technical expertise is critical, but we also need technological competence throughout the Armed Forces.

We need to improve our recruiting policy. We need to get the right specialists and keeping them. Again, increased interaction with civilian sector is required.

Another recommendation is the need to review what positions in our armed forces require military competence and education, and which positions should be held by civilians.

The thinking we should pursue is that those who wear a uniform are best fitted in operational positions while civilians are better at dealing with functions as administration and economy.

As for our military educational system we will undertake a review. Such a review must take place in the correct order. Education is a consequence of the organization’s requirements. It is therefore important to clarify the competency requirements of the Armed Forces.

This review will also take into account what the Armed Forces aim to provide in the way of in-house education, what is offered on the civilian market and what can be achieved in cooperation with civilian educational institutions.

Lastly it is very important to me that we acknowledge that the military profession has some unique aspects, and that the military professional education cannot be provided by other than the military.

Final remarks

To sum up, we have since the end of the cold war been through a remarkable period of military transformation where out of area operations have played an important part.

This has been the right thing to do, but it has also had more unintended effects. We have learned new lessons abroad but may have forgotten old ones closer to home.

As the Afghanistan era comes to an end it is therefore time to recover this imbalance. To this end we will have to adapt our forces and educational systems accordingly.

The challenge is clear and you representing your nation’s educational systems will be in the forefront.

I the words of Derek Bok, former President of Harvard University:

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

Education pays off.

It increases national income.

It makes a better defence.

I wish you all fruitful discussions over the next days and the best for the rest of the conference.

Thank you for your attention.