Course Iterations

Sub Number Date/Location Registration
SOF-SO-35644-B-2024-25
10 Feb - 06 Jun, 2025 RL: NATO SOF Campus
SOF-SO-35644-A-2025-26
18 Aug - 12 Dec, 2025 RL: NATO SOF Campus
SOF-SO-35644-B-2025-26
09 Feb - 05 Jun, 2026 RL: NATO SOF Campus

Course Information

NATO SOF Senior Leaders Course (STEP 3)
1. SOFCOM has created a NATO SOF Professional Education Continuum for the professional development of both SOF Officers and NCOs. Given the global challenges faced by the Alliance, it remains imperative that NATO SOF continue to develop its interoperability and capability, while continuing to grow capacity in a unified and cohesive manner. Beyond weaponry, technology, and numerical superiority, a key differentiator between a NATO SOF Officer and NCO from his threat counterpart would be the ability to apply critical and strategic thinking in a rapid manner, to solve problems as they present themselves on the battlefield.
 
2. The SOFCOM Professional Education Continuum focuses on the development of the Command Team at every level of leadership at the levels of the Special Operations Task Unit (SOTU), Special Operations Task Group (SOTG), and Special Operations Component Command (SOCC), as well as Executive Leadership positions at SOFCOM and NATO SOF entities. Educational courses will be delivered as a Systematic Training and Education Program (STEP), with four stages of progression aligned with each of the leadership team levels. Some ‘overlap’ of rank grades has been built in throughout each STEP course. The programme has been designed to accommodate different levels of standards and experiences across the NATO SOF Alliance.

The four stages of the programme (Named NATO SOF Leaders Course) are:
NATO SOF Junior Leaders Course (SOTU Level) OR (4-6) and OF (1-3), 
NATO SOF Mid-Level Leaders Course (SOTG Level) OR (6-7) and OF (3-4),    
NATO SOF Senior Leaders Course (SOCC Level) OR (7-8) and OF (4-5),
NATO SOF Executive Leaders Course (Executive Level) OR (9) and OF (6-10).                   
 
3. NATO SOF Senior Leaders Course target audience are OF 4-5 and OR 7-8, serving or preparing to serve as a Special Operations Command (SOCC) or another similar operational/strategic level SOF command team; SOF enablers and conventional force personnel with strategic level operational experience (each country is required to request the participation of both officers and NCOs); civilians with government experience (e.g. diplomatic, ministerial, information, intelligence, emergency services or other specialized government-wide expertise); and NATO personnel and selected personnel from academia, think tanks, etc. with similar levels of experience to the SOF and civilian personnel listed above.

The course will be broken down into two distinct phases: 
a. Distant Learning phase of 14 weeks of asynchronous self-study via NSOU Black Board LMS platform.
b. Residential Learning phase of 10 days of residential synchronous guided learning in classroom, hosted at NATO Special Operations University – NSOU, at Chievres Air Base, Rue du Septieme Wing, 7950, Chievres, Belgium. If COVID-19 related travel restrictions are still in place, the resident portion of the course will be delivered virtually, with all participants remaining in their units/organisations.

4. Nations are responsible for providing transportation, lodging, and per diem for their students for duration of the course. For lodging, students may use hotels in the local area, with the costs covered by each nation. Students must make their own travel and lodging arrangements.