Course Iterations

Sub Number Date/Location Registration
SOF-SO-35645-A-2024-25
18 Aug - 16 Oct, 2025 METT: METT ITA

Course Information

NATO SOF Executive Leaders Course - STEP 4

THIS IS A TWO-PART COURSE CONSISTED OF  6 WEEKS OF SELF STUDY AND ONE WEEK BREAK, FOLLOWED BY TWO-WEEKS OF GUIDED CLASSROOM LEARNING

1. The NATO SOF Executive Leaders Course target audiences are OF 6-10 and OR 9, serving or preparing to serve as a command team of National or Allied SOCOMs - JSOCs or other similar Strategic level SOF Organizations. Each nation/organization is required to request the participation of an equal number of Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers. The course will be broken down into two distinct phases:


    a. A Distant Learning phase of 6 weeks of asynchronous self-study via NSOU Blackboard LMS portal. 


    b.  A 10-day Residential Learning phase of synchronous guided learning in a classroom broken into two separate venues. The first half will be hosted at the NATO Special Operations University (NSOU) at Chievres Air Base (Rue du Septieme Wing, 7950, Chievres, Belgium). The second half will be hosted at the NATO SOF Commanders’ Conference venue. Students will attend all conference events, in addition to mentoring sessions, classes, staff rides and team building events during this timeframe.


2. Nations will be responsible to provide transportation, accommodation and Per Diem for the duration of the course for their students, including their participation in the SOF Commanders Conference venue. There is no course fee. Students will be required to register for the SOF Commanders Conference, following the instructions of its calling letter, and pay the associated conference fees.


3. Students should have a 3232 level English language skill, in accordance with STANAG 6001, and should be comfortable to present and brief in English to a group audience.


4.  A valid NATO Security Clearance Certificate (NATO SECRET level) is required to attend the RL phase of the course.


5.  POC:

Evangelos Trasanis, NATO SOF Leadership Academy Course Director. Email: [email protected] , Telephone: +32 (0) 68 25 6529

Course Aim

The course’s aim is to educate executive-level NCOs and Officers in effective command team concepts, principles and practices so they act as a force multiplier in National Special Operations Command or equivalent executive level within (or support of) the NATO enterprise.

Objectives

1.       Utilize strategic thinking to analyse NATO SOF-related problems, evaluate options and create solutions.

2.       Analyse current and emerging threats to NATO SOF utilizing principles of critical thinking.

3.       Implement principles of creative thinking and design thinking to problems facing NATO SOF.

4.       Evaluate NATO SOF operations and activities from a system thinking perspective.

5.       Postulate NATO and NATO SOF will need to adapt and change to meet the alliance's future challenges.

6.       Evaluate command team effectiveness with the political and affective domains.

7.       Evaluate current NATO and national strategy from an established military theory and strategy perspective.

8.       Analyse how your national strategy aligns (or does not) with the current NATO strategy.

9.       Hypothesize how current and future trends in technology will impact NATO SOF.

10.    Analyse NATO SOF’s role from a global perspective.

11.    Defend the importance of interoperability within organizations.

12.    Evaluate the concepts and practices that create effective Command Teams within NATO SOF at the executive command level.

Target Audience

The target audience is OF 6-9 and OR 9, serving or preparing to serve as a command team (Commander and CSEL) of Strategic Level organizations (National or Allied SOCOMs - JSOCs). 

Requirements

Students should have a 3232in English language skills in accordance with STANAG 6001 and should be comfortable to present and brief in English to a group audience. A valid NATO Security Clearance Certificate (NATO SECRET) is required to attend the RL phase of the course.