NATO Special Operations Senior Leaders convene in Slovakia

Šamorín, SLOVAKIA – NATO Allied and partner special operations senior leaders met in Šamorín, Slovakia, for the NATO Special Operations Commanders' Conference from April 4-6, 2023.

With the newest NATO Ally, Finland, at the table, more than 25 Alliance and partner nations participated in the conference co-hosted by Slovak Special Operations Command and NATO Special Operations Headquarters (NSHQ). The senior leaders discussed the most pressing issues facing the Alliance focused on deterrence and, if necessary, the defence of the NATO Alliance.

The conference provides the opportunity to come together in a display of unity to focus on the role of SOF in support of the joint force commander and NATO's family of plans and posture the SOF enterprise to address the threats that face NATO.

Over the three days, the senior leaders focused on multi-domain operations and how SOF supports those operations across the spectrum of conflict.

"The commanders had the opportunity to talk about how we're going to continue to evolve as a SOF enterprise to ensure that we're always postured to support the joint force commander in their efforts to deter and defend threats against the Alliance," said Lt. Gen. Antonio Fletcher, Commander, NATO Special Operations Headquarters.

State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic opened the conference with insightful discussions on the strategic environment and pushed the SOF senior leaders to explore increased coordination and interoperability opportunities.

"SOF is more important than ever due to the war in Ukraine and many Allies sharing a border with Ukraine," said Mr. Majer. "Coordination, cooperation and sharing lessons learned are even more important in SOF to ensure a shared understanding of the security environment for a strong Alliance."

Gen. Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, addressed the senior leaders to share his vision and insights on the priorities within the Alliance and how the special operations community is vital in deterring threats to the NATO Alliance.

Today's threats are constant and target NATO's shared values. For NATO SOF leaders, it is crucial to understand and ensure national plans are coordinated and integrated with NATO plans. The Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA) strategy is a hierarchy of integrated plans covering the spectrum of peacetime deterrence, crisis response, and conflict and providing common frames to monitor threats and deliver defensive responses.

The conference, which NSHQ Commander always chairs, is hosted at different SOF headquarters across the NATO Alliance on a rotating basis. The next conference will be held in the Fall of 2023.

Story by NSHQ Public Affairs Office.