The 10th CMDR COE Anniversary
Date: (31-03-2025)
On 31 March 2025, the family of CMDR COE celebrates the 10th anniversary of the organisation. A gala event gathered together former and present members of the Centre to mark formally the birthday. Special guests of the event were H.E. Ambassadors of NATO States and Partners in the Republic of Bulgaria who greeted the celebration.
Special honours – a plaquette of the Bulgarian Defence Ministry and a certificate of appreciation – were bestowed upon Centre’s members by the Director of the CMDR COE on the occasion of the anniversary.
"Today, we are not just celebrating a Birthday; we’re commemorating a remarkable decade, marked by transformative achievements and sustained excellence. This is an opportunity to reflect on what’s been accomplished and to honour every individual who has contributed to shaping our Centre into what it is today - a headlight of expertise and innovation respected across continents. We are giving our thanks to our present and former members and partners for their support and dedication to the cause of developing the organisation. I am convinced that CMDR COE will continue to grow and develop successfully also in the next ten dozen years," said Colonel Nikolov, Director of the Centre.
In 2025, CMDR COE is celebrating a decade full of successes as seen in the numerous organised educational events, exercises, seminars, conferences, etc. as well as in the establishment of many strategic partnerships.
The Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) is a multi-national NATO military body sponsored by the Hellenic Republic, Hungary, the Republic of Poland, Romania and the Republic of Bulgaria (Framework Nation). The Centre, located in Sofia, Bulgaria, currently has a 40-strong team of both civilian and military experts who continuously tackle a wide range of CMDR-related issues with the ultimate goal of supporting NATO’s standardisation and transformation.
The CMDR COE was found on August 28, 2013 and received accreditation on March 31, 2015 as the 21st NATO COE with an international status under Article 14 of the Paris Protocol. The Centre has granted a NATO Quality Assurance Accreditation Certificate for Unconditional Accreditation (No. ACT/JFD/HCEIT/TT+1548/Ser: NU) and all its certified courses are NATO-Approved as they meet the Alliance’s quality requirements.
CMDR COE provides tailor-made education and training in the scope of its expertise for senior military and civilian leaders. In such regard, the Centre has capabilities to dispatch in place mobile training teams and subject matter experts to facilitate trainings of national and multinational military and/or civilian unit, dealing with crisis management and disaster response. CMDR COE has established an Operation Laboratory and keep on developing both software and hardware standards in support to the planning and conduct of NATO's, Allies' and Partners' exercises and experimentations, including in the creation and validation of scenarios for disaster response. Basically, the using of mathematical models (modelling) to the accuracy and adequacy of the input data (for weather, terrain, obstacles, conditions, etc) provides visualizations of impacts of such events in virtual environment (simulations). The aim is to support the decision-making as well as the planning process and assessment of the emergency plans for reaction and response.
Over the years, the CMDR COE has earned international recognition not only as a centre of expertise in crisis management and disaster response but also as a hub for innovation, knowledge exchange, and best practices within the CMDR domain. Thus, the Centre has forged excellent partnerships and cooperation with key NATO and EU bodies, institutions, and agencies. Presently, the CMDR COE places emphasis on developing curriculum and critical thinking on disciplines as Crisis and Disaster management; Environmental risks; Climate change and Security; Building resilience through Preparedness; Building Integrity; Modelling & Simulation and AI Technical architecture for Decision Makers and Gender Focal Points. Additionally, the Sofia-based COE serves as platform for key NATO events, as well as for numerous CMDR-related conferences, workshops, and trainings.
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Awarded unconditional re-accreditation for Quality AssuranceCMDR COE is proud with the received and focused on further challenges
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Building Integrity in Crisis Management and Disaster Response CourseOn the 10th June 2025 , 20 students from 4 different nations started the 4-day long Building Integrity in Crisis Management and Disaster Response Course.
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First Annual Discipline Conference for the Business Continuity Management DisciplineCMDR COE serves as the Department Head for the NATO BCM discipline.
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The 13th Annual conference of CMDR COEPlacing the focus on the arising security challenges
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Romanian Day of National Heroes / Ascension DayCMDR COR Participation to the solemn ceremony organized by the Romanian Embassy in Bulgaria.
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CMDR COE advances strategic and operational expertise in the integration of Gender PerspectiveGender Focal Point Course at CMDR COE
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20th NATO EADRCC Emergency Management Exercise The Final Planning Conference (FPC) for the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) Emergency Management Exercise "BULGARIA 2025" took place from 20 May to 22 May 2025.
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CMDR COE Plaque to Colonel Prof. Dr. Andrey Galev, MDRespect on the occassion of the 75th Anniversary of the fondation of the Scientific Applied Center for Military Epidemiology and Hygiene (NPCEH).
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CMDR COE Represented in OSAKA EXPO 2025CMDR COE Intern Mr. Can Uyar participated in an Extensive Disaster Risk Reduction Education Program and OSAKA EXPO 2025 BOSAI Summit
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Completed Crisis Management in a Multilateral Framework courseFrom 13th to 16th of May in CMDRCOE was conducted Crisis Management in a Multilateral Framework course
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Successful Completion of the Exercise Planning, Modelling, Simulation, and C2 Systems CourseMain Planning Conference of AMMON SENTINEL 2025 exercise
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Inspiring workshopTitled “Contemporary Crisis Management in Times of Great Power Competition”, 28 April 2025
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Groundbreaking Research on Strategic Narratives in Military OperationsEnd of Autumn Iteration Internship
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Team Building Drawing ClassCMDR COE staff enjoyed the magic of oil drawing in the Art Academy Studio on 25 APR 2025.
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Enhancing Crisis Management Capabilities: CMDR COE Trains Iraqi FEDPOLA Collaborative Initiative with NATO Mission Iraq to Foster Resilience and Preparedness in Emergency Response
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Winners of the contest “One World, One Fate – United to the Future”First Prize: Simona Marinova, 12-year old
Second Prize: Damyan Tonchev, 9-year old
Third Prize: Nikol Marinova, 10-year old
In Support of Multinational Exercise SEVEN STARS 25Veles, North Macedonia – CMDR COE successfully took part in Exercise SEVEN STARS 25, held from 07 to 11 April 2025.
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Panel Discussion “Enhancing National Resilience: Progress, Challenges, and the Way Forward”,Participation of the CMDR COE Director to the third panel: “The Role of Academia in Building National Capacity – Expanding Engagement and Connecting Theory with Practice.”
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Disaster Response and Consequence Management for a Radiological Incident CourseFrom 7 to 11 April 2025 CMDR COE, in close cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, conducts Disaster Response and Consequence Management for a Radiological Incident course.
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Climate Change and Security CourseHot Climate Change and Security Topics will be discussed from 01 April to 05 April in CMDR COE.
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New Continent Reached by CMDR COECMDR COE Successfully Delivers Mobile Education on Managing Contemporary Crisis in Ethiopia
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CMDR COE participation to the Energy Security & Critical Infrastructure Protection ConferenceExperts from Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, and the UK met in Athens to discuss energy security and how to best protect critical national Infrastructure.
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Quality Assurance Reaccreditation VisitQuality Assurance Team of Experts from the NATO Allied Command of Transformation carried out 2-day inspection on Quality Assurance standards.
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Day of Mourning for Victims in North MacedoniaBulgaria declared 18 March a day of mourning. CMDR COE Team expresses sincere condolences to the families of the victims in the tragedy in Kocani.
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