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.
News
Distinguished visit in CMDR COEWelcoming H. E. Mr. Jeong Jin-Kyu, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Bulgaria.
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Continuing the enlargement of the GFP CommunityFirst group of certified gender focal points at NATO Allied Command Operations.
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Beneficial Cooperation with Local CommunityCMDR COE in support to Krasno Selo and Sixth District of Fire Safety and Civil Protection Service (FSCPS), Sofia Municipality
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Towards On-Demand Personalized Training and Decision SupportA virtual symposium of NATO Modelling & Simulation Group
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Eighth CMDR COE Steering Committee MeetingThe Steering Committee is the main body for guidance, oversight and decisions on all matters concerning the administration, policies and operation of the CMDR COE.
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Visit from NATO Stability Policing COEWelcome to Colonel De Magistris, Director of NATO Stability Policing COE
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Announcement: 1st International Conference on Environmental Protection and Disaster Risks The CMDR COE is pleased to announce the first international on-line conference on environmental protection and disaster risks “ENVIRORISKS” scheduled for 29 and 30 September 2020.
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GFP journey continues, virtually!The CMDR COE with its first NATO-certified Gender Focal Point course online
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Co-organization in Exercise for Contingency PlanCMDR COE co-organization and participation in an exercise for implementation of the contingency plan of the Municipality of Belene
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CMDR COE provides 12 weeks on-line course for the students from the University of California, Irvin.The CMDR COE continues to spare no effort in establishing cooperative partnerships.
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On-line discussion on “COVID-19 Biological Threat-Military Medical Challenges”CMDR COE continues to explore the different aspects of the pandemic situation
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Internship Programme Trainees PresentedClosing an internship period (22 June – 3 July 2020 )
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CMDR course delivered in Advanced Distributed Learning Format The first edition of 5-day course delivered in Advanced Distributed Learning Format
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A Talk on NATO, Cooperative Security and the YouthCMDR COE Director responds to the inquiries of NATO’s Youth Ambassadors on crisis management
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Framework Collaboration Agreement SignedThe CMDR COE and the Bulgarian Academy of Science (BAS) join forces under a Framework Collaboration Agreement.
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CMDR COE support COVID-19 Survey on citizens′ perceptions in EU and UKCMDR COE encoureged our partners to support the European Commission′s Joint Research Centre, in cooperation with University College London, who has recently launched a European-wide study to understand perceptions, needs and priorities of the public affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency.
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On-line CMDR COE Conference 2020Adapting to the requirements of а global pandemic, the CMDR COE leveraged on modern technology to transfer its annual Conference on Interagency Interaction in Crisis Management and Disaster Response to an online environment
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Transatlantic Security Jam: Securing the Post-COVID19 FutureVirtual conference from Tuesday (May 12) continuously until Thursday, (May 14).
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Combating COVID 19In this grafic National Health Commission of PR China, tell readers how to protect themselves against novel pneumonia, update them on latest developments in the worldwide fights against the pandemic, and provide insights how thevirus is spread
Source: http://en.nhc.gov.cn/2020-03/28/c_78799.htm
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CMDR COE Annual Conference will be on-line, May 14, 2020For first time the 2020 Annual CMDR COE Conference will be conducted on-line.
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CMDR COE with original definitions - CRISIS and DISASTERSoon publish newly elaborated definitions
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CMDR COE measures in light of Corona virus
Prevention and containment: CMDR COE cancelling public activities, continuing daily business under strict measures
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