CENTRE HAS EARNED STATUS AS THE 21st NATO COE AND ACTIVATION AS A NATO MILITARY BODY

CENTRE HAS EARNED STATUS AS THE 21st NATO COE AND ACTIVATION AS A NATO MILITARY BODY


Date: (01-04-2015)

The Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) is delighted to announce that the on 31st March the silence procedure by NAC has ended and the Centre has earned status as the 21st NATO COE and its activation as a NATO Military Body with a granted international status under Article 14 of the Paris Protocol, as recommended by HQ SACT.

The CMDR COE has met the accreditation requirements set by the MC and will provide support to NATO transformation and to the enhancement of NATO capabilities in the field of Crisis Management and Disaster Response, thereby adding value.

Over the past 2 years, CMDR COE has worked closely with HQ SACT, NATO HQ and NATO subject matter experts to develop a detailed concept of support to meet the current and future needs of the Strategic Commanders for CMDR expertise. The positive results are achieved by the HQ SACT's formal accreditation assessment. The CMDR COE mission is focused in full compliance with the principles and provisions of MC Concept for Centres of Excellence (dated 4 Dec 2003).

The CMDR COE, located in Sofia, Bulgaria, was established on the 28th of August 2013 by its Sponsoring Nations of Poland and Greece and Bulgaria as the Framework Nation through the signing of the required Memoranda of Understanding (MOU): the Operational MOU between the participating Nations and the Functional MOU between the Participating Nations and NATO HQ SACT.

The CMDR COE had 23 NATO requests for support in 2014 and a further 25 for 2015. The Centre is working closely with HQ SACT, SHAPE and NATO HQ to make valuable contributions to various NATO initiatives in its field. Most notably, the CMDR COE has agreed to deliver a Study to the NATO Military Authorities that examines the impact on NATO military operations based upon the potential crises and consequences of urbanisation between now and 2035. The Centre is also ready to contribute to NATO Policy, Doctrine and Concepts related to crisis management and disaster response activities.



News

CMDR COE will conduct Crisis Response Operations Planners Professional Development Course

Crisis management is one of the fundamental security tasks of the Alliance along with collective defense and cooperative security. Depending on the nature of the crisis, different types of crisis management operations may be required. The good operations planning process understanding is essential for all NATO Planners. In line with this, Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) developed and will run pilot Crisis Response Operations Planners Professional Development Course from 26th to 28th November 2014. The course will be held in English at Shipka hotel, Sofia, Bulgaria.

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Opening ceremony of the CMDR COE as an International Organization

"We have to learn to counter effectively to the new hybrid type of crisis and disasters, destabilizations and confrontations. And this Centre is a way ahead", stated the Bulgarian president Mr. Rosen Plevneliev in his address to the Opening ceremony of the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) as an International Organization. The ceremony was with the presence of ambassadors and military attaches of diplomatic missions accredited to the Republic of Bulgaria, commanders of the armed forces, and representatives of other ministries and departments.

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A Standing Invitation to the CMDR COE from the Tennessee National Guard

The Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) welcomed Major General Terry M. Haston, the Adjutant General Tennessee National Guard for an official visit on August 7th, 2014.

During his visit, Maj. General Haston had an office call with the CMDR COE Director, Col. Vassil Roussinov. The meeting was attended by Maj Hancock, bilateral affairs officer, Office for Defense Cooperation of US Embassy and CMDR COE branch chiefs, Col Nikolay Nikolov and LtC Dimitar Dimitrov.

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Outstanding upshots gained from the CMDR COE’s Annual Seminar

CMDR COE has successfully hosted its 2nd Annual Seminar, which is designed to facilitate meeting of experts and sharing of experience among bodies dealing with crisis and disaster response. The event took place from 1st to 3rd July, 2014 in Sofia.

Interagency interaction in crisis management and disaster response was the main topic of the seminar. "...If we are united and share our common experiences we will be ready to tackle the different and sometimes unexpected crises and disasters. Crucial for this is the interagency cooperation..." pointed out Rear Admiral Petev in his opening speech.

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Fruitful cooperation between CMDR COE and TEMA

CMDR COE delegation was in Nashville, Tennessee to attend the four-day 2014 CAPSTONE exercise (16-19 June 14) led by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA). The purpose of this visit was to make acquaintance with the TEMA procedures and practices of designing and conducting disaster response exercises. The current one was on a scenario of an earthquake with magnitude 7.7 resulting into severe impacts in 8 states. During the exercise were briefings and presentations concerning the organization and responsibilities of the state′s entities in response of a disaster. CMDR COE team held meetings with representatives from the private sector and Red Cross & Red Crescent who present their engagements in case of emergencies. The CMDR COE delegation was well received by MGen Terry M. Haston, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Military as he praised the successful partnership between CMDR COE and the State of Tennessee. He also highlighted ideas for further cooperation as more significant contributions by civilian organizations from NATO countries.

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Another International recognition for the CMDR COE

The CMDR COE has received a formal letter of appreciation on behalf of the Croatian Armed Forces General Staff. It recognizes the great efforts CMDR COE Mobile Training Team has done to conduct courses in regard of the of exercise SEESIM 14 preparation process. Expressing special thanks, the Croatian site states the desire to develop cooperation in future.

 

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CMDR COE hosted the workshop Military Medical Response in Disaster Management

On 28-30 April 2014, the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) hosted the workshop Military Medical Response in Disaster Management, sponsored by US European Command (USEUCOM) and the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence. The 3-day workshop focused on topics related to principles and practices of medical and psychological support in military missions as well as in operations in response of disasters. The workshop was attended by more than 25 participants from the Bulgarian Military Medical Academy, Joint Force Command, Land Forces, Air Force, medical experts from the services HQs, and Bulgarian Red Cross. Informative presentations delivered by instructors of 212-th Combat Support Hospital and Military Medical Academy and fruitful discussions during each session treated of important issues like framework of disaster planning process, components of basic and contingency plans, psychological aspects of disaster reaction and preventive medicine.

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Exercise Planners’ Training Course was conducted by CMDR COE NDA Mobile Training Team (MTT)

The Exercise Planners′ Training Course was conducted by the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) National Defense Academy Mobile Training Team (MTT) in conjunction with the SEESIM 14 Main Planning Conference (MPC) in the Croatian Defense Academy in Zagreb from 31 March to 1 April 2014.

The course was designed to enhance the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of NATO and Partners′ Exercise Planners. The course was attended by 46 participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Romania, Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, USA, Greece, and SEEBRIG.

The participants were familiarized by members of the MTT with NATO and EU approaches in crisis management and disaster response as well the main exercise planning documents and stages. Presentations "Introduction to Exercise Planning Process", "NATO and EU Crisis Management Systems and Mechanisms", "Main Stages in NATO Exercise Planning Process", "Computer Assisted Exercises and Simulations", and "NATO Crisis Management and Operations Planning" was included in the main part of the course.

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High level visits in the CMDR COE and SABER GUARDIAN exercise

U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria, Marcie B. Ries paid a special visit to the Host Nation Coordination Cell (HNCC) a component of Saber Guardian 2014 co-hosted by the CMDR COE. The Ambassador took part in a VTC with the 7th Civil Support Commander at Novo Selo Training Area and expressed an active interest in matters of the exercise. The Ambassador familiarized with the objectives and goals of Saber Guardian 14 provided realism to the exercise execution. The CMDR COE then hosted the Ambassador at their headquarters where she met with the CMDR Staff.

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CMDR COE participates in the Saber Guardian 2014 Exercise

U.S. Army Europe (US EUCOM) and the Bulgarian Land Forces Soldiers kicked off Saber Guardian 2014 on Mar 31, 2014.

Saber Guardian 2014 is a multinational training exercise designed to reinforce U.S. Army Europe′s commitment to increasing regional flexibility, preserving and enhancing NATO interoperability, and facilitating multinational training.

USAREUR Deputy Commanding General, Maj. Gen. Richard Longo, and Deputy Commander of the Bulgarian Land Forces, Brig. Gen. Krasimir Kanev, will serve as this year′s exercise co-directors.

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A Mobile Training Team (MTT) has conducted a Crisis Management and Disaster Response Workshop 17-19 Feb 14, Larissa, Greece

A Mobile Training Team (MTT) consisted by lectures from the CMDR COE and National Defense Academy has conducted a Crisis Management and Disaster Response Workshop. It took place at the South-Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG) HQ in Greece from 17 to 19 February 2014. The MTT was led by col.Lyubomir Simeonov, Deputy Chief of National Defence Academy

The SEEBRIG was established and activated by seven participating Nations on 31st of August 1999 and is currently located in Larissa. The workshop goals were to provide educational information and details for the Crisis Management understanding and the NATO COEs Network covering the HQ staff area of interest by:

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Civil-Military Interaction: Disaster Preparation and Response Workshop has been opened and conducted

A welcoming speech of the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, His Excellency Matthias Hoepfner has opened the Civil-Military Interaction: Disaster Preparation and Response Workshop, which is taking place in Sofia, 11-13 February 2014. The event is under the patronage of George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies and co-hosted with the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE). The workshop is attended by representatives from civilian and military structures from 11 countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece , FYROM, Kosovo, Romania , Croatia, Montenegro and USA. In addition on the American side taking part are delegations from the National Guard of the states of Vermont, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and Tennessee as part of the State Partnership Program.

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The Final Planning Conference of the exercise Saber Guardian 14 has finished successfully

The Final Planning Conference of the exercise Saber Guardian 14 was held in Sofia last week (3-7 Feb 2014). The CMDR COE experts headed by LtC Orlin Nikolov, head of Capabilities Branch, participated in the workshops of the Contingency Management Planning/Unified Action (CPM/UA) syndicate.

On February 5, 2015, the CPM/UA members met with representatives of several GOs and NGOs. The meeting was arranged by the CMDR COE and co-hosted with the J9 USEUCOM as there were entities as Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, Chief Directorate Fire Safety and Civil Protection, State Agency of National Security, State Agency for Refugees, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Military Medical Academy, Red Cross, Caritas Bulgaria, Gender Research Foundation, Tennessee National Guard, Bulgarian Modeling and Simulation Association (BULSIM). The purpose of the meeting was to present them the scenario and storyline of their engagement into the exercise.

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The initial planning conference for the SEESIM 14 exercise was held in Zagreb, Croatia

The initial planning conference for the distributed computer assisted exercise South Eastern Europe Simulation Network (SEESIM 14) was held in Zagreb, Croatia. The Republic of Bulgaria is co-organizer and participates actively in the conducting of the exercise together with the Host Nation. Among the participants are also representatives of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Montenegro, Romania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United States of America and the SEEBRIG.

The exercise is held under the auspices of the Ministers of Defence of the SEE Nations.

 

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CMDR COE FEBRUARY Forthcoming events
  • In 3-7 of February experts from the CMDR COE team will take part in the Final Planning Conference of the SABER GUARDIAN ′14 Exercise, organized by the US EUCOM and BGR LANDFORCE.

The purpose of the exercise is to train and educate civilian and military participants in planning and conducting an UN mandated Chapter VII Peace Operation/Crisis Response Operation, based on a Comprehensive Approach, and focusing on co-operation and co-ordination within an unstable environment, involving all stakeholders. The principal exercise focus is the civilian-military cooperation and coordination. The scenario supports exercising a wide range of peace operations functions (e.g. rule of law, humanitarian, etc.). The CMDR COE will contribute to achieving the exercise objectives by providing subject matter expert support in the CMDR area and by organizing distributed point for White cell.

  • In 11-13 February 2014 the Civil-Military Interaction: Disaster Preparedness and Response Workshop will take place in Sofia. The workshop is sponsored by the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria and the CMDR COE. The workshop comprises lectures dedicated to NATO and EU Crisis Management, role of military in civil security, risk management, as well as discussions and tabletop exercise.
» read more
Internal CMDR COE Seminar on the Crisis in Syria

The CMDR COE organised an internal seminar which was held on 20.12.2013. The main focus of the seminar was the crisis in Syria. The CMDR COE experts discussed issued related to the chronology of the crisis; the increased influx of refugees to neighbouring countries and Bulgaria; the positions of NATO, the UN and EU; the involvement of international humanitarian organisations etc.

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Visualizing Implications of Climate Change on Military Activities and Relationships was conducted

On 11-12 December 2013, the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) co-hosted together with US European Command (USEUCOM) and the US embassy in Bulgaria the workshop Visualizing Implications of Climate Change on Military Activities and Relationships. The opening remarks were given by the Deputy Minister of Defence of Bulgaria, Mr. Ivan Ivanov, who welcomed the participants and underlined the importance of the topics that the workshop focused on.

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