NATO Field School
OCTOBER 2024 NEWSLETTER
DIRECTOR'SFOREWORD
BY DR. ALEXANDER MOENS
Highlightsfromthe 2024NATOField School
SpeakerSpotlight: OanaLungescu
NFSattheNATO PublicForum
TheNATOField ReportPodcast
Reflectionsonthe NATOFieldSchool fromtheoutgoing Program Coordinator
WelcomeJulia
NATOFieldSchool 2025Applications
TheNATOFieldSchoolandSimulationProgram(NFS) isneverboringandseldomhumdrumorroutine
Theenergyofourstudentsandtheawarenessand dedication of our stakeholders generate new ideas and offer new opportunitiesallthetime.
Take for example our experience this past summer The former NATO Spokesperson, Oana Lungescu, who worked for 13 years alongside Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, threw her energy and ‘know how’ behind our week at NATO Headquarters. Our 3-day simulation of the decision-making process of NATO prior to its yearly summit (called NSX) putourstudentstothetest Since2018,theNATOFieldSchoolhasbenefited a lot from senior mentors in Rome for they bring the mix of managing political, military and diplomatic factors into our deliberations when we spent our week in the NATO Defense College. And now, likewise, Dr. Col. Ian Hope and Dr Mark Webber alongside Spokesperson Lungescu provide the same during our second simulation We are very thankful to have the wellknown NATO scholar from the University of Birmingham, professor Webber, with us for the week. I hope to write more about Colonel Ian Hope in a futureeditionofthisnewsletter
Notbeinghumdrummeanswesometimeshavetoimproviseandrushand scramble to get pieces of our program in place. But when it works, such pieces usually offer a new opportunity for students to experience another piece of the multilateral puzzle called NATO For example, a variety of stakeholders helped us get an opportunity to see a new logistic support ship in the Italian Navy and to learn from its crew about its role and functioning. One thing stood out for many of us, namely the state-of-the art small hospital inside the Volcano and this can be put to use by laying offthecoastfromawarzoneandhelpcivilianvictims
HIGHLIGHTSFROMTHE 2024NATOFIELD SCHOOL
BY SASHA KARDOS-MACHADO
The2024NATOFieldSchoolwas nothingshortofmemorable Theprogramevolvesandgrowseach andeveryyear.Weweresoexcitedto take44studentstoLatvia,Italyand Belgium,plusdaytripstoLithuania andtheNetherlands!
This year we embraced new, exciting opportunities such as going on board an Italian Navy Support Ship, the ITS Vulcano (pictured above) and visiting the European Space Agency Centre for Earth Observation (ESA-ESRIN) An especially memorable day on the field school was meeting former Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, after watching his press conference with former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas while at NATO HQ (pictured below) Some of the other
The 2024 NATO Field School exceeded all expectations, providing our students with an unforgettable 7-week immersion in the realm of security anddefence.We’reeagertokeepthemomentumgoingaswecontinueto expand and enhance the program. Thank you to everyone, from students to speakers, for their hard work, patience, and generosity in making the 2024 NATO Field School such an amazing and unforgettable learning experience!
SPEAKERSPOTLIGHT: OANALUNGESCU
BY JULIA REINHARD
For this month’s speaker spotlight, we would like to feature Oana Lungescu, who provided exceptional mentorship and expertise during the NATO Field Schools’ time at NATO Headquarters in Brussels Oana Lungescu was both the first female spokesperson, and the longest serving Spokesperson in NATO history Serving under both Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Jens Stoltenberg, Ms. Lungescu is nothing shy of exceptionalwithinthefieldofpublicdiplomacy
HermentorshipduringtheFieldSchool’s NSXsimulationwasespeciallyvaluable amongthePressandOfficialstudent representatives.Withherprevious experienceofbeingaBBCReporter, Ms Lungescuprovidedcriticalinsight intotheimportanceofmaintaining composureandpoiseastheface ofthistransatlanticAlliance.
AsmultifacetedandcomplexthedecisionsmadeamongtheAllianceare,Oanaaffirmedtothe students the importance of strong communication to ‘control the headlines’ Ms Lungescu explainedthatherroleaimedtobridgethegapofmisinformationthatexistsbetweenthepublic news and the Alliance.As the Spokesperson during the NSX Simulation in the 2024 cohort, Julia Reinhard affirms that her time with Oana was truly invaluable Quoting “she taught me the importance of controlling the dialogue and building relationships that instill trust among both colleagues,andsometimes,competitors”
Proofofhermentorshipcomesintheformof Ms Reinhard’scommitmenttobecomethe newProgramCoordinatorforthe2025NATOFieldSchool, whereshehopestoprovideanexcellentprogramtothenew studentswhowillbejoiningnextyear,justasMs.Lungescu providedexceptionalleadershiptoher Ms Lungescu’s reputationofexcellenceprecedesherandasthestudents affirm,itwastrulyanhonourtobementoredbyher
NFSATTHENATOPUBLICFORUM
BY DR. RYAN DEAN, AMY TOPSHEE, ETHAN JANG, GEORGE CADE, JOSEFINE PAULSEN, SASHA KARDOS-MACHADO
AsguestsofNATO’sPublicDiplomacyDivision,fiveNATOFieldSchoolalumni,alongwiththe2024NFS assistant director, Dr Ryan Dean, attended NATO’s Public Forum at the Washington Summit The delegation were able to interact with world leaders, senior government officials, and other selfprofessed“NATONerds”throughoutthetwo-dayevent
The summit brings together the heads of state and government representatives of the 32 NATO members and their partner institutions This year ’ s summit marks the 75th anniversary of the NATO alliance, and discussions focused on NATO’s response to global challenges, including Russia’s ongoinginvasionofUkraineandNorthKorea’sinvolvementintheconflict
Austin was one of several senior American officials who spoke to the Public Forum which 2024 alumnus Sasha Kardos-Machado cited as her favourite part of the experience She liked that both Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken “reiterated the US’ steadfast, enduring commitmenttotheallianceandtoUkraine’sfightforitsexistence.”
Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine was top of agenda 2023 Alumnus George Cade particularly looked forward to the presentation by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on the invasion Meeting funding targets and burden sharing were critical to providing the sort of long-term support Ukraine needed from NATO to survive the ongoing Russian aggression, Sullivan concluded
NorwegianalumniJosefinePaulsenwasstruckbythe divergencebetweenthisCanadiandefence commitmentandthosemadebyalliancemembers alongNATO’sEasternFrontwithRussia.Shefoundit “powerful”whenPolishForeignMinisterRadosławSikorski statedthathiscountry“willdowhateverittakesnotto beaRussiancolonyagain–irrespectiveofwhatanyone elsedoes.”
AnotherthemeattheForumwasNATO’sincreasingtieswithitsIndo-PacificPartners(IP4)of Australia,Japan,NewZealand,andSouthKorea.EthanJang’s“standoutmoment”cameduringan addressbySouthKoreanPresidentYoonSeokYultotheForumpledgingtoworkwiththe“NATO family”tosupportUkraine “AsaKoreanCanadian Iwasdelightedtoseethecooperationbetween NATOandthelike-mindedpartnerswithaligningvalues”Jangcommented InadditiontoIndoPacificimportance,AmyTopsheeobservedthat “asayoungperson,IfoundNATO’sincreasingconcern withclimatechangeencouraging”
Alumni found the entire event to be an incredible experience and a rare opportunity to engage with international relations and security at the highest of levels.
THENATOFIELDREPORTPODCAST
BY HANNAH CHRISTENSEN
In our last newsletter we announced the launch of our own NATO Field School podcast With the support of our partners at the Canadian Defence and Security Network (CDSN), we were able to start the Field Report, a podcast focussed on discussing topics in security and defence from the perspectives of those in the field, practitioners and students alike. Since then, we have now published 10 episodes, with several more on their way this fall. We’ve discussed topics such as Women, Peace, and Security, the influence of news media, and Canada-US relations. We’ve ‘reported’ from such places as Vilnius, Lithuania, and Washington DC, and given the students of the NFS an opportunity to share their voice and perspectives on security and defenceissuesimportanttothem
As we ’ ve continued the Field Report Podcast, our ambition has expanded with it Our 10th and 11th episodes are the perfect example of this, as the 2-part recap of the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington DC became our most ambitious episode yet, taking listeners right to the heart of the experience with on-the-ground perspectives from our hosts, Amy Topshee and Sasha Kardos-Machado To me, these episodestrulyshowwhatwe’vebeenworkingtodowiththeFieldReport, bringa‘live’,fieldreporterstyledexperiencetoourlistenerstogivethem someflavourofbeingin-fieldattheseeventsandlocations.
A special thanks must go to Solomon Rodgers and Morgan Cowley, our tirelessPodcastProducerswhotakeonthebruntoftheworkbehindthe scenes to make this all happen. It’s been such a pleasure to work with thePodcastteamandhavetheopportunitytocombineourpassionfor securityanddefence(aswellasfortheNATOFieldSchool)withsucha wonderfulcreativeoutletforusall.
Staytunedformorefromthe FieldReportcomingthisfall, includingtopicssuchas Arcticsecurity,Russiandisinformation, privatemilitarycompanies,andmuch more Or,catchuponourepisodesso farandletusknowwhatyouthink! TheFieldReportcanbefoundonthe CDSNPodcastNetwork onalltheusualpodcastappsandwebsites.
REFLECTIONSONTHENATOFIELDSCHOOL
FROM OUTGOING PROGRAM COORDINATOR, HANNAH CHRISTENSEN
IcouldneverhaveimaginedtheadventureIwasaboutto embarkonwhenjoiningtheNFSteaminDecemberof2020. COVID-19wasfrontofmindandlockdownswereinfull swing,itwasimpossiblereally,toevenimaginetravellingin thenearfuture Lessthanayearlater,asthingsbeganto openup,Ihadmyfirstopportunitytotraveltoaninternational conferenceinVicenza,Italy;masks,COVIDtests,andall Ayearandahalflater,IwasinRiga,Latvia,seeingour firstin-fieldprograminthreeyearsstartagain Fouryears on,IwasstandingonstageattheWomeninDefence andSecurity(WiDS)AwardsBreakfast,beingrecognized fortheworkthattheNATOFieldSchoolhaddoneto advanceyoungwomeninthefieldofdefenceandsecurity.
AmbassadorKevinRex(Canadian AmbassadortoLatvia,Estonia,andLithuania) addressingthe2022NATOFieldSchoolonthe firstdayin-fieldin2022inRiga,Latvia
From North Macedonia to the Pacific Ocean aboard the HMCS Winnipeg, this program has given me the chance to travel around NATO (10 countries so far!), meet so many amazing people, and havesomanywonderfulexperiencesIcouldneverhavedreamedof.
HannahtakingpartintheCanadian LeadersatSea(CLaS)programonthe HMCSWinnipeginOctober2023
The NATO Field School is starting an exciting new chapter, with new staff who will bring their enthusiasm and creativity to help shape the next adventures and successes of the program (check out page 10-11 to learn moreaboutthem!),alongwiththecontinuedguidanceof our Director, Dr Alex Moens, who has put his energy and passionintothevisionoftheNATOFieldSchoolfor8years and counting I’m so excited to follow the next stages of the NFS and excited for this new cohort of young leaders to get the opportunities that I had working for this program.
If you ’ re reading this, you ’ ve put some time into learning about something I care deeply about, this program. So, whether you ’ re a student interested in the NFS, an alum keeping up on all that we ’ re up to, a stakeholder learning about this program for the first time, or an NFS champion that has been supporting this wonderful and ambitious program, thank you for your time, your expertise, your enthusiasm, and your support, and stay tuned, as I will be, for whatcomesnext
WELCOMEJULIA!
Julia Reinhard has taken over the role of Program Coordinator for the 2025 NATO Field School! She is a recent graduate of Simon Fraser University's Political Science program andanalumnaofthe2024NATOFieldSchool
“ParticipatingintheNFSwasthehighlightofmy academic career and I am very grateful to have the opportunity to follow Hannah's legacy asthenewProgramCoordinator.”
“What I look forward to most about this new position is the opportunity to create the same memorable experience I was given, to the new cohort of students I'm grateful to be a part of the NFS team and look forward to an exceptionalyear!”
APPLICATIONSFORNATOFIELD SCHOOL2025AREOPEN!
Applications for the 2025 NATO Field School and Simulation program open on November 1st, 2024! They will close on December 10th Apply via our website!
Questions about applying and about the program? Attend one of our informationsessions!
November8th,2024at12:00PT/15:00ET
November20th,2024at17:00PT/20:00ET(SFUISS)
November30th,2024at13:00PT/16:00ET
Follow our Instagram, @natofieldschool for ‘Ask Me Anything’ Q+As on November 15-16 and December 5-6, 2024. Contact us with any questions atnato@sfuca!
Hannahatthe2022NATO Communicators’Conferencein Skopje,NorthMacedonia
Dr. Alexander Moens Director
Dr. Ryan Dean
2024AssistantDirector
Julia Reinhard ProgramCoordinator
About the Team
Dr.AlexanderMoensfoundedtheNATOFieldSchoolandSimulation Programin2017
HeisaProfessorofPoliticalScienceatSimonFraserUniversityandserved asChairoftheDepartmentfrom2017-2022 DrMoenshasheldthe DepartmentofForeignAffairsandInternationalTradeMarcelCadieux,the NDUHemisphericDefenceFellowship,andtheNATODefenseCollege EisenhowerFellowship In2022-23,hewasinvitedtobeaSeniorFellowfor CurriculumPolicyandPlanningfortheSeniorCourseatNDC DrMoens' currentresearchinterestsincludeCanadian,American,andEuropean securityanddefencepolicy,GreatPowerPolitics,andNATO
Dr RyanDeanwastheAssistantDirectorofthe2024NATOFieldSchool
Hejoiniedusin-fieldfromSt FrancisXavierUniversitywherehewasan AssistantProfessorinthePublicPolicyandGovernanceprogram.Before thisheworkedastheResearchandPolicyCoordinatorfortheNorth AmericanandArcticDefenceandSecurityNetwork(NAADSN)atTrent University HeiscurrentlytheManagingEditorofDocumentsonCanadian ArcticSovereigntyandSecurityhostedbytheCentreforMilitary,Security andStrategicStudies(CMSS)andArcticInstituteofNorthAmerica (AINA)inCalgary.
JuliaReinhardisanalumnaofthe2024NATOFieldSchoolandgraduated fromSimonFraserUniversitythisfallwithaBachelor’sdegreeinPolitical ScienceandaminorinCriminology SheisthenewProgramCoordinator forthe2025NATOFieldSchool
About the Team
S M o Communicationsand OutreachCoordinator
Sashaisanalumnaofthe2024 NATOFieldSchoolandan InternationalStudiesandPolitical Studies(Hons)studentatBishop’s University.
Amy Topshee AlumniCoordinator
AmyTopsheeisanalumnaofthe 2022NATOFieldSchool Shehasa BA(Hons)inPoliticalSciencewith InternationalRelationsfromthe UniversityofBritishColumbiaand recentlycompleteda6-month internshipintheBCLegislature
Sarah Dicken
FieldSchoolAssistant&NDCIntern
Sarahisanalumnaofthe2024NATOField SchoolandaPoliticalScienceand InternationalRelationsstudentatthe UniversityofBritishColumbia Sheisjoining theteamastheFieldSchoolAssistantand ItalyInternattheNATODefenceCollege!
Hannah Christensen
PodcastCoordinator&SeniorAdvisor
HannahChristensenjoinedtheNATOFieldSchoolteam inDecember2020,andhassubsequentlytakenonthe rolesofIntern,ProgramCoordinator,Podcast Coordinator,GenderAdvisor,andnowSeniorAdvisor! HannahisamemberoftheAdvisoryCouncilon DiversityfortheCommander,MaritimeForcesPacific, andrecipientofthe2024WomeninDefenceand Security(WiDS)scholarship SheiscurrentlyaMaster's studentintheNormanPatersonSchoolofInternational AffairsatCarletonUniversity,studyingSecurityand DefencePolicy
