12. 12. 2024 | HEAT, POTC, PR
The Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC), under the aegis of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), is organising a Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT). The training will take place at the Gotenica Police Training Centre in Slovenia from Sunday 16th to 21st of February 2025.
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This training activity contributes to security and situational awareness, reinforces a safety and security awareness mindset, and develops confidence in hostile situations. In addition, the training provides guidance on individual and team behaviour to help deter, detect and react during and after threatening events, thus increasing the overall personal safety and security of participants while serving in hostile environments. This year’s HEAT will be conducted in a winter environment.
Up to 20 professionals with different backgrounds, working or aiming to work with national or international (non-)governmental organisations, academic or private sector are eligible to apply for participation in the training.
The participants will join an experienced group of Slovenian and foreign trainers for a five-day intensive course in the southwestern part of Slovenia. The training is designed to:
• improve participants’ knowledge about multiple threats present in hostile field environments and learn how to deal with them in an effective manner;
• rehearse and practice safety and security procedures according to specific threats;
• develop skills and behaviours to deal with different stressful situations.
Activities include e-learning prior to the in-person training, lectures, guided discussions, role-playing, simulations, and a complex field training exercise. Trainees will be addressing deployment in hostile environments (threat awareness, management of various threats, etc.), medical help, orientation, communications, mobility, etc.
Apply to the training activity here: REGISTRATION FORM
The deadline for submitting the application is January 10th, 2025. The selection of participants is done by POTC and ESDC after the deadline, and both selected and unselected applicants will be notified.
You can find all the information regarding the registration process and the training delivery here.
Link to Goalkeeper Schoolmaster – Published Course.
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11. 12. 2024 | Peace and security, POTC, PR
OPEN CALL FOR APPLICATIONS – deadline 17 January 2025 – EXTENDED TO 24 JANUARY
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The Gender in Operations 5-day training programme will be delivered in cooperation between the Peace Operations Training Center and the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). The residential part of the course will take place at Jable Castle in Loka pri Mengšu, Slovenia, from 10 to 14 March 2025, with individual e-learning planned before arriving to the training.
The primary objective of the training is to enhance operational effectiveness by providing participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively incorporate a gender perspective in CSDP and international missions and operations.
The course is designed for up to 25 civilian experts, police and military personnel, deployed or planning to be deployed to international missions or operations. Participants should be middle management military officials, civilians including police, and diplomats from EU Member States and EU institutions and relevant agencies who are assigned to or interested in participating in (future) CSDP, NATO, OSCE or UN missions or operations, or who are to be assigned to a position in a fragile state. The course is open to third countries.
The working language of the training will be English, and no translation services will be provided.
Attendance is free of charge for all selected participants (no tuition fee).
Sending authorities need to cover all costs for their participants’ travel and accommodation (including breakfast) during the residential part of the course.
During the course, POTC will cover the costs for:
– daily local transport (bus) between the designated hotel and the course venue;
– all costs connected with attending any social/cultural event;
– lunch, beverages and other refreshments provided during the training course at Jable castle.
More information can be found in the Invitation Letter.
Participants can apply only via the ESDC secure internet system ENLIST, by designated nominators, under https://esdc.europa.eu/enlist/login no later than 24 January 2025. A list with relevant ENLIST nominators can be retrieved from the ESDC website at https://esdc.europa.eu/nominators/. Registration will not be final until confirmed by the ESDC Secretariat and upon completion of the requested personal data in ENLIST by the confirmed participants.
For any additional questions regarding the application procedure, please contact both Esther (ESDC) at [email protected] and Danaja (POTC) at [email protected].
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9. 12. 2024 | Peace and security, POTC, PR
From 3 to 6 December 2024, POTC implemented a Stratcom Pilot Training at Jable Castle in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of Slovenia. The first edition of the training on strategic communication in the context of international operations and missions took place at Jable Castle.
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Over the past couple of decades, exponential technological advances have introduced new mechanisms, tactics, techniques and means into warfare and, consequently, into international operations and missions (IOM), not only in all five domains (land, sea, air, cyber, space), but also and especially in the areas of cognition, information generation and information flow. As a result, geographically bounded phenomena have entered individual consciousness globally in real-time through different information channels, shaping thinking and influencing the values, attitudes and behaviour of target audiences. In such an environment, security processes, which were once limited in scope, required an integrated and synchronised approach by the whole of society. The understanding of this idea and its implementation influenced the end goal pursued and the effectiveness of action in ensuring national and international security. The above was the starting point and the basic guideline for the preparation of this pilot training.
At the end of the training, the participants who had attended the training received a certificate of successful completion.
The POTC would like to thank Lieutenant Colonel Nina Raduha and her team for their contribution to the delivery of the training. The feedback from this pilot training will be used to implement a second, updated edition of this activity next year.
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29. 11. 2024 | Peace and security, POTC, PR
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Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC) successfully delivered “Gender Mainstreaming in UN Peace Operations and Missions” training, which took place between 18 and 28 November 2024. A comprehensive 10-day training was specifically designed for 22 Mongolian Armed Forces personnel, with the aim of empowering Mongolian peacekeepers as advocates for gender equality and human rights.
The programme focused on valuable field-based insights into gender dynamics, conflict-related sexual violence, and strategies for promoting gender equality within peace missions and operations settings. The participants engaged in expert-led lectures and hands-on exercises aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of the critical role gender plays in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. Besides topics on gender mainstreaming, participants put additional focus on the various teaching methods and techniques used during the training, with the aim of further transferring the knowledge gained to their colleagues back home in Mongolia.
The training was delivered with the support of the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments of the European Commission, organised in the framework of the project marking the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the EU and Mongolia. POTC would also like to express its gratitude to motivated and dedicated participants, as well as to all the valuable contributions of the trainers, including experts from the CoESPU and UN Women.
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28. 11. 2024 | Peace and security, POTC, PR
On Wednesday, November 27, the Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC) organised the third edition of the training activity on disruptive military technologies and practices. The training took place in the Knight’s Hall of Jable Castle in Mengeš.
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The programme included lectures on drone warfare, the role of AI in the battlefield, how international criminal law is handling technological advances and neuro-warfare.
Distinguished experts from leading institutions delivered the lectures, representing a unique blend of private and public sector insights. Participating lecturers came from Timtec Defense, the Jožef Štefan Institute (IJS), the Institute of Criminology at the Law Faculty in Ljubljana, and Georgetown University. The seminar included a pivotal presentation from a representative of the Military Technology, Research and Development Section of the Ministry of Defence, potentially marking the beginning of a promising collaboration with POTC.
Participants engaged in rich discussions, gaining valuable insights into the complex security challenges of the future and exploring innovative approaches to emerging technological threats. The interactive nature of the seminar allowed for meaningful dialogue between experts and attendees, fostering a deeper understanding of the rapidly evolving military technology landscape.
All participants who completed the full training received an official certificate of participation, recognising their commitment to understanding these critical developments.
The organisers extend heartfelt thanks to the lecturers and participants for their exceptional engagement and thought-provoking discussions, which contributed to the seminar’s success.
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29. 10. 2024 | POTC, PR
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Twenty participants successfully completed the Comprehensive Protection of Civilians Training, held from 21 to 25 October at Jable Castle. The training was conducted in cooperation with the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). POTC’s Protection of Civilians Training is UN-certified.
Last week, the Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC) concluded another training focused on peacekeeping missions and operations with a mandate for comprehensive civilian protection. In total, 20 participants from 11 different countries actively participated and successfully completed the 5-day training, which was comprised of theoretical lectures and a simulation exercise. Before arriving in Slovenia, all participants completed e-learning modules designed to provide them with foundational knowledge of the principles and practices of civilian protection.
The aim of the training was to equip participants with an understanding of the conceptual, legal, and operational framework for the protection of civilians. It also sought to provide insights into Protection of Civilians (PoC) practices in UN and EU missions and operations, the effective tools used in practice, and the necessary skills and knowledge for working in missions with a PoC mandate while considering the basic legal framework and operational concepts for PoC in UN, EU, and NATO contexts.
POTC expresses its gratitude to the expert trainers who contributed to the training’s success, along with the active engagement of the participants. We look forward to further developing the training content based on the feedback received and lessons learned.
Photos from the training can be viewed below:
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