The Peace Operations Training Centre (POTC) in Slovenia and the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) are co-organising the “Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT)” training activity. The training will take place at the Gotenica Police Training Centre in Slovenia from Sunday, 8 March to Friday, 13 March 2026.
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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 the training 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 of the Hostile Environment Awareness Training 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.
Applications must be submitted via the ESDC’s secure online system, ENLIST, by designated nominators at https://esdc.europa.eu/enlist/login. To apply, a national nominator must first add you to the system, so please contact your nominator as the first step. A list of ENLIST nominators is available on the ESDC website at https://www.esdc.europa.eu/training-and-education/list-nominators_en.
The deadline for submitting the application is 15 January 2026. 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.
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