ABU DHABI // Emiratis enrolled in the military will soon be able to take part in strategic training at a top defence college in Italy.
The move is part of an agreement signed between the Nato Defence College and the UAE Ministry of Defence in Abu Dhabi a few weeks ago.
“The training has to do with many different activities within education and research in the military field,” said Gen Arne Dalhaug, the college’s commandant.
“It also involves exchange when it comes to high-ranking civil servants, diplomats or military.”
Emiratis will be sent to the Rome-based college to study the military field at a strategic level.
“We have lectures about the development of the security situation in Asia, with China, Japan and the two Koreas for example, so we’re talking about broadening students’ understanding about world issues,” Gen Dalhaug said.
The long course, also known as the senior course, involves six months of teaching at a strategic level with an emphasis on field studies. Students “get to travel to different capitals to experience first hand how politics are viewed in that part of the world”, Gen Dalhaug said. “We also include travel to the Middle East.”
A shorter course is designed to broaden students’ understanding of the relationship between Nato and the Arab world.
“It’s more of a regional cooperation course,” he said. “We have translations in English, French and Arabic running at the same time.”
Some of the topics studied include developments and changes in the Middle East, including Syria and Iran.
“It’s a developing situation that’s of great interest,” Gen Dalhaug said. “The situation in Ukraine is also important to understand and we see changes in Asia, so all those changes are taking place simultaneously and they call for local attention.”
Although the college already has 40 students from the UAE, the agreement aims to broaden and expand the cooperation.
“Such courses are beneficial for the future leaders of the world,” said Anthony L Winns, Lockheed Martin’s president for Middle East and Africa.
“Since the end of the Second World War, the college has trained and educated government leaders with the diplomatic and strategic tools to comprehensively grasp challenges to our future security. The environment created at the school has fostered a greater global perspective on security concerns.”
He said the school’s strategic military training that focused on different political and social institutions helped personnel to develop the “human inter-operability skills” necessary to function successfully in a multinational environment.
“The establishment of a truly global marketplace and the exponential growth of telecommunications technologies have inexorably intertwined the world into a global commons, creating new, complex and nuanced security challenges to state governments,” Mr Winns said.
“Understanding other political and strategic objectives can also help to remove mistrust, increase communication between allies and allow for greater military and political compatibility in joint ventures and operations.”
He said governments increasingly needed personnel with a global perspective on security and considerable diplomatic skills.
“In this interconnected world, they need the ability to convey concepts and strategies to an international audience and the ability to adapt and respond effectively to rapidly evolving and global security and economic circumstances,” he said.
“Many nations recognise that no nation can afford to act alone any more and that the only way to explore new ideas and address these new challenges is through collective action. As Nato founder Dwight Eisenhower stated: ‘Though force can protect in emergency, only consideration and cooperation will lead to lasting peace’.”
Guerman Goutorov, chief executive at Streit Group, an armoured-vehicle manufacturer in Dubai, said courses in the strategic military field were crucial.
“Firstly, military combat needs to be planned with solid strategy in place,” he said. “Especially as heavy ammunition is involved, all aspects of battle need to be directed at one goal and follow integrated strategy. It is important for the future generation of officers to learn military strategy, as well as receive training at the early stages.”
The company recently introduced training courses for special forces and security personnel to provide a wider understanding of tactical military combat and strategic implementation of armoured vehicles.
cmalek@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
FIXTURES
Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney
Note: d/n = day/night
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
More on animal trafficking
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
