January 9, an opening ceremony for the Baltic Naval Intermediate Command and Staff Course (NICSC) was held at the Military Academy of Latvia in Riga. Eight new attendees of the course were present during the ceremony also attended by Commander-in-Chief of the Latvian Navy, and Defence Attachés from USA, Germany, Lithuania and Norway. The guests wished luck to the participants of the course and Commander-in-Chief of the Latvian Navy Capt (N) Rimantas Strimaitis expressed a hope that he would also have the honour to shake hands with all the eight officers as graduates of the course.
The course will be organised for the sixth time this year to develop martial, command and planning knowledge of the Baltic naval officers.
The main objective of the course is to train naval officers for efficient service in international staffs. The environment of international studies and lectures by instructors from the ANTO countries give the students grounds for improvement.
The Baltic Naval Intermediate Command and Staff Course have been organised at the National Academy of Defence of Latvia since 2007. Over 100 Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian naval officers have graduated from the course since then.
The course syllabus is based on the typical education and military knowledge of the Baltic naval officers and contemporary naval realia, prospects, challenges and aspirations of the Baltic States.
In 2012 three listeners from Lithuania, four from Latvia and one from Estonia will train in the five-month course.
Lt (N) Ramūnas Kažerskas
