By Jhr. mr. Alexander W. Beelaerts van Blokland LL.M, Justice (Judge) in the (Dutch) Court of Appeal and since 2004 (honorary) Special Advisor International Affairs, appointed by the Municipality of The Hague.
The Hague is not only ‘the legal capital of the world’, but also ‘the international centre of justice and peace’. That means that not only important organizations which are active to make the world more peaceful like OPCW are based in The Hague, but also military organizations, like the well known NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) in the dunes of The Hague, close to the new building of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Oude Waalsdorperweg.
Half military, half civilian and new in The Hague is the CCOE: Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Centre of Excellence at Brasserskade 227A, formerly based in Enschede in the east of The Netherlands. The CIMIC Centre of Excellence is a multi-nationally sponsored, NATO accredited, training and research institution. It is dedicated to the proper development and application of Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) in complex crisis situations. It provides subject matter expertise on CIMIC for both civilian and military customers. The primary focus is in conceptional and doctrinal development and lessons learned, along with enhanced training and education for NATO personnel and a multitude of international and civilian guests.
Military operations have to cope with a multinational composition of forces and a variety of local and international civilian actors. Succesful facilitation through CIMIC equally supports the forces that enable a safe and secure environment and the needs of local authoroties, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s). Qualified experts can bring the tools into action that are needed to manage an effective crisis response. One way to get those qualifications is through a thorough education.
The City of The Hague extends a warm welcome to this CIMIC Centre of Excellence !
The author: a.beelaerts@planet.nl
