Seminars
FP Seminar 2009
March 2009, Soesterberg, The Netherlands
From 2 to 5 
of March, the 2009 edition of the EAG Force protection seminar was hosted by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) and held at the Officers’ Casino in Soesterberg, Netherlands.
The seminar objectives were “to enhance the participant’s knowledge of Force Protection matters across the EAG nations plus Norway and Sweden, achieved through sharing of information, discussions and reflection activities in syndicate and plenary sessions”
Formally opened by Colonel Blom, RNLAF Cdr Force Protection Branch, and formally closed by Major Mainguy, EAG Force Protection Area Director, the seminar was articulated around two main efforts:
- A series of presentations of present nations’ capabilities and operational experience;
- Three workshop sessions studying multinational operational scenarios, similar to current deployments emphasising international force protection planning. The participants were split into four syndicates.
Every nation within the EAG sent participants to the seminar. Furthermore, Norway and Sweden sent participants, totalling 34 officers from 9 different nations.
A lot of very interesting exchanges have been made, showing that this seminar is a useful tool, indicating where other nations are deployed facing similar problems with manning and funding. All participants agreed that the seminar is an ideal occasion to learn from each other, to exchange information and to discuss different points of view in a multinational atmosphere.
The support provided by the RNLAF as the host nation was definitely outstanding. All the participants were unanimous to recognise that the host nation and Major Thom Spee, RNLAF, put a lot of effort into hosting the seminar in the best possible way. As a cultural highlight, a visit of the Dutch Museum of Flight History took place on the second evening, followed by a hosted dinner.
