The Chief of Joint Staff attends the Alliance Warfare Development Conference (AWDC) at Allied Command Transformation Headquarters

• This is the first time Allied Command Transformation (ACT) has hosted the AWDC, replacing thus the Chiefs of Transformation Conference (COTC)

The Chief of Joint Staff (JEMACON in Spanish), Lieutenant General Fernando Garcia Gonzalez-Valerio, attended the Alliance Warfare Development Conference (formerly  Chiefs of Transformation Conference - COTC), representing the Defence Staff.

The AWDC is an annual conference organized by ACT -Allied Command Transformation-, which brings together national leaders responsible for Warfare Development in the Alliance, as well as other NATO agencies.

The 2021 edition developed 'The Alliance Warfare Development Agenda', a document that, derived from the 'NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept' aims to guide the development of the Alliance's military capabilities with a 20-year future horizon.

General Gonzalez-Valerio also had the opportunity to visit the facilities of the Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC-NF) and the Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Centre of Excellence (CJOS COE).

The JFC-NF, an operational level headquarters under SHAPE and belonging to the NATO Command Structure, currently includes 4 Spanish military personnel, a number that will be increased to 7 as of next summer, when a Spanish general officer will assume the duties of Chief of Staff (COS).

The CJOS COE's mission is to support NATO and participating nations in improving their ability to conduct joint-combined operations from the sea in order to meet current and emerging maritime security challenges. The CJOS COE's staff, sponsored by 12 nations, including Spain, includes a Spanish officer.