A two-week NATO CIMIC Basic Course has been organized by the HDF Civil-Military Co-operation and Psychological Operations Centre.

The course aimed to enable the participants to conduct CIMIC activities at the tactical level. The course covered not only the CIMIC NATO doctrines and concepts but CIMIC capabilities and organizations, as well.

On the first week of the course the participants attended lectures on CIMIC projects, negotiation skills, cultural and tribal characteristics and the experiences of the soldiers in the theatres of operation. The last three days seemed to be the most interesting part of the course when students put the theory into practice in Táborfalva.

The participants had the possibility to negotiate with the mayor of the settlement and several administrative leaders. One of the conference halls of the ZMNDU served as a perfect venue for the lectures. Students of the Faculty of Defence and Security helped conduct practical tasks. The course emphasized the civil-military dimension; therefore members of the Non-Governmental Organizations have also been invited to achieve a deep understanding of CIMIC from a military point of view.

On the whole the lectures turned out to be authentic because soldiers having served on mission shared their experiences with the course graduates. According to the organizer of the course Major Tamás Harmath, the NATO CIMIC Basic Course has proved to be successful because of authentic lecturers, informative lectures and enthusiastic students.

Edited by Dóra Darnyik