The participants of the 54^th class of the General Staff for Advanced Studies at the National Defense School of the Military Academy visited Belgium during a study trip from May 30^th May until June 3^rd.

The study trip was organized by the Atlantic Council of Serbia and supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in Belgrade and in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia.

The delegation lead by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Mr. Igor Jovicic, visited the headquarters of the NATO Alliance (NATO HQ) and the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) in Brussels, as well as the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons.

During the visit to the headquarters of the NATO Alliance, the members of the delegation discussed with their hosts about NATO’s political agenda, NATO partnership programs, military cooperation as well as the benefits with which such cooperation is bringing.

After visiting the NATO headquarters, the delegation visited the European Union Military Staff, where the members of the delegation were directly introduced to the structure, the way the institution functions, as well as the comprehensive approach of the EU in military operations. They had the opportunity to examine these topics with their colleagues – officers from the EU member states.

The next day, the delegation visited the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Mons.  The participants had a chance to meet with a great number of their fellow colleagues and officers that are working in various sectors within SHAPE, who introduced them in more detail to their current operations and military cooperation. During the period intended for questions and answers they were able to exchange opinions regarding the aforementioned topics as well as other similar issues.

On the last day of the study trip, the participants of the 54^th class of the General Staff for Advanced Studies and the lecturers of the National Defense School visited the Royal Military Academy of Belgium. They were introduced to the academic – scientific programs and capacities of the academy. They also visited the Royal Museum of Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels, where they gained a better insight into the history of the military forces of Belgium as well as the key moments in military history of the country. During the study trip, the participants also has the opportunity to visit the museum complex of the historic military battlefield Waterloo.

Members of The Atlantic Council of Serbia that were engaged in organization and implementation of this project were: Ms. Miroslava Milenović- Member of the Board; Мs. Tijana Andrić- Executive Director, and Mr. Boris Viculin- Project Manager.