Voices of NATO

There are thousands of Voices of NATO. Soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen. In the field or at a desk. All ranks and 28 nationalities. Do you have a story to tell, or a point of view to express? We welcome your submissions. Read our first article by YN2 Gauthier, who expresses his hope that others will share their stories. Visit our submission page and become one of the Voices of NATO.
 
This opportunity is open to all NATO service members, active or retired. All submissions are subject to review by the editors, and must conform with Operational Security. Photos are also encouraged.
Lieutenant Commander Marianne Van De Kruijs explains the Friendly Approach to OAE
We have various ways of getting out our message regarding the purpose of Operation Active Endeavour and we know it is important to take the time to explain our mission and ensure we get support from the people who make their living at sea, such as local fishermen, says the Public Affairs Officer aboard HNMLS De Ruyter.

Medical technician Cpl Christine Borkowski serving in Afghanistan
Voices of NATO story from the Kabul Military Training Centre profiles Cpl. Christie Borkowski, from 150 Mile House, B.C., Canada. Cpl. Borkowski is living the twin goals she set for herself in her youth – a medical and military career.

Cpl. Jeroen Roskam - From Dust To Desk
As I'm writing this I'm sitting behind my comfortable desk and enjoying the company of my very international team of colleagues. We enjoy the thrills of an international HQ. Drinking coffee, discussing the best brand of chocolate, the new stapler and cracking the occasional bad joke. From time to time however the conversation changes to life outside of the SHAPE perimeter to places that colleagues have been before SHAPE.

Army Dental Surgeon Petra Kurth pulls time in Active Endeavour
A different approach for Voices of NATO, as LtCdr Heinrich Christian Großheim interviews Dental Surgeon Petra Kurth about her experiences on board German frigate FTG Rheinland-Pfalz. The army dental surgeon had spent no time at sea prior to joining the deployment with the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1.

Lt Col Ian Woodbridge - HQ ARRC Homecoming
By the time you read this, Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (HQ ARRC) will be in the process of finishing its tour in Afghanistan and the first people will be on their way back to Innsworth. Some of our people will have spent a full year away from home and for the others, like me, it will be the end of (only) 6 months away.

CW4 Paul Dannar, US-A - Views of Leadership Part 3
In the third of our four part series on leadership, CW4 Paul Dannar examines a second approach in follower/leader relationship development: Mentorship.

CW4 Paul Dannar, US-A - Views of Leadership Part 2
In the second of our four part series on leadership, CW4 Paul Dannar comments on the concept of discipleship and apprenticeship.

CW4 Paul Dannar, US-A - Views of Leadership Part 1
Chief Warrant Officer Four Paul Dannar currently works at SHAPE in the Office of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. He has served in the United States Army for 29 years, serving in a number of posts including Afghanistan, Kuwait, South Korea, Washington D.C., Fort Bragg and the U.S. Army War College. In the first of our four-part series on leadership, CW4 Paul Dannar comments on the leader/follower relationship.

Blogs on Leadership
This week at the Voices of NATO we will be doing a series of blogs on leadership. Our intent with this blog series is not to tell you what leadership is, but to foster a dialog amongst all of you concerning leadership, with a focus on leadership at the senior non-commissioned, warrant, and junior officer level. As long as all comments are kept in consideration of Operational Security and respectful, there are no wrong comments or statements.

VADM John M. Richardson, Commander, U.S. Submarine Forces
Last week I was privileged to attend the NATO Submarine Commander's Conference (SCC) in Lisbon, Portugal. This conference was graciously hosted by José Alfredo Monteiro Montenegro, Commander of the Portuguese Navy and CAPT Melo, Commander of the Portuguese Submarine Squadron. In attendance were the Submarine Force Commanders from all the NATO submarine-operating nations, as well as observers from the Partnership for Peace nations, Sweden and Israel.

MSGT (OR7) Chris Almeria, USAF
I recently had the honour and privilege of serving as an instructor at the NCO Intermediate Leadership Course in Lucerne, Switzerland. This class is open to OR6s and OR7s in NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations to strengthen their leadership skills, develop professionally and learn a great deal more about what it really means to serve in the world's most successful alliance.

Primo Maresciallo Claudio CANTARUT (ITA Army ), A2 Tommaso MARFELLA (ITA NIC), Sergeant Giannantonio MENEGOLI (ITA Navy)
Sometimes it happens to a service member employed in a mission abroad to imagine what the experiences will be that they are going to live; which emotions, who they will meet, and what they will share.