SFA Operators Course 2025-2
The NATO Security Force Assistance Centre of Excellence (NATO SFA COE) successfully concluded the second edition of the SFA Operators Course 2025, aimed at enhancing the competency and effectiveness of civilian and military personnel involved in current and future security related capacity-building initiatives and operations.
The course, held from the 22nd to the 26th of September 2025, provided participants with methods of analysis combined with an integrated approach to improve their capabilities, skills, and performance.
It included interactive lessons, experiential learning, operational case studies and role-playing exercises.
During the first day, the training program featured team-building activities dedicated to getting to know one another and fostering strong knowledge and collaboration among attendees.
Furthermore, during the role play, attendees have concretely played as Advisors by successfully interacting with a local counterpart through an interpreter, applying the notions discussed during the lessons.
Among the others, some theoretical activities attracted particular interest:
- cultural awareness and effective communication, aimed at equipping attendees with useful tips for working successfully with Cultural Mediators when engaging Local Authorities from different cultural backgrounds during activities.
- engaging in mapping stakeholders in an Area of Operation training to visualize a local context, drawing linkages between different actors and internal and external threats.
- Insights on planning SFA activities at the Operational Level, including the new SFA for Planners guidance.
A particularly formative and engaging moment of the course was also the case study on Mali, which included an analysis of the mission and provided a broader overview of Africa. This session sparked an open discussion allowing attendees to share their experiences in different operational scenarios.
The SFA Operators Course confirms to be a well-established training solution which, alongside other courses and seminars delivered by the NATO SFA COE, enhances participants’ professional development by expanding their expertise, providing practical tools and critical thinking skills essential for deployment in SFA missions.
