Young Disruptors at the COE Director’s Conference

Norfolk Virginia, 26-28 April 2022. .Atlantic Forum’s Young Disruptors attended the COE Director’s Conference in Norfolk between 26 and 28 of April on the invitation of Commodore Tom Guy (Deputy Director Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Centre of Excellence).

At the COE Conference, they had the opportunity to interact directly with ACT Leadership and learn more about the developments of the COEs since the visit in Vicenza last year. In addition, the group was able to take the stage and pitch deepened cooperation with the COEs in terms of youth engagement and joined a sparring session on how to maximize internship programs for both the COEs and the young professionals. The social program, a reception and a cruise along the Elizabeth River offered excellent opportunities to connect with the Directors on a more personal level. On the last day the delegation sat down with the representative of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki, Rasmus Hindrén and subsequently visited Allied Command Transformation where they received public praise from D-SACT General Paolo Ruggiero.

Atlantic Forum is looking forward to further developing its COE Engagement initiative and the next COE Directors Conference in 2023.

The Young Disruptors group consists of: John Jacobs (NLD), Lisa Homel (USA), Marc Tilley (GBR) and Hannah Christensen (CAN). Following participation of Atlantic Forum Director John Jacobs to the COE Marketplace in 2019 (with support of the NLD Mission to NATO) the Atlantic Forum was invited to send ‘Young Disruptors’ to Vicenza in 2021. The participation of young professionals offering alternative views was well received and lead to invitations to join the Directors Conference in Norfolk Virginia on 26, 27 and 28 of April and the 2022 edition of the COE Marketplace on 9, 10 and 11 of May.