The Hellenic Army War College (HAWC) and the Cyprus Security and Defence Aca-demy (CSDA), under the aegis of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), will host the course ‘Modern leadership in the context of the law of armed conflict and open-source intelligence’ from 12 to 16 October 2026 (TBC), in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Aim:

The course aims to help participants reach their full leadership potential in the context of armed conflict. Furthermore, the course aims to educate participants on the key elements of the law of armed conflict (LOAC) and the impact of open-source intelligence (OSINT) in decision-making. In addition, thecourse provides participants with opportunities for networking and mindful discussion with peers and experts. The three basic modules on which the course focuses are leadership, LOAC and OSINT. Subject matter experts and qualified tutors guide parti-cipants through the course material, through lecturing, mentoring and discussion. All participants will also have the opportunity to work in groups and put their new knowledge into practice, in workshops and a crisis management scenario.

The course is open to mid/senior-ranking military/law enforcement officers and civilian staff, from various levels of governmental institutions (defence, foreign affairs, interior, etc.) of Member States, EU structures and third countries. Personnel involved in planning or conducting military operations and personnel deployed or expected to be deployed in civilian/military CSDP missions/operations are also welcome to attend.

Target audience:

The course is open to both civilian and military personnel from EU Member States, EU institutions and agencies, Third Countries, Candidate countries and International Organizations.

Places and nominations:

Around 40 places will be available to international participants. Typically, one or two places are allocated to each EU Member State, but depending on the total number of requests, one additional place may be offered. The course welcomes participants from Third Countries, Candidate countries and International Organizations, based on the availability of seats. Our objective is to put together a group that is balanced in terms of gender and professional background.

Applications:

Applications from EU Member States are to be submitted via the ESDC secure internet system ENLIST, by designated nominators, at https://esdc.europa.eu/enlist/login (speci-fic date is to be defined accordingly). A list of ENLIST nominators can be found on the

ESDC website at https://esdc.europa.eu/nominators/.

Registration will not be final until confirmed by the ESDC Secretariat, upon completion of the requested personal data in ENLIST by the confirmed participants.

Applications from third countries and international organizations should be sent to the ESDC training manager, by the institution/organization that receives this invitation. The application must include the following details: the full name of the candidate, personal e-mail address (functional mailboxes will not be accepted), sending institution, nationality, date of birth, passport number and its validity.

Invitation Letter