Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany –  NATO and the Partnership for Peace Consortium (PfPC) hosted defense education leaders and specialists from 24 countries and 74 institutions at the 14th annual Defense Education Enhancement Program (DEEP) Clearing House, held June 23–25 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The event provided a strategic forum for coordinating professional military education (PME) initiatives and strengthening defense education systems across Allied and partner nations. As global security challenges grow, this annual gathering remains essential to NATO’s commitment to sustainable educational capacity building.

Tailored Reform for Lasting Impact

DEEP continues to support PME development in 17 partner countries through custom education reform programs. Delivered by a network of program managers, academic leads, project leads, and subject matter experts (SMEs), these programs are tailored to each nation’s institutional context. In 2024, DEEP facilitated over 550 activities, involving 1,513 SMEs and reaching more than 3,148 faculty members. Focus areas include curriculum modernization, NCO development, faculty training, English language instruction, and advanced distributed learning.

“Defense education is becoming more and more important,” said Mariusz Solis, NATO DEEP team lead. “Partner countries see the value in education and are requesting more support.”

Addressing Shared Challenges Through Dialogue

During the event, NATO program managers and academic leads outlined challenges encountered across partner institutions—including resource limitations, legislative restrictions, and personnel turnover. These insights informed the discussions of the Education Development Working Group, which focused on adapting DEEP’s open-access reference curricula. Current curricula address topics such as cybersecurity, hybrid threats, leadership, and resilience, with future additions planned in operational planning, logistics, and emerging technologies.

“One of the biggest themes this year was the operational planning process,” said Dr. Tim Dreifke, PfPC DEEP Coordinator. “The Warrior Ethos has sparked real interest across the education enterprise.”

Milestone Achieved: Embedding Quality Assurance

A key milestone emerging from this year’s Clearing House was the advancement of formal quality assurance (QA) frameworks in partner PME systems. Georgia and Ukraine are leading efforts to institutionalize QA policies aligned with NATO standards. With DEEP’s support in policy development and faculty training, these countries are moving from external support to sustainable, internally managed education systems.

“Money and equipment don’t help if we don’t have well-educated and trained personnel,” noted BG (Ret.) Rolf Wagner.

Partner Nations Take on Leadership Roles

Several partner nations demonstrated their evolution from program beneficiaries to active contributors in defense education reform. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, and Georgia showed progress in faculty development, English language training (supported by the Bureau for International Language Coordination), and NCO development. Morocco, meanwhile, is playing a leading role in expanding NATO interoperability and professional development across Africa. These shifts reflect DEEP’s long-term impact and the growing ownership among partner nations.

The 15th Clearing House on Defence Education will be hosted by the Czech University of Defence in Brno in June 2026, continuing the momentum toward a more integrated, effective, and future-ready global defense education network. As DEEP enters its next phase, collaboration between NATO, PfPC, and partner institutions will remain essential to navigating the evolving landscape of military education.

For more information on DEEP’s Reference Curricula and ongoing initiatives, visit: https://www.pfp-consortium.org/products/reference-curricula or by visiting the Education Development Working Group page here.

You can find the DEEP Clearing House report on the sidebar to the left.