Students Learn from Key Leaders in NATO Site Visit
On November 1, 2024, a group of 29 Johns Hopkins SAIS students and two faculty members traveled to Norfolk, Virginia for a site visit to the NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) headquarters. Allied Command Transformation is one of two NATO strategic commands, tasked with leading the strategic warfare development of military structures, forces, capabilities, and doctrines.
This student-led trip, supported by the school’s Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies and sponsorship from Lockheed Martin Corporation, brought together a diverse group of students from all SAIS programs and exposed them to ACT’s critical activities that support the NATO alliance and its partners.The day started with welcome remarks by Rear Admiral Placido Torresi, the deputy chief of staff, Multi-Domain Force Development Directorate. He spoke to the group about how NATO is preparing for “multi-domain operations,” which refers to military activities across all operating domains and environments (maritime, land, air, space, and cyberspace). This shift was recently decided by NATO leaders to respond to the multitude of threats the alliance has faced in recent years.
Rear Admiral Placido Torresi - Deputy Chief of Staff Multi-Domain Force Development Directorate
Throughout the morning, SAIS participants got a chance to learn from Dr. Vlasta Zekulic, Cmdr. Jason Stewart, and Dr. Kestutis Paulauskas about the priorities of Allied Command Transformation and research being conducted at the base on cognitive warfare and strategic foresight.
“For me, one of the most impactful portions of the visit was the discussion with Dr. Vlasta Zekulic on the changing character of war,” said second year MAIR student Jessica Adams. “She explained how war itself has been a constant, but that it has become persistent, simultaneous, and boundless. She discussed how one of the biggest challenges to influencing nations and people is not a lack of information, but how to influence, and that the U.S. is behind our adversaries in this realm.”
SAIS faculty members who accompanied the students on the visits also shared their reflections on the day. Melissa K. Griffith, lecturer in Technology and National Security, noted that the world NATO faced in 1949 is not the world it faces today or will face tomorrow. “Engaging with NATO Allied Command Transformation—and touring a working aircraft carrier that has witnessed nearly five decades of history—gave our students invaluable insight into the complexities of today’s rapidly evolving security landscape and the consequences for the men and women who serve,” she added.
“What a unique opportunity for SAIS students—not only to stand on the deck of a working aircraft carrier, but to hear directly from NATO leaders about how they’re adapting to future threats,” said Olga Belogolova, director of the Emerging Technologies Initiative at SAIS. “This visit brought to life SAIS lessons on strategy, alliances, and warfare, giving students the chance to ask real-world questions of experts on the ground who are actively tackling these challenges.”
Stavros Piperidis, a second year MAIR candidate and the student lead for the trip, said the visit to ACT was more than just a one-time experience. “It marked the start of a promising partnership between SAIS and NATO bodies, aimed at benefiting our global community of more than 24,000 living alumni and supporting the security and resilience of 1 billion citizens of the Euro-Atlantic space,” he added.
The day concluded with a special tour of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier stationed at Naval Base Norfolk since July following a historic nine-month combat deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet in the Middle East.
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