• Retired Brigadier General František Mičánek, heading the Centre for Security and Military Strategy Studies at the University of Defence, has been elected the Dean of NATO Defence College (NDC) deployed in Rome, Italy. The elections to Dean office that represents the civilian counterpart to the school commandant took place during the regular meeting of NATO Military Council by the Alliance member countries’ military representatives. The idea of a NATO Defense College originated from General Dwight D. Eisenhower and moved from the original site in Paris to Rome in 1966.

BrigGen (ret.) František Mičánek joined the military forces in 1988 serving most of his career in air defence positions starting from regiment staff cell up to anti-aircraft regiment commander. Later, he worked for the Ministry of Defence Forces Planning Department taking the head position there in August 2011 and lasting for almost two years. He acquired international experience from his deployment in the SFOR operation in Bosnia in 1990s. In May 2012, he was promoted to brigadier general rank and retired at the end of June 2013.

František Mičánek in the leading position of the Centre for Security and Military Strategic Studies has contributed to senior officers’ training at national level. “NDC’s mission differs in this way as it is responsible for preparing officers along with civilian employees for working in EU/NATO international teams” says the newly elected Dean of the Rome-based military school. Appointed the head of one of its divisions in 2009 to 2011, he is well acquainted with the processes and methods of teaching applied there. Teaching curricula and methods he used as the model for the new concept of the courses for senior officers introduced by the Centre for Security and Military Strategic Studies in the University of Defence since 2014.