Andriy Dovbenko

Angus McLeod

Brigadier (Ret.) Nick Cowey

Brigadier General Dênis Taveira Martins

Brigadier General Jyri Raitasalo

 Brigadier General, Dr.Pol.Sc. Jyri Raitasalo is Chief of Logistics (ACOS J4) at Defence Command Finland. He holds the title of Docent of strategy and security policy at the Finnish National Defence University (FNDU).

During his latest assignments, Jyri Raitasalo has served as Commander of Karelia Brigade, head of strategic planning sector at Defence Command Finland, military advisor to the Minister of De-fence at the Finnish MOD, military professor of War Studies at the FNDU, senior staff officer (strategic planning) at the Finnish MOD, the Commanding Officer of the Helsinki Air Defence Regiment (Armoured Brigade), Head Lecturer of Strategy at the Finnish National Defence University and Aide-de-camp to the Chief of Defence.

Jyri Raitasalo is a called member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. He has published many academic monographs and articles, focusing mainly on the post-Cold War era Western security and defence policy and the changing character of war.

Brigadier General Marc Schibli

 Brigadier General Schibli commands the Infantry Training Unit. He is responsible for basic training and
reports to the head of Training. and Education Commande.
The Commander of the Infantry Training Unit oversees the infantry recruit, non-commissioned officer
and officer schools, as well as the Infantry Standby Battalion, the Armed Forces’ Mountain Operations
Centre of Excellence and the Centre of Excellence for Military Music. He supports higher authorities in
the planning, evaluation, procurement, implementation and disposal of equipment and systems.

Brigadier General Terry R. Tillis

Brigadier Robert Singleton

 Brigadier Rob Singleton commissioned into the 1st Battalion, The King’s Own Royal Border Regiment (1 KORBR) in 2000. He was a Platoon Commander in Cyprus and then at AFC Harrogate. He returned to 1 KORBR as Officer Commanding Recce Platoon and he deployed in this role to both Northern Ireland and Iraq (the latter as a part of the Op TELIC 7 Brigade Surveillance Company). Battalion Adjutant followed before a move to Germany as SO3 G3 Operations in 20th Armoured Brigade.
After promoting to Major, and completing the Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land), he was employed as an SO2 in the Organisation Branch in Army Headquarters. He then commanded Burma Company, 3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment from 2011 to 2013 which included a deployment to Afghanistan on Op HERRICK 16. After sub-unit command, he spent a short period as Military Assistant to Chief of Staff (Policy and Finance) in the Permanent Joint Headquarters, followed by a year as Directing Staff at Staff College, and a year as Second in Command of the 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (2 LANCS).
On promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, he completed the Advanced Command and Staff Course at the Defence Academy. He then had the privilege to command 2 LANCS from July 2016 to December 2018; during command he deployed his Battle Group on Op SHADER, and a series of exercises in Kenya. Post-command he was SO1 Organisation in Army Headquarters, before promoting to Colonel and becoming Chief of Staff of the Land Warfare Centre from August 2020 to December 2022. He then attended the Higher Command and Staff Course and commanded 4th Light Brigade from May 23 until December 24. He is currently Commander of the Combat Manoeuvre Centre and is the Colonel of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment.
Brigadier Singleton has a MSc in International Security from Cranfield University. He is married to Katie, and they live in Warminster with their two girls.

Captain Josef Sojka

 He began his military career in 2006 as a field lines squad commander in the 101st Signal Battalion, where he was responsible for building field power and communications lines.
In 2011, he was promoted to Junior Technician, managing company CIS systems. After the transformation of the 101st Battalion under the CIS Agency, he became a technician for deployable communication and information modules at the Deployable Systems Centre, supporting brigade and division field headquarters.
In 2014, he was promoted to Lieutenant at the CIS Support Section, fulfilling various roles for NRF and EU Battlegroup detachments. In 2016, he became leader of a team of CIS specialists, testing Information Exchange Gateway technology for the federation of classified systems in accordance with the FMN concept.
In 2018, after nearly a decade supporting communications for higher echelons and focusing mainly on information systems, he joined the reconnaissance battalion as CIS Chief. He shifted focus to planning and directing tactical radio networks.
Finally, in 2024, he returned to the CIS Agency as Deputy Chief of Deployable CIS Section and was promoted to Captain. He helped establish comprehensive training routines for new signal vehicles, improving operational readiness. Later that year, the C2/C4 Technology Development Section was established, and he was appointed to support various projects, including dismounted soldier modular kits, 5G implementation, and the development of a national technological polygon. This initiative serves as a pinnacle of MOD technological capabilities, integrating CIS, cybersecurity, robotics, and AI factory development.
Professional Experience:
06/26/2006 – 12/31/2010: Squad Commander
01/01/2011 – 06/30/2013: Junior Technician
07/01/2013 – 11/30/2014: Technician
12/01/2014 – 06/30/2016: Support Section Officer
07/01/2016 – 12/31/2017: Team Leader
01/01/2018 – 12/31/2023: Chief of CIS Section, 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion
01/01/2024 – 06/30/2024: Deputy Chief of Deployable CIS Section
From 07/01/2024: Deputy Chief of C2/C4 Technology Development Section
Education
2019 – 2021: Master’s Degree in Security Technologies, Systems and Management, Tomas Bata University in Zlin
2009 – 2013: Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology, Masaryk University Brno
2002 – 2006: Electronics, Military Secondary School Brno

Captain Robert Mørck

Colonel (Ret.) Stephen Banks

Colonel Charles Anklam

Colonel David Brassard

Colonel David Brassard graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada and received his commission in the Royal Canadian Artillery in 2000.
He served as a junior officer in the 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, in Petawawa, Ontario, from 2000 to 2006, before spending one year as the personnel assistant to the commander of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.
Colonel Brassard commanded a battery within the 4th Regiment, Royal Artillery, between 2013 and 2015, and was appointed Commanding Officer of the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, in Shilo, Manitoba, from 2020 to 2022. Throughout his career, he participated in four international missions, notably in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Afghanistan. Colonel Brassard has served with every regular brigade of the Canadian Army.
Colonel Brassard has held various staff appointments in Ottawa with the Strategic Joint Staff, the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC), and Canadian Army Headquarters. He was appointed to executive positions as Military Assistant to the Minister of National Defence and as Chief of Staff to the Commander of CJOC.
Promoted to his current rank in 2022, he served for two years as Director General Joint Operational Readiness at CJOC Headquarters.
He has commanded 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group from May 2024 to May 2026 and assumed command of Multinational Brigade Latvia on June 12th 2026.
Colonel Brassard holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Economics, a Master’s degree in Public Administration, and a Master’s degree in Political Science. He earned the Higher Staff Officer qualification from the Belgian Defence College in 2016. He is a qualified military parachutist with the Belgian Army and has completed the Combat Team Commander Course.
 

Colonel Jan Mazal

 COL. Doc. Ing. Jan Mazal, Ph.D., graduated from the Military College of Ground Forces in Vyskov. Since 2005, he has been a doctor in the theory of Defence Management field; since 2013, he has been an associate professor in the area of Military Management. He is a former Doctrine Education and Training Branch Chief at the NATO Modelling & Simulation Centre of Excellence in ROME. Currently, he is a chief of the Military Robotics Department at the University of Defence in Brno. His field of expertise is Military Robotics, Automation of Operational Reasoning, C4ISR Systems, and Modelling and Simulation in the Military Domain. He is the author or co-author of more than 80 scientific publications, a number of robotic prototypes, and various professional software applications. He is the annual chairman or organizer of several scientific conferences (MARS, MESAS, and others), Chairman of the Defence Scientific Committee for the AI and Robotics (CZE MOD), CZE NATO STO AVT representative, and a member of various  NATO groups (MCDC, NATO STO AVT/MSG/SAS, LCGLE/ToE-UGV).

Colonel Jim Howard

Colonel Louis Desrousseaux

Colonel Massimo Moncada

Colonel Nik Bruce

Colonel Parker Consaul

Colonel Robert Barnhart JR

Colonel Robin Foster

Colonel Valentyn Kuianov

Colonel William Waugh

 Will Waugh was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment in 1997, serving most of his early career with 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (2RTR) on Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks and a variety of other Armoured Fighting Vehicles. He has deployed on training exercises around the world and has completed multiple operational deployments to the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He enjoyed two superb years at the British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) in Canada, overseeing live-fire and instrumented collective training before completing the Advanced Command and Staff Course, unit command, and then deploying as Deputy Director J5 (Future Plans) within a US-led two-star Special Operations Joint Task Force. He has spent the latter part of his career in capability and acquisition including leading capability development for the Army's Armoured Infantry Brigades, planning Information Manoeuvre capabilities and Programme Director for the Challenger 3 Programme. He led the National Armaments – Materiel's Dismounted Close Combat Team since September 2025 where he is responsible for the procurement and sustainment of dismounted lethality, survivability, and surveillance and target acquisition capabilities across UK Defence.

Dr Darren Browning

Dr Thomas O'Leary

 Tom is a Senior Physiologist for the British Army and has spent over 10 years researching health and performance of service personnel for Defence. Tom was one of the lead authors on: i) the British Army’s 2024 report on Optimising the Health and Performance of Women in Ground Close Combat roles after an 8-year research programme, and ii) the MoD’s 2026 Servicewomen’s Arduous Training Guide, which provides training, nutrition, and protection guidance for all Servicewomen preparing for, and operating in, arduous roles. Tom’s research interests are in musculoskeletal biology and female physiology, and he has published over 80 peer-reviewed papers in these fields.

Dr. Benjamin Jensen

Gary Keller

Graham Vernon

Lee Renwick

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Arthur Dawe

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) James de St John-Pryce

Lieutenant Colonel Aaron West

Lieutenant Colonel Alan R. Chartier

 LTC Alan Chartier was born in Leominster, MA. He received his commission as an Infantry Officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri in May 2008. LTC Chartier served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Battalion Operations Liaison Officer and Weapons Platoon Leader in 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom X-XI. He served as a Company Commander in 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia. LTC Chartier was then assigned to 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas where he served as the Assistant Operations Officer and then as a Stryker Rifle Company Commander.
In 2017, LTC Chartier transitioned into the Army Acquisition Corps and served as an Assistant Product Manager (APM) in Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment and as an APM in Project Manager Integrated Visual Augmentation System within Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Following his assignments at PEO Soldier, he served as a Department of the Army Systems Coordinator supporting PEO Ground Combat Systems and as the Executive Officer to the Deputy for Acquisition and Systems Management within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology). LTC Chartier was then assigned as the Acquisition Program Integrator for Army National Military Cemeteries at Arlington National Cemetery. He is currently serving as the Product Manager Soldier Maneuver Sensors in Portfolio Acquisition Executive Maneuver Ground at Fort Belvoir, VA.
His military education includes the Infantry Basic Officer Leaders Course, Maneuver Captains Career Course, Command and General Staff Officer Course, Ranger Course, Airborne Course, Air Assault Course, Army Acquisition Foundation Course, Intermediate Qualification Course, and Program Managers Course. His civilian education includes a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Lincoln University and a Master of Business Administration from Florida State University.
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Combat Infantryman Badge, Air Assault Badge, Parachutist Badge, and Ranger Tab.
LTC Chartier currently resides in Fairfax Station, Virginia with his wife Trish and they have four children AJ (19), Heather (17), Corey (12), and Alex (11).

Lieutenant Colonel Christine Woods

Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Watzenig

 Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Watzenig is CTO at Virtual Vehicle Research and Professor of Autonomous Driving at Graz University of Technology, Austria. Since 2019 he is invited Guest Lecturer at Stanford University, USA, teaching multi-sensor perception and data fusion. He also teaches vehicle autonomy at Tongji University in Shanghai, China. He is militia officer of the Austrian Armed Forces.

He is Editor-in-Chief of the SAE Int. Journal of Connected and Automated Vehicles.

Lieutenant Colonel Erik Bartak

Lieutenant Colonel Jamin D. Williamson

 LTC Jamin D. Williamson received his commission as an Armor Officer from Officer Candidate School at Fort Moore, Georgia in 2009. His tactical assignments include Rifle and Scout Platoon Leader, and Squadron S-3, 1st Armored Division; Chief of Operations, Mechanized Infantry Company Commander and Headquarters and Headquarters Company Commander, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. He has operational and combat deployments to Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

In 2020, LTC Williamson entered the Acquisition Corps and served in numerous assignments to include: Assistant Product Manager Sniper and Next Generation Squad Weapon, PEO Soldier, Department of the Army Systems Coordinator for tactical network systems, and Executive Officer to the Deputy for Acquisitions and System Management, ASA(ALT). LTC Williamson most recently served as the Acquisition Advisor to the Under Secretary of the Army.

LTC Williamson’s military education include the Armor Officer Basic Course, Maneuver Captain’s Career Course, Airborne School, U.S. Army Command & General Staff College, and the Army Acquisition Basic Course. LTC Williamson received a B.S. in Political Science from Indiana State University, a Masters of Operational Studies from the Command & General Staff College, and his Juris Doctor from Florida Coastal School of Law. From 2016-2019, LTC Williamson was assigned as a member of the Staff & Faculty at the United States Military Academy where he taught professional military ethics, coached the cycling team, and served as Chief of Plans.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with 1 silver oak leaf cluster, Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghan Campaign Medal, Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, Superior and Meritorious Unit Award, Parachutist Badge, and Combat Action Badge.

LTC Williamson is a native of Centerville, Indiana, and is married to Kelly Williamson, a marriage counselor and native of Greenville, South Carolina. They have two children: Genevieve (10) and Vivian (8). His hobbies include cycling, endurance sports, and family time.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy F Giles

Lieutenant Colonel Louis Kalmar

Lieutenant Colonel Marco Bertasa

Lieutenant Colonel Martin Spensberger

Lucy Waldrom

Major Callum Cash

Major Di "Karl" Hu

Major General Constantin Nicolaescu

 Major-General Constantin NICOLAESCU was assigned Chief of Staff of Headquarters Multinational
Corps South-East (HQ MNC-SE) on the 1 September 2024.
Major-General Constantin NICOLAESCU was born in 1973 in Craiova, Dolj, Romania. In 1987 he
started his military career at the “Dimitrie Cantemir” Military College, in Breaza. In 1991 he attended military
studies at the Romanian Land Forces Academy, graduating as an Infantry Officer.
In 1995, as a young 1st Lieutenant, Major-General Nicolaescu was appointed as a Reconnaissance
Platoon Leader within the 23rd Armoured Battalion. Promoted to the rank of Captain in 2003, he was then
appointed as a Company Commander within the same battalion.
In 2004, after graduating the Military Paratroopers Course, Major-General Nicolaescu started a new
career path within the first Romanian Special Operations Force Battalion. His assignments included Staff
Officer - S2 Intelligence Branch, Intel-Analysis Cell Head and Company Commander of the 1st SOF
Company. Promoted to the rank of Major in 2008, he was then appointed as the Deputy Battalion
Commander. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2011. In 2012, he was appointed as the
Commander of the 620 SOF Battalion.
In 2015, Major-General Nicolaescu was promoted to Colonel and in 2016 he was assigned as the Chief
of Staff, 6th SOF Brigade “Mihal Viteazul”. In 2018, once the Special Operations Forces Command was
established, Major-General Nicolaescu was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Support and after two
months he was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Headquarters Special Operations Forces. In October
2018, he was assigned as the Deputy Chief of Training and Doctrine Section within the Land Forces
Headquarters.
In October 2019, Major-General Nicolaescu was assigned as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations,
for the newest NATO headquarters established in Romania, Headquarters Multinational Corps South-East. On
November 19, 2020, Major-General Nicolaescu was appointed to the position as Brigade Commander, at
Multinational Brigade South-East, located in Craiova.
Starting with 23th of April 2025 was promoted to the current rank.
Major-General Nicolaescu has deployed in three missions abroad; Afghanistan 2006, as a Liaison
Officer, Iraq 2009 as a Special Operations Forces Training Team Leader and Afghanistan 2013-2014 as the
Commander of the Romanian Special Operations Task Group.
Major-General Nicolaescu is a graduate of the Advanced Officers Course, Command Staff College at the
National Defence University “Carol 1”, postgraduate studies includes “Professional Development in the Land
Forces Management” and “Strategic Leadership”. In 2019 he graduated from National Defence University
“Carol 1” with a Doctorate of Philosophy title in Military Sciences. Since 2017, he has been an Associate
Professor with the same institution. He holds a civilian bachelor’s degree in Economics, Legal’s and
Administrative Sciences awarded by “Petru Maior” University from Tîrgu Mure?. Major-General Nicolaescu
is proficient in English.
Major-General Nicolaescu has been awarded the Knight of the Order “Military Virtue”, the NATO “Non
Article 5” Medal, the “Honour Medal of the Romanian Army”, the “Honour Medal of the Romanian Defence
Staff”, the “Honour Medal of the Romanian Land Forces”, the US “Medal of Merit”, and Long Service
Honorary Medals for 15, 20 and 25 years.
He is married and has one daughter.

Major Jack Bowden

Major Lukasz Wojciak

Major Magnus Hallberg

Major Matthew Huff

Major Suzanne Finch-Pawley

Master Gunnery Sergeant Jonathan Salsa Salasibarra

Mr Anders Palm

Mr Andriy Dovbenko

Mr James Gavin

James has worked in industry and other government departments, before joining the MOD 6 years ago, to help transform the MODs innovation mechanisms to be more effective.

Mr Jonathan Russell

 Jonathan is a Senior Principal Scientist within the Lethality and Protection Capability Team at Dstl, Porton Down, UK. He is technical lead for the Land Systems Programme Dismounted Protection Project, and Dstl’s Lead Technical Reviewer for the Close Combat Systems Development and Evaluation project.
He is an active member of the NATO Land Capability Group Dismounted Soldier System (LCGDSS) Combat Clothing Individual Equipment and Protection (CCIEP) group, member of the STANAG 2920 Team of Experts, chair of the Head Borne Systems Team of Experts, and chair of STANAG 2902 Test and Evaluation Criteria for Combat Helmets.
He is a subject matter expert in physical protection having joined Dstl in 2005, developing and analysing vulnerability and lethality concepts for UK land vehicles. He has spent the last 15 years working in the dismounted protection domain, researching, developing and supporting UK MOD procurement programmes, and technical lead for INVICTUS – the technical programme board for VIRTUS. Prior to this he was Dismounted Close Combat Science Gateway at DE&S Soldier Training and Special Programmes, responsible for coherence between S&T, research and delivery.

Mr Jose Collazo-Castillo

Mr Joseph Lyden

Mr Kevin Chu

Mr Oleg Dunda

Mr Ruben Stewart

 Ruben Stewart is the Senior Fellow for Land Warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), where he researches the evolution of contemporary and future land warfare. His work examines both the technological and human dimensions of war, including the development of ground-force capabilities, military adaptation, operational concepts, and the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and uninhabited systems. He is particularly interested in the enduring human factors that shape military effectiveness, including command, training, morale and the societal influences on armed forces.
Ruben served for more than a decade as an infantry officer in the New Zealand Army before spending fifteen years with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), including in senior leadership roles in complex conflict environments such as Iraq during the campaign to retake Mosul. His postings have also included East Timor, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Immediately before joining IISS, Ruben was a Military Advisor at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), where he focused on the military, humanitarian and legal implications of emerging technologies in armed conflict.

Mr Wim Huiskamp

 Wim Huiskamp is Chief Scientist Modelling and Simulation in the M&S department at TNO Defence, Security and Safety in the Netherlands. He holds an M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Twente University of Technology, The Netherlands. His research areas include system architecture for distributed real-time simulation and C2-Simulation interoperability problems. Wim acted as project lead for several national and international simulation (interoperability) projects and he leads TNO’s current research program on Cloud Based Simulation, which is carried out on behalf of the Dutch MoD. He has been program manager of completed research programs on Live, Virtual and Constructive Simulation, Simulation Innovation and Mission Training through Distributed Simulation. Wim is a Member at Large of the NATO Modelling and Simulation Group (NMSG) and served as its elected Chairman (2013-2016). He has been member and chairman in several NMSG Technical Working groups. He is former Chairman of the NMSG M&S Standards Subgroup (MS3) and the liaison of the NMSG to the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization SISO. Wim is member of the European Training and Simulation Association ETSA. He served on the Conference Committee of ITEC2011 - ITEC24 and was the Conference Chair for ITEC17. Wim also chaired several recent editions of the Annual NMSG Symposium.

Ms Samantha Horsley

Professor Julie Greeves

Senior Master Sergeant Atle Eriksen

 Atle Eriksen serves as a Senior Master Sergeant at the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA), specializing in soldier systems. His primary responsibilities include system integration and configuration, while also representing end-user requirements in several European Defence Fund (EDF) projects, including ACHILE, ARMETISS, LODESTAR and HARVEST.

His military background spans long-range reconnaissance, armoured cavalry, CBRN operations and mine clearance, intelligence, logistics, and instructor duties at the Non-Commissioned Officer Academy. He has extensive experience mentoring and training foreign military forces. In addition to his military career, he brings more than ten years of experience from the Norwegian Immigration Police Service.

Throughout his career, Eriksen has deployed to multiple international operations, including Lebanon, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Georgia, and Afghanistan.

Senior Representative