NATO Field School students attend the UBT Summer Academy in Kosovo

In the summer of 2019, we joined SFU's NATO Field School and Simulation Program. We had no idea our summer would take us not only to Belgium, Italy, Latvia and Romania—but also to Kosovo! After a demanding and engaging month of hard work and travel, we headed to Kosovo where we were Student Advisors at the UBT International Summer Academy. Their students participated in a simulation of the NAC “On the near future of Afghanistan NATO operation.”

The many hours of hands-on simulation practice, procedure training and strategy and operations learning we had in Vancouver, Rome and Romania, were the tools we passed on to these students, alongside remarkable organizers from UBT and the NATO Defense College in Rome.

On the ground, you can truly see modern nation-building and the security challenges they have faced and what they may potentially face in the future. The few days in Kosovo were challenging but immensely humbling and rewarding. An experience that neither of us is likely to forget. The people, culture, stories, nature, and food are enough to warrant another visit, despite the long trek!