ODU Students Take Part in 北约模拟 of Libyan Crisis

2015年10月29日

Lt. Col. Alfonso 阿尔瓦雷斯 (standing) a Spanish military officer, introduces the NATO simulation to Old Dominion students.

To an audience of 29 Old Dominion University international studies, political science and geography students, 北约Lt. Col. Alfonso 阿尔瓦雷斯 stood and gave a history lesson.

Before Old Dominion University students began their Oct. 29 simulation exercise run by local NATO officials, 阿尔瓦雷斯, a Spanish senior military officer based in 诺福克 ran through a brief history of the organization. He talked about its founding in 1949 with 12 charter members, and how the organization has grown to 28 European and North American member-states.

That set the stage for the simulation exercise. Representing different NATO nations, the 29 students debated and attempted to resolve the delicate geopolitical implications of the exercise "Libya: A Broken State."

“记住, I want you to enjoy this experience,阿尔瓦雷斯说, before a video outlining the Libyan crisis was played. "This exercise was created for you to learn about how NATO works, including the relationship between different nations, and how we can work collectively on complex problems."

蒂姆·基德, lecturer of geography in the 文学院 and 信s, said the ultimate testament to the dynamic exercise is that many of the students participating were also attendees in previous years.

“这是独一无二的. We have a lot of people who have wanted to come back, so they obviously have found the exercise rewarding,基德说. "I've had students apply for internships from this, change their major. It's a really great exercise and a fantastic opportunity for the students."

The past two years the NATO simulation has been held at Old Dominion's Virginia 建模, Analysis and Simulation Center in Suffolk and at NATO's North American headquarters near the Norfolk Naval Base. Col. 比尔·布朗(退休).) director of Old Dominion's 军事 Connection Center, said hosting this year's event on the main ODU campus was a tremendous opportunity.

"This is one of those win-win events," Brown said. "We have 70 NATO family members who attend Old Dominion, some of whom stay behind to finish their degrees after their parent or spouse returns to Europe."

In fact, participants representing countries such as Albania and Greece in the Oct. 29 simulation were Old Dominion students who came to the University as dependents of NATO officers stationed in Norfolk.

"It is a really unique experience and they bring a very interesting perspective,基德说.