"The Power of the Tie"... Your comments regarding the relationships forged in a short and high-paced (almost) year at NDU are spot-on! My own example was highlighted on a trip to Bulgaria to visit one or our Air Force personnel assigned to the US Embassy. He'd had quite a bit of trouble getting one of the Bulgarian military's counterintelligence officials to partner with him and share information. Upon my arrival, he scheduled an office call between me and the Bulgarian officer to see if I might be able to open some doors. The initial greeting evolved into a bit of a chilly reception and tense 5 minutes based on body language and surface level pleasantries. Then, from out of nowhere, the mood changed. The officer's face turned to a smile... he said: "Is that a National War College tie?" gesturing toward me. I hadn't even noticed that I had, indeed, unintentionally put on my NWC tie that morning. I told him it was.... and then he gestured to his NWC diploma on the wall across the room. He had not graduated from the same class I was in....he was a few years earlier...but the common bond of that academic year resonated. The whole conversation changed, and by the end of that 1 hour meeting, our Embassy rep had much greater access to this officer and information of mutual importance between our two countries. All this over a tie. Even in retirement, I'm still in contact with many of my NWC classmates and some of the international partners / friends I met during that year. There is no doubt that sending some of the best and brightest (present company excluded) to NDU is costly in career time and money. But the long-term payoffs are well worth the investment ...which has been proven in countless stories much like this one. I remain very thankful to have been one of the lucky ones to have had that experience.
The power of images is right there as soft power. gREaT story.
"The Power of the Tie"... Your comments regarding the relationships forged in a short and high-paced (almost) year at NDU are spot-on! My own example was highlighted on a trip to Bulgaria to visit one or our Air Force personnel assigned to the US Embassy. He'd had quite a bit of trouble getting one of the Bulgarian military's counterintelligence officials to partner with him and share information. Upon my arrival, he scheduled an office call between me and the Bulgarian officer to see if I might be able to open some doors. The initial greeting evolved into a bit of a chilly reception and tense 5 minutes based on body language and surface level pleasantries. Then, from out of nowhere, the mood changed. The officer's face turned to a smile... he said: "Is that a National War College tie?" gesturing toward me. I hadn't even noticed that I had, indeed, unintentionally put on my NWC tie that morning. I told him it was.... and then he gestured to his NWC diploma on the wall across the room. He had not graduated from the same class I was in....he was a few years earlier...but the common bond of that academic year resonated. The whole conversation changed, and by the end of that 1 hour meeting, our Embassy rep had much greater access to this officer and information of mutual importance between our two countries. All this over a tie. Even in retirement, I'm still in contact with many of my NWC classmates and some of the international partners / friends I met during that year. There is no doubt that sending some of the best and brightest (present company excluded) to NDU is costly in career time and money. But the long-term payoffs are well worth the investment ...which has been proven in countless stories much like this one. I remain very thankful to have been one of the lucky ones to have had that experience.
Fortunately it was recorded and is available at https://www.dvidshub.net/video/907266/austin-ukraines-president-speak-national-defense-university