The official ceremony marking the initial operational capability of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Center (JATEC) took place in Bydgoszcz, Poland, on Monday, February 17. The center will employ 70 personnel, including 20 from Ukraine.
According to an Ukrinform correspondent, the ceremony was attended by several high-ranking officials, including Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice, Olha Stefanishyna, Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, Admiral Pierre Vandier.
In her speech, Stefanishyna thanked NATO and Poland for establishing the center, emphasizing its significance for all parties involved. She said that Ukrainian officers at JATEC would share their battlefield knowledge and experience.
“This is the first NATO civil-military structure that includes Ukrainian participation with equal representation,” Stefanishyna said.
During a press conference, she said that the event served as tangible proof that “Ukraine and the Ukrainian Armed Forces are already part of NATO, and this happened today thanks to the establishment of this institution.”
Admiral Vandier stressed that JATEC is a direct response to the war in Ukraine and will address both immediate and future defense needs. He noted that the center would strengthen NATO and described its establishment as a “win-win strategy” for both Ukraine and the Alliance. Vandier stressed that for the first time, all 32 NATO members are working with a partner nation actively engaged in war, sharing military expertise and resilience strategies.
Vandier added that the center would employ 70 military and civilian personnel, including 20 from Ukraine.
Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that JATEC serves the interests of both NATO and Ukraine. He noted that while NATO countries frequently discuss aid for Ukraine, this initiative also allows them to learn from Ukraine’s war experience, thereby enhancing the capabilities of all Allied armies.
JATEC is a NATO-Ukraine jointly managed organization that integrates military and civilian experts from both sides to tackle a wide range of security challenges. The center will focus on both military and civilian aspects of warfare and security, covering key areas such as multi-domain operations, cognitive warfare, integrated security, and comprehensive defense.
On February 15, 2024, the NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) approved the establishment of JATEC in Bydgoszcz. Later, on July 11, at the Washington Summit, NATO member states formally recognized JATEC as a NATO-Ukraine joint military and civilian center. On December 16, the North Atlantic Council officially activated JATEC, making it part of the NATO Command Structure, directly subordinate to Headquarters, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.
Source: Twenty Ukrainians to work at NATO-Ukraine training center
