On 12^th – 13^th of May 2026, the annual NATO Land Operations Education and Training Discipline Conference (ADC LANDOPS) took place in Kungsängen, Sweden. Unlike last year, when the conference was held via videoconference, this year the conference took place residentially for the first time after seven years, hosted by SWEDINT (Swedish Armed Forces International Centre).

At the beginning of 2025, Armed Forces Academy of general Milan Rastislav Stefanik (SVK AFA) and Swedish Armed Forces International Centre (SWEDINT) took over the joint responsibility for leading the LANDOPS discipline as Department Head (DH), on the principle of a rotating presidency in a two-year cycle. SVK AFA, as the chairman of DH LANDOPS, professionally managed the conference under the leadership of the Acting Chief of the International Courses Department, LTC Miroslav Majtner, assisted by Zuzana Freissl, while the Swedish SWEDINT ensured the organization and hosting of the entire event.

The LANDOPS discipline was also represented at the conference by other representatives of its organizational structure, namely the Requirement Authority (RA) - whose task is to identify current requirements for education and training within the discipline (a member of HQ LANDCOM in Izmir, Turkey), as well as the Discipline POC - the representative of the Headquarters of Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation (HQ SACT) for LANDOPS, who ensures supervision and control of compliance with NATO standards of education and training quality and also acts as a liaison officer at the level of HQ SACT in Norfolk.

Representatives of the constantly expanding LANDOPS community met at the conference. A total of nine Education and Training Facilities (ETFs) and Centers of Excellence (COEs) were represented. The interdisciplinary dimension of the conference was also supported by the participation of representatives -DHs from five other disciplines.

The event was opened by Lieutenant Colonel Miroslav Majtner by welcoming the participants and presenting the conference program. In his opening speech, the Commandant of SWEDINT, Colonel Richard Gray, appreciated the benefits of cooperation between the two institutions and emphasized the importance of the conference for the further development of the LANDOPS discipline.

The two-day program continued with an evaluation of the fulfillment of tasks from the previous period and an assessment of the current state of the discipline. The program included a presentation of uncovered education and training requirements, as well as information on the status of courses belonging to the discipline. An important topic was the clarification of the conditions for the certification of new courses and the process of re-certification of courses that need to be updated.

ETFs presented their activities for the past period, portfolio of NATO certified courses and informed about the status of updating their content, including the implementation of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO). In addition to confirming the certification of new courses and approving the recommended requirements for course certification for the next period, the DHs also agreed to examine the possibility of organizing a joint ADC of several disciplines starting next year.

The conference was closed by the address of Brigadier General Michael Carlén from the Swedish Armed Forces, who in his speech emphasized the importance of education and training in increasing the readiness and interoperability of the armed forces of NATO member countries.

The conference met the expectations of the participants and brought a lot of professional information, but also space for informal discussions and exchange of experience. This format continues to represent an important part of increasing the efficiency and quality of education in the field of NATO Land Operations within the Global Programming Cycle. We thank the entire community for their active approach, personal contribution and interest in moving forward and strengthening joint efforts.