Agreement signed between Luiss and the Defense General Staff
AGREEMENT SIGNED BETWEEN LUISS AND THE ITALIAN DEFENSE STAFF
DEFENSE: LUISS UNIVERSITY AND THE DEFENSE GENERAL STAFF SIGN AN AGREEMENT
The agreement strengthens the collaboration between the two institutions in the fields of higher education and advanced teaching.
Rome, May 28, 2020 - Today, the Chief of the Defense General Staff, General Enzo Vecciarelli, and the Director General of Luiss Guido Carli University, Dr. Giovanni Lo Storto, signed a mutual collaboration agreement between the two entities. The agreement aims to foster institutional collaboration and synergies between academia and the Armed Forces’ training system, both in higher education and in the development of advanced teaching methodologies for training activities conducted by both entities.
General Vecciarelli commented on the delicate challenges ahead: “Let me say that the first months of this decade have been quite turbulent, revealing in all their complexity a series of challenges, threats, and critical issues that we didn't think – or simply weren't able to predict – could all converge within the same timeframe and on such a large scale. I am referring to the strategic competition between medium and large powers, which is experiencing a period of resurgence with increasingly pronounced antagonisms. I am thinking of transnational terrorism, which remains a constant threat to our lives and our social systems. And above all, I am thinking of the strategic shocks that undermine the very foundations of our life in community.”
General Vecciarelli then agreed with the comments of the University’s Director General, Dr. Giovanni Lo Storto: “The complexity of the current historical moment shows us ever more clearly that the challenge of our time is to learn to look beyond the predictable. For this reason, education must embrace the “Life Largelearning” paradigm: a broader form of learning, rich in experiences and interaction with others, that prepares students for the impact of a constantly changing world of work.”
Specifically, the agreement, which runs for three years and can be extended, outlines how the Defense General Staff and Luiss will collaborate to plan, design, implement, deliver, and share courses, lectures, seminars, conferences, workshops, and other activities on topics crucial to the Armed Forces. These topics range from national and international security to developing skills in cooperation and international relations, from innovation management to leadership, and from cybersecurity to intelligence, risk management, and global governance. Another goal of the agreement is for Luiss Business School to develop advanced training programs for military leadership and conduct scientific research on strategic issues.
“Luiss Business School’s mission is to train the country’s leadership class, of which our Armed Forces are a flagship, as recognized in all the theaters where they operate,” added Paolo Boccardelli, Director of Luiss Business School. “We are particularly proud to be able to offer them our expertise in advanced education on such strategic topics as digital transformation and cybersecurity.”
The agreement strengthens the already fruitful institutional collaboration between the Defense General Staff and Luiss University, which began in 2009, with the aim of exchanging expertise and training between the two entities.