Brunssum, The Netherlands – Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFCBS) held the inaugural Brunssum Operational Level Discussion, or BOLD, Conference at the Gouvernement aan de Maas building in Maastricht, 12th November, 2024.
Each of you play a critical part in maintaining the security of the NATO Alliance.
The event was hosted by General Guglielmo Luigi Miglietta, JFCBS Commander, with ‘Leadership: Achieving Stability in Chaotic Times,’ as the main theme for the conference.
The audience was made up of leaders from the NATO military structure, government leaders from the Tri-Border region (The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany), leadership from regional businesses and universities, and corporate representatives from professional sport.
“It’s not a coincidence that this particular group of leaders has come together today, here in the beautiful Limburg Governor’s Building in Maastricht, in the very same room where the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1992,” said General Miglietta during his opening remarks. “Each of you play a critical part in maintaining the security of the NATO Alliance. Today, we come together with a specific purpose. We will discuss leadership, we will build relationships and, most importantly, we will begin a conversation as a community that will continue for years to come.”
JFC Brunssum is rapidly developing into a warfighting headquarters, and it has highly talented officers who work relentlessly to maintain a strategic edge over our adversaries.
The Keynote speaker for the event was Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer.
“JFC Brunssum is rapidly developing into a warfighting headquarters, and it has highly talented officers who work relentlessly to maintain a strategic edge over our adversaries,” said Admiral Bauer. “But collective defence is not something that can be outsourced to the military. It is truly a task for the collective. And that is why today we will talk about the kind of leadership necessary to face the challenges ahead of us.”
Other speakers and panellists included Mr. Emile Roemer, King’s Commissioner of Limburg; Professor Marielle Heijltjes, Dean of Maastrich University’s School of Business and Economics; Ms. Anne Francke, Chief Executive, United Kingdom Chartered Management Institute; Mr. Frans Janssen, Commercial Director of Profvoetbalclub uit Eindhoven; former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General (ret) Sir James Everard; and Dr. Benedetta Berti, Director of Policy Planning, Office of the NATO Secretary General.
The half-day event featured speeches, panel discussions, and conversations based on questions from the audience. General Miglietta closed the conference by recognising the speakers and panellists for contributing their vast expertise to the conversation, and thanking the audience members for taking the time to attend.
“This was the first iteration of the Brunssum Operational Level Discussion, but it will not be the last,” said General Miglietta. “The conversation we have started today will be an ongoing, continuous discussion amongst Tri-Border leaders, as threats to our way of life continue to grow and evolve. My vision is that BOLD will become one of the year’s hallmark events as the years unfold. You will each be able to say you were involved since the beginning.”