Dates:  5–30 April 2027 (4 weeks)

European-led Defense (ELD) is a four-week resident course designed for security professionals seeking to strengthen Europe’s capability to deter adversaries and defend itself.

The course examines how European nations and institutions can translate strategic commitments and defense resources into military capability. Participants explore the relationship between strategy, capability development, defense industrial capacity, and European security cooperation, with particular attention to the roles of European institutions and the evolving balance of responsibility within the transatlantic Alliance.

The course combines expert instruction, seminars, applied analysis, and practical exercises. Throughout, participants engage with faculty, senior military and civilian leaders, European and transatlantic institutions, and practitioners from across the security community to examine current challenges and develop approaches that can be adapted to their own organizations.

The Transatlantic Industrial Readiness Program, established to align military, government, industry, and security practitioners to support NATO 3.0 and advance European-led deterrence and defense, will be integrated throughout the course, with particular emphasis in Module 3.

Recognizing that many professionals cannot step away from their responsibilities for the full duration of the course, European-led Defense is offered in a modular format. Participants may apply for individual weeks or the full four-week program, depending on their professional requirements and interests.

Module 1: Strategy and Policy Development

Participants examine strategy including how political objectives, policy, investment, production capacity, and resource constraints shape strategic choices. By the end of the module, participants will frame a real-world problem, identify interests and constraints, and align ends, ways, means, risk, and assumptions.

Module 2: European Defense

This week focuses on European defense in a holistic manner, incorporating the mandates and missions of major regional collective defense-related organizations. It examines how NATO meets its obligations under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, as well as the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy. The week’s capstone features a scenario exploring ways to ensure Europe’s credible deterrence and defense.

Module 3: Defense Industrial Base

Participants apply Transatlantic Industrial Readiness Program principles and examine the defense industrial base, with a special focus on the European theater. They examine defense initiatives with an emphasis on innovation ecosystems, supply chain resilience, and institutional coordination. By the end of the week, participants will strengthen their professional skills to examine challenges at different levels and develop policy options to address them.

Module 4: EU-NATO Cooperation

This week is taught in collaboration with the Brussels-based European Security and Defence College. Participants will debate the strategic partnership between the EU and NATO as a platform for European-led defense. They will gain insights on cooperation areas such as military mobility, capacity-building or maritime security. The module will close with crisis scenarios involving EU-NATO cooperation mechanisms. 

The Marshall Center's resident courses are designed to build strategic competencies through lectures, seminars, simulations, and individual consultations. By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Assess the strategic environment and its implications for European security and defense.
• Align strategies, capabilities, resources, and institutional efforts to address shared security challenges.
• Advance practical approaches that strengthen European-led deterrence and defense.
• Apply strategic concepts to defense policy and capability-development challenges.
• Analyze how resources, industrial capacity, and institutional processes affect credible deterrence and defense.
• Build professional networks that strengthen cooperation and collective security.

The course is offered in English only. A minimum score of 80 on the English Comprehension Level (ECL) test, or an equivalent score or qualification under the ALCPT, NATO STANAG 6001, TOEFL, CEFR, or recognized university-level English coursework, is required.