In the framework of International Cooperation, IDN (the Portuguese National Defence Institute) aims at furthering relations with peer international security institutions, with a view to creating the conditions required to expand joint research and training initiatives with external partners.
IDN is currently working in collaboration with the following bodies:
It is incumbent on the Academic Committee of the 5+5 Defence College to programme, coordinate and monitor training initiatives covering countries that integrate this initiative: Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya.
IDN participates in two annual meetings, organises and delivers the “High Level Course” and jointly organises the “Intermediate Level Course” together with the Directorate-General for National Defence Policy and the Military University Institute.
Development of an annual research project in the scope of the 5+5 Defence Initiative. IDN supports this Centre by deploying one of its researchers to collaborate in the forum.
IDN is the Portuguese representative in ACDIA, an association for the exchange of information, studies and academic experiences, promoting contact between all Defence Colleges of countries that are part of this organization; IDN is also part of the Ibero-American Virtual Centre for Peace and International Security Studies, which aims to organise joint training activities in the Ibero-American space.
Since 2006, the National Defence Institute has been part of the European Security and Defence Colleges (CESD) network, established in 2015 and headquartered in Brussels. IDN organised its first training event in 2007, the year in which Portugal held the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union.
CESD aims to promote training and education activities, contributing to the development of a common security culture, focusing on advanced level education on the Common Security and Defence Policy. It seeks to empower Member States and institutions by promoting EU values and best practices in the area of security and defence. IDN has organized courses in the areas of Civil Crisis Management and Cybersecurity.
By order of the Minister of National Defence, IDN is the national point of contact for matters related to Conferences of Commandants supported by the NATO Defence College, who bear within the Alliance the responsibility for promoting strategic thinking in political-military affairs. In this sense, IDN is one of the Institutions of the Allied Countries network, participating in annual conferences and being responsible, in representation of the Portuguese State, for the planning, organisation and coordination of study visits to Portugal of NDC courses, namely the NATO Senior Course and NATO Regional Cooperation Course.
The National Defence Institute participates on an annual basis in the Advanced Strategic Studies Course for Ibero-American Senior Officers, delivering a module of the course that takes place in Salamanca.
In addition to a member from IDN, the Portuguese delegation includes a representative of the Directorate-General for National Defence Policy of the Ministry of National Defence, who addresses the topic “National Defence Policy” and a representative of the Directorate-General for Foreign Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who addresses the topic “Portuguese Foreign Policy and the Ibero-American Community”.
At bilateral level, IDN has signed cooperation protocols with several dozen peer institutions in order to promote joint activities in the field of scientific research, training, dissemination and publishing in all areas of common interest.
The latest agreements include the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concluded with the Centre for Advanced National Studies of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, the University of National Defence of Argentina, the National War College of Brazil and the Getulio Vargas Foundation of Brazil.