Building a whole-of-society leadership network before you need it

By prof.dr. Michael Kowalski, Chief Science Officer, Dean of the Academy of the Netherlands National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security

Urgency to know your stakeholders

When a crisis occurs, it is too late to get to know the partners you need. Whatever the nature of the crisis, it is very likely that you depend on actors across society to manage it. You need the whole of society: government, the private sector, and non-governmental organisations. Therefore, it is important to build such a network before the crisis occurs.

Dutch Leadership Course in National Security

Inspired by the experiences of the National Defence Course in Finland, four academies in the Netherlands joined forces to train, build, and bind such a whole-of-society network. The Academy of the Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security leads the Leadership Course in National Security and closely cooperates with the Netherlands Defence Academy, the National Institute for Public Safety, and the Police Academy. By 2026, there will be 250 key leaders from the public sector, private companies, and non-governmental organisations who have completed the Leadership Course and remain connected as alumni.

Living national security strategy

Our Leadership Course aligns with the key principles of the current Dutch national security strategy to build a safe and resilient society and nurtures commitment not only from all branches of government but also from citizens, businesses, and civil-society organisations. So far, the course has been reviewed by two institutions: the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) and the Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV).

The WRR concluded that it is essential to enhance cooperation between government and society. The Leadership Course in National Security is considered exemplary, as it succeeds in connecting key players across society who know how to find each other when needed in times of crisis and hardship. The AIV encourages further expansion and institutionalisation of the course to ensure that a shared understanding of threats is accompanied by concrete steps to strengthen societal resilience.

Towards an international security course

To what extent is national security nowadays still national? We live in an era of open borders, a common currency in large parts of Europe, joint transatlantic military forces, migration, and strong technological and cultural dependencies. Therefore, the concept of national security in many democracies can better be described as a matter of international security. Consequently, there is a need to explore the opportunities for an international course in order to advance our common national securities, because we must know each other before we need each other—across borders as well.