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An Cosantóir July / August 2026 www.military.ie/magazine
N
ATO operates a
range of Centre's
Excellence across
member States. These
Centre's were established to
enhance NATO's collective
expertise, standardise
doctrine, and strengthen interoperability
by concentrating specialist knowledge within dedicated
multinational hubs. The Military Police Centre of Excellence
(MPCOE) is located in Bydgoszcz, Poland and was established
in 2013. The MPCOE conducts a range of courses, seminars,
workshops and conferences annually, drawing on the
expertise of NATO members and partner Nations. Irish Defence
Forces Military Police (MP) have a long history with the MPCOE,
both as students and as facilitators. This relationship has evolved
since the first Irish MP student attended the NATO Senior NCO
Course in the MPCOE in 2015 and the first facilitator in 2016. Both
MP Officers and NCOs have attended a range of courses since
2015 including NATO MP Senior Officers' Courses and Senior NCO
Courses, NATO MP Digital Evidence Collection and Handling Course,
and NATO MP Command Senior Enlisted Forum.
The 2025 iteration of the NATO MP Senior NCO Course marked a
historic moment for Ireland's partnership with the Military Police
Centre of Excellence. For the first time, an Irish Provost Marshal,
Colonel Damien Coakley, visited the Centre in an official capacity,
and for the first time the Director of the Defence Forces Legal
Service Branch, Colonel Richard Brennan, attended and delivered
a legal lecture to the course. To mark the occasion, Colonel Coakley
presented the Centre with a plaque bearing the Irish Military Police
26 |
IRELAND AT THE HEART
OF NATO MILITARY
ARTICLE BY RQMS ROCH RYAN, RQMS
MILITARY POLICE CORPS & MP GP DFTC
POLICE
TRAINING
POLICE
TRAINING
RQMS
Roch
Ryan
leading
the
COA
development
session,
guiding
students
through
operational
planning
in
a
contemporary
European
context
