Colonel Amer Riković, a member of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first individual from BiH to obtain an individual NATO accreditation in the field of quality assurance in education and training, spoke in an interview with Fena about the significance of this recognition, the opportunities opened by strengthening cooperation with NATO, and the challenges and priorities of military education in BiH. By receiving the certificate, Riković joined an elite group of experts in the world authorized to conduct accreditation processes according to the highest standards of the Alliance.
This accreditation, which is currently held by only five people in the world – four officers from the Supreme Allied Command Transformation (ACT) based in Norfolk, Virginia and one person from Finland, represents one of the highest professional recognitions in the field of NATO education. So far, only one institution has been accredited in BiH – the Peace Support Training Center (PSOTC), but individual accreditation has not existed for any member of the Armed Forces of BiH.
“NATO recognized in me an individual who wants to learn and they enabled me to master everything necessary to obtain an individual accreditation, which, as I said, is the first in BiH. The program started two months ago and the fact that I was involved in the development of that program led me to the status of manager. One man from BiH, which is not a member of the NATO alliance, now has all the administrative authority on one of the NATO platforms to receive applications, select them, evaluate them and propose who will be granted accreditation,” said Riković.
Individual NATO accreditation confirms that its holder meets strict criteria in the field of Quality Assurance – QA system. It implies the ability to assess and verify educational and training programs according to 31 NATO standards, including checking curricula, quality of teaching staff, equipment of centers, administrative procedures, transparency of processes and capacity for improvement.
The certificate holder has the right and obligation to independently manage the accreditation and re-accreditation process of NATO centers around the world, which includes evaluating candidates, checking certificates, conducting online and field interviews, and issuing a final grade that ACT accepts without additional verification.
“The people who have so far performed the work that I will soon do, are not able to cover all the obligations and therefore decided to create an individual accreditation program that I have gone through, in order to train more people who could walk around the world to accredit centers that meet the requirements. According to the plan made by the Supreme Allied Command, my first task will be in Rome in December, where I will consider the application of one center – whether it meets all the conditions required by NATO. If it meets them, it will receive institutional accreditation,” explained the colonel.
Riković obtained the accreditation after a several-month training process and cooperation with experts from ACT. The process included participating in accreditations as an assistant, delivering two lectures at the NATO School Oberammergau in Germany on the topic of ensuring the quality of learning and training, passing knowledge tests on 31 NATO standards, and fulfilling all administrative and professional requirements prescribed by the NQASP procedure.
Last week, he was appointed as the manager of the NATO Individual Accreditation Program (NQASP), which gave him administrative authority on the NATO platform. He can now receive, select and evaluate applications from all over the world, check the documentation of candidates, conduct interviews and make decisions on granting or refusing accreditation.
“The greatest value for me is that now, as a representative of a non-NATO country, I have administrative authority on one of the NATO platforms to receive, select and evaluate applications for individual accreditation. He accepts the decision of the ACT manager without questioning his integrity,” said Riković.
Immediately after his appointment, he received the first application from the United States. In December, it will carry out its first independent international mission – the accreditation of the NATO Center in Rome, which is applying for this status for the first time. It will then check the compliance of the program with NATO standards, and successful accreditation would mean that the center can serve as an official educational resource of the Alliance.
This position comes in addition to Riković’s regular duties as an inspector in the Tactical Support Brigade. However, when NATO requires it, he will also work outside of working hours, whether it be lectures, accreditations or re-accreditations around the world.
“I do not see the accreditation as a personal success, but as a success of the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces and the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will strengthen international cooperation and promote BiH on a global level,” emphasized Riković.
He emphasizes that his position as both a manager and an individually accredited person will strengthen BiH’s international cooperation.
“By accrediting other centers, I will promote my homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will ultimately lead to improved international cooperation. Anyone who has the desire and will has the opportunity to apply for this program, go through all the steps and receive individual accreditation. There are courses that need to be completed, lectures that need to be attended, trainings that need to be attended as a witness, or as an accomplice and assistant,” said Riković in an interview for Fena news agency.
Finally, he spoke about BiH’s progress towards the NATO Alliance, in the context of its success and obtaining the certificate.
“We all know that our country’s accession to NATO is a political part of the story. I am not a politician, I am a soldier who is trying to do his job in the best possible way, but this individual accreditation, which came to BiH for the first time, as well as the management of this individual education program, certainly resonated with the Supreme Allied Command for Transformation. I have information that people are aware that someone from BiH is capable of doing this and has integrity. This fact alone puts Bosnia and Herzegovina in a different light, positively,” he concluded.
He added that many members of the Armed Forces of BiH are already achieving significant successes on the international scene, and this example proves that BiH has experts capable of working side by side with the best. According to NATO procedures, the holder of an individual accreditation also has the opportunity to mentor new candidates, which, according to Riković, could open the door for other members of the Armed Forces of BiH to follow his path.
