SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina - Imagine being a military leader deployed to the same location twice with the last stint being for two years. The advantages of knowing the environment, culture, and people allow one to be equipped with invaluable tools.
Pair experience with established relationships and the recipe for success dramatically increases.
Understanding the political and social framework in the area of operation is not only paramount to the mission, but also to be an effective leader.
Norwegian Air Force Col. Ole Fauske has operated under this premise in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina as the former NATO Headquarters Sarajevo deputy commander, and the Chief of the NATO Advisory team.
“Col. Fauske came to NATO Headquarters Sarajevo as a very experienced senior officer,” said Rohan Maxwell, chief of political military advisory section. “He demonstrated very quickly that he had an instinctive understanding of the complexities of politico-military engagement with BiH role.”
Fauske is from Ulveset, Norway and used many comparisons from his country to bridge the gap toward solutions.
He initially came to BiH 15 years ago and has seen first-hand the positive changes of defense reform that has brought the country forward.
Since the war, there has been significant improvements within the defense and security sector, said Fauske. In 2000, there were two armies and two ministers of defense. Today there is one minister of defense and one armed force who are multi-ethnic. BiH has also provided troops to NATO led peace support operations for over 10 years.
“I believe that has been the biggest success of NATO, to give advice and to assist prospect member countries in developing their societies,” said Fauske.
“AFBIH is the largest functioning state intuition in this country, I do not hesitate to call that a great achievement,” said Fauske. “Long term perspective dictates that progress is happening, and I continue to remain optimistic because of the things I have seen in 2000 and 2015.”
He made his mark by wearing two hats, but his direct impact was evident as the Chief of the NAT. “In my opinion, this is one of the most important jobs because it’s the main reason this headquarters was established,” said Fauske. “The most important aim of this country is to become a NATO member.”
The NAT consists of 30 people that have a wide variety of skill sets, which allows the team to give key advice to BiH leadership in order help meet goals and objectives. Most members have been on the team for 10 years or longer and help give credibility and perspective.
Faukse credits diversity as not only making the job environment extremely interesting, but fostering new approaches toward solutions. It was a great advantage to have NATO personnel working closely with authorities from different countries and background, said Faukse.
“He had this incredible professional passion to move the BiH Armed Forces forward,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Giselle Wilz, NATO Headquarters Sarajevo commander. “It wasn’t just an assignment for Col. Fauske, he committed to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Faukse relinquished authority as the deputy commander on July 9, 2015, but those who worked for him remember the impact he made.
“He was a great boss who truly cared about his staff, and his heart was beating for Bosnia,” said Anida Tabakovic, Chief of linguistic service section. “He definitely made a difference and made friends for life, I am proud to be one of them.”