About the Initiative
The European Initiative for the Exchange of Young Officers, commonly referred to as 'Military Erasmus', is a project under the auspices of the ESDC. It seeks to promote exchanges among future military officers during their initial education and training, their teachers, and their instructors. Noteworthy, this initiative is implemented on a voluntary basis, ensuring that Member States retain full autonomy over their military training systems.
This initiative is underpinned by the idea that exchanges during the early stages of officers’ education and training are vital for building the interoperability and shared culture necessary for effective European security and defence collaborations in the future.
To facilitate this effort, the ESDC established the Implementation Group in February 2009 as a task-focused body within its Executive Academic Board.
Learn more about EMILYO here: https://www.emilyo.eu/
Chair and Configuration Support
Chair - Harald GellColonel Harald Gell (Assoc. Prof., PhD) serves as the Head of the International Office and Senior Lecturer at the Theresan Military Academy in Austria.
He graduated as the best in his class as an Artillery Officer in 1992. His academic background includes Master's degrees in Security and Defence, Defence Economics, and Pedagogics, as well as a PhD in Security Research. He also holds a habilitation as a Professor in Military Management.
Operation experiences: Slovenian War of Independence, EU Team Leader in Bosnia and Croatia, UN Chief Operations Officer in Syria.
ESDC Coordinator - Christoforos ChristoforouSince 2000, Christoforos Christoforou has served at the Cyprus Ministry of Defence, specialising in security and defence training. He coordinates 'Military Erasmus' activities, oversees Steering Committee meetings, and promotes European cultural awareness. With extensive experience, he drives collaboration and training programmes to enhance the skills of young military officers across Europe.