While education and training is the primary mission of the Navy Academy, it has the ambition to enhance the performance of all Navy personnel both at sea and ashore by making readily available knowledge, training and performance packages using state of the art pedagogic methods.
Therefore, the Navy Academy aims a strong cooperation with the industry, the academic world and defence organizations in order to evolve to a hub for maritime knowledge.
Over time, the Naval base of Ostend became a hub in Naval Mine Warfare dedicating a part of its activity to advise national and various NATO headquarters and agencies.
Since 2006 the Naval base of Ostend hosts the NATO Naval Mine Warfare Centre of Excellence (NMW COE)( NMW COE – Nato Naval Mine Warfare Centre Of Excellence). To complete the pole of expertise at Ostend, the Navy Academy and the NATO Centre of Excellence both work closely with the Maritime Warfare Centre (department Naval Mine Warfare), also established in Ostend, and dedicated to the improvement of readiness and preparedness of the Belgian and Netherlands navies MCM units.
With this three entities, the bi-national Navy Academy, the Centre of Excellence and the Maritime Warfare Centre, Ostend is nowadays a NATO and a bi-national Hub on Naval Mine Warfare.
The Naval base of Bruges covers the expert domains Navigation, Catering, Engineering, Deck Handling, Small Arms Firing and Damage Control/Fire Fighting.
