On December 10th 2007 in Cagliari (Italy), after a French proposal, the members of the 5+5 Defence Initiative decided to create in 2008 an educational structure for civilian and military staff from the 5+5 Defence Initiative countries institutions, which led to the creation of the "5+5 Defence College".The main objectives of the 5+5 Defense College are to develop a common understanding on defense and security issues in the Western Mediterranean region and to enrich human relations within the ten member countries through training, in order to promote collective reflection and exchange of experiences and knowledge.The training activities of the College are organized in three levels: - "Initial" for young professionals; - "Intermediate" for middle managers; - "Superior" for leaders and senior executives.These courses are structured in cycles (normally from September to June) and comprise one or more modules (depending on the level) for a period of 2 to 4 days.Each module is carried out by a country, which funds all educational and hospitality expenses to the attendees, trainers and stakeholders. Each country supports the participation expenses (salaries, allowances and travel expenses) of his attendees (maximum set by the host country: between 2 and 4), which should speak at least two of the three working languages ​​(Arabic, English and French) and be able to maintain a professional relationships with the 5+5 partners.The operation of the College shall be shared collectively by the 10 member countries.The Steering Committee of the 5+5 Defence Initiative is responsible for the management of the College.An "Educational Committee", composed by representatives of the 10 countries, coordinates the activities, prepares the action plan for the coming years and proposes changes. It is co-chaired by France and the country holding the Presidency of the 5+5 Defence Initiative, and meets normally twice a year. In 2012, the Educational Committee developed a Memento for the organizers of the module.A permanent secretariat is provided by France.After an experimental session in May 2007, the three levels began in a phased manner: Intermediate in 2008-2009, Superior in 2009-2010 and Initial in 2010-2011. At the end of the 2012-2013 cycle, 7 modules had been performed with over 300 attendees from the 10 countries.​