Colonel Orlin Nikolov

Colonel Orlin Nikolov, PhD, has served as Director of the Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE) since 10 January 2019, leading its mission to strengthen NATO, Allied, and partner nations' crisis management and disaster response capabilities through collaborative partnerships. As Director, he is responsible for shaping and delivering the Centre's strategic objectives, overseeing comprehensive activity planning, setting priorities, and managing the CMDR COE's programme of work in line with its mission and vision.

His career spans extensive leadership and specialist roles across defence education, training, doctrine, modelling, and simulation, including senior positions within the CMDR COE, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence, and the General Staff. He has managed major national and multinational projects, such as establishing modelling and simulation centres and systems, developing education and training networks, and advancing decision‑support platforms for crisis management and climate change. Colonel Nikolov graduated from the High Military School "P. Volov," holds a Master's degree in defence studies and a PhD in National Security, and has completed advanced professional military education in Slovakia and the United States.