Page 5 - Cormorant 2023

Director’s Foreword
Capt Matt Syrett
FIRST AND FOREMOST, LET me congratulate all on your successful completion of ACSC 26. Completing the course is a real achievement that reflects the hard work you have all undertaken both academically and professionally. This has
been the first iteration of this course that hasn’t been majorly impacted by the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the result has been the College running a fully-fledged version of ACSC and all the associated benefits. I hope that the outcome of this has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable years of your career to date and has allowed you all to make the most of what the College and your International cohort have to offer.
Similarly, to previous publications of this Journal,
we continue to recognise that the education and training offered by this establishment remain the focus of ACSC. The burgeoning successes of the Kings College London MRes, MA, and MSc courses are a key feature of the ACSC offer and your efforts to achieve these milestones delivered some impressive analyses. Our continuing effort to expand both the relevance and range of our professional military education saw the inclusion of emergent doctrine and the necessary revisions of Government strategies. This has been a main tenet of this course but 2022/2023 has shown us how quickly the world can change and how this influences our understanding and study here at the college. The current conflict in Ukraine effects everyone in varying ways, none more so than our hugely respected Ukrainian colleagues, some of whom we were very lucky to welcome to this College and on this course. The change this conflict has brought upon the region and the international community has been enormous and strategies at
every level have been iterated at pace. Couple this with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence, and a range of broader educational challenges, you’ll not be surprised to learn that our own offer here at the College is already adapting to incorporate the latest thinking into our future syllabi.
Whilst Professional Military Education is the capstone of ACSC, its role in preparing for Command is equally important. ACSC reflects the leadership qualities of all our Services and reflects the diversity and culture of our organisations. As future commanders this course should help you prepare to be the right type of leader who encourages inclusivity and ensures
the skills of our people are harnessed to deliver
the best output for Defence. As future leaders in staff or command posts you will play a key part to setting and maintaining the culture and ethos of an organisation and I encourage you to take all that you have learnt through your time here at ACSC forward into these posts.
As a final thought, I’d encourage you all to maintain those special relationships you have had such
unique access to over the period of ACSC. Those relationships forged between you all will help create
a network of friendship that will hopefully follow you throughout you career and beyond. Stay in touch with colleagues in the UK and abroad, communicate with each other, and share your experiences when able. These relationships, combined with the academic and professional skills learnt on this course, will not only benefit you but your respective Government and Defence Departments for the rest of your careers. I wish you all the very best in your future endeavours.
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“I’d encourage you all
to maintain
those special relationships you have had such unique access to over the period of ACSC