Page 4 - Cormorant Year of 2013 course photo

2 general

Foreword

Maintaining the Intellectual

Edge: the Future

Requirements of Command

and Staff Training

Rear Admiral James Morse

Commandant Joint Services Command and Staff College

U

K DEFENCE IS APPROACHING what provide consensus, mass and, in some cases, access

Professor Michael Clarke of the Royal to capabilities that we might otherwise lack. It also
United Services Institute (RUSI) describes implies seamless integration not only across the

as ‘a strategic crossroads’. The drawdown
joint force, but also with allies, partners and other

in Afghanistan marks the end of a decade dominated government departments too. Forward engagement
by enduring land campaigns and a shift towards an would be central to our business across the entire span

era when the UK’s armed forces must be ready for of defence activity. This includes the complementary

contingency. We can’t predict with any certainty education and training of international personnel,
exactly how or where military inluence will be which helps to prevent conlict by building capacity

needed to help us achieve our national objectives; but in unstable regions and helps to establish important
we do know that we will be actively engaged across networks of inluence. It also puts an increasing

the globe, to understand and shape the emerging premium on developing the language and cultural

strategic context.
skills of our own people.

The then Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David What would this all mean for professional military
Richards, offered his ideas about how we might education? The implications are profound, relected

prepare for this brave, if unpredictable, new world
in the way that we are re-designing command and staff

in a piece of work entitled ‘How We Will Fight’, training to ensure that it’s it for the future. People
presented at his annual lecture at RUSI last December. are our strength, particularly in an age of austerity.

This thinking is being taken forward by Commander As current thinking increasingly acknowledges, this

Joint Forces Command through the Development, means we must continue to invest in developing them
Concepts and Doctrine Centre,
through a world-class system

collocated with the Joint
of militar y education. There
Services Command and Staff
are a range of issues that we “
People are our
College at Shrivenham. It
must address. Making good strength, particularly

is likely to provide the most
strategy is critical to success, so in an age of austerity. ”
important sign-posts on
improving strategic thinking is

Defence’s road-map through
a priority. While we may not
the next Strategic Defence and
be able to predict surprises, we

Security Review and out to 2020 and beyond.
must expect them, and educate our future leaders to

have the conidence and ability to cope with them
A central premise of this work is shaping up to as they arise. Response times may well be short, so

suggest that we need to improve our understanding we must learn quickly and make decisions rapidly

of the world and develop ‘structured agility’, to and effectively. This requires intellectual agility
anticipate and then respond to unforeseen events as and a culture of innovation: our oficers must be

they arise. Inter alia, this would entail strengthening both creative and rigorous. Information represents
existing alliances and developing new partnerships to
an opportunity, but also a threat, especially in an