Page 51 - The Cormorant Issue 14

of Security Sector Reform, whilst we were sometimes caught out trying to ‘shoehorn’ the 6-Step Estimate into the EU planning cycle, confirming that you will often attempt to revert-to-type. Ter- minology and interpretation of effects and capabilities also provided a ‘speed bump’ to progress and there appeared to be a drive for the military to control the functions of the NGOs, which was robustly rebuffed by one of our ex-MSF colleagues. Overall though, all of the syndicates worked hard to prepare their respective solutions and briefs, of which two were chosen to be delivered in front of the Commandant. The level of detail in the questions posed to these groups and the depth of the subsequent debrief came as a bit of a surprise to some ele- ments but emphasised the seriousness and importance that was placed on the exercise by the Italian Staff College.
From a cultural perspective, Rome deliv- ered on all counts. Our evenings were expertly choreographed by two members of the group who were previous residents
of the Eternal City, and they were able to guide us through the vagaries of Italian dining etiquette, ensuring that we sam- pled a variety of dining experiences. It is true to say that without their expertise, our visit to Rome would not have been as successful, or our diet as varied. The Italian Staff College also endeavoured to improve our cultural understanding with two excellent tours: one on the Satur- day morning, which took in the Forum and Coliseum; and a second on the last evening, involving a tour of the Borghese Gallery and an evening reception in a magnificent building that belonged to the Italian Ministry of Defence. It is interesting to note that it was the first of these visits that delivered the most important lesson during the exercise for Matthew Savill, our Civil Servant; in the scorching heat of Rome, one should not avoid drinking water, even if you are concerned about the lack of toilets in the vicinity. Thankfully Matt recovered from minor heat stress the following day and was able to impart his considerable knowledge to the seem- ingly never-ending MA exam study peri-
ods held on the hotel roof terrace every evening.
In summary, the UK CJEX contingent that visited Rome was privileged to have been able to conduct the exercise in a loca- tion so rich in cultures, that it thoroughly enhanced the whole experience. Whilst the exercise format may not have been perfect, and approaches taken differed between the participating nations, the overall benefit of working to construct a viable solution to a complex stabilisa- tion problem with our EU colleagues cannot be underestimated. Most of us shall never forget the theatrical clicking of heels together as the room was called to ‘attenzione’; however, it was the quote from the Commandant of the Staff Col- lege that I shall remember most: “Some- times we are our own enemy.” By work- ing together in multi-national exercises such as CJEX, hopefully we can reduce the probability of this occurring in the future.
49