Page 61 - The Cormorant Issue 14

ing UN Security Council Resolution 1973 was probably of less of a surprise. The rule-of-thumb that the British Armed Forces inevitably find themselves involved in a new conflict within 18 months of a defence review, proved true once again.
Yet the level of engagement of British Forces has been limited, unlike their naval predecessors, who found the 1982 Naval Staff Course cancelled, as British Forces became embroiled in the 1982 Falkland/Malvinas Conflict less than a year after the infamous Nott review. Interestingly, this was almost repeated with ACSC 2, when the course was almost brought to a premature end as the British Government fulfilled its pledge to deploy 50,000+ ground troops in a NATO ground war in Kosovo. Fortunately, the Milosevic Govern- ment decided to accede to the will of the international community and for half of ACSC 2, news of the ceasefire was appropriately announced in a NATO lecture theatre in Brussels. Instead, the rip- ples of the Arab Spring and the conflict in Libya on the ACSC family have been felt hardest amongst some of the international students concerned for friends and family back home.
Similarly, those early course designers did not expect to see such significant cutbacks to Britain’s Armed Forces. ACSC 1 began with the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) process already underway and the expectation that Britain’s Armed Forces would be reconfigured for expeditionary warfare. As the course com- pleted, the SDR was released to widespread acclaim with signifi-
cant pledges of new equipment including two new aircraft car- riers for the Royal Navy and the creation of Joint Force Harrier.
ACSC 14 has seen the publication of Britain’s third National Security Strategy in less than three years and the Strategic Defence and Security Review. The Course will conclude as the new defence industry strategy, study on the role of reserves and the findings of the 3 month PR11/PR12 review are announced. The contrast between ACSC 1 and ACSC 14 could not be starker in this regard with all the Military chiefs warning about the dangers of further cuts to their respective Services.
It is against the background of the Arab Spring, Libyan conflict and the ongoing challenges of managing defence in an age of austerity, that this year’s course graduates. One thing is for sure, the future is far from predictable.
Dr Andrew Dorman is a Senior Lecturer in the Defence Stud- ies Department, King’s College London, based at the United Kingdom’s Joint Services Command and Staff College and an Associate Fellow in the International Security Programme, Chatham House. The analysis, opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Joint Services Command & Staff College, the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence or any other government agency.
International Ladies Visit to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey
Judy Clarke
On Monday 8 November, a group of international ladies trav- elled to Westminster by coach to visit the Houses of Parliament. The ladies were all spouses of Staff and Students attending the Advanced Command and Staff Course at the JSCSC and repre- sented 20 different nations.
The ladies were provided with a personal guide who gave a very informative tour of the House of Commons, House of Lords, Robing Room, Central Lobby and Voting Chambers plus West- minster Hall. They were also given an insight into the working practices of our Government and the formation of both the Houses of Commons and Lords. The group reported that they had greatly enjoyed the tour and had learned much about our history, our democracy and the role our Monarchy has played over the years in the development of our Parliamentary process.
The ladies followed the tour of the Houses of Parliament with a visit to Westminster Abbey. The original church founded by King Edward the Confessor in 1065 no longer exists, but its founda- tions remain under the present Abbey most of which was built under the reign of Henry III between 1245 and 1272. The ladies were able to listen to an audio guided tour in their own language, which furnished information about the resting places of mon- archs including Edward lll, Richard ll, Elizabeth l, Mary Queen of Scots and Henrys lll and V. They also visited Poets Corner where they saw the tombs of writers Dr Samuel Johnson, Charles Dick- ens, Robert Browning and Alfred Lord Tennyson together with the actors David Garrick and Sir Laurence Olivier.
The timing of our visit was very poignant, as it coincided with the 50th Anniversary of the dedication by King George V of the Grave of
the Unknown Warrior from the First World War. The memorial stands as a tribute not only to the fallen of the War, but also to the millions who have died since in international military conflict. The ladies also visited the Garden of Remembrance which was being laid with hundreds of commemorative poppy crosses in prepara- tion for the Service of Remembrance on Sunday 14 November.
The visit was organised by Judy Clarke, Head of International Student Liaison and kindly sponsored by the JSCSC. Special permission for the tour was kindly granted by the Parliamentary Tours Office.
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