Page 19 - The Cormorant Issue 24 Crest Publications

Perspective
from Japan
Lt Col Taishi Sambongi
Lt Cdr Masahiko Taniguchi
AS THE TWO JAPANESE officers attending ACSC 24, we found our experience very valuable in spite of the severe COVID-19 situation.
From the Japanese perspective, the most unique feature of the course was the number of international students, with more than 50 nations’ officers. There is a similar course to ACSC in Japan, but by comparison that course includes just a few international officers. ACSC’s officers came from all over the world, and so we developed our understanding of various topics from lots of different perspectives. In addition, all
the students on ACSC 24 were positive and keen
to engage with us - their peer reviews, especially, always enabled us to notice new things. We believe this talented international network will prove to be a valuable resource in the future and look forward to keeping in touch with them.
It was also impressive for us that ACSC consisted of all branches and arms of the different services and was well integrated. Japan’s courses are divided by service, so ACSC is a great opportunity to think about true integration across services from a common perspective. We believe this common experience
is one of the things that helps the UK armed forces integrate so well. Integration is necessary to cope with the challenges of modern globalized security, and so the UK Professional Military Education model is one that may offer lessons for Japan in future.
We cannot adequately express our thanks for all the support from the wider ACSC 24 team. Naturally the course had its challenges because of COVID- 19. Despite this, the Deputy Directors, the Directing Staff, and the KCL academics all made a huge effort to give us a good education and encouraged us all
the time. The Serco support team helped us live a comfortable life. Our UK host families enlightened us regarding some unique UK customs. In particular, the UK students were always kind and helped us even though the course was tough for them too! It was thanks to all of them that we were able to complete ACSC 24 without any problems.
During the period of this course, a carrier strike group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth was despatched to the Indo-Pacific region and this deployment
has been gaining significant attention all over the world. It will stop off in Japan, which has a natural
“
interest in its geopolitical influence. We believe that our participation in ACSC 24 in the middle of such a historical event is also a part of our fate, and in future we look forward to contributing as the bridge between Japan and the UK by making use of what we have learned on this course.
PAGE 17
Integration
is necessary to cope with the
challenges of modern globalized security