Designing a European Armaments

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Designing a European Armaments Education and
Training Platform Coping with Multiple
Demands Michel Hess Director of Studies and
Training Center for Security Studies Swiss
Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich)
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3 discussion points

• ingredients for the creation of a successful EAC
  learning platform
• Swiss experience in running national and
  international cooperative educational programs
• possible contributions to the EAC framework

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Some points for consideration

• EAC experts as leaders, managers or both
• embeddedness of EAC knowledge areas
• balancing military and civilian curriculum
  content
• maintenance of national capabilities and
  expertise complementing additional EAC demands

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Implications of identified needs

• multifunctionality calls for intensive
  education
• interoperability calls for multinational
  education
• sequential readiness calls for an education
  independent of time and location
• technological developments and operational
  specialization call for specialized education

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3 demands on EAC education and training

• reconciliation of permanent learning with
  constant functional readiness
• leadership and management preparation for both
  cooperative and national programmes
• delivery of mission-critical skills for both
  strategic leadership and operational-technical
  programme management

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HOW?
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Some demands on defense and armaments leadership

• core business of armaments and defense leadership
• cope with multiple, non-armaments-related issues
• manage complex programs with time and resource
  constraints
• constantly evolving spectrum of security
  environment
• adapting tools and strategies available to cope
  with changing risks
• operational security environment demanding
  solutions beyond a defence out-of-the-box
  approach

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A possible context of EAC education and training

• intertwined EAC knowledge areas
• natural affinities and mutual interests between
  public and private sector providers
• armaments cooperation education relies also on
  non-military, civilian environments

Managers do things right, leaders do the right
things. Managers work with things and numbers,
leaders with perception and feelings.
Malone
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1) A first possible response to EAC needs
Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL)
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EAC limited resources
EAC need for expertise, knowledge, information
The Advanced Distributed Learning Vision access
to the highest quality education and training
tailored to individual needs and delivered cost
effectively, anywhere and at any time.
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Addressing educational deficits

• tailored individual educational portfolios
• multifunctionality
• independent of location and time
• learning with each other, learning from each
  other
• civilian certification possible

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An EAC learning platform delivers
2) A second possible response to EAC needs

• a preparation for dealing with strategic risks
  and threats
• a preparation for broad international and
  national security policy
• social, cognitive skills and methodological
  competencies for the analysis and management of
  complex problems
• content expertise in contemporary and constantly
  shifting risks and threats, security policy,
  grand strategy
• interdisciplinary, multinational exchange of
  experience and lessons learned within and without
  peer groups

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An EAC learning platform promotes

• networking of armaments partners (military,
  civilian, public, private, corporate)
• practical feasibility, solution and
  problem-oriented, transferable education

• accreditation and mutual recognition of military
  and civilian credentials
• life-long learning, learning throughout life
  combining theoretical concepts and practical tools

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A Public-Private Partnership
3) A third possible response to EAC needs

• armaments education is based on a network of
  partnerships with non-military public and private
  institutions because
• corporate, public and private experience and
  lessons learned are relevant for the armaments
  decision level
• multilevel, multiagency, multinational,
  multipurpose education across structures
  (federal, state)

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A public-private partnership in armaments
education ascertains the effectiveness of the
delivered content in the context of the changing
security environment and reaps the benefits and
experience of lessons learned from non-military
security contexts.
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Outcomes of national educational PPPs by
Switzerland

• a road map for defining joint and separate
  missions and objectives for civilian and defense
  actors
• a unity of authority and integration of efforts
  and functions by diverse actors (is an integrated
  armaments structure possible?)
• timely decisions and commitments in requiring
  rapid reaction, streamlining of decisional
  process and awareness of respective
  decision-making practices and traditions
• robust and realistic rules of engagement for the
  implementation of armaments programs

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Outcomes of international e-learning initiatives
by Switzerland
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Possible contributions to the EAC platform

• sharing existing content in 2-3 knowledge areas
  relevant to EAC framework
• share expertise in course production, training
  and coaching, technology consulting in support of
  the EAC virtual learning package

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Designing a European Armaments Education and
Training Platform Coping with Multiple
Demands Thank you hess_at_sipo.gess.ethz.ch