VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2

T H E
A

P U L S E

NATO ACT CD&E

PUBLICATION
October 24, 2014

Budapest Skyline

THE CD&E JOURNEYA ROADMAP TO THE FUTURE

By Christoph Pliet, Colonel, Branch Head, Concept Development, Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation

Welcome to this second edition of our CD&E

Publication. The Pulse is part of a wider
effort to improve communication within the
Concept Development and Experimentation
(CD&E) community.
This edition is timed to provide orientation to
the forthcoming International CD&E Conference, 4-6 November in Budapest, Hungary,
and to look further down range at key calendar dates in 2015.
Last month, the NATO Summit heard the
Nations re-affirm all three core tasks set out
in the NATO Strategic Concept: Collective
Defence, Crisis Management, and Cooperative Security.
These core tasks provide the landscape
within which concept developers, experimenters and analysts must continue to
adapt and innovate, combining proven tools
with new techniques and innovative approaches in order to produce better and
faster results.
The CD&E tradecraft will certainly survive so
long as it remains relevant and credible.
Tectonic shifts in the strategic environment
are becoming, more or less, the norm. In
seeking to meet, or overmatch, each new
challenge, Commanders are looking for solutions.

NATO

A CD&E toolset expertly wielded by a highly

communicative, determined and vibrant
team of practitioners has the potential to be
a real force multiplier. At this years CD&E

we expect to identify a to do list comprising

actionable tasks which will be carried forward through the 2015 CD&E Working Group
and beyond.

INTHISISSUE

Partnerships will become more and more

relevant in the future. Let me therefore explicitly invite all partner nations to participate
in the CD&E Conference series and contribute to our lively community.
Perhaps the most significant development in
improving CD&E network connectivity is the
soon to be launched CD&E TRANSNET2.
Developments in NATO networks have enabled the development of a new unclassified
Internet-accessible portal utilising contemporary software which promises to greatly improve CD&E staff members access.
Once fully operational, CD&E TRANSNET2
will provide searchable access to the majority of the CD&E Management System
(CDEMS) database, including Experiment
Reports from 2006 to the present day.
The new portal will offer a collaborative work
space accessible to CD&E practitioners
across the Alliance. Registration information
for the CD&E TRANSNET2 is located within
this edition. I encourage you to be ready to
sign-up and contribute to help develop our
new globally accessible CD&E collaborative
workspace.
I am looking forward to interesting discussions at our important annual Conference in
Budapest.

A message from the CD&E

Conference Enablers
Page2

CD&E Conference
Page3

Whats New for 2015

Page4

2014InternationalConceptDevelopmentandExperimentationConferencewww.act.nato.int/cdeconf

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2

Page 2

A MESSAGE FROM THE HUNGARIAN DEFENCE STAFF,

FORCE DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFORMATION BRANCH J5
BY LIEUTENANT COLONEL ZOLTAN LAKO

On behalf of the Defence Staff, Hungarian Defence Forces, we welcome you to the fourteenth annual event which is held
and co-sponsored by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Headquarters Supreme Allied Command Transformation
(HQ SACT) and the United States Joint Staff (JS) J7. We are proud to be the executive agent and host for this years event
which is located in Budapest, Hungary the capital and largest city in Hungary.
This years theme focusses on The CD&E Journey A Roadmap into the Future. It is our hope that this Hungarian venue
creates an environment conducive to information sharing and relationship building while highlighting the benefits of CD&E
methodologies and practical applications in optimising the development of joint and combined forces. It is important that
we obtain international perspectives on ideas, discuss relevant problems and challenges, and develop products to benefit
ongoing CD&E work within HQ SACT, the US Joint Staff and the Hungarian Defence Staff. Your participation ensures this
conference is a success. Your attendance will no doubt result in energetic and interactive discussions. This event is a
chance for our community to come together to discuss and help develop possible solutions to the challenges facing nations
across the globe. The CD&E Conference is truly an international partnership from which we all benefit.

A MESSAGE FROM THE US JOINT STAFF J7

BY MR. DON MORSE, CHIEF, MULTINATIONAL AND ALLIED COMMAND TRANSFORMATION
INTEGRATION DIVISION, US JOINT STAFF J7

For the last fourteen years, it has been a pleasure for the US Joint Staff Directorate for Joint Force Development/J7 (and the
former US Joint Forces Command J9) to co-sponsor the annual Concept Development and Experimentation (CD&E) Conference with the Headquarters, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation/HQ SACT (formerly Supreme Allied Commander
Atlantic). In addition to the conference, the two organisations have worked closely and collaborated on non-materiel capability development projects since the inception of HQ SACT in 2003. This collaboration was initially driven by both organisations having a common US commander; however, this changed in 2011 with the French assuming responsibility for providing
a four-star General or Admiral as SACT. Even though the commander's nationality changed, cooperation between the two
organisations did not.
Today within the US Joint Staff, the J7 mission aligns most closely with HQ SACT's mission to transform NATO through training, doctrine, concepts, experimentation, and lessons learned. In particular, HQ SACT's close geographical proximity to J7
aids in building and maintaining collaborative relationships. Examples include: Advanced Distributed Learning; the UNIFIED
ENDEAVOR/RESOLUTE SUPPORT series of exercises in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan; the Multinational Capability Development Campaign; Security Force Assistance; Countering Hybrid Threats; Federated Mission Networking (FMN); the
Connected Forces Initiative; the US Regional Commanders Conference; the Chiefs of Transformation Conference; and of
course, the International CD&E Conference. Of note, the CD&E conference is the longest running collaborative project between HQ SACT and the Joint Staff J7.
A MESSAGE FROM NATO ACT OPERATIONAL EXPERIMENTATION
BY CAPTAIN MARK STOOPS, BRANCH HEAD, OPERATIONAL EXPERIMENTATION

Our gathering twice a year at the CD&E Conference and Working Group is much more than a repetitious annual cycle; it represents a continuation of the collective commitment of historic past partnerships still present today. The NATO CD&E community collaborates to mature ideas into realities. By working closely with our partners from diverse discipline areas (such
as the military, industry, academia, think tanks, etc.) we assist the Alliance in anticipating the future possibilities offered by
evolving technologies and then turning those possibilities into tangible military capabilities.
This year we celebrate fourteen years of resilient partnerships and continuous innovation. It is often said that past results
may not guarantee future returns, however the NATO CD&E community has proven otherwise. Our CD&E legacy is grounded
in past experiences and innovation. We are able to look ahead and successfully plan for the future by reflecting on lessons
learned and leveraging our historic partnerships. As we move forward into 2015, it is clear the Alliance faces tough challenges. For this reason, we must place continued emphasis on innovation grounded in creativity, agility and superiority.
Transformation must begin anew today and every day. By coming together with a focused purpose twice a year for the CD&E
Conference and Working Group, we can each help ensure that NATO CD&E continues to deliver imaginative and innovative
solutions designed to resolve the challenges that most certainly lie ahead.

Page 3
A NATO ACT CD&E

The 2014 International

CD&E Conference
The 2014 CD&E Conference is an annual international event,
co-sponsored by HQ SACT and the US Joint Staff J7 since
2001. This years theme is the CD&E JourneyA Roadmap to
the Future.

Tuesday
04 NOV 2014

Wednesday
05 NOV 2014

Thursday
06 NOV 2014

On Tuesday, the Conference commences with welcoming remarks from Brigadier General Ern Pter
Siposs, Hungary Army, Head, Force Planning Directorate (J5), Hungarian Defence Staff (HDS) and
Brigadier General Jon T. Thomas, USA Air Force, Deputy Director, Future Joint Force Development, JS
J7. The Chief Security Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister of Hungary, Ambassador Dr. Rka Szemerknyi, will lead the Keynote Address. The morning Panel Session will discuss how CD&E can
leverage Industry, Academic and Defence Industries. In the afternoon, attendees will break out into
two groups: Introduction to CD&E and Best Practices of Modelling & Simulation in the CD&E Environment. In the late afternoon, attendees will be introduced to the Workshop Scene Setters: Collaborative CD&E in Action; Command and Control with Mission Partners: Enhancing Federated Mission
Networking (FMN); and Shaping CD&E for the Future.
On Wednesday, the Collaborative CD&E in Action Workshop explores NATO Smart Defence, EU
Poolling and Sharing, Regional Multinational Capability Development Initiatives, CIED Study and Building Medical Capabilities Case Study. Likewise the Command and Control with Mission Partners: Enhancing Federated Mission Networking (FMN) Workshop, focusses on FMN and the Mission Partner
Environment, Mission Partner C2 (doctrine and training capability gaps), Mission Partner C2
(organisational, materiel and personnel capability shortfalls), Joint Mission Threads, and a review of
shortfall priorities. The Shaping CD&E for the Future Workshop focuses on US and UK perspectives
on Future CD&E, Building CD&E Syndicates and a World without NATO CD&E Syndicates.
On Thursday, the Collaborative CD&E in Action Workshop focusses on Building Strategic Airlift Capability Case Study, closing with a summary and clarification of workshop results. The Command and Control with Mission Partners: Enhancing Federated Mission Networking (FMN) Workshop addresses FMN
and MPE Information Sharing Challenges and FMN and MPE Management. The Shaping CD&E for the
Future Workshop concludes with discussions on Creating Impact with CD&E and seminar wrap-up.
The 2014 CD&E Conference comes to an end with an update on the Multinational Capability Development Campaign, Electronic Polling, Social Survey Results and closing remarks.
CD&E Conference Venue

CD&E INFORMATION MANAGEMENT UPGRADE

CD&E Conference Venue

Dates: 4-6 November 2014

ACT developed the Concept Development and Experimentation Management System

(CDEMS) in 2006. CDEMS is the vehicle used for collecting and managing annual
ACT Experimentation activities. ACT uses CDEMs to facilitate an experiment programme and provide visibility to all NATO Nations. Currently, CDEMS resides on the
classified NS WAN network. However, recent efforts aim to reposition CDEMS on a
new internet-based unclassified NATO ACT Transnet2
located at
www.portal.transnet.act.nato.int. With an official launch due in 2015, Transnet2 will
host the new CD&E collaborative site, providing the CD&E community with access to
CD&E information from anywhere in the world. More information will be provided at
the 2014 International CD&E Conference.

Venue: The Hilton Budapest

Host : The Hungarian Defence Staff
CONNECT WITH US ONLINE:
www.act.nato.int/cde.conf

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2015 ACT CD&E

PROGRAMME
OF WORK
The 2015 CD&E Programme of Work (POW)
is a forecast of the work that is expected to
be carried out on developing conceptual
solutions and contributing to capability development in calendar year 2015. The POW
was scrutinised by Nations CD&E experts
prior to and during the 2014 CD&E Working
Group resulting in the Technical Validation
of the proposed experiments. The preparation of the CD&E POW was conducted in a
highly collaborative manner which is reflected by the inclusion of national and Centre of
Excellence activities, woven into the CD&E
POW alongside related ACT activities. It is
anticipated that cross-pollination between
these related lines of work will lead to efficiencies and superior outcomes. We invite
you to visit us at www.act.nato.int/cde-wg
for more information on the 2015 CD&E
Programme of Work or email questions to
act.natocde@act.nato.int.

CD&E POW 2016 Key Planning Event

2015NATOConceptDevelopmentandExperimentation
(CD&E)WorkingGroup
Hostedby:NATOACTCD&E
When:2123April2015
Where:TheWestinHotel,VirginiaBeach,Virginia,USA
www.act.nato.int/cdewg

ENGAGE WITH US
NATOACTCD&EConceptDevelopment

NATOACTCD&EOperationalExperimentation

http://www.act.nato.int/cdeconf

http://www.act.nato.int/cdewg

ColonelChristophPliet
BranchHead,ConceptDevelopment,HQSACT
+17577473880
christoph.pliet@act.nato.int

WingCommanderGordonPendleton
DeputyBranchHead,ConceptDevelopment,HQSACT
+17577473272
gordon.pendleton@act.nato.int

CaptainMarkStoops
BranchHead,OperationalExperimentation,HQSACT
+17577473607
mark.stoops@act.nato.int

Mr.DavidBeckwith
DeputyBranchHead,OperationalExperimentation,HQSACT
+17577473502
david.beckwith@act.nato.int

NATO CD&E
E X P L O R I N G

I N T O

T H E

F U T U R E