‘Managing Defence in the Wider Security Context’

A 7-week Certificate Course for students enrolled under the

Defence Diplomacy Scholarship Scheme

Dr. Laura Cleary

Cranfield University at DA-CMT

Summary

This document comprises:

An Introduction

Summary of the Course

Course Aim and Objectives

The Syllabus

Teaching and Learning Methods

Course Programme including Visits

Exercises – General Information

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 4

Seminar Group Lists (to follow separately)

Reading List

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

 ‘Managing Defence in the Wider Security Context’

Dr. Laura Cleary

Cranfield University at DCMT

Introduction:

The mission of the Defence College of Management and Technology is to develop and
deliver high quality education, training and advice in technology, management and
leadership, together with relevant aspects of security and resilience in order to enhance
the delivery of defence capability. In keeping with the spirit of that mission the aim of
this course is to create an environment in which students are able to enhance their
knowledge, professional understanding and analytical skills necessary to improve and/or
transform the governance and management of their defence and security systems,
thereby advancing the defence and security interests of the UK.

Thus by the end of the course students should have gained an increased understanding
of the issues associated with the governance and management of defence. The term
governance refers to the overall, ethical direction of defence resources in accordance
with the constitution and national law and to the control of military organisations by the
political authorities of the state. The management of defence addresses the efficient and
effective use of human, financial and material resources to meet defence and wider
national security objectives. Governance and management are interdependent: poor
governance and a lack of accountability open up possibilities for corruption and other
abuses of human and physical resources.

The governance and management of defence has provided difficult challenges for all
types of government for centuries. It is not an area where simple answers are available
and, if anything, the problems involved are increasing in number and size. On
occasions, governance regulations may hinder effective management. No government is
entitled to feel complacent in this field. This is not to say that all governments handle
matters equally badly. Some governments do perform better than others, although there
is usually scope for debate about what ‘better’ actually means in a particular context.

The course examines approaches to the management of defence in developed and

transitional democracies. There are differences among even liberal democracies
regarding how major defence management issues should be addressed and the staff and
students are encouraged to adopt a critical approach to the solutions suggested. The
emphasis of the course is on the identification of appropriate management policies, tools
and techniques to advance security sector development. Course participants are
expected to exercise their independent, critical judgement with regard to these proposed
solutions. It is thus fundamentally an educational course rather than a training exercise.

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

Summary of the Course:

The first week of the course addresses the global security situation. In particular it looks
at traditional and modern interpretations of security and the changing role of armed
forces in contributing to the attainment of security. In the round table session on
security, which concludes the first week of the course, national, regional, international
and global perspectives are all considered.

The governance and management of defence cannot be discussed in a vacuum, but must
rest on a number of assumptions. These assumptions in particular cover the purposes
that the state is seen as serving, and the way in which states and political structures have
evolved over time. These issues are explored within the second week, as are some of
the challenges posed to state sovereignty. The aim is to establish an understanding of
the character, purposes and structure of the state. Once this has been achieved, the
course will then address the location of defence within the government and state.

The effective governance of defence is dependent upon a number of factors such as the
co-ordination of defence strategy with foreign policy and overall national strategy,
relations between the military and political authorities in crises and military operations,
the place of ethics in peace and military operations, the value of transparency and the
need for secrecy, the role of legislatures, the nature of accountability, and the
relationship of the military with wider society. Each of these issues will be examined in
turn as will other fundamentals such as the operation of defence within the wider
framework of a free press, freedom of press, the rule of law and human rights.

Good management cannot be achieved without good governance, and themes such as
accountability, transparency and strategic planning will be encountered in discussions of
both subjects. In order to ensure effective defence capability there need to be
guarantees that financial, human and equipment resources are being used efficiently.
This element of the course will explore the ways in which these outcomes might be
achieved.

The course reflects a core belief that “good governance is important for countries at all
stages of development” (Michael Camdessus, Former IMF Managing Director, Address
to the United Nations, 2 July 1997).

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

Course Aim:

To enhance the knowledge, professional understanding and analytical skills necessary to

improve and/or transform the governance and management of the students’ defence and
security systems, thereby advancing the defence and security interests of the UK.

Course Objectives:

After successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Assess Security within the International Context.

1.1 understand current security concepts, systems and challenges;

1.2 analyse security concepts, structures and issues

2. Evaluate Current Challenges to State Sovereignty.

2.1 identify key challenges faced by specified security sector stakeholders

2.2 evaluate existing security systems;

2.3 analyse the underlying causal factors (e.g. security, social, economic and
political) leading to current conflicts and to understand how existing
defence governance systems and security structures have been adapted to
address these causes of conflict ;

2.4 assess the principles and practices that have led to successful conflict
reduction;

3. Appreciate the Importance of Governance in Defence

3.1 understand current governance concepts, systems and challenges;

3.2 recognise the relationship between good governance good leadership and
good management in the provision of enhanced security;

3.3 compare the governance approaches of modern democratic states;

3.4 relate the theoretical concepts of governance to the realities of the civil-
military relationship within selected states;

3.5 evaluate existing governance systems;

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

4. Recognise the Significance of Professionalism

4.1 Define professionalism within the defence and security sectors as it

pertains to civilian and security personnel;

4.2 Explore the significance of leadership and management in the attainment

of higher professional standards;

4.3 Reflect upon existing levels of professionalism within the security

sectors of the nations represented;

4.4 Consider the implications and benefits of enhanced professionalism for a

nation’s security;

4.5 Recognise the wider international consequences of enhanced

professionalism;

5. Assess how Defence is Managed.

5.1 explore the distinction and inter-relationship between leadership and

management as it pertains to defence and security;

5.2 understand current management concepts, systems and challenges as

they apply to the management of defence;

5.3 analyse the strengths and weaknesses of selected defence management

theories and practices;

5.4 identify appropriate leadership philosophies and management practices

to advance security sector development;

5.5 compare the defence management approaches of modern democratic

states;

5.6 explore the relevance of various management practices to students’

current defence systems;

The Syllabus:

I. Security within an International Context

 Security
 On War: the moral, physical and conceptual components
 Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism
 Non-military tools of security
 Policing and security
 Disaster management
 Environmental security

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

 Border management
 Crisis management
 Conflict resolution theory
 Security Sector Reform
 CIMIC
 The military’s contribution to counter-terrorism
 Peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance
 Roundtable discussion on security

II. The Governance of Defence

 Governance in Transitional Democracies
 Politics: Expectations and Design
 Political Direction of Defence and Security
 Accountability and Transparency
 Combating corruption
 The formulation and implementation of policy
 SDR: a dynamic process
 Political Risk Analysis
 Civil-Military Relations
 Roles and Expertise of the Armed Forces
 The roles of politicians and civil servants
 Armed forces and the law

III. Leadership and Professionalism

 Leadership philosophies
 Leadership practices
 Leadership training
 The Modern Professional

IV. The Management of Defence

 Definition of management: the role of the manager
 Defence management challenges
 Organisational relations: defence ministry relations with other state agencies
concerned with security.
 Organisational culture
 Competition for resources within government
 Defence finance
 Human resource management
 Systems approach to training
 Strategic and Change Management
 Project Management
 Quality Management
 Burning management issues in the MoD
 Defence logistics and supply chain management
 Capability based acquisition

Teaching and Learning Methods:

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

The teaching programme will have six elements:

 core lectures by Cranfield and military directing staff. There will be opportunities
for questions in these sessions;

 discussion sessions during which issues and events can be explored in more detail;

 guest lectures by government and private sector experts and briefings at UK

government facilities. Again there will be question and answer sessions as part of
these activities;

 seminar group sessions, when students will discuss a specified issue or problem;

 student presentations, when students will present conclusions from seminar group
sessions to staff and the student body as a whole.

 a crisis management exercise over a two and a half day period.

Course Programme including Visits:

The course programme is issued separately to allow you to carry it with you at all times.
If there are changes to the programme for any reason, then a revised programme for the
week in question will be issued to you as soon as the changes are known. Every
programme for every week has the date that it was produced printed at the foot of the
page. This will enable you to see when a revised programme for the week has been
issued. If in doubt, always use the programme for the week bearing the latest date.

There will be a number of official visits as part of the course. Additionally, there will
be a number of social and cultural visits either at weekends or on public holidays. These
social and cultural visits are an essential part of the course and are designed to give you
an understanding of the nature of British society, its history, culture and traditions in the
widest sense. We feel that it is important that you see something of the United
Kingdom during your course. Generally, all the visits will be fully funded by Cranfield
University, except for items of personal expenditure. For each visit, either official or
social and cultural, a separate programme will be issued a few days prior to the event.

More information on the visits programme will be issued to you as the course
progresses.

The course will conclude at 1000 hours on Friday 30 April 2010. You will be free to
depart at any time thereafter and you should confirm your flight arrangements
accordingly.

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

Exercises – General Information:

An important part of the teaching and learning methods employed on the course are the
exercises, which allow you to participate actively in the coursework. Additionally, the
exercises will allow you to listen to the opinions of your fellow students, who come
from a range of nation states from across the world. Understanding and learning from
colleagues with different experiences is an important and valuable part of the learning
process.

There are exercises during most weeks of the course, except for week 1. These
exercises are set out on the following pages. Any additional exercise requirements will
be given to you at the time. All exercises are numbered consecutively throughout the
course.

During week 6 of the course, there will be a Simulation Exercise, which forms an
important part of the course. More details of this exercise will be given to you by the
team who run it.

Usually, the exercises require some preparation and this is done in small seminar
groups. All being well, there will be 30 students on the course, which will allow us to
form 4 seminar groups, each of 7 or 8 students. The composition of the seminar groups
will be issued separately as soon as the final list of students attending the course is
confirmed.

During weeks two through six you will be joined by 4 students currently undertaking
the MSc in Global Security. They will be set separate exercises and assignments.

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

Seminar Exercise 1: Risk Map

Requirement: Students are to identify the three major risks to security that face
Country X. These should be placed on a risk map based on
probability and impact. They should then explain if the risks will
be:

a. Prevented
b. Mitigated
c. Accepted
d. Transferred
e. Adapted to.

Instructions: The identity of the state to be considered will be drawn from a hat
by each seminar group at the introductory session for the
exercise.

Each group should prepare a presentation of 10 -12 minutes

duration and should expect to answer questions.

The report may not be given by a student from the country being
considered.

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

Exercise 2: Civilian Oversight

Requirement:

How is civilian oversight of defence and security conducted in country X? How

might it be improved?

Instructions:

The exercise will be conducted in seminar groups.

The identity of the state to be considered will be drawn from a hat by each
seminar group at the introductory session for the exercise.

Seminar groups must work as a team to prepare a 12 minute report to be

given to the whole class.

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

Seminar Exercise 3: Accountability v. Transparency

Seminar Exercise 3: Accountability

Background: Frequently stability is viewed as the primary goal when a country

is transitioning out of conflict. The question is how to achieve
and maintain that stability, particularly when the other stated
ambition is to improve levels of transparency, accountability and
justice. There may be a general understanding that greater
transparency improves the quality of governance, but determining
the extent to which government should be transparent proves
difficult, particularly when information is viewed as power within
a society. This broader debate is reflected in the following two
issues.

Requirement: Seminar groups will be paired off to debate an issue. One group
will adopt a position in favour of reform, the other against. Each
group should consider the measures/legislation that they think
should be enacted to uphold their position.

Seminar group 1 (FOR) and Seminar group 2 (AGAINST)

As part of a proposed defence and security review suggestions

have been made that there is scope for greater legislative
oversight of defence and security activities. At present the
Parliamentary Commission on Defence and Security has limited
powers to question key personnel or to demand detailed reports.
How might the Committee’s powers be increased and what would
be the advantages or disadvantages in doing so?

Seminar group 3 (FOR) and Seminar group 4 (AGAINST)

Since 2002 various attempts have been made to establish Truth &
Reconciliation committees and to give those committees the
powers and authority to pursue cases to the full. To date,
however, while the committees may exist, they have proven weak
and justice is not seen by the people to have been served. The
question to be debated is whether the establishment of more
robust Truth & Reconciliation committees is a requirement for
the professionalization of the police and armed forces and the
security of the people. Group 3 should argue the case in favour,
while group 4 should argue the case against.

Instructions: Presentation of the paper should last 10-12 minutes.

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010

Exercise 4: The Application of Management Principles in Practice

Participation: All seminar groups

Requirement: Many countries around the world are aware that in order to secure
democracy they need to undertake a reform of their defence
establishments. Transitional democracies face a range of
challenges that need to be addressed if an overall reform
programme is to be deemed successful. Some of these challenges
are listed below. Each group should choose one issue from the
list and through the application of appropriate management
principles seek to devise a policy for overcoming that challenge.

 Lack of financial and budgetary planning

 Low morale and inadequate pay and welfare provision
 Shifting and/or unclear mission requirements
 Slow progress of DDR
 Downsizing of the armed force
 Low levels of professionalisation
 Low levels of literacy and numeracy
 Cultural unwillingness to undertake major change

Instructions: Seminar groups must work as a team to prepare a 12 minute

report to be given to the whole class.

 L. Cleary, Cranfield University 23/07/2010