Defence Planning Process Research Articles

Scénáře v procesu plánování schopností

The aim of the article is to bring inspiration and offer needed recommendations for implementing the scenarios in the defence planning process. The article addresses purpose, development and practical application of scenarios in a national defence planning process, utilizing capability based planning (National Capability Based Defence Planning - NCBDP). During the planning scenarios are used for identification and verification of capability requirements. Scenarios depict main features of the environment in which the armed forces will be employed to execute military missions. Scenarios reflect as well operational concepts in a sense of doctrinal use of armed forces. Furthermore, they offer a possibility to identify and quantify required capabilities in a volatile, difficult to predict, complex, permanently and dynamically changing environment, and reduce level of uncertainty and associated risks. In this regard, scenarios are significant analytical and supporting tool of defence planning with high value added. Correct application of scenarios allows defining a set of required capabilities necessary for success in potential future conflicts. Scenarios enable long-term planning of capabilities development and optimisation as a platform for qualified and well informed decisions at the MoD level on the armed forces character, structure and size with regard to the ambitions and international commitments of the country. In the conclusion the article brings recommendations for the defence planning process improvement by exploiting capability based planning and scenarios. Recommendations provided in the article include doctrinal changes, organizational changes within MoD and General staff, recommendations for updating the education plans for military personnel, recommendations for optimization of the defence planning process as well as for necessary changes in the approach of the defence managers and military leaders to the described method.

NATO Defence Planning Process. Implications for defence posture

NATO Defence Planning Process. Implications for defence posture

Concept Development & Experimentation As Tool For Capability Development

Abstract Purpose of this paper is to depict Concept Development & Experimentation (CD&E) process as tools for transformation in NATO. CD&E process supports development and experimentation by providing a common framework, decision support and practical guidelines for capability development. In first part the author shows possible patterns of military concepts and describes their parameters. In the second part article depicts relationship between the operating concepts and the defence planning process. They clarify the operating concept application issues in the process of the armed forces development. The paper is one of outcome of the defence research project named “Operational Concepts of the Armed Forms of the Czech Republic in Joint Operations”, that was solved at the University of Defence in Brno (CZ). Project solved the “Proposal of operational concept of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic in joint operations” and “Methodology of generation and development of operational concepts”.

Aplikace systémové dynamiky v procesu sdílení vojenských schopností

The article describes the application of system dynamics in the process military capabilities sharing of the Czech Republic with Alliance allies. The aim is not to capture the problem in all its aspects, but is focused on the process of multinational capabilities sharing with accent for the Army of the Czech Republic, which has been suffer in the last few years the reduction in the defence spending. Czech Republic gradually came with its defence budget into the group of countries that profit from its membership in NATO, but without its own contribution for developing of its military capabilities. The basic precondition for the capability and readiness of the Alliance to face current and new security challenges, is the necessity to have adequate capabilities. For achieving this goal is essential higher and more responsible involvement the European countries of the Alliance for collective defence, including the Czech Republic. Ongoing Ukrainian crisis and the behavior of the Russian Federation represent a fundamental change in the security environment in Europe and therefore changing the assumptions on which the Alliance is preparing to fulfil tasks. Solving problems in capabilities can be achieve by properly-designed investments in upgrading, by improving NATO defence planning process and accordance with national defence planning process, by consistent execution capability targets that this process generates, but also by use of multinational capabilities sharing. Pooling and sharing capability among individual member states can have a significant impact on the way, how to replace the missing defence sources or how to effectively use increasing of defence budgets, which the Alliance, including the Czech Republic, declared at the summit in Wales.

Preparing NATO for the Next Defence-Planning Cycle

The Atlantic Alliance will be turning more than one corner in 2014. Aside from the end of combat operations in Afghanistan, the year also marks the conclusion of the first cycle of the NATO Defence Planning Process. The arcane world of defence planners arguably represents the principal sphere in which NATO will define a new balance between collective defence and crisis management. Alexander Mattelaer discusses the key debates informing the next defence-planning cycle, and argues that the Wales Summit must provide political guidance for a new level of ambition, extend the planning horizon, and link up with recent European initiatives in the defence-industrial realm.

Obranné plánování NATO (neustále) v tranzici

NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP) is a subject of quite frequent reviews and amendments in order to meet the needs of NATO as an organization and of each Ally. The current initiative, based on a tasking from the Chicago summit in May 2012, is referred to as "Enhancing the NDPP". It particularly aims at making the NDPP more relevant to national defence planning and more visible at political level. More emphasis is also placed on timely consultations among Allies whenever they intend to make significant changes in their defence inventories and capabilities. Recently approved NATO Defence Planning Capability Targets (June 2013) previously known as Force Goals, are for the first time affected by application of the so-called "50% planning assumption" which aims to redress the burden-sharing imbalance between the US and other Allies.

Scenarios in a Rational Approach towards Planning under Uncertainty

The implementation of the scenario approach at all levels in the modern national security process is unavoidable. As long as it is not part of the Bulgarian military practice yet, there is a need the idea to be communicated, and sound explanations provided in terms of rationalizing the defense and force planning process.

Why Not NATO? Military Planning in the European Union

This article explains why the EU in recent years has gained an upper hand in Allied defence planning. The development is surprising in light of reforms undertaken by NATO in the mid-1990s and also the 1998-99 US ambition to reinforce NATO's defence planning process with the Defence Capabilities Initiative. The article argues that a number of European governments, notably including the British and French, has been motivated to seek change because NATO's defence planning process has proved difficult to adapt to new low-intensity threats and also because governments seek to control the political development of the EU itself. The article illustrates how these concerns are directly visible in the current EU design for military planning and offers an assessment of future NATO-EU relations.

Una revisión del planteamiento de la defensa por capacidades en España (2005-16)

El artículo estudia el planeamiento de la defensa nacional contemporáneo desde la promulgación de la Orden Ministerial 37/2005 que inaugura el planeamiento basado en capacidades hasta la emisión de la Orden Ministerial 60/2015 que lo actualiza, flexibiliza y racionaliza. Se estudiarán las características definidoras de este proceso, se describirá su funcionamiento, se evaluarán sus principales virtudes y limitaciones y se propondrán varias ideas para optimizar los ciclos de planeamiento.