The Challenge of Information Services and The impact

The Challenge of Information Services and The impact on Professional Development An Operational and a Personal Perspective Commodore Peter Walpole ADC RN Commodore Devonport Flotilla

Background • • • Warfare Branch CIS/C 4 ISTAR Trained Command Experience Chief of Staff to US JTF 120 Deputy Commander of NATO’s Deployable Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) HQ • Devonport Flotilla – Amphibious Capability / TLAM Submarines / Theatre Entry Units

Information Age Choices Live in a Cave or Ride the Tiger

Globalization / Information Revolution “Information Revolution…The Death of Time” War in 2010: 1. 5 trillion wpm Wideband Datalinks Gulf War: 192, 000 wpm Networked Computers World War I: 30 wpm Field Phone World War II: 60 wpm Radio Cold War: 100 wpm SATCOM We can transmit the entire British Library each minute wpm - words per minute

Globalization / Information Revolution “Information Revolution…The Death of Distance” Society, Culture, and the Individual in the 21 st Century "The main impact of the death of distance will be to make communication and access to information in all its forms more convenient. " The Internet in the 21 st Century "The Internet has become the most powerful driver for innovation that the world has ever seen. " Francis Cairncross The Death of Distance: How the Communications Revolution Will Change our Lives

Globalization / Information Revolution “Impact on Commanders” • Speed • Enables “Death of Time” • Network Connectivity • Enables Interactivity • Global Availability • Enables “Death of Distance” • Constantly Lower Relative Costs • Fosters advantages… (for whom)?

Globalisation / Information Revolution “Impact on Warfare” • New Strategic Context • New battlespace is based on information age principles and phenomena • Broadened Threat Context • State / Non-State • Symmetric / Asymmetric • Traditional / Unrestricted • New Technological Threats Facilitated by the Falling Barriers to Competitive Entry • Immediate accessibility to highly capable low cost IT • Opens key operational domains to competition: space, cyberspace

Decision-Making Information and Knowledge Management KM Commander Judgment • Context • Experience Understanding Decisions Knowledge Analysing, Integrating, Correlating, and “Fusion” IM Staff Processing Data Information Joint Commander Host Government Component NGOs Liaison Officers J-codes Coalition Partners FCO

Enhanced Collaboration • Commander centric Command Control – Sharing of the Commander’s intent / guidance – Common understanding of the JOA through a shared, web-enabled database • Distributed network enabling access to key decision makers • Provide access to information regardless of physical location • Enable no-notice small group or one-on-one meetings Faster, more informed decisions … at all levels

Discussion How many e-mails would you expect the JTF Commander to receive each day? Develop and enforce a solid Information Management Plan covering – Power. Point, Web technology, email, VTC, software, Local Area Networks, operational networks etc.

Discussion - Continued - Should CIE and VTC be viewed as essential command control tools that must be available at all levels? Bandwidth is a limited resource that people manage (like beans, bullets, and fuel)

Information Management (IM) / Knowledge Management (KM) Pitfalls • Lack of Commander / COS involvement in IM / KM • Failure to establish formal IM / KM organization and process (i. e. Joint Information Management Board) • Failure to establish formal Request for Information (RFI) process • Failing to distinguish between what’s interesting and what’s vital • Failure to ensure relevant information available to ALL actors in your AOR

Best Practices of IM and KM • Strong Commander involvement in the IM / KM Process • Tying Commanders Critical Information Requirements to the Decision Cycle • Understanding IM / KM is operator business • Assigning an IM / KM rep for each J-Code or functional directorate • Reading the Information Management Plan, following the processes and business practices

So……. What does this really mean for Military Professional Development

Professional Development • Updated Skills for Everyone – No–one is immune – Understand the potential and the limits – Acknowledge perishability of skill – Intelligent users of information • Information Professionals – Uniformed Technical Specialists - Current – In House Information Consultant - Interpreter • Boundary Blurring – Range of skills required – Requirement needs to be a pervasive driver of professional development

And……. What does this mean for Capability Development?

Capability Development • Balance of Investment – Have we got it right across Hardware, Software, Support and People? – Capability is people and skills – Do we have the necessary agility? – Why are my sailors not being given these skills? • Experimentation – Field a bit, trial a bit, learn a lot – Experiments must be allowed to fail

Summary • Tiger Riding Needs – Challenge Recognition – A range of information skill – Adequate agility in training and support – Balanced investment – Improved skills at the last tactical mile • And above all – a tight grip