Despite protestations to the contrary, there is a tendency in the Armed Forces to put information into ‘boxes’, labelling them ‘operations’, ‘logistics’, ‘administration’ or ‘training’. But Defence is a system of systems, with a life cycle of activity, covering every aspect from marketing to recruiting and administration, to training, sustainment and operations. Overall combat effectiveness, the ultimate objective of the military system, is dependent on any one element within the system.

The tangible value to Defence comes from harnessing the power of this information by integration and directed interrogation. This becomes increasingly important with the restructuring of the Armed Forces to meet the current and future Defence and Security requirements of the UK, resulting in a smaller organisation with variable and selective capability. The emphasis increasingly is on being organised, equipped and trained for contingency operations of short duration, with specific political aims. There is a renewed emphasis on the Army Reserve in particular, to complete the overall operational capability of the Armed Forces.

Such a strategic and operational posture places additional demands on the components of Defence and their inter-relationship. Integrated information is the key to unlocking the complexities, whether operational or structural, or supporting logistics and training.  Training for combat effectiveness to enable the Armed Forces to prepare as quickly as possible for deployments and to maintain currency is but one area of complexity and potentially of waste. This suggests high quality training in the minimum amount of time, making the optimum use of the time and resources available. The latter is especially true of the Army Reserve where training time is short.

Today’s recruits can be faced with an array of new skills to master, complicating the way they are trained, which can lead to an imbalance between theoretical and practical military operational training. The means and style of training delivery should take account of the society from which recruits are drawn if the Armed Forces are to capture and retain the interest and commitment of the young recruit. This suggests a focus on the lifestyle of the young people involved.  At the core of their lifestyle is the use of social media, powered by digital technology – it is second nature and constantly in demand. These recruits are the lifeblood which flows through the arteries of effective Defence. How the body of Defence behaves can also be influenced by contemporary society – it may be that alternative uses of our Reserve can be influenced by the nature of the society we are creating.

Our presence at DSEI this year will focus on this complex Defence environment. The digitized world has yet to be truly exploited by Defence, where applications are currently restricted to information warfare requirements  and the limited use of geospatial intelligence using satellite and other reconnaissance feeds. Harnessing the power of technology and the imagination of the human mind can and will take us into as yet, unexplored areas.