Germany

From 2 to 6 November, the German Armed Forces Command and Staff College (Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr) are conducting a seminar on “Operational Thinking” for senior staff officers. One of the issues to be addressed is Security Sector Reform - discussions and syndicate work will investigate the actual challenges of SSR and the role of the military in it. The syndicate output will then later be integrated in a comprehensive approach to resolve the scenario crisis.

For the syndicate work on Tuesday (03 Nov), the Führungsakademie would like support from ISSAT in order to ensure the required depth of discussions and output. 

Understand to Prevent (U2P) was one of ten lines of development in the Multinational Capability Development Campaign (which consists of mostly NATO and like-minded nations – see also the MCDC website). The U2P line of development sought to elaborate the role that militaries can adopt, in partnership with other governmental departments and civil society, in preventing violent conflict.

The first iteration of meetings (in the last two-year cycle) produced the capstone ‘doctrine’ embodied in the Understand to Prevent Foundation Studies book linked below. Subsequently, the meetings sought to operationalise the doctrine into a more tangible Handbook of tools and process. Most of the military representatives involved came from their national concepts and doctrine development centres, so there was plentiful scope for open and out-of-the box thinking.

• U2P Foundation Studies book – an informative and concise delve into the theory and evidence supporting of prevention of violent conflict;
• The Understand to Prevent concept (short paper).

In January 2016, the U2P Handbook is looked at interoperability with the NATO Comprehensive Operational Planning Directive (COPD), and with NATO CIMIC doctrine and processes.

Further opportunities to trial the Handbook are welcome.

For full access to the U2P Handbook Understand to Prevent: the military contribution to the prevention of violent conflict, updated in 2017, kindly follow the link. 

A morning seminar (08:30-11:30) providing top level principles and frameworks for security and justice sector reform programming. It will focus specifically on defence reform, defence institution capacity building and the military contribution to security and justice sector reform.

Target group: Colonels and above at 1 German-Netherlands Corps (1GNC), as well as civil servant equivalents, and staff of NGOs and civil-society organisations.

The seminar aims to:

• Provide an awareness of the concept of SSR;
• Provide an overview of the policy frameworks of various international organisations;
• Show linkages with peace enforcement, peace-support operations, peace-keeping operations and stabilisation operations;
• Discuss roles of the military within the concept of SSR concept, including at the planning process, and in train and equip endeavours or security force assistance (SFA).

Additional support is provided to the Netherlands input on Thursday 21 May regarding incorporating non-state actors in SSR programming.

A 1 day seminar for participants of the civ mil exercise Reliable Sword; on basics of SSR.

Target group consists of Captains, Majors, of German and NL brigades, staff of NGOs and MFA of the Netherlands

A 1 day seminar for participants of the civ mil exercise Reliable Sword; on basics of SSR.

Target group consists of Captains, Majors, of German and NL brigades, staff of NGOs and MFA of the Netherlands