UK Advanced Command and Staff Course students, National Defence Academy, Gori, Georgia
© Onnik James Krikorian 2014
My first presentation of 2014 and as with the year just gone it was to be for an audience as unexpected as my first presentation then. In February 2013 it was to be at an intergovernmental seminar for Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) and the U.S. Government’s Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC). This year it was to be for 50 students from the U.K. military’s tri-service Advanced Command and Staff Course.
From early on in their careers, officers from the three Services are given further education, with 2,000 a year, aged about 30, taken on to the 30-week “Intermediate” course at Shrivenham. About eight years later, this number is distilled down to 200 officers, the top 20 per cent, who after taking the “Advanced” course will go on to command battalions, warships or fighter squadrons. Of these, the best 30, marked for the top flight of their Services, are selected for the three-month “Higher” course when they reach their early forties.
[…]
“Critical to what we do here is to educate people for tomorrow, for
10 years’ time and beyond,” Air Vice Marshal Ray Lock, the commandant and a former Tornado pilot, says. Officers are taught to deal with the phenomenon of “wicked problems” – situations that have no solution but “problems that we have to manage and deal with”.
[…]
The course examines security relationships and potential problem areas with all the major powers including Russia, China, India and Brazil. Joint exercises are held with four other staff colleges in Europe, with a final two-day visit to Normandy to examine, admire or pull apart the intense planning that went into Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion.
The students, including some from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere, were visiting Georgia to discuss the security situation in Georgia and the surrounding region.
During their week in Georgia, the students will have meetings at the Georgian Defence Ministry; visit the Krtsanisi Training Centre and National Defence Academy in Gori; meet civil society representatives; participate in discussions on Georgia’s EU and NATO aspirations and call on the European Monitoring Mission Field Office in Gori.
During their visit, the student also met with the Georgian Defence Minister, Irakli Alasania.
At the meeting, Defence Minister focused on international and regional security issues, Georgia’s foreign priorities, international and strategic partnership and challenges. “We spoke about Georgia, its geopolitics and challenges our country faces to in military of political directions. Their interest is very high. I am sure that the participants of the course see Georgia as a great and reliable partner. In future, such visits will strengthen alliance with NATO, as well our bilateral cooperation with many countries” – stated Defence Minister.
While delivering speech to the participants of the Advanced Command and Staff Course, Chief of General Staff, Major-General Vakhtang Kapanadze outlined the priorities and plans of Georgian Armed Forces. In his speech, Deputy Defence Minister, Mikheil Darchiashvili referred to Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic integration, Georgia’s contribution to international security operation and NATO 2014 Summit. On purpose to exchange experience, the students of the international course will visit National Defence Academy.
Within the visit to Georgia, meetings are also held with the representatives of NATO Liaison Office to Georgia, Georgian experts working on security issues, chief of EUMM, Deputy State Ministers of Reconciliation and Civil Equality and European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.
My presentation was to be for the second day of a seminar at the Georgian National Defence Academy in Gori. Other speakers included representatives of the British Embassy, local analysts and advisors to the Georgian government, heads of multinational corporations in the region, and international journalists. In particular, I was charged with the task of zooming out a little from Georgia and looking at the wider South Caucasus region and Armenia as well as the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, in particular.
To be honest, I found the idea of presenting to a military audience a little daunting so ended up Skyping with my Uncle, a retired British Army Lt. Colonel who also commanded UNPROFOR logistics in Bosnia in 1993, for some advice on how to approach them. “Don’t use too much text on screen,” he said. “Convey information in words and take a more personal approach recounting your experiences and knowledge in and of the region. Especially use photographs and be prepared for discussion. They’ll appreciate that.”
Seemed to work and my presentation was well received. And not only was the whole day informative, but also incredibly enjoyable. The seminar, however, was conducted under the Chatham House rule so I can’t say much more than this.
