“Achieving Efficiencies and Interoperability through Long-Term Human Capital Investment:

1. Arnold C. Dupuy, Research Associate “Achieving Efficiencies and Interoperability through Long-Term Human Capital Investment: The Role of Information and Communications Technology” A presentation for the International High-Level Sofia Conference on Smart Defence—Pooling and Sharing: Eastern European View on Multinational and Innovative Approaches for Capabilities Development 2-3 April 2012 Sofia, Bulgaria

2. Introduction: Multiple Challenges • Maintaining operational proficiency and readiness • Strengthening regional cooperation • Southeastern Europe/Black Sea • Addressing a variety of threats • Terrorism • WMD Proliferation • Organized Crime • Narcotics Trafficking • Human Trafficking NATO SEEBRIG

3. Introduction: Multiple Challenges (Cont’d) • Goal is to find broad based economies of scale while maintaining or enhancing standardization and interoperability… • …in an environment of dramatically diminishing resources NATO US Navy 3

4. Long-Term Investment in Human Capital • Renewed emphasis on : • Human capital with a concentration on two focal points • Military/civilian education • Military-to-Military Contacts (MMC) • Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as the enabler Kilson Johnston 4

5. Long-Term Investment in Human Capital (Cont’d) • Consideration of the junior officers and mid-level NCO • In the mid to late 20s age group • Can operate with considerable autonomy • Decisions are increasingly pushed to the tactical levels • Mold their performance and behavior over the long term • Will have decided on a military career • Generation that has grown up in the digital age Patton 5

6. Civilian and Military Education • The value of an educated soldier • Think critically • Adaptive • Resilient • Better communicator • Civilian Education • Advanced education • Adult education training/lifelong learning programs • Military Education • Officer and NCO professional development • Advanced specialty schools • Infuse a true intellectual dimension in military training and education French MoD 6

7. Military-to-Military Contacts • Military-to-Military Contacts (MMC) • Predictability • Interoperability • Differing viewpoints • Enhance standardization • Multiplier effect • Lessons learned/best practices are • brought back to home units • Encouraging precedents in BLACKSEAFOR, South-East European Defense Ministerial (SEEDM) Process, SEEBRIG Dupuy SEEBRIG 7 USMC

8. Focus on the Existing Technological Environment • Information Communication and Technology • Distributed availability • On-line coursework • Joint scenario development and conduct • Crowd sourcing • Open source research • Social technology • Reliance on Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) • Reconfigure existing game engines and platforms that allow future generational applications US Army 8

9. Common Denominator (Human Capital/Efficiencies) • Smart Defense cannot happen by itself • Identify quality people as early as possible • Mentor them • Educate/train them • Challenge them • Promote/reward them Dupuy Reeves 9

10. Final Thoughts • ICT cannot be a substitute for tough, realistic training • It can only be a supplement • Allows leaders to make mistakes in a controlled environment • Setting the stage for enhanced and strenuous field or • command post exercises • Accentuate joint and multinational environment Reeves Canadian MoD 10

11. Thank You Arnold C. Dupuy acdupuy@vt.edu Dupuy 11