29.07.2024. SEASON 3 / EPISODE 1.
The Civ/Mil part (of C2) from a NATO SecGen
Former NATO Sec Gen Jaap de Hoop Scheffer talks about what it takes to make effective command relationships work at the highest level of Pol/Mil C2: the tensions between domestic agendas and international obligations, decision-making in NATO, and how to achieve coherence and agreement in matters of war. The conclusion, perhaps unsurprisingly, is that the level of co-operation between politicians and their military counterparts is not something that can be scripted or forced: it depends more on personalities, behaviours, and shared interests than on orders and formal hierarchies. Reflecting on successes and failures, Jaap makes for compelling listening.
OTHER EPISODES IN SERIES
VIEW ALLSEASON 1 / EP.Trailer
The Big Questions
The show is about military command and control - sometimes considered the panacea of battles and campaigns - and what...
SEASON 1 / EP.1
The Quest for Certainty
Martin van Creveld talked about command being about the ‘Quest for Certainty’, in order to make the right...
SEASON 1 / EP.2
Adaptation under fire
Command and control in war is very different to peacetime plans: and then C2 that works well for defensive operations...
SEASON 1 / EP.3
What makes a great commander?
It is not hard to identify the great (and successful) commanders across history – and it turns out they have a few...
A New Orders Process
In ‘How to Win’ rather than ‘How to Operate’ in a peer or near peer war, time is vital and the ability to share...
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SEASON 1 / EP.5
Familiarity ≠ Trust
Trust has always been a central concept in military command and control: it can be based on a ‘Band of Brothers’...
SEASON 6 / EP.1
AI in C2
Everyone seems to be talking about how Artificial Intelligence inside HQs will revolutionise command and control. The...
SEASON 1 / EP.7
Confidence and The Initiative
People lie at the heart of any C2 complex – both those in command and their HQ staff, as well as those at the gritty...
SEASON 1 / EP.8
Question time
Three great guests, 120 questions, global audience. What could go wrong? recorded at DSEi in London in September 2023,...
SEASON 2 / EP.1
JADC2 – a primer
In 2019, the Chiefs of Staff of the US military determined that C2 really had to adapt. The decision came after the...
SEASON 2 / EP.2
NATO C2: How to Improve
Having spent the week at the NATO C2 Centre of Excellence in The Hague, talking C2 with some impressive people, this...
SEASON 2 / EP.3
Air C2
Command and control in the air domain has always been very different to that of other domains. Much more control,...
SEASON 2 / EP.4
The Devolution of Command
Having an intelligent conversation about command and control requires a discussion with the USMC, the same institution...
SEASON 2 / EP.5
You Cannot Beat Winter
A discussion with Major General Karl Engelbrekston, former chief of the Swedish Army who retired in Jun 2023. Command...
SEASON 2 / EP.6
Delegation to the point of discomfort
Many medium powers have been struggling to keep pace with the US military as it reimagines how it will undertake...
SEASON 2 / EP.7
Not the Heroic Model of Decision-Making
What makes a good and a great military leader? The myth of a divine, born leader is very popular but today we actually...
SEASON 2 / EP.8
Naval C2
The captain of a warship has, sometimes, godlike omnipotence. Does this mean that naval command and control has some...
SEASON 2 / EP.9
C2 Systems – How Much Has Changed?
In providing commanders with the ability to command and control, computerised systems have been in use for more than 50...