A PERMANENT EVOLUTION
In order to provide up-to-date Education & Training to his clients, IFESO has a partnership with the French Command for Joint Operations (CPOIA) and the Joint Center for Doctrine Concepts and Experiments (CICDE).
A SET OF UNIQUE TRAINING PROGRAMS
IFESO defense
The French Institute for Strategic and Operational Education (IFESO) has developed a unique set of programmes for French Armed Forces as well as countries and organizations France maintains cooperation with.
These programmes provide and maintain a joint operations planning and conducting capability in a comprehensive approach to crisis.
CONTEXT OF THE STRATEGIC APPROACH
UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES & MASTER THE PROCESSES
Understanding what is at stakes for a crisis then mastering the Decision-Making processes combining all available instruments of power constitute the fundamentals of a Crisis Management Capability for a state, a regional or international organization.
(For additional details on Strategic and Operational Approach see “Operational Art”).
BASE OF SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE OF CAPABILITIES
Getting such a capacity requires to educate and train a pool of officers gathering a broad base of skills. Together, these skills innervate strategic and operational headquarters to prepare, plan, conduct and evaluate joint operations.
At these levels of responsibility, it is a question of knowing perfectly the capacities of each component as well as operational functions, in order to combine them while being impregnated with the politico-strategic field of consciousness overarching any State action.
The specific savoir-faire is therefore distinctly different from that prevailing at the tactical level.
KNOW-HOW
ifeso Defense
ADAPTED CONTENT …
The acquisition and maintenance of such a capacity requires the implementation of training and training cycles adapted to each level of responsibility namely: writers, executives and decision-makers.
TO THE NEEDS OF OUR CUSTOMERS
By carrying out a detailed analysis of the needs of its customers, IFESO proposes a program of acquisition and maintenance of capacity adapted to the needs of the customer and which includes courses and training but also the adaptation to organizations (auditing and consulting) as well as the development of procedures (Standard Operating Procedures – SOPs).
An excerpt of the proposed courses is presented below.
Joint Operations Operational Staff Officer Course
FOR THE EDITORIAL OFFICERS OF THE STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL STAFFS
Joint Operations Key Leader Course
FOR COLONELS OR CADRES OF STRATEGIC AND OPERATIVE LEVELS
Joint Operations General Officers Seminar
FOR FUTURE COMMANDERS OR CHIEF OF STAFF
Joint Operations Operational Staff Officer Course
GOAL
Understand the responsibilities, roles and major functions of the strategic and operational levels.
Understand the processes and products needed to develop a plan and implement it at the operational level.
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
Staff officers are able to understand the mechanics of national or multinational staffs by applying NATO processes.
Understand the processes and products needed to develop a plan and implement it at the operational level.
CONTENT
Lectures and practical work developed from a fictional but realistic scenario. Auditors contribute to the development of an operational plan.
AUDIENCE
Staff Officers (Captain to Lieutenant Colonel).
TRAINEES
up to 25
Duration
105 hours (3 weeks)
Joint Operations Key Leader Course
GOAL
Understand the responsibilities, roles and major functions of the strategic and operational levels.
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
Colonels or cell or division chiefs are able to manage the major functions and to command the cells of the strategic and operative staffs in order to propose to the command the directives allowing to initiate the planning and the conduct of the campaign.
CONTENT
A combination of lectures and tutorials from a script. A combination of lectures and tutorials from a script. Auditors will contribute to the production and validation of planning and conduct documents.
AUDIENCE
Lieutenants-Colonels or Colonel Cell Leaders in a Strategic or Operative Staff.
TRAINEES
up to 15
Duration
70 hours (2 weeks)
Joint Operations General Officers Seminar
GOAL
Understand the responsibilities, roles and major functions of the strategic and operational levels.
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
General officers are able to lead a joint campaign by giving their staff the necessary direction for planning and conducting operations.
CONTENT
Acombination of lectures and tutorials from a script. Auditors will have to contribute to the production of planning documents..
AUDIENCE
General Officers.
TRAINEES
up to 12
Duration
35 hours (1 week)
Exercise Planning Course
GOAL
Understand the processes and organization required to plan, mount and execute a joint exercise.
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
Staff officers are able to contribute to a team of markers for the assembly of a joint exercise.
CONTENT
Combination of lectures and tutorials from an exercise scenario. Auditors will have to contribute to the production of exercise documents:
– Exercise Specifications (EXSPEC),
– Exercise Plan (EXPLAN),
including the conduct of the exercise and the process of analysis and feedback.
AUDIENCE
Staff Officers (Captain to Lieutenant Colonel).
TRAINEES
up to 25
Duration
35 hours (1 week)
Joint Operations Operational Battle Staff Training
PURPOSE & PRINCIPLES
In order to put the training into practice, IFESO proposes to mount operational or strategic level command post exercises with its clients.
Building on the plan developed by the trainees during the planning phase, the command post is placed in a driving situation. The issues are developed by IFESO and allow the player to assess the situation and propose corrections on all three horizons by applying the collaborative analysis and decision-making process taught.
Depending on customer demand, it may be more or less invasive in the preparation, conduct and evaluation of the exercise. Exercise preparation courses can then find a case of actual application.
Depending on the level reached by the player and the client’s request, IFESO may offer the assistance of a computer simulation. This easy-to-use simulation replicates the tactical joint environment and accurately supports the exercise’s animation. Simulation is also a valuable aid for post-action analysis by providing opportunities for replay.
Wargame & Redteaming
PURPOSE & PRINCIPLES
Before an exercise, IFESO also offers planning assistance in wargame and redteaming.
Wargame
IFESO can implement wargaming sessions of the operational action modes proposed by the client.
Based on simulation, a game of confrontation with the actions of the other actors of the crisis can be developed in order to draw conclusions.
Redteaming
IFESO can develop Redteaming programs whose goal is to challenge planning teams that develop military or corporate strategies in order to test the effectiveness and relevance of the plans.
A Red Team’s mission is to analyze the key factors and conclusions drawn from a situation analysis, an operational design or the development of a plan.
Having the results evaluated by an outside team provides a realistic view of the robustness of the options chosen. By questioning, the Red Team triggers a wider reflection among members of the planning team in the context of an operational environment and thus helps to reduce the number of options or biased solutions. This approach can undo the cliché ideas and clarify the problem data that planners often tend to want to mitigate.
More than 30 years of cumulative experience using planning processes gives IFESO an authentic experience to challenge the analysis and deductions of a planning team.
