INFORMATIONAL EXCHANGE A National Perspective

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INFORMATIONAL EXCHANGEA National Perspective

• Vice Admiral
• Ferdinando SANFELICE di MONTEFORTE
• Italian Military Representative to the EU and
  NATO Military Committees

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POST-COLD WAR LANDSCAPE
Asymmetry Terrorism

• End of direct, military confrontation
• Instability and failing states
• Revanshism and regional power struggles
• Slow emergence of a multi-polar world

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STRUCTURAL CHANGES INTRODUCED
Centralization of responsibilities Synergy among
forces

• JOINTNESS
• TRANSFORMATION
• MULTI-NATIONALITY
• MULTI-DISCIPLINARITY

Expeditionary Deployable forces Search for
technological superiority
Nobody can act alone
Delivery of lethal force is not the only response
any more
Other things being equal, the greater the
distance, the greater (is) the difficulty of
defence and of attack. A.T. MAHAN
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DISAVANTAGES TO OFFSET

• Dilution of service-specific expertise
• Awareness and control of the situation
• Speed of decision-making processes
• Difficulty of mustering required
  multi-disciplinary knowledge
• Flexibility of command structure
  effective execution
• Strategic reach limits the enablers impact on
  force levels

Stovepiping
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SOLUTIONS ENVISAGED

• Information Management / Knowledge Management
• Flattening the organisations
• Control of Domains (Sea after Air)
• Horizontal informational exchange (networking)

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WHAT DOES NETWORKING IMPLY
Historical Sociologic Economic Military

• Availability of knowledgeto planners and
  decision makers
• Dual flow of information (up-downwards,
  horizontal)
• Information selection
• Exchange of info (bi-lateral or multilateral?)
• Effectiveness of display (human friendliness)
• Team spirit, beyond usual domains
• Mutual respect of roles and responsibilities

By the user or by the decision-maker? Risk of
witholding vital bits of info
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ITALIAN CHODS DIRECTIVE
RATIONALE The global security dimension and the
new type of risks impose a holistic approach,
multi-lateral and inter-departmental in order to
allow the integrated and synergistic development
of options, methodologies, capabilities and
assets.

• KEY ASPECTS
• The Defence General Staff as the Italian central
  knot of a net-centric architecture, involving
  other Ministries (especially Foreign Affairs),
  Allied Nations, NATO, EU and NGOs
• Need to muster horizontally all available
  expertizes, to concentrate human resources where
  required
• Shift from need to know towards need to
  share
• Keep a pro-active attitude press for high-level
  decision-making
• Timeliness must prevail over formality
• Reduce filtering in some cases (situations
  assessments)
• Exploit technological support to the maximum
  extent
• Establish working relationships and connections
  with all other Ministries/Entities/Organizations
  involved.

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• QUESTIONS?