MVZn5081 The defence organisation and how it is managed in a democracy

Fakulta sociálních studií
podzim 2024
Rozsah
2/0/0. 3 kr. Ukončení: z.
Vyučováno synchronně online
Vyučující
Thomas-Durell Young, Ph.D. (přednášející)
Mgr. Anežka Konvalinová (pomocník)
Garance
prof. PhDr. Zdeněk Kříž, Ph.D.
Katedra mezinárodních vztahů a evropských studií – Fakulta sociálních studií
Kontaktní osoba: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Dodavatelské pracoviště: Katedra mezinárodních vztahů a evropských studií – Fakulta sociálních studií
Rozvrh
St 18:00–19:40 bude_upresneno
Předpoklady
This course is an introduction to graduate students of defence organisations and their effective management under democratic governance. The overall objective of the course is to provide students with basic knowledge of these unique organisations and provide some key skills to enable them to understand how they differ from any other government ministries. With this basic knowledge and skills, students successfully completing this course will be able to analyse and assess a country’ defence organisations (operating within the framework of democratic governance) and appreciate how and why they are organised and managed.
Omezení zápisu do předmětu
Předmět je nabízen i studentům mimo mateřské obory.
Mateřské obory/plány
předmět má 6 mateřských oborů, zobrazit
Cíle předmětu
The course objectives are as follows; at the end of the course students will be able to: a. Understand what constitutes key elements of a country’s defence estate. b. Apply a method to determine the prevailing forces that influence the operation of a defence organisation. c. Recognise the key concepts of defence organisation and management and apply their essential ‘Iron laws’. d. Know the basic moral and philosophical foundation of our understanding of war in the Western tradition. e. Understand the importance of linking war plans with defence plans. f. Explain why defence planning is neither predictable, nor scientific, and that effective planning is based on strong, logical, fact-based arguments that enable informed decision-making by senior civilian and military leaders. g. Articulate the importance of knowing the full-life financial costs of capabilities and formations and cite essential basic cost factor methods used in defence economics. h. Describe what constitutes an effective budgeting systems, based on a case study of a popular method in Western countries that actually is sub-optimal in operation. i. Discuss how the Russo-Ukrainian war has fundamentally upended long-standing policy and economic assumptions of Western defence industry. j. Detail the important role played by ‘concepts’ in a defence organisation using the example of the incompatibility of Western and Soviet/Russian approaches to providing logistical support to armed forces. k. Appreciate the centrality of recruiting and retaining experienced and trained personnel in a defence organisation. l. Identify the major lessons from the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war and assess their possible relevancy to Western defence planners. m. Examine a contemporary case study of the Romanian defence organisation with the view to determining how it needs to be reformed to improve organisational functionality and increase operational readiness.
Výstupy z učení
The course is literature-based, ergo students are expected to read assignments before seminars in order to allow for a deep and wide-ranging discussion and debate on the many nuanced aspects of the governance of defence organisations and prevailing management techniques. As such, self-preparation for this on-line course is a requirement and students will be expected to answer questions posed by the professor and be prepared to argue different perspectives, informed by facts and guided by logic.
Osnova
  • The course will consist of 13 individual sessions. The topics of each session follow: a. Session 1: Course requirements / Introduction to ‘defence’. b. Session 2: Introduction to defence organisation: definitions and models. c. Session 3: Introduction to defence management: Iron laws. d. Session 4: The philosophy of war. e. Session 5; Execution coherence: CONOPs, war plans, and contingency planning guidance. f. Session 6: Why does defence planning always fail? g. Session 7: Introduction to defence economics and why money matters. h. Session 8: Application of defence economics without context: PPBS. i. Session 9: Western defence industry in transition. j. Session 10: Importance of concepts: Logistics in CEE. k. Session 11: Importance of human capital and how to manage it. l. Session 12: Organisational lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian war. m. Session 13: Case study assessing the Romanian defence organisation.
Literatura
  • Glen Grant and Vladimir Milenski. ‘Defence models uncovered: How to understand the defence style of a country’ Defence & Security Analysis 35, no. 1 (March 2019), 82-94.
  • Thomas-Durell Young, Carolyn Halladay, and Glen Grant. ‘The modern defence organization: Definition, characteristics, and scope of activities’ (Monterey, CA: Center for Civil-Military Relations, 2012),
  • Douglas Bland, ed. ‘Transforming National Defence Administration’ (Kingdon, ONT: Queen’s University, 2005),
Výukové metody
Requirements: a. Participants are expected to attend the course regularly and complete the modest assigned readings. Active participation and informed interventions by students are both expected and required. b. A final written analytical paper is required by all students. Students will use the skills and knowledge gained in the course to conduct a critical analysis of the Romanian defence organisation as presented in the final session. They will be expected to select one or two key weaknesses in that organisation and use what was learned in the course to argue how reforms need to be addressed and sequenced. Footnotes and referencing what was learned in class are required. Not to exceed 2,000 words, the paper will be due no later than one week following the final session of the course.
Metody hodnocení
Requirements: a. Participants are expected to attend the course regularly and complete the modest assigned readings. Active participation and informed interventions by students are both expected and required. b. A final written analytical paper is required by all students. Students will use the skills and knowledge gained in the course to conduct a critical analysis of the Romanian defence organisation as presented in the final session. They will be expected to select one or two key weaknesses in that organisation and use what was learned in the course to argue how reforms need to be addressed and sequenced. Footnotes and referencing what was learned in class are required. Not to exceed 2,000 words, the paper will be due no later than one week following the final session of the course.
Vyučovací jazyk
Angličtina
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