#7 The Fundamental Principle of “Unity of Effort” in Multinational Operations – Dr Regeena Kingsley No-matter which command arrangement a Multinational Operation (MNO) assumes or what Command and Control (C²) system is imposed (see blog “#6 Managing Multinational Complexity – Command & Control (C²)“), the true effectiveness of the multinational enterprise will ultimately hinge on one factor: the unity of the actors in the effort towards achieving the common purpose of the operation. In military terminology this is known as unity of effort. Unity of Effort According to the U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary of Military Terms,
#6 Managing Multinational Complexity – Command & Control (C²)
#6 Managing Multinational Complexity – Command & Control (C²) – Dr Regeena Kingsley As stated previously, the conduct of multinational warfare is a very complex business. This complexity is inherent in every multinational security operation, being as it is, the activity of war (whether small- or full-scale), conducted by a temporarily-unified body, for a temporary purpose, that comprises a variety of different national actors via disparate military forces. Command and Control ‘Command and Control’ (C²) systems are crucial to successful management of this inherent complexity within MNOs. Indeed, according to Lieutenant Colonel (LTCOL) Lou Marich from the
#5 Why Multinational War? The Benefits & Costs of Waging War Multilaterally
#5 Why Multinational War? The Benefits & Costs of Waging War Multilaterally – Dr Regeena Kingsley Upon perusing the list of MNO features previously outlined (see blog “#4 What is a Multinational Operation?“), a list involving several drawbacks to multinational command, one may well ask why multinational military campaigns are sought by nations on the world stage at all. Winston Churchill perhaps best expressed the answer to this question during the Second World War when he stated: ‘There is only one thing worse than having allies – that is not having allies’.[1] Indeed, there are a number of
#4 What is a Multinational Operation?
#4 What is a Multinational Operation? – Dr Regeena Kingsley Multinational Operations (MNOs) Multinational operations (MNOs) have become an overriding feature of combat during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Operations conducted by an allied force drawn from several nations have taken place in multiple theatres around the world during this period. During the twentieth century, for instance, MNOs took place in France during World War I; in Northern Russia at the close of the war in 1918; in both the European and the Asia-Pacific theatres of war during World War II; in Palestine, Korea, the Dominican Republic and
#3 National Caveats: Potential to Constrain the Full Spectrum of Military Personnel & Operations
#3 National Caveats: Potential to Constrain the Full Spectrum of Military Personnel & Operations – Dr Regeena Kingsley Constraining Military & Civilian Personnel National caveats may be imposed on national deployments of military armed forces across all the Services – Army, Air Force and Navy as well as Special Operations Forces (SOFs) and Intelligence – and can consequently apply to ground, air, sea, SOF and Intelligence personnel and operations, regardless of their diverse geographic and operational environments.
#2 What are “National Caveats”?
#2 What are “National Caveats”? – Dr Regeena Kingsley A Definition National caveats can be defined as national restrictions or constraints imposed by political decision-makers on national armed forces to constrict the actions of armed forces deployed to multinational security operations. In other words, they are binding instructions enjoined on military forces by civilian government officials which clearly limit or restrict what the military can do on behalf of the nation during a conflict.
#1 Introduction: The Problem of “National Caveats” within Multinational Operations
#1 Introduction: The Problem of “National Caveats” within Multinational Operations – Dr Regeena Kingsley The difficulty of fighting wars in concert with allies is not a new idea. Indeed, Winston Churchill once commented that: ‘There is at least one thing worse than fighting with allies –and that is to fight without them’.[1] In the modern era, however, the difficulty of allied multinational warfare has reached new and unprecedented proportions. This is especially the case given the maze of bureaucratic red-tape which is increasingly imposed by national governments on armed forces contributed to a military coalition, and which national