ISTAR 09

 

 

Supplementary memorandum from the Ministry of Defence

 

 

KEY SYSTEMS ADVISOR (KSA)

 

The Committee sought information about the role and work of the Key Systems Advisor initiative in terms of its impact on ISTAR capability.

 

1. The Defence Technology Strategy recognised that Defence functions through many complex systems which depend on each other and that the risks of this "system of systems" not working well together should be accepted and managed by Defence. Accordingly, it identified the need for independent advice and the adoption of Enterprise Planning techniques to deliver an MoD owned system of systems architecture. This would enable Defence to understand the system of systems risks and make plans to deal with them.

2. To this end, in March 2009 the Department appointed a Key Systems Advisor supported by a small staff. The KSA is accountable to the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Capability) in his role as Senior Responsible Owner for Network Enabled Capability. The KSA is responsible for driving significant improvements in the planning, design, development and deployment of networked capabilities by helping the Department to connect business, operational and technical activity across organisational boundaries. He works closely with the Department's Chief Information Officer and the DE&S. He is working on three themes: Enterprise Planning to ensure that the Department understands how the organisation connects together at the highest level and that all components are working together; Business and Technical Integration to align operational/business and technical intent and so assist the creation of a system of systems architecture; and Enterprise Transformation through a package of predictable, repeatable and simplified governance and process that can be applied widely.

The KSA team has helped to improve coherence across all capability management strategies, especially those supporting C4[1] and ISTAR and assisted in the drafting of higher level strategies. It has advised on the reorganisation of acquisition related governance structures and supported the formation of Through Life Capability Management Programme Boards. It has promoted network joining rules as the first step towards ensuring that new systems do what is intended and do not damage the network. KSA work to address interoperability and integration issues will contribute to more effective and efficient delivery of networked capabilities to current operations and for contingent capability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MoD LINGUISTS

 

The Committee sought information about the number of MoD linguists who speak Pashtu in comparison to Arabic and what action the MoD is taking to address any shortfall in the number of linguists who speak the languages required for effective operations in Afghanistan.

 

The key languages for operations in Afghanistan are Pashtu, Dari and Farsi. Currently, the Department has a requirement in theatre for 18-20 Pashtu speakers, 6-8 Dari speakers (within a total complement of 26 posts), two Farsi speakers and one Arabic speaker[2]. There is also a requirement for 6 Pashtu speaking and one Dari speaking cultural specialists which is expected to be met in 2010. There are in addition a number of MoD linguists employed in support of current operations who are not based in theatre.

 

The MoD linguists required to support operations in Afghanistan are provided by selecting volunteers for ab initio language training and providing further training to personnel who have already deployed and wish to re-deploy as linguists. The requirement for linguists is kept under review as a matter of routine to define, refine and prioritise the requirement, both in terms of numbers and skill levels. At present 6 of the theatre posts cannot be filled by personnel with the desired level of language skills. This is mainly due to the difficulty of the languages and the training challenges. Pashtu, in particular, is a highly complex language with no standardised form and many dialects which may be virtually incomprehensible to each other. There are few developed teaching materials, although training methodologies and materials are evolving, and difficulties in providing suitable teachers. These factors complicate training design and delivery and the expansion of Defence operational language capability. Countervailing work includes encouraging suitable volunteers (for example financial award schemes are either in place or are being developed to encourage suitable volunteers to train for linguist duties and to maintain their proficiency), improving the capacity and standard of training delivery and rigorously prioritising requirements to minimise shortfall impacts.

 

As well as specialist linguists in theatre, each brigade that deploys has access to training for up to 64 of its personnel as basic Pashtu or Dari speakers[3]. The numbers of linguists trained by each brigade varies according to the perceived operational requirement. Most training places are now taken up although a minority reach the required level of language skill. In addition, all military personnel deploying to Afghanistan receive training from native speakers in very basic phrases, word and responses and are issued with an aide memoire. In the last year about 14,000 personnel have received this very basic training.

 

Around 400 Afghan nationals are also employed in Afghanistan as locally employed civilian linguists. It is difficult, however, to find volunteers who speak the Helmand dialects of Pashtu, as well as sufficiently good English. Finally, civilian contractors, including British Afghans, are employed in the three following roles in support of UK forces in Afghanistan:

 

· Personnel contracted to deploy as linguists in support of various activities in theatre.

· Personnel contracted through language service providers to deliver Defence operational language training in UK.

· Personnel contracted through language service providers to deliver pre-deployment language training to deploying Brigades in UK.

 

 

 

13 July 2009

 

 

 

 

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[1] Command, Control, Communications and Computers

[2] These may be Professional or Expert level speakers, the two highest categories.

[3] These will be at the Survival and Functional levels, the two lowest categories.