BG Finkel,

A very good morning to you, I am writing on behalf of Maj Gen Andrew Roe CE / Comdt Defence Academy. Maj Gen Roe has asked me to enquire as to your availability to speak at our forthcoming Professional Education in Defence and Security Conference which is scheduled over the 26 & 27 Nov 19 at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham.

The conference is seeking to look at how we might best evolve and improve Professional Military Education to support Combatant and Operational Commanders on Operations. I have provided an overview of the conference at the end of this email.

Should you be able to attend I would be delighted to arrange for a formal invitation from Gen Roe.

Should you need any further information or assistance please don’t hesitate to contact the undersigned.

Many Thanks

John

John Hughes l CIPD | GCMA |PGCHPE | Dev Fac Chief of Staff

Room 128, JSCSC, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Shrivenham, Swindon, SN6 8LA 

* email: john.hughes@da.mod.uk

| ( MoD telephone: 96161 8809| ( BT telephone: 01793 788809

Developing the intellectual edge for success on operations and leadership in government

 Professional Education in Defence and Security Conference 26-27 November 2019

The Defence Academy of the United Kingdom (DefAc) will be hosting a Professional Education in Defence and Security Conference (PEDS)* over the period of 26-27 Nov 19.  Building on the success of last year’s Professional Military Education (PME) conference the PEDS now seeks to advance the theme and accelerate the pace. 

Against the backdrop of a clear international consensus ‘that we are in the midst of a paradigm shift in the nature of conflict’, the conference will seek to understand and explore the driving conviction behind our syllabi and ask the key question ‘are we really preparing our graduates for modern conflict?’

It’s about learning from operations; finding out about what skills are really required and what abilities are missing.  What should future syllabuses include?

With a clear focus on warfighting we will explore how we educate for a tech enabled future, looking at issues such as:

·    how do we achieve information advantage

·    how should we be educating our people about how to command and integrate Artificial Intelligence enabled systems

·    how  do we equip our leaders to make assessments of autonomous artificial systems

·    how can we better use simulation and modelling, not to mention educating for the control of Cyber and Space

The conference will be focused by the perspectives and experiences of operational commands (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, United Nations and national), both UK and overseas whilst of course also drawing on key contributions from broader partners in the security space. Exploring operational deficiencies, challenges and complexity and moving to identify outputs and implementation plans to transform both curricula and delivery.  

The conference is being convened by the DefAc Centre for Defence Educational Research and Analysis (CDERA). To assist with planning and scheduling, the conference will commence at 0900 hrs on Tue 26 Nov and will conclude at 1300 hrs on Wed 27 Nov.

Further detail will be sent out in due course as the conference planning matures.

We very much hope you will be able to join us for what will be an engaging and interactive conference, bringing together those at the cutting edge of operations and PME. For further information please contact, PEDS conference if you or your team have any queries regarding this event.  We very much look forward to hearing from you.

* Defence academy terminology seeking to amplify and promote PME to the wider security community and beyond