In the third and final term of the Advanced Command and Staff Course (ACSC) 28, course members recently welcomed counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United States for the Combined Joint European Exercise (CJEX).
From 13 - 22 May the Defence Academy hosted 78 visiting students from:
- École de Guerre in Paris, France
- the Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr in Hamburg, Germany
- the Centro Alti Studi Difesa, Istituto Superiore di Stato Maggiore Interforze in Rome, Italy
- the Escuela Superior de las Fuerzas Armadas, Centro Superior de Estudios de la Defensa Nacional in Madrid, Spain
- the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, USA
Working within 11 separate teams they tackled a complex and dynamic scenario, based on a fictitious West African peace support operation.
CJEX 2025 culminated ACSC 28’s ‘campaigning’ phase, ensuring that course members developed competency in operational-level planning using both British and NATO doctrine.
Over the course of the two-week exercise the teams developed an understanding of the operational environment, analysed their assigned mission, developed feasible courses of action, challenged their courses of action against potential adversary actions, and briefed mentors that included retired two- and three-star MOD officers.
Reflecting on the exercise, Lieutenant Colonel Ian Kemp, USAF Exchange Officer and member of the ACSC 28 Directing Staff, said:
“ACSC 28 course members leave the campaigning phase of the course with strong international networks and an even stronger appreciation for the tools that commanders and headquarters staff use to lead multinational, whole-of-government actions wherever and whenever the skills of our militaries are required.”
Beyond operational-planning in syndicate rooms, course members and the visiting students and staff from the NATO-partner colleges engaged in social and cultural events, strengthening their technical and soft-power skills to lead and integrate across national, cultural, and military service boundaries.
ACSC is a yearlong course, delivered in partnership with King’s College London, that prepares mid-ranking UK and international military officers, and civil servants, for senior positions.