INFORMATIONAL EXCHANGE A National Perspective Vice Admiral Ferdinando SANFELICE di MONTEFORTE Italian Military Representative to the EU and NATO Military Committees

POST-COLD WAR LANDSCAPE Asymmetry Terrorism End of direct, military confrontation Instability and failing states Revanshism and regional power struggles Slow emergence of a multi-polar world

STRUCTURAL CHANGES INTRODUCED JOINTNESS TRANSFORMATION MULTI-NATIONALITY MULTI-DISCIPLINARITY Centralization of responsibilities Synergy among forces Expeditionary – Deployable forces Search for technological superiority Nobody can act alone Delivery of lethal force is not the only response any more Other things being equal, the greater the distance, the greater (is) the difficulty of defence and of attack. A.T. MAHAN

DISAVANTAGES TO OFFSET Dilution of service-specific expertise Awareness and control of the situation Speed of decision-making processes Difficulty of mustering required multi-disciplinary knowledge Flexibility of command structure effective execution Strategic reach limits the enablers impact on force levels Stovepiping

SOLUTIONS ENVISAGED Information Management / Knowledge Management Flattening the organisations Control of Domains (Sea after Air) Horizontal informational exchange (networking)

WHAT DOES NETWORKING IMPLY Availability of knowledge to planners and decision makers Dual flow of information (up-downwards, horizontal) Information selection Exchange of info (bi-lateral or multilateral?) Effectiveness of display (human – friendliness) Team spirit, beyond usual domains Mutual respect of roles and responsibilities Historical Sociologic Economic Military By the user or by the decision-maker? Risk of witholding vital bits of info

ITALIAN CHOD’S DIRECTIVE RATIONALE: The global security dimension and the new type of risks impose a holistic approach, multi-lateral and inter-departmental in order to allow the integrated and synergistic development of options, methodologies, capabilities and assets. KEY ASPECTS: The Defence General Staff as the Italian central knot of a net-centric architecture, involving other Ministries (especially Foreign Affairs), Allied Nations, NATO, EU and NGOs; Need to muster horizontally all available expertizes, to concentrate human resources where required; Shift from “need to know” towards “need to share”; Keep a pro-active attitude press for high-level decision-making; Timeliness must prevail over formality; Reduce filtering in some cases (situations – assessments); Exploit technological support to the maximum extent; Establish working relationships – and connections – with all other Ministries/Entities/Organizations involved.

QUESTIONS?