1. Name of the idea Description and Military Application Maturity
Scale
Is the idea Strategic, Operational or Tactical?
Benefit
On a scale of 1 to 10, how game-changing is the idea?
Name of the idea
Description and Military Application
Overview of idea
How is it of use?
How does it work?
What (assumed) capability will it deliver?
When and how is it used?
What effect does it have?
[insert picture here…]
Maturity
When will the idea be ready for operational use?
Key Enablers and Assumptions
What does the idea need for it to work?
Does the idea rely on any major assumptions?
Risks
Developmental
What is the risk of failure in developing the idea?
Affordability
What is the rough order of magnitude through-life cost of the idea?
Acceptability
Are there any legal or cultural considerations when using the idea?
Limitations
Does the idea have any weaknesses?

2. Supporting Evidence :
[Optional: insert anything here that supports the information over the page]

3. Guidance Notes (1)
This Ideas Card is used to capture a potential idea in such a way that it can be given to military planners to test it against a range of scenarios, to determine how it might be utilised and integrated with other capabilities, to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the idea when applied to an operational problem, and to identify whether the idea is truly transformative.
The following information aims to provide guidance to assist those who are populating the Ideas Card. The questions on the ideas card in green are not titles: while we would ask you to address them in your text, the questions themselves can be deleted.
Description and military application
Overview of idea – a brief summary of the idea.
Example: Very long range precision guided missiles with customisable terminal effects.
Some ideas have a number of possible “use cases”. For example, rail guns could be mounted on ships, or on land platforms. In these cases we would ask to you highlight the main use cases, and then to pick whichever one you feel is most promising, in terms of potentially offering a substantial operational benefit to Defence.
How is it of use? – what does it allow us to do on operations?
Example: Allows engagement of a wide range of targets at a long stand-off range.
How does it work? – a brief summary.
Example: Missiles use novel new propulsion technology, a highly capable seeker, and a modular warhead system.
What (assumed) capability will it deliver – to allow the idea to be assessed in a scenario context, please describe the capability the idea will deliver. We recognise this is likely to be a judgement, or even an assumption. We would encourage optimistic (but still realistic!) judgements or assumptions about the capability the idea could provide.
Example: missiles have a range of c.1000 miles , equivalent precision to weapon system X and are capable of attacking hard or soft point or area targets.
When and how is it used? – what are the operational circumstances and contexts in which the idea could be used?
Example: The missiles could be used in support of theatre entry, targeted strikes to deter or coerce an adversary and in high-end war-fighting.

4. Guidance Notes (2)
What effect does it have? – what is the impact of having the idea?
Example: the missiles would allow the UK to counter some anti-access / area denial capabilities through offering the ability to attack targets from outside the range of enemy systems.
Key enablers
Enablers are not limited to other force elements or technology, but rather could be drawn from any of the DLODs. For example, particular ideas may require manpower with different skills, changes to training, new infrastructure, alternative logistic support arrangements or new doctrine / rules of engagement. There may also be wider enablers, for example changes in political attitudes or in legal constraints.
Limitations
Possible limitations could include high cost, difficult / complex development, high vulnerability to particular adversary actions or equipment, challenges of interoperability or integration, and high uncertainty about the nature, magnitude or likelihood of the benefits the idea would generate.
Scale
Strategic – an idea that would change the nature, type or scale of an operation.
Example: using airships for strategic deployment could allow the deployment of larger forces to a rapid response operation, allowing the UK to achieve larger / more challenging objectives.
Operational – an idea that would change the approach or plan the UK adopts to achieve a given set of campaign objectives.
Example: long-range maritime rail guns could allow UK forces to conduct operations differently in operations in which there is a substantial anti-access / area denial threat
Tactical – an idea that would change the way in which the UK conducts tactical-level activity.
Example: equipping Army platoons with novel ISTAR capabilities could change the way that they attack particular targets.
Benefit
1 (low) – an idea that causes only a minimal change to the nature and/or conduct of operations
10 (high) – an idea that causes a radical change to the nature and/or conduct of operations

5. Guidance Notes (3) Maturity
Taking into account the maturity of the idea, in which Epoch would it be ready for operational use?
Epoch 1 (by 2020)
Epoch 2 ( )
Epoch 3 ( )
Epoch 4 ( )
Beyond Epoch 4 (after 2035)?
Risks: Developmental
Based on the maturity of the idea and the research and development needed to bring it to fruition, what is the likelihood of its failure:
Very High
High
Moderate
Low
Minimal
Risks : Affordability
What is the expected Rough Order of Magnitude Cost of the idea? If it is not possible to say at this stage, please annotate ‘Don’t know!’ in the box.
Risks: Acceptability
An example of a legal consideration could be whether unmanned platforms are allowed to autonomously engage human targets.
An example of cultural consideration could be whether human modification (e.g. bionics) is acceptable.
To submit your Ideas Card (just the first two pages, please!) or if you have any further questions, contact the Force Exploration Team.