Vanguard Magazine

38 APRIL/MAY 2022 www.vanguardcanada.com New technologies that combine pro- cessing power, connectivity, automation, quantum computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence will allow not just a new generation of weapons systems, but new ways in war. True, but only if you have the digital na- tives - the digital integrators - to make all this work. This demands a 21st Century talent management system that delivers today. From the response to my earlier articles, no-one thinks we have cracked this prob- lem or worked hard enough to discover hidden potential in order to resolve the people challenge of today (one framed by the changing character of conflict in the information age, fierce competition for talent, and workforce cost inflation which continues to outstrip forecast resources). And yet we know that many compa- nies fail, not because they do something wrong, but because they keep doing what used to be the right things for too long – falling victim to the rigidity of their busi- ness model. Today is the tomorrow we worried about yesterday. Ukraine will surely ac- celerate our adaptation and reform pro- cess, our willingness to invest to address known capability shortages and to try new approaches. Allies admired the intellec- tual rigour that underpinned the UK In- tegrated Operating Concept, the Defense Command Paper and (in the case of the Army) the Future Soldier Paper, but the punchlines and timelines for delivery may need to be re-visited. Configuring to oper- ate below the threshold of military conflict and adopting a policy of graduated readi- ness for war now looks unsound, as is a reduction in the levels of combat power committed to NATO. The focus on new technologies is clearly right, but we have all learnt to fear the promise of jam tomorrow. We are learning much about the levelling effects of Com- mercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) capabilities, and these may provide a bridging solution. Allies want (even more now) a clear line between the Russian threat and the de- fense response. We need (for example) to look at ammunition consumption rates, at fighting in urban areas and we need to find people who enable us to harness and exploit the power of technology. DIGITAL CAPABILITIES November 16 & 17, 2022 bestdefenceconference.com AN IN-PERSON EVENT! REGISTER NOW! This will take curiosity and creativity to find a solution by looking at our existing and untapped talent pools. This includes hunting down digital natives and looking to upskill those currently serving in the armed forces and our reserves, our veterans and our military spouses. It also requires us to fill the remaining gap from untapped talent pools: the neurodivergent, the old, the unemployed and underemployed, many of whom have hidden talents. Through the work I'm doing at WithY- ouWithMe, we're making some good early in-roads in pockets throughout UK De- fense. But it requires a fundamental shift in thinking – and that change must happen today. Sir James Everard is delivering the keynote presentation at the DX Summit on the topic of 'Digital natives and the modern military'. Register now.

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