Total Defence Forces in the 21st Century – Integration of Regulars, Reservists, Defence Civilians, and Contractors
Language: English
Defence workforces are complex, comprising regular force military members, reservists, defence civil servants, and contractors working for private military and security companies. These groups of personnel are employed towards the same overarching goals related to national and international security, and are often highly integrated in the performance of their functions. At the same time, despite the often high levels of partnership and integration, different personnel management systems are in place. These cultural differences affect their integration, the nature and quality of their collaboration, and ultimately affect personnel outcomes such as performance and retention, as well as organisational and operational effectiveness. Defence organizations around the world are increasingly recognizing the importance of optimizing theintragroup employment, as well as the intergroup integration, of defence personnel.
Key questions include:
- What is the right mix of these groups in delivering on the defence mandate? In what roles?
- How should they be optimally employed and integrated into a cohesive whole to meet the defence mandate?
- What are the main personnel management and organizational factors affecting these workforces in defence organizations?
- What are the main considerations related to the roles, integration, and collaboration among these groups in deployed settings?
- What is the role of culture, identity and other relational issues in shaping whole force integration and collaboration?
- Overall, what are the challenges and enablers both within and between these components, including both intergroup and intragroup topics?
- What are the best practices, strategies, programmes and policies for effective management related to Total Defence Forces?