Force Protection of Maritime Units: The Decision-Making Process of the Italian Navy - The Holistic Approach
Abstract
Rear Admiral Veri began with two points: (1) force protection as defined as "all measures and means to minimise the vulnerabilities of personnel, facilities, equipment and operations to any threat and in all situations, to preserve freedom of action and the operational effectiveness of the force"; and (2) the domains of "force protection" and "self defence" are dramatically convergent in modern littoral scenarios, since maritime forces are subjected to constant threats that may at any time disrupt the capability to successfully accomplish their missions. There are three core capabilities that maritime forces must have to accomplish their missions: to move, to fight, and to survive. These capabilities have to be constantly exercised and reviewed, in line with the peculiar scenarios of employment, increasingly characterised by factors such as multidimensionality, uncertainty and speed of change. In such complex, uncertain and rapidly evolving scenarios, force protection becomes one of the key elements that add value to the ability to survive. The admiral then looks atone additional element, which I deem essential for the effectiveness of force protection in the years to come: the decision making process. This is a key enabling factor, horizontally related to all the aforementioned elements, aiming to increase the efficiency and timeliness of engagements. Indeed, only an appropriate decision making process allows the kind of "prompt reactions" that can effectively defend our forces when caught in critical situations. A high standard of "decision making" requires two key elements: information availability and the capability to timely process that information.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 25, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA484924
Entities
People
- Rinaldo Veri