COURSE DIRECTIVE ACADEMIC YEAR 2017
Senior Course on Defence Studies: Facts and Analysis of Strategic Thought and Leadership (3rd Course)
(04 September – 01 December 2017)
(First Edition, December 15, 2016)
HELLENIC NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE
EVELPIDON 6 AND MOUSTOXIDI
GR11362, ATHENS, GREECE.
http://setha.army.gr/en
HELLENIC NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE
The Hellenic National Defence College (HNDC) acts as the highest military education and training institution within the Hellenic Armed Forces on issues of Defense Policy, National Security and Strategy.
Its mission is to educate and train military officers at the strategic level from all branches of the Hellenic Armed Forces, civilian employees of government ministries, as well as civilian personnel from companies and organizations that operate under public or private law, so that they can effectively and efficiently handle national defence issues in their respective fields of responsibility and expertise.
HELLENIC NATIONAL DEFENCE GENERAL STAFF
HELLENIC NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE
EVELPIDON 6 AND MOUSTOXIDI, GR 11362, ATHENS, GREECE
14 December 2016
MEMORANDUM FORDISTRIBUTION
SUBJECT: Course Directive, “Senior Course on Defence Studies: Facts and Analysis of Strategic Thought and Leadership,” Academic Year 2017.
This document is prepared solely for use by the staff, faculty, and students of the Hellenic National Defence College.
It contains educational material designed to promote discussion bystudents of the Hellenic National Defence College. It does not necessarily reflect the views of theHellenic Ministry of NationalDefence (HMoD), and the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS).
Col. MICHAIL PLOUMIS
Course Director
DISTRIBUTION:
Hellenic Ministry of Defence
Hellenic National Defence General Staff
Hellenic National Defence College
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
HELLENIC NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE
EVELPIDON 6 AND MOUSTOXIDI, GR11362, ATHENS, GREECE
http://setha.army.gr/en
Course Directive
December 2016
Senior Course on Defence Studies: Facts and Analysis of Strategic Thought and Leadership
Page
SECTION I. COURSE DESCRIPTION
Course Description 1
Scope 1
Objectives 1
Language 1
Faculty Organization and Responsibilities 2
Course Organization 2
Prerequisites 3
Methodology 3
Requirements 3-5
Course Evaluation 5-7
Pass/Fail Criteria 7
Detailed Program 7
Student Readings 7
Information and Administrative Issues 7-9
Course Fellowship Program 10-11
Miscellaneous 11
Faculty Organization 11-12
Planning Calendar 13-20
SECTION II. CLASS DESCRIPTIONS 21-50
SECTION III. FIELD STUDY TRIPS-VISITS 51-54
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Senior Course on Defence Studies: Facts and Analysis of Strategic Thought and Leadership
SECTION I
COURSE DESCRIPTION
1. COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Senior Course on DefenceStudies: Facts and Analysis of Strategic Thought and Leadership of the Hellenic Defence College resident core curriculum (NATO ETOC Code: STC-IR-52096) is designed to:
- Familiarize students with updated concepts concerning strategic thinking and leadership.
- Acquaint the student body with current theories of war and strategy.
- Provide elaboration on theories of international relations.
- Provide appraisals of economic principles and national security.
- Provide an assessment of Greek intellectual thinking through the classical antiquity, the MiddleAges (Byzantine Empire), and contemporary periods.
- Review security issues in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean and the role of national and international players in a broader global security environment.
2. SCOPE.
The course is aimed at providing students with modern principles in a variety of areas, such as: global and regional studies, strategic leadership, economic concepts of national security, theories of war and strategies. Students will gain a better understanding of the security environment in Southeastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean. Thus, its aim is to prepare students in the performance of their duties as flag officers of their countries, to cope with the rapidly changing situations of the geostrategic environment and to become defense staff officers who stand out for their level of strategic thinking and critical analysis. The goals of the course are achieved by building (development – expansion) on existing knowledge of students, on subjects related to strategy, history, politics and economy.
3. OBJECTIVES.
a. Provide students with basic understanding of the various cultural, demographic,economic, ethnographic, historical, physical, political, and social aspects of Southeastern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa, that are essential for the formulation of strategic leadership.
b. Comprehend the role of strategic leaders in the global environment.
c. Analyze the nature and theory of war and strategy.
d. Analyze economic concepts and issues influencing defense in the global and national security environments.
e. Familiarize students with the evolution of Greek thinking through time.
4. Language: The official instruction language is English.
5. Faculty / Students Organization and Responsibilities:
a. Director of the course: in-charge of running the course, co-ordinating and assigning tasks.
b. Faculty Instructors (FI): visiting professors / scholars from Greek Universities, appointed to teach each cycle’s topics.
c. Faculty Advisors(FA):military or civilian personnel holding a PhD or an MA degree, whose task is to assist FIs, advise students on academic matters, evaluateexaminations, support, and assess major programs.
d. Quality Assurance Section Head, and Secretariat.
e. Students’ body: Minimum: 10 students. Maximum: 16 students
6. Course Organization.
The Course consists of four cycles, two Field Study Trips, and nine visits described below:
a. Cycle 1: Regional Studies (RS):
Block 1 “Southeast Europe”:provides an understanding of European national perspectives with emphasis on the Balkans.
Block 2, “The Middle East and North Africa”: focuses on the Middle East and North Africa regions.
b. Cycle 2: Strategic Leadership and Negotiations (SLN):
Block 1 “Strategic Leadership”: elaborates on the various aspects of classical antiquity by providing students with an appreciation of the uniqueness of strategic leadership orchestrating accumulated knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to lead national security organizations in a national and global strategic environment.
Block 2 “Negotiations”: provides a framework to prepare for, conduct, and assess effective negotiations
c. Cycle 3:Theory of War and Strategy (TWS):
Block 1 “Theories of War”:Thucydides’ ThePeloponnesian War is used as the platform to understand basic conceptsrelated to war, policy, and strategy. In addition, it analyzes and appraises theories regarding the employment of military power both on a strategic and at a high-operational level by utilizing current practices on land, sea, air, cyber, and space operations.
Block 2 “Strategy”:Examines the elements of states’ power (diplomatic, informational, military,and economic), by acknowledging Roman, Byzantine and contemporary strategies.
d. Cycle 4:Economics of National Security (ENS): This cycle examines the relationship between economics and national security within the context of globalization. It uses several economic concepts for students to better understand the international system, and the macroeconomic tools available to a nation state.
e. Field Study Trips, Island of Crete and Northern Greece: The field study trips aim to increase students’ exposure to regional strategic issues by giving them the opportunity to engage directly with senior military leaders as well as military and civilian intellectuals.
f. Visits: Two visits on working days and seven visits on non-working days (Saturdays or Sundays). Families are welcome. A guided tour will only be provided in four visits (Acropolis, Epidaurus/Mycenae, Vergina, Oracle of Apollo). Visits aim to increase students’ understanding of the cultural, intellectual, and geographic diversity of Greece.
7. PREREQUISITES.
a. This course is suitable for officers (at the rank of OF4 (Lt. Colonel) – OF5 (Colonel) and equivalents from all military services, or civilian members of government departments or services with equivalent ranks who, at a minimum, successfully graduated from a Joint War College or equivalent institution of higher education. Graduation from a National Defense College or equivalent is desirable.
b. English language proficiency is necessary, at least at level 3333, IAW STANAG 6001 (professional level for listening, speaking, reading, and writing).No additional language training or translation will be provided throughout the course.
c. Students must have basic level computer skills in the Microsoft Office package (mostly Word and Power Point).
d. The course is open to all international partners.Officers from NATO, PfP, MD, and other countries as approved are accepted to the course.
e. No prior knowledge of strategic studies theories or applications is necessary for enrollment.
8. METHODOLOGY.
Students will examine and analyze concepts, issues, and concerns through class discussions and presentations. The course emphasizes an active role in the learning process. Thus, you are expected to come prepared to discuss the examination ofconcepts and issues in an interactive dialogue environment.
9. REQUIREMENTS: Each student is expected to:
a. Complete assigned readings, and participate in class discussion(s) through dialogue and presentations, as assigned.
Student Class Contribution: (70% of the total evaluation in each cycle):
The FIs willevaluate the studentscontributions based on anassessment of their daily preparation, in-class participation, and oral presentations, as and where required.
As a minimum, students are expected to study the required readings specified in this directive. In addition, students will be assigned a subgroup/discussion leader for various lessons. Seminar participation is more focused on quality than quantity. The quality of a student’s participation, in terms of synthesis and integration of material, and contribution to overall class learning will result in an overall higher evaluation weightas opposed to the number of times the student speaks up in class.
b. A closed book examinationwill take place at the end of cycles 1 and 4 and will consist of ten (10) multiple choice questions and ten (10) true or false questions, to be written in 30 minutes in total. These make-up 30% of a student’sevaluation.Examinations are intended to measure the students’ comprehension of Cycle topics. FIs assign questions on students exams, which are formally administered on paper by FAswithin the classroom. The FAs arealso responsible for the evaluation of the examinations.
c. Present a case studyin 15 minutes in total, in cycles 2 and 3,respectively, contributing to 30% of the student’s evaluation in these cycles. In these cycles each student will be assigned an oral presentation of a faculty-specified case study during the course. Student oral presentations provide valuable enrichment to seminar learning as they present a different perspective.
The Director of the course will match lessons to oral assignments on September 4, 2017.Once the student will have performed his/her background research, he/she will be asked to present his/her work. If additional support may be required, the librarian, and/or FIs will assist as and where needed.
The FIs will evaluate the quality of the student preparations based on the demonstrated knowledge of the required course material. During the oral presentation, students should: summarize the key elements oftheir research;be prepared to answer questions; and, elaborate on their findings.
d. Prepareand submit a (13-15) page long(5,000 words) Major Projectcontributing 10% of the student’s total course evaluationon the following generaltopic:
“Apply one or more strategic theories, strategic leadership schemes, or economic concepts to a specific national security challenge currently faced by your country or its allies.”
The specific topic must be agreed upon by the Course director. Teamsconsisting of (2-3) students dealing with Major Projects that focus on complicated strategic issues are encouraged, with a respective increase of project’s length. Proposed Project topics must be submitted to the Course director no later than, September 13, 2017. Afterits approval, the course director will assign a FA,no later than September 18, 2017, for providing further guidance, and for evaluating the project. The outline of the project must be submitted to the FAno later than September 30, 2017, while its draft is due on October 20th2017. The project must be due by the close of business on November 16, 2017 (submission to the FA).
The student ought to meet the following administrative requirements for the Major Project paper:
- Double spaced,
- 2.54 cm orone-inch margins,
- Font: Arial 12 pt.,
- Citations: Chicago style, (Notes and Bibliography).
Guidance on potential topics will be covered on September 4, 2017, during the in-processing.
To write an acceptable course paper studentswill need to conduct research anddocument sources. While course readings can be helpful and are a good starting point, this paper requires the use ofsources beyond the readings. Once your research is complete, you must synthesize thatresearch into a clear, concise, and logical presentation.
Writing with integrity: To avoid plagiarism, sourcesmust be cited in places where they are used. They must also be referenced in cases where these are paraphrased. In general, one should only use direct quotes when the author’s wording is believed to defend one’s academic work. References are to be listed in a proper academic style at the end of the project. It goes without saying that using existing research in academic writing is beneficial especially when the writer is not an expert in the field. Their research, expertise, conclusions, and/or analysis can strengthen a student’s work.
Evaluation Standard. Projects will be evaluated based on content, organizationand style. The criteria for evaluating the paper will address the student’sability to gather information, conduct research, organize his /her work in a logical and prioritizing manner, compose and express thoughts clearly, coherentlyand effectively by using standard written English. Descriptions of the criteria for“Outstanding”, “Exceeds Standards,” “Meets Standards” and “Needs Improvement” are found below. The Faculty Instructor (FA) will return papers that "NeedImprovement" to the student for re-submission until the student achieves a“Meets Standard” evaluation or better.
d. Participate in Field Studies Trips (Section III), and engage with host senior leaders, making-up 5% of the student’s evaluation. Students are expected to effectively engage with various presenters when they allow for questions and discussions. Contribution grades,given by the accompanying FAs, will be based more on the quality of the students’input in speaker interactions rather than the quantity of such an input.
e. Visits(Section III). For students’ cultural, intellectual, and geographic orientationonly (no evaluation),a number of visits have been scheduled. While visits on working days (2) are obligatory, the remainder visits arevoluntary. However, the College encouragesthe participation for the students’ own intellectual benefit.
10. Course Evaluation:
In each CYCLE
1) Students Class Contribution/Participation: 70%
2) Students Written Exams (cycle 1, and 4): 30%
3) Case Study Presentation (cycle 2, and 3): 30%
Cycles, Major Project, and Field Studies Trips,Gravity (100%)