The British Empire has developed a new operational concept for military operations that “takes into account” that we’re now in an “era of great power competition” in which the nature of the threats is different from those that existed in prior times. Gen. Nick Carter, the Chief of the British Defense Staff, said in a speech delivered at the Policy Exchange think tank in London on Sept. 30 that key changes backed by the concept include improved integration of effort across government and with allies, equipment modernization, and constant competition with adversaries below the threshold of war.
Carter said one of the “big ideas” in the operational concept, entitled “Integrated Operation Concept 2025,” was that it makes a distinction between “operating” and “war fighting.”
“In an era of persistent competition, our deterrent posture needs to be more dynamically managed and modulated. This concept therefore introduces a fifth ‘C’ — that of competition — to the traditional deterrence model of comprehension, credibility, capability and communication,” he said. “This recognizes the need to compete below the threshold of war in order to deter war, and to prevent one’s adversaries from achieving their objectives in fait accompli strategies, as we have seen in the Crimea, Ukraine, Libya and further afield. Competing involves a campaign posture that includes continuous operating on our terms and in places of our choosing.”
