Members who received prizes for highly commended dissertations included Group Captain Alistair Byford (UK) for “What Lessons About Strategy, And Its Relationship To National Policy And Military Doctrine, Are Illustrated By The Royal Air Force’s Experience In France And Flanders”. Group Captain Stephen Kell (UK) for “Ever since the souring experience of Iraq, foreign interventionism has been the love that dare not speak its name”. Brigadier Morton Sannes (Norway) for “Russian development in the Barents Sea – Opportunities and Challenges for Norway”
Other Members whose dissertations were commended included Colonel Mohammed Alshehri (Saudi Arabia); Commodore Mike Bullock (UK), Captain (RNZN) John Campbell (New Zealand), Air Commodore Chou Choudhury (India), Captain (RN) Mark Garratt (UK), Colonel Yuanquing Jiang (China), Brigadier Ali Khan (Pakistan), Tim Lawrenson (UK), Colonel Bob Lowth (UK), Captain (RN) Graeme Mackay (UK), Andy Mackinder (UK), Colonel Bachir Markemal (Algeria), Colonel (RM) Toby Middleton (UK), Colonel Colin Mokhosi (South Africa), Colonel Jean Sekamana (Rwanda), Brigadier Ranbir Singh (India), Captain (RN) Richard Stokes (UK), Group Captain Gary Tunnicliffe (UK), Group Captain Andy Turner (UK).
As part of the Overseas Study Tours that RCDS undertake small teams of Members produce a Contemporary Strategic Issue paper which addresses a key strategic issue in a country or region of their tour. This year the top CSI paper was: “On a strategy for mediating the Israeli-Palestinian peace process” by Andy Turner (UK), Tim Dakwat (Nigeria) & Ruud Ramaekers (Netherlands).
The other highly commended CSI Papers were on: “The Sudan and a strategy for engaging with Khartoum after secession by the South” by Alistair Byford (UK) with Beka Aladashvili (Georgia) & Mohammed al-Ramazani (Qatar). “Algeria and the EU” by Clive Johnstone (UK) with Ghanim al-Hajri (Qatar), Igor Loza (Ukraine), & Satoshi Mikai (Japan). “Regional security co-operation in South Asia and that regional component of a national security strategy for India” by Morten Sannes (Norway) with Malcolm Cree (UK) & Andy Mackinder (UK). “Russia’s strategy vis a vis the Ukraine” by Garry Tunnicliffe (UK) with John Patterson (UK) & Jean Sekamana (Rwanda). “China in Africa and how African states can maximise their benefit from Chinese trade and investment” by Wes Volant (Australia) with Amin Shaker (Saudi Arabia), Farid Ahmed (Afghanistan) & Milan Vana (Czech Republic)
Not all the prizes are for academic achievement, there is one prize for the Member that year who has made the most contribution to the courses spirit and ethos. This prize, the “Aris Langford Award and the Good Egg Cup”, is particularly prized because the Members themselves vote for who they think is most deserving. This year John Campbell (New Zealand) was the universally acclaimed choice of the course.
Each year the Members can elect to do the LEJOG otherwise known as the Lands End to John O’Groats race. To qualify for the prestigious LEJOG tie the Members have to cover the distance between these two places, through a single or combination of sporting activities, such as running, swimming, cycling. In 2011, 13 Members completed the course John Campbell, Milan Vana, Greg Loos, Jackie Davies, Toby Middleton, Shane Stover, Jiang Yuanqin, Sasa Perovic, Andy Mackinder, Ibrahim Al Riyami, Khaleel Yousef, Cath Roberts and Igor Kotnik. The first three to finish in 2011 were: in third place: Milan Vana who reached John O’Groats on 21 March 2011; in second place: Greg Loos who arrived in John O’Groats on 12 March 2011 but the overwhelming winner was Jackie Davies who arrived in John O’Groats on 3 January 2011, then made it back to Lands End, then back to John O’Groats, covering over 2,500 miles!
Finally Wes Volant (Australia) collected the England versus Rest of the World Cricket trophy.
RCDS would once again like to thank the sponsors of this event, Deloitte, BAe, Fujitsu, and Jane Langford for their continuing and generous support.