Joint Doctrine Notes and Pamphlets

JDN 1/ 09: The Significance of Culture to the Military

JDN 1/ 09 'The Significance of Culture to the Military' provides:

• reference material to ensure coherence across emerging works to strengthen cultural capability;
• commanders and staff with an understanding of the significance of culture to the military and; 
• guidance for the practical application of cultural capability in the operational context.

The JDN can be exploited by planning staff, particularly those involved in intelligence and influence activities, and can specifically support the formulation of requests for information in terms that will elicit the required response through external reachout to subject matter experts.

Date: 26 Jan 09

JDN 1/ 10 Intelligence and Understanding

JDN 1/ 10 Intelligence and Understanding puts the UK's requirement for Intelligence and Understanding in the proper strategic context. 

It outlines some of the key intellectual concepts that will underpin JDP 2-00. It is aspirational in nature and so requires honest scrutiny, appraisal and debate to ensure that it meets its purpose.

Date: 14 May 10

Joint Doctrine Note 1/12: Strategic Communication: The Defence Contribution

Joint Doctrine Note 1/12 (JDN 1/12) Strategic Communication: The Defence Contribution is a revision of JDN 1/11, published under the same name in March 2011.

Designed to act as a starting point in Defence's effort to better understand the purpose and value of strategic communication, JDN 1/11 was acknowledged to have articulated the challenge but, was considered to be equivolcal in what needed to be done about it; in particular Chapter 3 held back from suggestiong structures and processes that might be required to conduct effective strategic communication.

Since its publication, thinking around strategic communication has continued to evolve and some of the ideas initially proposed have been developed and adopted.  As a result, DCDC revised JDN 1/11 and re-issued it as JDN 1/12, with a new Chapter 3 titled Conducting Strategic Communication.  Our aim is to capture the progress made thus far and to offer a clearer model for further development.

As with the previous publication, this JDN focuses on the MOD but recognises that strategic communication is a cross-government enterprise led, and directed, by the Cabinet and the National Security Council.

Date: 30 Jan 12

JDN 2/ 10: Medical Doctrinal Update: Medical Emergency Response Team, Role 2 and Role 4

JDN 2/10 'Medical Doctrinal Update : Medical Emergency Response Team, Role 2 and Role 4' provides guidance for operational and tactical commanders and their medical staff.

The definitions within this JDN and their associated notes will be incorporated into the 3rd edition of JDP 4-03, following its review.

Date: 9 Apr 10

JDN 2/11: The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The packaging of satellite positioning systems with advanced sensors, communication links and computer processors, have given Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) a capability that previously existed only in the realm of science fiction.

After many false starts and broken promises, a technological tipping point is approaching that may well deliver a genuine revolution in military affairs. However, despite the growing ubiquity of unmanned aircraft, key questions remain over how to best procure, employ and support them.

Joint Doctrine Note (JDN) 2/11 The UK Approach to Unmanned Aircraft Systems considers how UAS may contribute to the UK’s future defence and security needs between now and 2030. Its purpose is to identify and discuss policy, conceptual, doctrinal and technology issues that will need to be addressed if such systems are to be successfully developed and integrated into future operations.

Date: 4 Apr 11

JDN 3/ 10 Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Terminology, Definitions and Classification

JDN 3/ 10 Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Terminology, Definitions and Classification defines Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) phraseology for use within the UK military and describes the classification methodology to be used when discussing such systems.

Date: 1 Jun 10

Joint Doctrine Note 3/11: Decision-Making and Problem Solving: Human and Organisational Factors

Joint Doctrine Note (JDN) 3/11 Decision-Making and Problem Solving: Human and Organisational Factors aims to improve our decision-making in all areas of complex solving by better understanding the factors that influence the way that we think and behave: as individuals; in groups and as organisations.

The purpose of JDN 3/11 is to re-balance the weight that we attribute to people and how their thinking influences the conceptual component of fighting power, which provides the foundation for creativity, ingenuity and initiative. 

We declare high importance for the human input to all aspects of operations and our documented processes may help, but some problems cannot be managed by process alone.  Strategic planning, complex operations and ultimately warfareare intensely human endeavours. 

Therefore, human and organisational factors inevitably influence decision-making, problem solving and the success or failure of planning and operations and, as Albert Einstein said:

"The significant problems that we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them"

The note addresses how individuals, teams and organisations contribute to (or detract from) high quality thinking.  It outlines the nature of complex problems and considers how humans think, introducing an awareness of cognitive vulnerabilities.

It describes how teams function and offers advice on forming teams to address complex problems.  Finally it considers how organisational rationality, politics and culture influence military thinking.

Date: 11 Jul 11

JDN 5/11: Peacekeeping: An Evolving Role for Military Forces

Joint Doctrine Note (JDN) 5/11 provides a basis for debate on the evolving role of military forces on peacekeeping operations.

This will help to shape the rewrite of UK doctrine, JWP 3-50: The Military Contribution to Peaces Support Operations (PSO), and to inform an on-going review of NATO doctrine on the same subject.

JDN 5/11 is purposely limited in scope, focusing only on peacekeeping, as one of the major peace-support activities requiring military forces.

Subject matter experts and interested parties are invited to join the debate and to offer comment on this publication, influencing the development of an authoritative doctrine publication next year. The Preface provides a point of contact for you to send ideas and comments to.

Date: 7 Jul 11

JDN 6/ 10 Security Transitions

JDN 6/ 10 "Security Transtions" addresses the planning, assessment and conduct of security transitions.

It is written for a UK Government audience, both military and civilian, but is relevant to a range of partners across the international community. The intent is to inform decision makers and staff working on security transitions.

The JDN represents a collaborative development process between MOD’s Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre and the UK Stabilisation Unit, with input from other government departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department for International Development, and the Cabinet Office.

Date: 3 Nov 10

JDN 6/11: Partnering Indigenous Forces

Joint Doctrine Note 6/11 (JDN 6/11) defines what is meant by partnership and partnering in a national joint-interagency and military context.  The framework used throughout the publication is based upon building the capacity and capability of indigenous military forces during a deliberate intervention to stabilise a fragile or failed state.

The term embedded partnering and the words partner and partnership have taken on significant importance in the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The difficulty is that they are not well defined, which can be both a freedom and a constraint.  It is important that we understand what these terms mean and the specific context in which they should be used.

This publication is intended to create debate and inform future doctrine thereafter.

Date: 14 May 10

JDP 2/ 02: Joint Service Explosive Ordnance Disposal

JDP 2/02: Joint Service Explosive Ordnance Disposal informs commanders, their staff, Other Government Departments (OGDs) and senior subject matter experts of the doctrinal principles for co-ordinating defence EOD across the spectrum of operations.

Date: 21 Jun 06