It provides a common basis for understanding the nature and conduct of armed conflict, describing how military operations are directed, mounted, commanded, executed, sustained and recovered.
It is not about the past nor is it about the distant future; doctrine concerns today and the immediate future. It is dynamic, constantly tested against our experience on operations, and evidence from major exercises, and thereby kept continually up-to-date.
However, it is not a handy compilation of formulas or axioms, to be followed without question and regardless of circumstances; in employing doctrine, practitioners should consider that every situation needs to be examined and evaluated in its own right and that formulaic responses are unlikely to succeed.
Doctrine is authoritative but requires judgement in its application.
Fusing experience in the planning and conduct of Joint operations, with the detailed knowledge of subject matter experts, to provide effective guidance for commanders and staff is the essence of Joint doctrine development.
Although DCDC leads, there exists a federation of key players, all closely involved in the production of our national Joint doctrine.
These are the Permanent Joint Headquarters, the Joint Services Command and Staff College, the single-Service warfare centres and a range of Ministry of Defence departments.
The UK's Joint doctrine is structured hierarchically. 'British Defence Doctrine' sits at the apex, outlining the philosophy of Defence as an instrument of national power and the British military approach to operations in particular.
Beneath it come publications setting out the principles of Joint campaigning, both in the UK and deployed overseas, frequently conducted in a multinational and indeed a multi-agency environment.
Finally Joint practices and procedures are detailed in a comprehensive range of subordinate publications covering specific military activities, such as planning, intelligence, logistic support and others.
The UK recognises the multinational nature of many operations and the DCDC is closely engaged with NATO and other partners in the development of shared military doctrine for multinational operations.
By offering our wide experience in a number of operational environments, we seek to provide a significant contribution to Allied and coalition effectiveness through better multinational doctrine.