Browsing by Author "Taylor, Prof T."

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    The Armed Forces of Australia, Britain and Canada and the impact of culture on joint, combined and multi-national operations : a methodology for profiling national and organisational cultural values and assessing their influence in the international workplace
    (Cranfield University, 2004-01) Stocker, Ashley; Taylor, Prof T.
    This study identifies the influence of national and military organisational values on the cultures of the armed forces of Australia, Britain and Canada, in order to assess the impact of culture on Joint, Combined and Multinational operations. This is achieved by: · Defining culture, values and related concepts. · Outlining a viable methodology to examine and profile cultural values. · Demonstrating why values form the basis of this study. · Reviewing the body of cross-cultural academic literature on cultural values and the military. · Executing a measurement of values in a consistent and academically sound manner. · Examining national influences on the culture of the armed forces of Australia, Britain and Canada. · Examining intra- national organisational influences on the culture of the services of the armed forces of Australia, Britain and Canada. · Examining international organisational influences on the culture of the services of the armed forces of Australia, Britain and Canada. · Focusing on the values of the armed forces examined in this study in order to compare the findings with the results obtained from the Values Survey Module. · Discussing the implications of the findings of this study and demonstrate how the values of the nations and organisations that have been examined can be expected to affect future operations.
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    Making vision into power : Britain's acquisition of the world's first radar-based integrated air defence system 1935 - 1941
    (Cranfield University, 2008-05-23T11:48:54Z) Judkins, Phillip Edward; Taylor, Prof T.
    This thesis represents the first application of a current conceptual model of defence acquisition to analyse the historical process, the 1935 - 1941 British acquisition of an integrated air defence system pivoted upon the innovative technology of radar. For successful acquisition of a military capability, the model posits that balanced attention must be focused acoss eight 'lines of developmen' - not only equipment, but also doctrine and concepts, logistics, structures, personnel, organisation, training and information with an overarching requirement for interoperability. This thesis contrasts what turned out to be a successful acquisition, of radar to achive air interception capability by day in the Battle of Britain, with less successful acquisition, or radar to achieve the same capability at night, where an effective system arrived too late to ward off the Blitz. The results establish the validity of the model and its attendant lines of development concepts, and furnish new insights into acquisition processes and military history. Acquisition lessons are derived for the capability-based involvement of industry, for the experience and personality necessary for key managers at different 'life stages' of an acquisition and for the avoidance of over-rapid 'dysfunctional diffusion' of innovative technologies. Historical insights for the Battle of Britain include the sub-optimal performance, for trivial reasons, of key South Coast radars, and the critical importance of the human elements of the radar-based air defence system. For the Blitz, airborne radar hardware has previously been identified as a key problem, whereas research here exposes the greater need for accurate ground control radar, the sound selection and training of pilots and operators in new tactics, and provision of equipment maintainers and test gear. New evidence illustrates that pursuit of an alternative to radar significantly delayed the optimal solution, and throws fresh light both on personalities and on development process management.
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    NATO's experience of supporting security sector reform in the Western Balkans (1995-2015)
    (Cranfield University, 2017) Blease, Dennis ; Taylor, Prof T.
    This thesis has considered the theoretical and practical underpinning of SSR and NATO's role in its application within two countries of the Western Balkans. It began by reviewing the extant literature on SSR and then analysed NATO's evolution and how it developed its role in assisting countries with reform of their security sectors in the aftermath of the Cold War. Unlike organisations such as the UN and EU, NATO does not have a formal policy and conceptual framework for Security Sector Reform (SSR) but uses a range of interlocking programmes that have evolved over time. The thesis examined critically NATO's interventions in both Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo and how that role transformed from being a security provider to one of advising and mentoring on reform of the security sectors. A comparative analysis was then conducted of the cross-case data presented in the two case studies. The research has reinforced the reality that different actors with different agendas will inevitably complicate an already challenging situation in postconflict and post-authoritarian countries. It became evident that national agendas within the North Atlantic Council also influenced the Alliance's ability to support SSR in the two countries studied. Through a combination of both primary and secondary research the study has established that NATO still managed to add considerable value to these reform processes and has the potential for doing so in the future in other countries. There were limitations to its approach and these have been highlighted. At times NATO's contextual understanding of the situation on the ground was weak and its use of political soft power to encourage the reforms in the countries studied was eclectic but, ultimately, it has had a measure of success in its endeavours. The research has generated a framework of factors for NATO to use when considering current and potential SSR engagements. As NATO becomes more deeply involved in projecting stability through SSR support after a decade of war fighting, this list of factors could have international significance.