Lieutenant Colonel Jarosław Przybyła, Chief Effects Branch, talks about JEC Seminar, which took place from 6th to 9th May 2008.
Anna Gałyga: What does JEC mean?
JEC means Joint Effects Centre, or in full Joint Effects/Information Operations Centre. JEC is part of the Field Headquarters, which is responsible for coordination of elements like Targeting, Artillery, Deep Operation, Army Aviation, Air Space Management, Air Defence as well as Psychological Operations and Information Operations.
What do the Centre personnel do?
We support other centres like Joint Planning Centre during its planning process related to using Artillery, Air Defence, Army Aviation and non-kinetic instruments. We support those centres in creating a commander’s decision and preparing a plan of an operation or a mission. The second part of our job is coordination of use of lethal and non-lethal assets when the operation is conducted.
If the Centre is part of the FHQ, why did we have JEC seminar now?
JEC Seminar is related to exercises or missions; right now we are in the phase of preparing the Crystal Eagle 2008 exercise. We organised JEC Seminar to get appropriate knowledge and create concepts of implementing this knowledge into respective documents and procedures developed for the future. Therefore one of the aims of the Seminar was to invite our counterparts from other Headquarters to compare their and our visions, procedures, ideas of the whole spectrum of effects based background.
Who was the initiator and who took part in the Seminar?
Effects Branch from G-3 Division was responsible for preparing and conducting the seminar and the Chief G-3 Division acted as an exercise director. For this year’s seminar we invited 42 external guests from more than 20 other NATO and national Headquarters as well as units. For example we had participants form Joint Force Command Brunssum, Land Component Command Heidelberg, sister Corps like German/Netherlands Corps, Rapid Reaction Corps France, Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, Polish 2nd Mechanized Corps. There were also representatives from Polish Land Forces, German Operational Command, German Army Office, Training and Education Centre, Polish National Defence Academy and units that we cooperate with during exercises – the Polish 12th Mechanized Division, the German 37th Brigade or the Polish PsyOps Group. Obviously, the seminar was also foreseen for internal guest from our staff divisions.
What was discussed during the Seminar?
We discussed the complexity of effects based procedures we are obliged to implement in our Headquarters, for example effects based lethal and non-lethal targeting, coherent approach to joint fires, synchronization of Information Operation and Psychological Operation procedures. The seminar was divided into two parts; the first was a plenary session briefings related to those three areas of concern I mentioned. The second part was syndicate work during which we discussed details.
What is actually joint fires?
Joint fires is a brand new element in our structure following a new concept of our Headquarters. We have to coordinate using kinetic assets like air forces, artillery, air defence in one cell during peace support operations or missions.
Is this Joint Effects Centre somehow related to Effects Based Approach?
Yes, it is. But because we still do not have an official NATO statement concerning Effects Based Approach to operations or missions, we cannot implement official documents into our Headquarters. Nevertheless we can get the right knowledge and orientation within Effects Based Approach. We already know its principles and functions. There are four of them – knowledge development, planning process, execution process, and operational analysis. In my Branch in G-3 Division we are especially focused on planning and execution processes.
Is JEC Seminar organised once a year?
Generally yes but last year it was not organised because of the mission in Afghanistan. It is also scheduled in the Training and exercise Directive for the next year.
The Seminar is related to exercises, do you discuss scenarios of exercises then?
It is good opportunity to discuss such kind of topics if the participants represent units to be trained in the exercise, if not, we only discuss the overall procedures and general idea of effects based background, like it was this year.
What was the outcome of this seminar?
We asked our external guest to fulfill a questionnaire and answer questions concerning organisation and execution of the Seminar. We could see that our expectations met the expectations of our guests. We also asked them for some remarks for further development of such events.
Based on the seminar discussions, shared experience and conclusions we will implement and transform these solutions for our Crystal Eagle 2008 exercise. I can also say that our goal is to establish Effects Based Approach to operations with its four functions an orientation for future exercises. The last thing is the development of clearly understood procedures that will be reflected in Standard Operating Procedures and Standard Operating Instructions.
So does it mean that you did not prepare any document?
There were just discussions. Their results are being implemented in our SOPs and SOIs and will be used during the Crystal Eagle exercise. These discussions were very fruitful, everyone improved their knowledge about the effects based approach to operations and the outcome is a solid basis for concept development. But of course we have to transform it into the practice and prepare proper procedures.
Can you give me an example of some ideas that will be implemented?
For example joint fires. During the seminar there was a discussion between other colleagues from other Headquarters on how they think and how they could organise their joint fires cell in their Headquarters. The result assured us that we are following a good way, that we speak the same language with the others.
