On 15th and 16th April Prof Tom Dyson and Dr John Tull (University of Greenwich, formerly PIRP) presented the findings of the Estonian case study of Prof Dyson’s ESRC grant on military learning (ES/V004190/1) to the Estonian Defence Forces.
The events were the culmination of a four-year research project, undertaken in partnership with the J7 Training Branch of the Estonian Defence Forces Joint Headquarters, which involved 58 semi-structured interviews with military personnel and civil servants, as well as questionnaires of officers. The first presentation took place at the Estonian Military Academy/Baltic Defence College in Tartu on the morning of 15th April, with a second event for the Joint Headquarters in Tallinn on 16th April. Attendees included academics, civil servants and officers from a variety of functional areas and ranks, including General Indrek Sirel, Commander of the Estonian Division and former Deputy Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces.
Both events focused on the project’s findings about the barriers to the effective adoption of the NATO Lessons Learned Process by the Estonian Defence Forces. They also reflected on the opportunities for addressing these challenges and provided suggestions for how to enhance the effectiveness of lesson learning at the Army and Joint levels. These recommendations spanned four key areas: the lessons learned process itself, knowledge management and sharing, wider personnel and cultural factors, and finally, talent management/human resources.
Prof Dyson and Dr Tull received very positive feedback on their findings, many of which resonated with emerging areas of development in Estonian Defence Forces organisational learning and enrich the evidence base for potential and ongoing changes to practice, institutional structures and resource allocation. Each presentation was followed by lively and productive discussion with participants, including valuable feedback about areas for further development which might be most fruitfully prioritised. The events have already led to invitations to deliver further impact events for other relevant audiences within the Estonian Defence Forces.
The events were organised with the helpful assistance of Lieutenant-Colonel Tiit Paljak of the Joint Headquarters J7 Training Branch.
