Colloque S&T Symposium 2008: Understanding the Human Dimension in 21st Century Conflict/Warfare: The Complexities of Human-with-Human Relationships; Technical rept

摘要

The purpose of Defence S&T Symposium 2008 -- part two of a three year series -- was to further explore human-centric conflict issues. The 2007 Symposium challenged the S&T community to address these issues, which were captured within three conflict domains: Person-versus-Person, Person-versus- Nature, and Person-versus-Self. For 2008, the domain of Person-with-Person Partnership that focuses on a holistic approach to conflict resolution was added. Defence S&T Symposium 2008 'peeled back the onion' and presented leading research that is beginning to resolve human-centric issues in the new and future security environment. Canada and the Canadian Forces have an unfamiliar adversary in a battlespace largely governed by ideology. There is an urgent requirement to improve the preparedness and protection of our frontline combatants, and we need an actionable understanding of the multi-organizational response to conflict. These three challenges define the key themes for this Symposium. Theme 1: Adversarial Intent. Theme 2: Understanding the 'Influence' Battlespace. Theme 3: Human Complexity. Any one of these thematic challenges seems daunting, but important advances have been made. The Defence S&T Symposium 2008 highlighted the state-of-the-art research in these areas with representation from defence and security, academia, and industry. The paradigm has shifted, and research in the new and future security environment is responding in kind. Conclusions that emerged over the course of the two days reinforced the fact that the battlespace has changed. No longer are military operations about winning the next high intensity battle; they are about establishing the conditions for self-sustaining stability. By working towards the development of models and concepts to better understand and influence the human in the battlespace, the S&T community should be well positioned to enable an agile and adaptive Canadian Forces.