Shrivenham Defence Academy

Shrivenham Defence Academy Cranfield Univeristy 1-3rd February 2009

If you are ever driving along the M4 towards London, look out for the sign post to Shrivenham. If you have the time, take a detour and have a look at this excellent training academy which will soon have a sister academy in Wales at St Athan. I will always remember my three days at Shrivenham and not just because the night we arrived, the country ground to a halt, with even London at a stand still because of snow. Boy was it cold.

I attended the course with a cross party group of 10 MP's; three members of the Lords and a Senior Defence Analyst from the House of Commons Library. This was my second meeting with Claire, Charles and Tom.

The Defence Academy is the institution responsible for post-graduate education and the majority of command, staff, leadership, defence management, acquisition and technology training for members of the UK Armed Forces and MOD Civil Servants.
It is also the MOD's primary link with UK universities and with international military educational institutions.

The Academy is comprised of the Royal College of Defence Studies, the Joint Services Command and Staff College, the College of Management and Technology, the Advanced Research and Assessment Group, and the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre. The Academy has three strategic partners - King's College London, Serco Defence, Science and Technology, and Cranfield University - who provide academic and facilities support and are vital to the Academy's success.

The days were excellent and full of deeply informative briefings on a range of issues including defence policy, defence commitments, operational experiences at unit level, and the effect of combat on individuals, command and leadership. These were lectures given by leading experts within the military and questions were no holds barred.

Taking part in the daily life of the academy it was interesting to note the number of students there (all senior officers) from a wide variety of other countries. Time spent at Shrivenham is greatly valued by officers in the armed forces of a variety of countries and helps build common understanding and communications.

To learn more go to
http://www.da.mod.uk/