Miscellaneous 

system of Instructions

1. With the average age and service experience of the officers attending the National Security and War Course, it is hardly possible or appropriate to “teach” anything in the ordinary sense of the term. At that age selected officers with future potential must educate themselves. The course merely provides the time, opportunity, environment, facilities, orientation and guidance for this process of self-development and education by profiting from each other’s knowledge and from the clash of ideas emanating from minds of varying make-up and caliber.

2. The system of instructions has, therefore, been carefully adopted to suit the capacity and experience of officers attending the course and the high level of studies of the course. Hence the method used is completely different from that adopted at the Command and Staff College. Such subjects as elementary tactics and battle procedures, the techniques of staff duties and minor details of staff work find no place on the course. Staff problems are considered in essential detail to the extent that these influence the concept of operation and command decisions. The main emphasis is on originality of conception, practical out-look, logical and creative thinking, command decisions, flexibility in mental process, clarity in expression, solid professional knowledge and breadth of vision and grasp of essentials.

3. There are no fixed solutions known as “DS Solution”. Originality of thought and unorthodox solutions are particularly encouraged so that officers have complete intellectual liberty to express themselves freely, provided such views are constructive, practicable and are supported by sound reasoning.

4. Officers will frequently find themselves as chairman of syndicate discussions under the overall guidance and advice of the Commandant and the Directing Staff. Being a self generating course, the system of instructions cover broad professional studies for stimulating creative thinking. The very process of comparison and analysis of cause and effect relationship I the evolution of thought on professional matters is an excellent training for the military mind. It also gives an insight into the professional problems under study that can be hardly acquired in any other way.

5. The literature to be studied is culled from wide ranging sources (and issued as such) to widen the scope of studies and to permit comparative analysis leading to concrete practical solutions applicable to our conditions. This literature should, therefore, be regarded purely as raw material for professional study and is not to be taken to reflect official or accepted service doctrine which can come only from the services headquarters. Current teachings contained in service pamphlets and papers etc are, of course, the only authoritative sources of official doctrine.

6. The supplement officers’ professional studies, the College arranges a series of talks and discussions with eminent speakers. These discussions are designed to focus attention on national security and defence problems of Pakistan and thus foster a deep understanding and appreciation of these problems amongst the officers.

7. Conclusions arrived at by members will take the form of recommendations on various matters, to be forwarded to services headquarters as the ‘fruit’ of the studies carried out during the course.