The Maritime Reserves as niche technical enablers for the Royal Navy?

The future is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed

We live in a world where brain cells in a petri dish are playing computer games¹Shepherd, T., “Scientists teach brain cells to play video game Pong,” The Guardian (2022). < https://www.theguardian.
com/australia-news/2022/oct/13/scientists-teach-brain-cells-to-playvirtual-pong > [Accessed 14 Oct 22]. and artificial intelligence is reducing decades worth of scientific endeavour to 30 minutes of computation.²Callaway, E., “’It will change everything’: Deepmind’s AI makes gigantic leap in solving protein structures.” Nature News (2022). <https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-
020-03348-4 > [Accessed 8 Sep 22]. The disruption from software eating the world,³Andreessen, M., “Why software is eating theworld,” Andreessen Horowitz (2011). < https://
a16z.com/2011/08/20/why-software-iseating-the-world > [Accessed 8 Sep 22]. and indeed technological acceleration as a whole, means most major enterprises⁴Agrawal, S., De Smet, A., Poplawski, P., and Reich, A., “Beyond hiring: How companies are reskilling to address talent gaps,” McKinsey & Company (2022). < https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/peopleand-organizational-performance/ourinsights/beyond-hiring-howcompanies-are-reskilling-to-addresstalent-gaps > [Accessed 25 Sep 22]. are prioritising the acquisition of STEM skills. Within the realm of defence, innovation has always been critical – Ukraine’s technological superiority being a key factor in its current conflict with Russia serves as a topical reminder. This is comprehensively recognised by the recent Royal Navy Strategy which identifies the “exponential rate of technological change” as a key challenge.⁵Ministry of Defence, Royal Navy Strategy: The decade of delivery (2022). Available on MODNET. Likewise, the Maritime Operational Concept⁶Ministry of Defence, Maritime Operating
Concept (MarOpC): The Maritime Force contribution to the Integrated Operating Concept (2022). <https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maritime-operating-conceptmaropc> [Accessed 16 Sep 22]. states that the overarching vision of the RN is to become an organisation that “embraces innovation and technology.”

This essay posits that the Maritime Reserves (MR) are well-placed to enable this vision, but its current structure acts as a hindrance.

To Boldly Go

The MR has already stepped forward with a stated aim to meet this technological challenge, as per MR Standing Output 5: “Embrace Technology and Innovation and exploit Reservist civilian competences to transform the way in which we contemplate, assess and adopt new capabilities.”⁷Ministry of Defence, Maritime Reserves Directive: Transforming the Maritime Reserves for the 21st Century Operations (by design) (2020). < https://jive.defencegateway.mod.uk/docs/DOC-379652 > [Accessed 17 Sep 22].

Given that the MR believes that they have a role to play in the technological adaptation of the whole force, it has to be asked if this would in fact be an area of strength? The answer is an emphatic ‘yes’. Defence will need some organic knowledge of how to best utilise technologies such as data science, machine learning, additive manufacturing, etc., and MR augmentation into these specialist areas would be a superb fit. The primary argument that the MR should foster STEM expertise to support the wider Defence enterprise is because, as the Reserve Forces Review 2030 states, “specialist skills… are advancing so rapidly that it is hard for Defence to fully generate or maintain them.”⁸Ministry of Defence, Reserve Forces Review
2030: Unlocking the reserves’ potential to strengthen a resilient and global Britain (2021).<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reserve-forcesreview-2030 > [Accessed 17 Sep 22]. Reservists, by contrast, can be recruited specifically for these advanced skills and take on the responsibility, normally through their civilian employers, for maintaining their currency.

They are also flexible: this deep-level expertise can be used when needed, unlike taking on a full-time specialist who requires a full-time workload to justify the expense of training and maintaining their skillset. When not being used for their actual STEM capability these personnel can fulfil general Reservist duties, for instance, ensuring that the RN remains in the public eye (especially important in regions without a historical Naval link). Currently, the RN relies upon two primary sources for its STEM input: industry, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). The Reserves have a number of advantages over the former. Chief amongst them is knowledge capture: once a Reservist has conducted a deep dive into a problem, that knowledge remains. It can be called upon at a later date and there will often be links between an issue and others that affect the Defence enterprise. In contrast, when contractors provide that deep specialisation the corporate knowledge gained becomes proprietary, and expensive to access at a later date. Contracts are also typically time bound; Reservists on the other hand are far more able to adapt when projects slip, or tasking arises requiring an immediate quick look rather than placing new contracts. Even without the arguments of knowledge capture and flexibility, Reservists are simply cheaper. Rates for specialist contractors can easily be over £1,000 per- day, with some of that expense inevitably going towards on- boarding and problem-domain familiarisation: In one example two Reserve Service Days enabled a £250,000 saving by Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S). In this case data was required from a legacy information system and DE&S would have had no option but to go to contract had they not found a computer-science graduate Reservist who possessed the right domain expertise.⁹Email DES Ships-Renown Data Sheriff / RNR EB SO2 dated 2 Aug 22.

Relying on STEM expertise from industry also assumes industry has it to offer – not always the case as national skill-base surveys show;¹⁰National Audit Office, Delivering STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills for the economy (2018).<https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/delivering-stem-science-technologyengineering- and-mathematics-skillsfor-the-economy > [Accessed 3 Oct 22]. businesses are finding that not even generous remuneration can always fill skill gaps. Here the MR has an advantage in acquiring talent: Reservists are less motivated by a pay packet but instead by the rewards of uniformed service. The other primary route for the RN to draw on STEM knowledge, specifically DSTL, avoids many of the above disadvantages; but again DSTL expertise is typically tied to a relatively rigid model of employment. DSTL employees expect a certain amount of hours per-year, and of course are not bound to the Naval Service; unlike the more flexible MR. Growing STEM knowledge within the MR could be seen as entirely complementary to DSTL, however, with likely synergies between the two organisations – knowledge that exists within the MR would also be accessible to cover DSTL pinch points. Of course, there are disadvantages to the MR model: Reservists have to tailor their activity around their day jobs, so are not always available when required, however, the overall conclusion is that they represent excellent value for money.

Stack Overflow

Given we have established the close fit that the MR could provide to the challenge of technological acceleration, one might assume it excels in this field. It does not. Currently, those Reservists with specialist skills who do provide niche technical enablement tend to do so outside of the existing structure. This is because the rigidity of the current branches proves an obstacle – providing personnel to enable niche technical skills does not fit easily into the existing framework.¹¹One celebrated technical skill that the Reserves do provide is cyber; however given that the field has its own doctrine (JDP 0-50) and is now considered a domain of war in its own right; it is no longer niche and will not be considered further. Rather, each branch has their own objectives to deliver against, prior to undertaking other tasking; and none of this tasking includes the provision of STEM capabilities to the wider enterprise. A possible exception to this might be the RNR Engineering Branch (RNREB), which operates a form of consultancy model;¹²Ministry of Defence, Royal Navy Reserve Engineer Branch Information Booklet (2017). < https://jive.defencegateway.mod.uk/docs/DOC-19523 > [Accessed 11 Oct 2022]. however their policy, of only recruiting ex-Regular Engineers for their Officer cadre, limits what can be achieved. Resultantly, the MR as it stands is constrained in the assistance it can provide to the RN’s key challenge of adapting to technological change.

Starship Troopers

To fully grasp this opportunity, therefore, the MR either needs to establish a branch in its own right to provide this STEM capability, or form a sub-branch under an existing one (e.g., Information Warfare, Engineering or possibly Cyber).¹³A more radical solution would be to abandon the concept of branches at all and simply ‘tag’ personnel with one or more skills once requisite training had been
accomplished, so an individual might for instance be both ‘Media’ and ‘Maritime Trade Operations.’ Although an idea worthy of exploration the number of ramifications cannot be addressed in this essay alone. This branch would operate in-line with the ‘Reinforcement Reserve’ concept outlined by the Reserve Forces Review 2030 – it would provide an “auxiliary capability that delivers or supports ongoing defence Activities.”¹⁴Ministry of Defence, Reserve Forces Review 2030: Unlocking the reserves’ potential to strengthen a resilient and global Britain (2021). < https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reserve-forcesreview-2030 > [Accessed 17 Sep 22]. MoD business units would request assistance of the STEM branch, and once the request is vetted and matched to individuals with the requisite skills, then Reserve Service Days and personnel are allocated to the project. Projects could also be self-generated when a need is evident – providing a sponsor can be found within the relevant authority (e.g. NCHQ, DE&S) who agrees with the assessment of need. When not actively engaged on a STEM project, personnel can engage with the activities of their geographically local unit. Initiating any new programme brings challenges: for instance, ensuring a flow of STEM projects to tackle, because, although many exist, there is no centralised repository.

This can partly be achieved simply by awareness and networking – when relevant organisations (e.g. NavyX, Navy / DES Digital, DSTL Science Gateways, etc.) discover the capability they will call upon it. There are also more formal solutions; a prime example being the Digital Skills Marketplace¹⁵Ministry of Defence, Defence Connect Digital Skills Marketplace (2022).
< https://jive.defencegateway. mod.uk/community/digital-skillsmarketplace> [Accessed 17 Sep 22]. hosted on Defence Connect which connects requests for support to suitably qualified and experienced persons (SQEPs) willing to assist. On the other side of this flow of projects needs to be volunteers with the required skillsets – some of these will want to fully join the STEM branch, others may wish to remain in other branches but accept the occasional tasking.

Finding those with the necessary skills already serving in the MR will be greatly helped with the proposed Civilian Skills Database of Project Winston;¹⁶Mardlin, S. A., Commander Maritime Reserves Temporary Memorandum 55/22: Project Winston – Trial And Implementation Update dated 3 Oct 22. (2022). < https://jive.defencegateway.mod.uk/docs/DOC-825874 > [Accessed 16 Sep 22]. but a new branch would also allow direct external recruitment and access to a far deeper pool of talent.
The matching of skills to projects is already being trialled by the RNREB’s Digital And Advanced Technology Advantage Specialist Cohort.¹⁷Harrop, I. and Seagrave, S., Trial Order for Maritime Reserves Engineer Branch support to Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Digital and Advanced Technology Advantage(DATA) Specialist Cohort dated 28 Jan 2022 This is currently providing digital expertise to DE&S transformation efforts; indeed this trial will likely form the progenitor of any STEM branch. And then there are the more routine branch matters to consider. What would the manning structure be for this branch; what would a deployment look like? Before answering these questions we should acknowledge there is Reservist precedent of recruiting directly to provide specialist advice: i.e., the Army’s Specialist Group Military Intelligence or the Army’s Engineer and Logistics Staff Corps (ELSC). The latter is described in the press as “probably the greatest military unit you’ve never heard of.”¹⁸Nicholls, D, “Revealed: the top bosses in secret Forces unit that built Nightingale hospitals,” The Telegraph (2020). < https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/17/revealed-top-bossessecret-forces-unit-built-nightingalehospitals/> [Accessed 22 Sep 22].

The ELSC’s manning structure is abnormal in that it is comprised entirely of Commissioned Officers – not a route that a Reserves STEM branch would necessarily wish to follow: but it does suggest that a simple seniority pyramid is not the only solution. This uncovers a wider issue that many technologically- strong organisations face: there is a bias towards people accepting generalist management roles should they wish to advance their careers. One solution to this was implemented by IBM: the creation of a Fellow position,¹⁹Meyerson, B, “The Innovative Impact of IBM Fellows,” IBM (2017). <https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/17/revealed-topbosses-secret-forces-unit-built-nightingalehospitals/> [Accessed 22 Sep 22]. where technical track individuals could benefit from status and recognition (including financial) without switching into a managerial role. A similar approach also exists in other militaries – the Singaporean Armed Forces introduced the Military Domain Experts Scheme²⁰Singapore Ministry of Defence, Fact Sheet: Military Domain Experts Scheme (2016). <
https://www.mindef.gov.sg/web/portal/mindef/news-and-events/latest-releases/article-detail/2016/december/07dec16_fs > [Accessed 22 Sep 22]. wherein certain specialists sit outside the traditional rank structure and are expected to deepen their technical knowledge as they progress, but remain fully-fledged members of the forces in all respects. This is likely a step too far for the RN, but serves as a good example of how others have dealt with this challenge.

Likewise the typical ‘train – deploy – recover’ pattern might not always be the best model: a data analyst will likely be as effective, if not more so, working remotely from her Cambridge home, than deployed mid-Atlantic. Deployments should not be ruled out however – the DSTL Operational Analyst role is deployable, and there is no reason Reserves STEM personnel cannot be too, possibly even sharing the same rota where skillsets are compatible. One intriguing possibility would be for STEM reservists to support the deployable NavyPODS Innovation Labs concept envisaged by a recent RN Innovation Fellow.²¹Email Lt Col J McCreton / Lt Cdr J Hackman dated 20 Sep 22. Regardless of what deployments, if any, would best suit a STEM branch; particular thought would have to be given to marinisation, that is, steeping personnel in the culture of the RN, for those externally recruited; but that challenge is one that also faces other branches in the MR.

The Final Frontier

The RN defines one of its key challenges as technological acceleration, and the MR has situated itself as being part of the solution. However, the MR, in its current unreconstructed form, does not have enough flexibility to deploy our greatest resource – people – to tackle these novel challenges. Correspondingly, Defence continues to spend money on a plethora of contractors who cover our knowledge pinch-points whilst failing to retain corporate knowledge, money that could ultimately be spent better elsewhere. A STEM branch, or at least greater flexibility within the existing branches, would go a long way towards enabling the MR to step-up and prove its utility to the wider enterprise in meeting this challenge.

Footnotes

• 1
  Shepherd, T., “Scientists teach brain cells to play video game Pong,” The Guardian (2022). < https://www.theguardian.
  com/australia-news/2022/oct/13/scientists-teach-brain-cells-to-playvirtual-pong > [Accessed 14 Oct 22].
• 2
  Callaway, E., “’It will change everything’: Deepmind’s AI makes gigantic leap in solving protein structures.” Nature News (2022). <https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-
  020-03348-4 > [Accessed 8 Sep 22].
• 3
  Andreessen, M., “Why software is eating theworld,” Andreessen Horowitz (2011). < https://
  a16z.com/2011/08/20/why-software-iseating-the-world > [Accessed 8 Sep 22].
• 4
  Agrawal, S., De Smet, A., Poplawski, P., and Reich, A., “Beyond hiring: How companies are reskilling to address talent gaps,” McKinsey & Company (2022). < https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/peopleand-organizational-performance/ourinsights/beyond-hiring-howcompanies-are-reskilling-to-addresstalent-gaps > [Accessed 25 Sep 22].
• 5
  Ministry of Defence, Royal Navy Strategy: The decade of delivery (2022). Available on MODNET.
• 6
  Ministry of Defence, Maritime Operating
  Concept (MarOpC): The Maritime Force contribution to the Integrated Operating Concept (2022). <https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/maritime-operating-conceptmaropc> [Accessed 16 Sep 22].
• 7
  Ministry of Defence, Maritime Reserves Directive: Transforming the Maritime Reserves for the 21st Century Operations (by design) (2020). < https://jive.defencegateway.mod.uk/docs/DOC-379652 > [Accessed 17 Sep 22].
• 8
  Ministry of Defence, Reserve Forces Review
  2030: Unlocking the reserves’ potential to strengthen a resilient and global Britain (2021).<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reserve-forcesreview-2030 > [Accessed 17 Sep 22].
• 9
  Email DES Ships-Renown Data Sheriff / RNR EB SO2 dated 2 Aug 22.
• 10
  National Audit Office, Delivering STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills for the economy (2018).<https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/delivering-stem-science-technologyengineering- and-mathematics-skillsfor-the-economy > [Accessed 3 Oct 22].
• 11
  One celebrated technical skill that the Reserves do provide is cyber; however given that the field has its own doctrine (JDP 0-50) and is now considered a domain of war in its own right; it is no longer niche and will not be considered further.
• 12
  Ministry of Defence, Royal Navy Reserve Engineer Branch Information Booklet (2017). < https://jive.defencegateway.mod.uk/docs/DOC-19523 > [Accessed 11 Oct 2022].
• 13
  A more radical solution would be to abandon the concept of branches at all and simply ‘tag’ personnel with one or more skills once requisite training had been
  accomplished, so an individual might for instance be both ‘Media’ and ‘Maritime Trade Operations.’ Although an idea worthy of exploration the number of ramifications cannot be addressed in this essay alone.
• 14
  Ministry of Defence, Reserve Forces Review 2030: Unlocking the reserves’ potential to strengthen a resilient and global Britain (2021). < https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reserve-forcesreview-2030 > [Accessed 17 Sep 22].
• 15
  Ministry of Defence, Defence Connect Digital Skills Marketplace (2022).
  < https://jive.defencegateway. mod.uk/community/digital-skillsmarketplace> [Accessed 17 Sep 22].
• 16
  Mardlin, S. A., Commander Maritime Reserves Temporary Memorandum 55/22: Project Winston – Trial And Implementation Update dated 3 Oct 22. (2022). < https://jive.defencegateway.mod.uk/docs/DOC-825874 > [Accessed 16 Sep 22].
• 17
  Harrop, I. and Seagrave, S., Trial Order for Maritime Reserves Engineer Branch support to Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Digital and Advanced Technology Advantage(DATA) Specialist Cohort dated 28 Jan 2022
• 18
  Nicholls, D, “Revealed: the top bosses in secret Forces unit that built Nightingale hospitals,” The Telegraph (2020). < https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/17/revealed-top-bossessecret-forces-unit-built-nightingalehospitals/> [Accessed 22 Sep 22].
• 19
  Meyerson, B, “The Innovative Impact of IBM Fellows,” IBM (2017). <https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/17/revealed-topbosses-secret-forces-unit-built-nightingalehospitals/> [Accessed 22 Sep 22].
• 20
  Singapore Ministry of Defence, Fact Sheet: Military Domain Experts Scheme (2016). <
  https://www.mindef.gov.sg/web/portal/mindef/news-and-events/latest-releases/article-detail/2016/december/07dec16_fs > [Accessed 22 Sep 22].
• 21
  Email Lt Col J McCreton / Lt Cdr J Hackman dated 20 Sep 22.