On 29 June 2017, Professor Trevor Taylor of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) made a presentation at the JALLC about “Best Practice in Defence Analysis and Policy Advice” with reference to his research of lessons from the collaborative procurement of the A400M transport aircraft in the UK. The event was attended by a wide range of JALLC members and also invited participants from the Portuguese defence community

There were a number of key points from Professor Taylor’s lecture:

• every project is unique, so be careful about the grounds for transferring lessons from one to another;
• lessons are subjective, so be transparent about the methodology used and ensure a strong evidence-base from which to derive them;
• context matters, so acknowledge historical, political, commercial, organizational, and behavioural aspects when identifying lessons; and
• subject matter expertise and analysis skills are imperative to effectively engage stakeholders, successfully identify relevant lessons and promote remedial actions.

Professor Taylor concluded his lecture with reminders that Lessons Learned exercises are inherently research projects and of the need to be persuasive, when there is a perceived need for learning and subsequent change.

The lecture forms part of the RUSI–JALLC partnership framework, which aims to provide the JALLC with the latest cutting-edge RUSI defence research and analysis findings and best practice in contemporary strategic level topics.