Aim
'To analyse the role and influence of the commander at the operational level, comprehending the issues and challenges commanders must face during peacetime and in crises.'

Course Orientation – a preliminary module which introduces students to AJOSOC as a whole and the joint and multinational operations in particular. The briefing techniques and the requirement for the defence research paper are detailed in this module. This 14–17 page original research paper on a Joint operational subject requires in-depth research and analysis, as well as close faculty and student collaboration.

Module 1 - Strategic and Operational Leadership - will expose students to the national and regional functional areas of leading and managing defence affairs at strategic and operational level. Key speakers will be invited to discuss the particular aspects of the Romanian military leadership and its interdependencies with NATO and EU leadership.

Aim
'To provide students with a broad understanding of global and regional security issues, and how they influence defence matters'.

Module 2 - Security and Strategic Studies - examines the characteristics of the security environment and the actors, states and non-states that contribute to the international security. Topics include the analysis of threats and challenges to current security environment, conflict theory, the interagency process, NGOs/IOs and contractors in the operating environment.
The strategic component of the module is designed to teach students to think strategically. Strategy is the relationship between war’s purpose, objective, ways, and means. The aim of the strategic package is to sharpen the student’s ability to assess how alternative operational courses of action best serve to achieve overall strategic and national objectives. Students will be asked to think in a disciplined, critical, and original manner about the international strategic environment, about a range of potential strategies, and about the strategic effects of joint, interagency, and multinational operations. During this module, students will briefly study the works of prominent strategic thinkers—Carl von Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Mao Tse-Tung, Alfred Thayer Mahan, and Sir Julian Corbett— session that will contribute to the understanding of the interrelationship between the realms of strategy and operations.

Aim
'To prepare students for command and staff appointments by studying the principles, planning and conduct of joint and multinational operations'.

Module 4 - “Fundamentals of Joint Operations” - introduces the core phase of the course, “Joint and Multinational Operations” by delving into some critical doctrinal concepts like operational framework, mission command or manoeuvrist approach. Students will be required to understand how these concepts apply to both contemporary warfigthing and crisis response operations by the means of case study. In this module, by seminar sessions and lectures students are introduced to the fundamental themes of operational art, which are subsequently expressed throughout the subsequent modules. Students will be introduced to operational art, and its enduring concepts using the Falklands/Malvinas Conflict historical case study.

Module 5 - “Component Contribution to Joint Operations” - will help students enhance their understanding of the role Maritime, Air and Land Component play within the Joint Force. This module introduces operational art in each component specific environment. Each component environment will be explored in some detail to reveal their unique nature and investigate how this environment affects both the planning and employment of services. Students will be introduced to a common scenario (PURPLE WARRIOR) that will drive three individual tactical exercises in which they will analyze specific services aspects of operational warfare. In preparation of the exercises, a series of lectures and seminars will be dedicated to explain the key components of the maritime, air and land domains, the influence of the physical environment, the employment of naval, air and land forces in the warfighting role, and the operation planning process at the tactical level of war. A mid-term examination concludes Module five.

Module 6 - “Joint Operations” - is the core module of the course whose successful conduct is based on the skills acquired in the previous modules. It explores the operational and planning considerations in employing the service capabilities in a multinational environment. First sub-module will introduce students to the Joint Functions, covering so called enablers like operational logistics, strategic deployment, intelligence support to operational decision-making and planning, information operations, and Joint/multinational command and control. Students will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge in detail during the Module Eight comprehensive planning exercises. Second sub-module will detail the operational design and its associated concepts prompting students to think BIG. The third sub-module, builds on knowledge gained in previous studies, providing students with the tools, concepts, principles, doctrine, and practical planning skills required to accomplish modern military tasks. Students will have the opportunity to apply the critical steps of the Operation Planning Process (Operational Estimate) to a military scenario.

Module 7 – “Capstone Exercise” ― is the culminating exercise and enables student synthesis of most learning objectives achieved throughout the AJOSOC. This module is a Combined and Joint Task Force (CJTF) staff-level planning exercise that challenges students to use collaborative tools during Crisis Action Planning (CAP) to solve a complex art. 5 collective defence crisis in support of a NATO member state.  Students are assigned to positions across the CJTF staff, as liaison officers and into component headquarters working collectively to conduct Joint Operational-level problem solving using the Operational Estimate/ Operational Planning Process (OPP). The established strategic objectives allow students to integrate all instruments of national power and capabilities of non governmental agencies to achieve operational objectives during the process. Students are requires that during a 4-day planning timeline that includes execution of daily update briefings to the command group and execution of a generic battle rhythm, to draw an operational design for a NATO campaign that concludes with a CONOPS and a draft OPORD for first phase of the operation/ Directive. 

Aim
'To evaluate the level of achievements of the students  in accordance with the goals and the cognitive and affective objectives of the course'

Scenario based final test - in which students have to conduct a rapid assessment of a fictional situation, conduct the main steps of the mission analysis and formulation of the courses of action as part of a campaign plan.

Defence Research Paper