The Training & Education section provides a list of all courses GCKN offers the Army. These courses focus on how to understand the operational environment (i.e., ways to conduct analysis) and include how units can leverage Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
What Is ECF
The ECF as a simple and practical means to enhance sociocultural understanding of the OE. The ECF helps analysts identify and understand any of the 12 Exploitable Conditions in a specific area. U.S. adversaries, competitors, and interested agents alike are regularly looking for ways to capitalize on a target’s weaknesses. GCKN created a simple way for users to recognize and explain the environmental conditions that actors will exploit to gain advantage.
In other words, the framework will isolate actual and potential sociocultural instability and how specific actors may take advantage of it to their advantage and the disadvantage of the U.S. Army. GCKN is both a consumer and a teacher of the ECF; The 12 Exploitable Conditions were determined through GCKN’s own social science research and methodologies, but the ECF can be understood through a short period of instruction.
The ECF Course is a scalable (2+ hours) course of instruction that introduces the ECF as an analytic structure and explains how to apply it. The course demonstrates the ECF’s value to planning and decision-making by highlighting causes of instability and creating a more nuanced understanding of potential adversary actions. Instructors emphasize the tool’s operational value by using GCKN products as exemplars.
Sign Up For The ECF Course
The benefit of the ECF over other means of analysis is that it explains the most commonly exploited conditions of sociocultural instability around the world, precluding analysts from having to do so themselves. This allows analysts to focus on their area(s) and/or actor(s) of interest.
Exploitable Conditions Framework Course
- Overview
- The 12 Exploitable Conditions
- ECF and PMESII
- Applying the ECF as a Data Organizing Tool
- Applying the ECF as an Interpretive Lens
- Exemplar (scalable for one or more of the following):
- Russian Exploitation of the OE
- Chinese Exploitation of the OE
- Iranian Exploitation of the OE
- North Korean Exploitation of the OE
- Discussion
Learning Objective:
Action:Â Examine the Operational Utility of the ECF.
Conditions:Â In a classroom environment, provided the ECF handout, select GCKN analytic products, and GCKN Instructors
Standards:
- Discuss the value of analytic frameworks
- Describe the 12 Exploitable Conditions
- Explain the OE in terms of vulnerability to exploitation
- Consider the Exploitable Conditions in terms of operations
- Share knowledge of actual exploitation of conditions
- Form plausible hypothetical exploitations of conditions
Who Is the ECF Course For?
Novice and expert analysts
Choose Your Way To Learn:
- Live In-Person:Â Either at Fort Leavenworth, KS or at your location.
- Live Remote:Â GCKN Instructors provide instruction over MS Teams.
What Is AGTM
Adapted Grounded Theory Methodology (AGTM) Workshop:
The AGTM is an analytic process and research methodology that carries a military analyst from RFI to explanation. It is rooted in the social sciences and leverages Structured Analytic Techniques (SAT). The GAM can handle large amounts of disparate data, systematically control for bias, and create an auditable trail to support analysis.
The AGTM Workshop is a 5-day resident or extended/self-paced distance learning course that provides analysts with a basic practical understanding of the AGTM. GCKN instructors guide analysts through an RFI response process from which they can provide detailed, auditable explanations for complex questions about the OE. Courses are ready-made to handle common questions or can be tailored to specific research requests. In addition, the course includes SME participation to augment and refine the analysis as designed by the AGTM process.
Sign Up For The AGTM Workshop
The AGTM provides the principles and practical ways of collecting, refining, managing, synthesizing, integrating, and connecting large and complex bodies of sociocultural data. This, in turn, facilitates analysis in support of military decision-making.
Learning Objective:
Action:Â Apply the Adapted Grounded Theory Methodology Workshop to conduct a guided analysis of an assigned topic.
Conditions: In a classroom environment, provided AGTM 101 materials, a research question, curated research materials, curated SME support, and GCKN Instructors
Standards:
- Demonstrate understanding of the Adapted Grounded Theory Methodology (AGTM)
- Plan research based on a provided research topic
- Conduct research in relation to a given Research Question (RQ)
- Analyze data in relation to a given Research Question (RQ)
- Apply Coding and Memoing
- Apply selected Structured Analytic Techniques (SATs)
- Develop an explanation of the provided RQ
- Present and Defend an explanation to the provided RQ
Who Is the GAM Workshop For? Â
Novice and expert analysts
Choose Your Way To Learn:
- Live In-Person:Â Either at Fort Leavenworth, KS, or at your location for 5 full days.
- Live Remote:Â GCKN Instructors provide instruction over MS Teams for 5 full days.
- Live Remote-Extended:Â GCKN Instructors provide instruction over MS Teams on your schedule.
Adapted Grounded Theory Methodology Workshop
- Overview
- Research Planning
- Open Data Collection and Divergent Analysis 1
- Convergent Analysis 1
- Focused Data Collection and Divergent Analysis 2
- Convergent Analysis 2
- Directed Data Collection and Divergent Analysis 3
- Convergent Analysis 3
- Argument Construction
- Presentation
- Feedback
Resources
