Manage Defence Attaché Office as Mission Component Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply strategic planning principles to align the Defence Attaché Office's objectives with mission goals and national defence policies.
• Analyse the roles and responsibilities of the Defence Attaché within the broader diplomatic and defence community.
• Evaluate resource requirements and manage budgets, assets, and personnel to ensure operational effectiveness.
• Implement communication and liaison strategies to foster cooperation with host nation defence entities and international partners.
• Demonstrate compliance with host nation laws, diplomatic protocols, and South African defence regulations.
• Design reporting mechanisms to provide timely and accurate intelligence and administrative feedback to mission headquarters.

Target Audience

This course is designed for military and civilian personnel appointed or aspiring to serve as Defence Attachés, Advisers, or senior support staff in defence mission offices. It is also suitable for embassy or high commission managers responsible for coordinating defence-related activities within a diplomatic setting.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. However, learners should have a basic understanding of military or diplomatic structures.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Practical sessions reinforce theoretical knowledge through simulated scenarios, report writing exercises, and role-plays. Learners apply planning, liaison, and analytical skills in controlled environments that mirror real-world Defence Attaché Office operations.

Practical Activities

• Operational Planning Simulation — Learners work in groups to develop a one-month operational plan for a Defence Attaché Office, including budget, staffing, and security measures. (4h)
• Diplomatic Liaison Role-Play — Learners role-play a bilateral meeting with host nation defence officials to discuss a joint exercise, managing protocol and cross-cultural communication. (4h)
• Intelligence Report Writing Exercise — Using simulated open-source data, learners produce a concise intelligence assessment on a regional security issue, applying classification and formatting standards. (4h)
• Integrated Office Management Presentation — Learners prepare and deliver a 15-minute presentation outlining a comprehensive management plan for a Defence Attaché Office, integrating all course elements. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.