Initiated by the Vice Chief of Defence Staff, ‘Future character of conflict’, published on 3 February 2010, is a study which offers a view on the future character of conflict out to the year 2029 and identifies the broad implications.

‘Future character of conflict’ found that the global trends indicate increasing instability and growing opportunity for confrontation and conflict. State failure, extremists, increased competition for resources and the changing global balance of power will dictate why, where and how we engage in conflict.

The study concludes that the character of conflict will continue to evolve. Though it is impossible to accurately predict the exact character of the future conflict, in many of our future operations we are likely to face a range of simultaneous threats and adversaries in an anarchic and extended operating area.