Doctrine Review – Call for Evidence

Foreword

The Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) is undertaking a review of Joint Doctrine: The Interoperability Framework, currently published as Version 3.1.

This Call for Evidence is intended to inform that review by gathering views, evidence, and experiences from across the emergency services, responder organisations, partner agencies, and other interested parties. The review will result in a revised doctrine (Version 4) to be published in May 2027.

The JESIP team welcomes evidence from all those with relevant expertise or experience. Responses will play a key role in shaping future doctrine but will not, in isolation, determine policy decisions.

3. Scope of the Review

The review will consider the effectiveness, clarity and applicability of the JESIP interoperability framework, including:

• Joint Principles
• M/ETHANE
• Joint Decision Model
• Common Operating Picture
• Decision Controls
• Briefing
• Multi‑agency response structures
• Inclusion of wider responding agencies
• JESIP’s role across the resilience cycle
• Digital interoperability and information‑sharing
• Training, learning, and development requirements for interoperability
• Implementation, embedding, and assurance of doctrine across organisations

Out of scope

The review will not consider:

• JESIP governance or organisational arrangements
• Service‑specific command or competency frameworks
• National organisational restructures outside the JESIP remit

Evidence submitted outside the scope of the review will be recorded but may not be taken forward.

5. What evidence are we seeking?

We are seeking evidence and insight, rather than policy proposals. Respondents may wish to address some or all of the following areas.

• Where the current doctrine supports effective multi‑agency working
• Where it is unclear, difficult to apply, or inconsistently understood
• Interfaces with wider responder organisations or non‑traditional partners
• How training has supported or hindered operational application

Learning and assurance

• Evidence from inspections, exercises, debriefs or reviews
• Recurring interoperability challenges
• Evidence of how training or assurance has addressed issues
• What has or has not worked in improving interoperability

Doctrine content

• Areas that may benefit from clarification, simplification or re‑structuring
• Content that may no longer reflect current practice or context
• Gaps where additional or revised doctrine may be required

Future requirements

• Digital information‑sharing and situational awareness
• Evolving risk and threat profiles
• Inclusion, accessibility and equality considerations
• Training, implementation and adoption issues
• Solutions, innovations, or good practice that overcome barriers

Respondents are encouraged to provide supporting evidence where available, including reports, research or anonymised case studies. Respondents are encouraged not only to identify challenges, but also to provide practical solutions, mitigations, and examples of effective approaches.

7. How we will use your evidence

All responses will be:

• collated and reviewed by the JESIP team,
• analysed thematically, and
• considered by the Doctrine Review Steering Group.

The findings will be summarised in an Evidence and Gap Analysis Report, which will inform drafting and subsequent consultation activity.

Responses will not be published in full and will not be attributed without consent. Quotations may be anonymised and used illustratively.

9. Next steps

Following the closure of this Call for Evidence:

• priority themes will be agreed by the DRSG,
• revised doctrine drafting will commence, and
• further engagement, including practitioner testing and a formal consultation on draft doctrine, will be undertaken.

Updates will be published via JESIP communication channels.