The Public Image of Security, Defence and the Military in Europe
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Military Cooperation As an Integral Part of Prevention and Stabilisation
Military cooperation as an integral part of prevention and stabilisation Against this background, as a directly involved Andreas Wenger country and as the global superpower the USA appeared to adopt a doctrine of unilateral pre- emption, which was widely rejected as a basis for joint military action. Although the USA’s new security strategy dis- cussed the option of pre-emptive action exclusive- ly in the context of the question of how to deal with the threats from internationally organised ter- More than a year since the start of the war in rorist groups and rogue nations such as Iraq and Iraq, the widely diverging views concerning ways North Korea, its demand that the concept of in which the uncertainties of a globalised envi- “immediate threat” should be adapted to these ronment can be overcome are proving to be a new risks meant that the distinction between pre- major obstacle to defining a sustainable political emptive and preventive warfare had become less solution for post-war Iraq and stable political and clearly defined. social structures in the Middle East, as well as for combating terrorism and the proliferation of The intervention in Afghanistan with the backing weapons of mass destruction. During the debate of the UN made it clear that it was not so much on Iraq, one of the main areas in which interna- the right of a country to defend itself against non- tional opinions widely differed concerned the State actors that was disputed, but primarily the question of the future role of armed forces within discussion of the option of pre-emptive action the scope of a comprehensive prevention and sta- against State actors. -
The London School of Economics and Political Science
The London School of Economics and Political Science Mercenaries and the State: How the hybridisation of the armed forces is changing the face of national security Caroline Varin A thesis submitted to the Department of International Relations of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, September 2012 ii Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of <83,157> words. iii Abstract The military has been a symbol of nationhood and state control for the past two hundred years. As representatives of a society’s cultural values and political ambitions, the armed forces have traditionally been held within the confines of the modern state. Today, however, soldiers are expected to operate in the shadows of conflicts, drawing little attention to themselves and to their actions; they are physically and emotionally secluded from a civilian population whose governments, especially in the ‘West’, are proceeding to an unprecedented wave of demilitarisation and military budget cuts. -
Luxembourg Report
Sustainable Governance SGI Indicators 2009 Luxembourg report SGI 2009 | 2 Luxembourg report Executive summary During the last two decade’s rise in international financial markets, Luxembourg’s economy has grown more than the OECD average. In terms of GDP per capita, it has become the richest country in the world. This situation is not entirely the result of deliberate policy. Luxembourg has been constrained by the dictates of globalization and by the harmonization process within the European Union, but has nevertheless profited handsomely by creating a favorable environment for the establishment of foreign companies. Due to the country’s wealth, the government has often been tempted to try solving problems through increased spending on social programs. However, Luxembourg’s culture does not easily accept the loss of newly won rights. This makes it difficult for the government to return to a more moderate, or realistic, level of spending. More than most other industrial nations, Luxembourg benefits from a rejuvenating population, largely due to high rates of immigration. This phenomenon is even stronger within the economically active population, since many people work in Luxembourg but live across the border in France, Belgium or Germany. Approximately 41percent of wage-earners belong to this cross-border commuter category, and their number has steadily increased over the past decades. The social security system’s current equilibrium is dependent on growth in the number of members, and on their relative youth, which means the system will collapse if growth slows. In fact, studies have shown that in order to sustain the system an an annual growth rate of 4 percent of GDP and an annual job-growth rate of 2 percent must be maintained. -
Security & Defence European
a 7.90 D European & Security ES & Defence 4/2016 International Security and Defence Journal Protected Logistic Vehicles ISSN 1617-7983 • www.euro-sd.com • Naval Propulsion South Africa‘s Defence Exports Navies and shipbuilders are shifting to hybrid The South African defence industry has a remarkable breadth of capa- and integrated electric concepts. bilities and an even more remarkable depth in certain technologies. August 2016 Jamie Shea: NATO‘s Warsaw Summit Politics · Armed Forces · Procurement · Technology The backbone of every strong troop. Mercedes-Benz Defence Vehicles. When your mission is clear. When there’s no road for miles around. And when you need to give all you’ve got, your equipment needs to be the best. At times like these, we’re right by your side. Mercedes-Benz Defence Vehicles: armoured, highly capable off-road and logistics vehicles with payloads ranging from 0.5 to 110 t. Mobilising safety and efficiency: www.mercedes-benz.com/defence-vehicles Editorial EU Put to the Test What had long been regarded as inconceiv- The second main argument of the Brexit able became a reality on the morning of 23 campaigners was less about a “democratic June 2016. The British voted to leave the sense of citizenship” than of material self- European Union. The majority that voted for interest. Despite all the exception rulings "Brexit", at just over 52 percent, was slim, granted, the United Kingdom is among and a great deal smaller than the 67 percent the net contribution payers in the EU. This who voted to stay in the then EEC in 1975, money, it was suggested, could be put to but ignoring the majority vote is impossible. -
Switzerland's Commentary on Operationalizing the Guiding
Switzerland’s commentary on operationalizing the guiding principles at a national level, as requested by the Chair of the 2020 Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Emerging Technologies in the Area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) within the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Switzerland sees the eleven guiding principles as an important consolidation of basic understandings on emerging technologies in the area of LAWS among the High Contracting Parties (HCP). The principles can guide current and future work in the multilateral context, notably the consideration and development of the normative and operational framework in the GGE. In addition, HCP may consider their operationalization at the national level, notably in the context of complying with international humanitarian law (IHL) rules and satisfying ethical concerns in the context of these emerging technologies. Switzerland holds the view that human control is necessary to ensure IHL-conformity. Such human control can be applied at various stages of the life cycle of an autonomous weapon system (AWS), including the design phase. Switzerland is also of the opinion that the actual decision to deploy an AWS and the assessments and decisions regarding its use in a specific attack remain eminently critical touch points in the human-machine interaction and must be retained within a responsible (military) chain of human command and control with structures and processes that ensure IHL-conform decisions in the use of force, including AWS. Switzerland holds that an AWS would run contrary to guiding principle A and would be unlawful: if 1) the outcomes cannot be reasonably predicted, or; 2) the effects cannot be limited in accordance with IHL or 3) the system otherwise cannot be used in accordance with IHL. -
The All-Volunteer Force: a Historical Perspective Janice H. Laurence
The All-Volunteer Force: A Historical Perspective Janice H. Laurence Prologue It's been almost thirty years since the draft played a role in procuring manpower for the military. On Defense Secretary Melvin Laird's watch, in December of 1972, the last draft call was made. And on June 30, 1973, the last draftee—Dwight Elliott Stone—entered the military as legal authority to conscript young men like him expired. The operation of the Selective Service System and the local draft boards that supplied the Army (and sometimes the Marine Corps) with residual manpower when the supply of volunteers was exhausted was put on deep standby. Instead young men (and women in increasing numbers) signed up for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force of their own volition. Conscription had been used for over 30 years to supplement the active duty enlisted ranks and press yet others to "volunteer" (some reluctantly) not only for Army and Marine Corps enlisted positions but for the Navy and Air Force enlisted ranks, the officer corps, or Selected Reserve duty. For many, the act of volunteering was a wager to avoid the riskiest of duty as a combat soldier or marine. The draft is not a basic building block for garnering personnel for the U.S. military—our Colonial ancestors did not warm to the idea of forced federal service. Conscription has always been controversial, even when it was used for the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. And since it "has existed for only 33 of the approximately 200 years since the Declaration of Independence, it is difficult to consider the draft an American tradition."1 However, since World War II, when our nation emerged as a superpower with global responsibilities, the draft was seen as a necessity not only in time of war, but also to empower a large standing force in peacetime. -
Switzerland1
YEARBOOK OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW - VOLUME 14, 2011 CORRESPONDENTS’ REPORTS SWITZERLAND1 Contents Multilateral Initiatives — Foreign Policy Priorities .................................................................. 1 Multilateral Initiatives — Human Security ................................................................................ 1 Multilateral Initiatives — Disarmament and Non-Proliferation ................................................ 2 Multilateral Initiatives — International Humanitarian Law ...................................................... 4 Multilateral Initiatives — Peace Support Operations ................................................................ 5 Multilateral Initiatives — International Criminal Law .............................................................. 6 Legislation — Implementation of the Rome Statute ................................................................. 6 Cases — International Crimes Trials (War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, Genocide) .... 12 Cases — Extradition of Alleged War Criminal ....................................................................... 13 Multilateral Initiatives — Foreign Policy Priorities Swiss Federal Council, Foreign Policy Report (2011) <http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/doc/publi/ppol.html> Pursuant to the 2011 Foreign Policy Report, one of Switzerland’s objectives at institutional level in 2011 was the improvement of the working methods of the UN Security Council (SC). As a member of the UN ‘Small 5’ group, on 28 March 2012, the Swiss -
The Cornerstones of the Swiss Security Policy
S t r o n a | 187 „Ante Portas – Studia nad Bezpieczeństwem” 2016, nr 2(7) Claude Bonard Switzerland THE CORNERSTONES OF THE SWISS SECURITY POLICY Summary: In order to comprehend the specific features of Switzerland and its security policy in today’s geopolitical context, the author first refers to the historical figure of Lieutenant Colonel Franz von Erlach, who participated in the Polish insurrection of 1863 as an observer, drawing valuable conclusions therefore, which had at the time an impact on Swiss military thinking. He then follows with a short overview of Swiss military history, which subsequently leads to situating contemporary Switzerland in its geographical, political and institu- tional environment. Finally, the author addresses the essential aspects of Swit- zerland’s current national defence, military organisation and security policy. Keywords: Swiss Armed Forces, territorial defence, Swiss security policy Poland and Switzerland – two democratic states of law: analogies and differences Whereas Poland is a parliamentary republic, Switzerland is a federal state, or a Confederation of 26 administrative cantons, each of which has preserved its sovereignty, government, parliament and courts, while renouncing part of its sovereignty as regards diplomacy, national defence, customs and currency – for which they delegated responsibility to the superior state, i.e. the Swiss Confed- eration. Certain competencies are shared between the Confederation and the cantons. The special characteristic of the Swiss Confederation, whose creation dates back to 1291, is that it is composed of four linguistic regions. Four na- tional languages are spoken in the same country: French, German, Italian and Romansch. In Poland, just as in Switzerland, the Constitution sets out the rights, the division of competencies and the organisation of the state. -
Training Centre Swiss Armed Forces Inter National
TRAINING CENTRE SWISS ARMED FORCES INTER NATIONAL COMMAND Course guide 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents 2 Introduction Commandant Training Centre SWISSINT 3 Infra structure 4 Mission & Task 5 General Information for all Courses 5 SUNMOC – Swiss United Nations Military Observer Course 7 KFOR SWISSCOY / EUFOR LOT Predeployment Training 9 SUNSOC – Swiss United Nations Staff Officer Course 11 ICPSO – Introductory Course to Peace Support Operations 12 PSOR – Peace Support Operations Refresher 12 HEAT – Hostile Environment Awareness Training 13 BST – Basic Security Training 14 BWT – Basic Weapons Training 15 Driving Training for Categories C1 / D1 16 TCCC/TC3 – Tactical Combat Casualty Care Provider Course 17 MMPC – Military Medical Personnel Course in the Balkans area 18 Host Nation Support to Geneva Centres Flagship Courses 19 Course Dates 20 4-PCE 21 Partnership Training and Education Centres (PTEC) 22 United Nations training location in Switzerland 23 Certifications 24 Welfare 25 How to find the Training Centre SWISSINT 26 How to Apply & Contact 27 2 INTRODUCTION COMMANDANT TRAINING CENTRE SWISSINT As commandant of the Training Centre Swiss Interna- tional Command (TC SWISSINT) I am in charge of the pre-deployment training for all Swiss military personnel sent abroad in the context of Peace Support Operations (PSO). Together with my staff we are committed to pro- viding high quality courses that meet both national and international standards. Throughout the year we offer a number of national and international courses specially designed to prepare individuals and contingents for deployment to crisis areas. Our priority is to assist our course participants in developing a “safety and securi- ty-first” attitude in all aspects of their work in whatever new and challenging environments they may encounter. -
Swiss Intellectuals and the Cold War Anti-Communist Policies in a Neutral Country
Swiss Intellectuals and the Cold War Anti-Communist Policies in a Neutral Country ✣ Hadrien Buclin Nowadays many Swiss citizens would be surprised to learn that in the 1950s some Swiss journalists and lecturers were sentenced to prison or lost their jobs because of “thought crimes.” The 1950s are generally remembered as the time of the “Swiss economic miracle”—with the construction of high- ways and large hydroelectric dams—rather than of strong political con- frontation. The picture of a neutral country does not really mesh with the evocation of anti-Communist restrictions. What can explain the strength of Swiss Cold War policies in the 1950s—policies that left their mark on many aspects of political and cultural life in the country? Exactly what form did such official anti-Communism take in a neutral country like Switzerland, and how did it fit with other Western countries’ anti-Communist policies? Was Switzerland an exception, or can parallels be established with other neu- tral European states—in particular, Sweden, a small neutral country in many ways similar to Switzerland? These are just some of the questions this article addresses. The legal barriers facing Swiss Communist intellectuals during the early Cold War have been underexamined in the current historiography and are in need of reassessment. The legal proceedings were specifically motivated by the Swiss government’s determination to defend a slick image of neutrality against severe criticism from the Communist states, which accused Switzer- land of covertly allying with the Western camp. Two Swiss Communists were sentenced for slander, and their trials are emblematic of how a neutral coun- try coped with the Western anti-Communist battle. -
Conscription in the European Union Armed Forces: National Trends, Benefits and EU Modernised Service
Food for thought 07-2019 Conscription in the European Union Armed Forces: National Trends, Benefits and EU Modernised Service Written by AN EXPERTISE FORUM CONTRIBUTING TO EUROPEAN CONTRIBUTING TO FORUM AN EXPERTISE SINCE 1953 ARMIES INTEROPERABILITY European Army Interoperability Center Joeri Rongé and Giulia Abrate This paper was drawn up by Joeri Rongé and Giulia Abrate, under the supervision and guidance of the Director of the Permanent Secretariat, Mr. Mario Blokken. This Food for Thought paper is a document that gives an initial reflection on the theme. The content is not reflecting the positions of the member states, but consists of elements that can initiate and feed the discussions and analyses in the domain of the theme. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Part one: The concept of conscription and the EU’ situation 4 Part two: The relevance of universal conscription 10 Promoting equality between genders and social-economic statuses 11 Economic results 12 The efficiency of armies 13 Part three: Conscription in the changing nature of war 15 Part four: The way forward, the European Union Service 20 The “European Security and Defence Studies” 21 The “EU Military Service” 22 The European Voluntary Service 25 Conclusion 27 Bibliography 28 Conscription in the European Union Armed Forces: National Trends, Benefits and EU Modernised Service 2 INTRODUCTION During the 19th and 20th centuries, most Secondly, the paper will delineate the argu- countries, whether authoritarian or not, en- ments in favour and against conscription. visaged conscription in order to involve the Having a global vision of the advantages and citizenry in their armies. -
The Broken Promises of an All-Volunteer Military
THE BROKEN PROMISES OF AN ALL-VOLUNTEER MILITARY * Matthew Ivey “God and the soldier all men adore[.] In time of trouble—and no more, For when war is over, and all things righted, God is neglected—and the old soldier slighted.”1 “Only when the privileged classes perform military service does the country define the cause as worth young people’s blood. Only when elite youth are on the firing line do war losses become more acceptable.”2 “Non sibi sed patriae”3 INTRODUCTION In the predawn hours of March 11, 2012, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales snuck out of his American military post in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and allegedly murdered seventeen civilians and injured six others in two nearby villages in Panjwai district.4 After Bales purportedly shot or stabbed his victims, he piled their bodies and burned them.5 Bales pleaded guilty to these crimes in June 2013, which spared him the death penalty, and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.6 How did this former high school football star, model soldier, and once-admired husband and father come to commit some of the most atrocious war crimes in United States history?7 Although there are many likely explanations for Bales’s alleged behavior, one cannot help but to * The author is a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. This Article does not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense, the United States Navy, or any of its components. The author would like to thank Michael Adams, Jane Bestor, Thomas Brown, John Gordon, Benjamin Hernandez- Stern, Brent Johnson, Michael Klarman, Heidi Matthews, Valentina Montoya Robledo, Haley Park, and Gregory Saybolt for their helpful comments and insight on previous drafts.