Reflections Upon a Paradigm of Military Strategy Within the European Common Security and Defense Policy (ESDP)
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View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Calhoun, Institutional Archive of the Naval Postgraduate School Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2001-06 Clausewitz and the theory of military strategy in Europe : reflections upon a paradigm of military strategy within the European Common Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) Hartmann, Uwe. Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/2213 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL Monterey, California THESIS CLAUSEWITZ AND THE THEORY OF MILITARY STRATEGY IN EUROPE – REFLECTIONS UPON A PARADIGM OF MILITARY STRATEGY WITHIN THE EUROPEAN COMMON SECURITY AND DEFENSE POLICY (ESDP) by Uwe Hartmann June 2001 Thesis Advisor: Donald Abenheim Co-Advisor: Daniel Moran Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited i REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED June 2001 Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE: Title (Mix case letters) 5. FUNDING NUMBERS Clausewitz and the Theory of Military Strategy in Europe – Reflections upon a Paradigm of Military Strategy within the European Common Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) 6. AUTHOR Uwe Hartmann, LTC GE ARMY 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING / MONITORING N/A AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the German Ministry of Defense or the German Government. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The purpose of the study is to reveal characteristics of the strategic cultures in Britain, France, and Germany as the major member states of the European Union (EU). Assuming that national differences can be detected, the study proceeds in assessing whether there is an opportunity to reconcile them, or even to establish a European paradigm of strategic thinking as a core element of the Common Security and Defense Policy of the EU. Based on the interpretation of Clausewitz’s theory of war and strategy in Britain, France, and Germany, main commonalities and diversities in strategic thinking are discussed. Analyzing, on the international and state level, why Clausewitz has been misunderstood, this study establishes Clausewitz’s theory of war and strategy as the theoretical framework of strategy-making within the EU. The fruitfulness of the Clausewitzian paradigm is shown in two areas: first, Clausewitz’s theoretical approach assists in gaining an improved understanding of the political and military strategic environment of the EU; second, it provides awareness of the challenges given with multinationality as strategic principle of the EU. Finally, Clausewitz’s theory allows institutional and educational consequences to be drawn. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES European Union, Common Security and Defense Policy, Clausewitz, strategy, strategic 144 culture, Liddell Hart, Fuller, multinationality 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UL NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 ii Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited CLAUSEWITZ AND THE THEORY OF MILITARY STRATEGY IN EUROPE – REFLECTIONS UPON A PARADIGM OF MILITARY STRATEGY WITHIN THE EUROPEAN COMMON SECURITY AND DEFENSE POLICY (ESDP) Uwe Hartmann Lieutenant Colonel, German Army M.A. University of the German Federal Armed Forces, Hamburg, 1986 Ph.D. University of the German Federal Armed Forces, Hamburg, 1994 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL June 2001 Author: ___________________________________________ Uwe Hartmann Approved by: ___________________________________________ Donald Abenheim, Advisor ___________________________________________ Daniel Moran, Co-Advisor ___________________________________________ James Wirtz, Chairman Department of National Security Affairs iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT The purpose of the study is to reveal characteristics of the strategic cultures in Britain, France, and Germany as the major member states of the European Union (EU). Assuming that national differences can be detected, the study proceeds in assessing whether there is an opportunity to reconcile them, or even to establish a European paradigm of strategic thinking as a core element of the Common Security and Defense Policy of the EU. Based on the interpretation of Clausewitz’s theory of war and strategy in Britain, France, and Germany, main commonalities and diversities in strategic thinking are discussed. Analyzing, on the international and state level, why Clausewitz has been misunderstood, this study establishes Clausewitz’s theory of war and strategy as the theoretical framework of strategy-making within the EU. The fruitfulness of the Clausewitzian paradigm is shown in two areas: first, Clausewitz’s theoretical approach assists in gaining an improved understanding of the political and military strategic environment of the EU; second, it provides awareness of the challenges given with multinationality as a strategic principle of the EU. Finally, Clausewitz’s theory allows institutional and educational consequences to be drawn. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... 1 A. SCENARIO...................................................................................................... 1 B. APPROACH.................................................................................................... 9 C. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND............................................................. 13 II. CLAUSEWITZ’ S THEORY OF WAR.................................................................. 19 A. BIOGRAPHICAL REMARKS.................................................................... 19 B. OUTLINE OF CLAUSEWITZ’S THEORETICAL WORKS ................. 28 1. Philosophy and Experience.............................................................. 30 2. Major Propositions............................................................................ 36 C. CONCLUSION.............................................................................................. 53 III. CLAUSEWITZ’ S IMPACT AND INTERPRETATION IN EUROPE.............. 55 A. COMMONALITY......................................................................................... 56 1. The Course of the Interpretation..................................................... 56 2. The Neglect of Philosophy of Science .............................................. 59 3. The Desire for Simplicity.................................................................. 64 4. The Cult of the Offensive.................................................................. 67 B. DIVERSITY................................................................................................... 71 1. Primacy of Policy............................................................................... 71 2. Alternative Strategic Concepts ........................................................ 77 C. ANALYSIS..................................................................................................... 84 1. International Level............................................................................ 84 2. State Level.......................................................................................... 91 D. CONCLUSION.............................................................................................. 99 IV. CLAUSEWITZ AND THE MILITARY STRATEGY OF THE EU ................. 105 A. THE POLITICAL AND STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT..................... 105 1. Britian's and France's Strategic Initiative.................................... 106 2. Reasons of the Paradigmatic Shift................................................. 110 B. MULTINATIONALITY............................................................................. 117 1. The Dark Side: Crises..................................................................... 119 2. Lesson Learned from Nato Crises ................................................. 122 C. CONCLUSION............................................................................................ 134 V. FINAL REMARKS................................................................................................