Date of Award/Publication
11-20-2009
Document Type
Thesis
Department
International Studies
Abstract
Western Europeans in the post-Cold War era enjoy unprecedented security at home, and undertake very little strategic action abroad. The object of this paper is to explain why they nonetheless maintain large military forces, mostly in Europe, configured and armed primarily for territorial defense. Three general factors contribute to Western European force structure. First, despite supranational integration and other encroachments on its authority, the state retains control over defense policy and substantial armed forces because these – and not international institutions -- remain the ultimate guarantors of its independence and sovereignty. Second, in contemporary conditions, Western Europeans face increased risk of strategic abandonment by their superpower Ally, the United States. To avoid encouraging a U.S. withdrawal from Europe, and to prepare for the consequences of such an eventuality, the European Allies must maintain capabilities for self-defense and for regional strategic action. Third, manpower-intensive territorial defense forces apply military spending disproportionately to pay and personnel benefits, and are therefore compatible (in a way that expeditionary militaries would not be) with the primary welfare role of the European state.
Recommended Citation
Bird, Robert J. Jr., "Western European Defense Spending and Force Structure- To What Ends?" (2009). International Studies Masters. Paper 76.
https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/intlstudies_masters/76
Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations.