The Evolving Boundaries of Defence: An Assessment of Recent Shifts in Defence Activities: Volume 23

Subject:

Table of contents

(21 chapters)
Abstract

This chapter has only for an ambition to introduce the present book with obiter dicta about the bridge between defence ‘realm’ and economics ‘realm’ named ‘defence economics’. Especially to non-French readers it proposes some insights into the French defence institutions and policy which could be startling, by nature and by the fact that the French reality is rarely presented in defence specialised journals. To realise the introductory function, the chapter reviews 100 papers, which were available online at the beginning of 2011 spring, and tries to classify them along the lines drawn from a tentative to define precisely the concept of defence policy, for the sake of the too rare students interested in defence studies.

Abstract

Launched in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) induced radical changes in both the public-private boundaries and the production of state-provided services. Such ‘budgetary revolution’ impacted the biggest state spender in capital expenditures, that is, the Ministry of Defence. Today many MoDs are expected to leverage on the British experience and develop their own approach of PPPs to overcome both the ineffectiveness of their defence spending and today’s stalemate in public budgets. This chapter leverages on British experiences over the past two decades to analyse the benefits and limits of PPPs in the realm of defence. Does such contractual arrangement fit defence-related investment? This chapter explores the on-going redefinition of public and private realms in military matters and it puts into relief the key dimensions of PPPs in terms of contractual arrangement.

Abstract

This chapter discusses the ongoing transformations of the French defence support. Considering the importance of economic activities related to defence support, this contribution aims at discussing the evolution of defence support and its costs for the State. The literature in defence economics presents very little analysis of defence support in its different forms. Neither space nor base locations have been deeply analysed in such a literature. We try to bridge this gap in an original research framework. We focus on the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) of defence platforms. More particularly, we focus on the array of measures that surround French defence support in MRO since the end of the 1990s. Considering both economic and spatial leverages, how can the organisation of MRO be optimised? With concepts from spatial economics, we propose a new look on the defence support system. We examine new economic interconnections (e.g. Public Private Partnerships and outsourcing) between military and civilian activities. More broadly speaking, this path of research could help us to better understand the new type of economic interrelations between defence organisation and ‘territory’ as a social fabric.

Abstract

International security is a constant threat to the pursuit of economic optimum. In the traditional economic analysis history, states are seen as agents in constant search for power, which leads to the emergence of conflicts of interests. The modern concept of security can be defined as the economic study of all the risks of short, medium and long term on the functioning of economic and social life. It can be divided into four sublevels: individual security, national security, international security and global security. The adoption of an enlarged approach to international security by integrating economic and environmental conditions highlights the expression of new collective priorities. Today, theories of security take into account the economic, human and social relationships, societal priorities and the balance of power in the international system. Human security implies a multi-disciplinary analysis, including human rights, state organisation, international relations and strategic studies. Security and sustainable development are deeply interconnected, which involves bearable production conditions for the environment in the long term, the end of extreme poverty, the creation of social stability and the rejection of discrimination.

Abstract

Two concurrent changes are raising questions about the interplay between armed forces and local governments in contemporary urban settings. The first one is the spatial reorganisation of armed forces that has been taking place in most European countries since the end of the Cold War. The second one is the redistribution of political authority between levels of governments that has increased the relevance of cities and transformed urban governance. The chapter conceptualises the military administration as an urban actor, whose material and symbolic resources in cities transform over time. It investigates both the effects of a (changing) military presence on urban policies, and how those changes are framed and managed by local governments. The case under consideration is the city of Taranto (Southern Italy), one among the biggest military ports on the Mediterranean Sea. Here, transformations of defence policies opened a window of opportunity for a new urban policy agenda, whose goal is a partial differentiation from military activities. During the last ten years, local political elites have been undertaking several strategies for military spaces redevelopment. However, uneven power relations prevent civilian-military bargain: redevelopment strategies are the result of either local military initiative or central State decisions.

Abstract

In situation of uncertainty, many companies refuse today to bind their destiny to the fate of a specific territory. Nevertheless territories are engaged in trajectories that result from their industrial history and legacies. Companies are significant actors in structuring a given territory. Their territorial footprint is plural: industrial, organisational, psycho-cultural, environmental and political. It creates trajectories, hysteresis effects and irreversibility. We will mobilise cognitive approaches and more singularly the evolutionary approach to appreciate the territorial print of a given company. We focus on the Defence industry in Brest region (Brittany, France), a singular territory formatted by the naval shipyard industry. This latter has been involved in deep reorganisations since the beginning of the 1990s. This leads to many questions about possible industrial diversification and how to rebuild a cognitive trajectory of such territory by involving local authorities and the civil society.

Abstract

This chapter explores how military landscapes have been conceptualised and understood. The chapter starts by defining what is meant by the terms ‘landscape’ and ‘military’. The chapter then proceeds with an exploration of a range of examples from a variety of disciplinary origins in order to support the argument that military landscapes constitute a diversity of sites and have a ubiquity of occurrence. Such examples include battlefields and other sites of conflict, the interconnections between landscapes and the pursuit of specific campaigns and conflicts, the issue of environmental impacts of military activities and the interpretation of these with reference to the specificity of landscapes, and landscapes of memory and military memorialization. The chapter then goes on to consider how military landscapes can be viewed, raising questions about the visibility and invisibility of such sites. The chapter concludes with some observations about the imperative for sustained scholarly attention to military landscapes, in order to inform debates about militarism as a social force.

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the identification problem involved in estimating the impact of military service on labor-market outcomes and to review the modern literature in economics which aim to estimate this effect. Drawing from the literature on microeconometric treatment evaluation, the existence of a selection bias is demonstrated and a discussion of empirical strategies to overcome this is presented. Studies on the effect of military service in the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United Kingdom are discussed. The main results of each reviewed article are presented. There is substantial heterogeneity in the estimated impacts of military service on labor-market outcomes. The results may not be generalizable to the general population due to the econometric methods employed. Moreover, the literature review is concentrated on the contribution of economists to this issue and neglects to discuss research conducted by other social scientists. The studies are varied and located in different journals. This review serves to summarize the results in one article. Furthermore, the technical discussion on methods will be useful for those who wish to pursue the topic further. This chapter provides practical advice on how to credibly estimate treatment effects based on nonexperimental data. It also facilitates future reviews of the topic by collecting the available evidence.

Abstract

The chapter examines regional differences in U.S. military participation. Participation in the U.S. all-volunteer military is persistently higher for youth from the South and West than from other regions. While raw numbers of recruits from the South and West have grown, much of the growth reflects broad demographic trends across the United States. In explaining broad differences among states as well as changes over time, the most important factors appear to be the prevalence of veterans in the state and regional differences in civilian pay levels. Remarkably, some characteristics that can disqualify individuals for military service are more pronounced in states that contribute more than their “fair share” of service members. Regional differences in military participation can have important implications for the relationship between armed forces and society. They also have consequences for communities: those that send more young people into the military may experience a disproportionate share of deaths and injuries during wartime; those that send fewer are less likely to enjoy the economic and training benefits associated with service.

Abstract

This chapter aims to present the implementation of the United Nations 1325 resolution about the rights of women, including their protection against violence. This resolution is the main international instrument which incorporates and mandates a gender perspective in all aspects of peace building, from prevention to conflict resolution. It is part of a necessary evolution of gender relations in peace building since 1975 and the Conference of Mexico. More broadly, this text would lead to improve the women’s representation presence in the social and economic sphere and their important role in development.

Abstract

There has been an extensive amount of research on the determinants of military spending over the last 25 years. These studies underline that military spending is a complicated concept, with economic capabilities, political processes and military linkages playing an interdependent role at the national, regional and global levels. Recent works focus on other outcomes of military spending. This chapter develops a model of conflict that generates a demand for military personnel and equipment by countries for either aggressive or defensive purposes. This model highlights some of the key determinants of military spending. Using pooled time-series, cross-sectional data on military spending for 146 countries from 1998 to 2007 we test this model and analyze other possible factors that previously have not been explored in the literature.

Abstract

Since the end of the cold war, the arms industry has been experiencing a deep structural transformation. The logical consequence of such short-term and structural evolutions is that companies in the arms industry are looking to access markets beyond national borders. Such transformation becomes a policy concern, since the core regulatory framework has been built on a national basis and there are very limited structural and regulatory means for dealing with an international, or even a transnational, industry in such a sensitive activity as weapons development and production. This chapter wonders whether it is possible to qualify such transformation of the arms industry as an internationalisation process and whether it can be compared to the globalisation of commercial activities. It compares what has happened and continues to happen in the arms industry with the globalisation experienced by commercial industries.

Abstract

The use of offsets is one of the main characteristics of international defence trade. The rising costs of defence equipment and the significant contraction of defence spending have resulted in an environment that favoured the use of offset policies, the latter becoming increasingly demanding in both quantitative and qualitative terms. The chapter analyses the role of offsets on the process of integration of defence equipment markets, with a specific focus on the EU. Particular attention is given to the offset-relevant regulation and practice and to their recent evolution in the EU following the adoption of European Directive on defence and security procurement (81/81/EC). Offsets play a dual role with regard to the integration of defence industries: on one hand they can be trade-distorting and contribute to the survival of inefficient suppliers in arms importing countries; on the other hand, they can contribute in overcoming barriers that may otherwise prevent some potentially efficient suppliers from accessing the supply chains of the big system integrators. The chapter draws the attention on the need to complement the regulatory evolution by further initiatives aiming at improving the access of non-incumbent suppliers to the supply chains of the large defence system integrators.

DOI
10.1108/S1572-8323201423
Publication date
2014-08-14
Book series
Contributions to Conflict Management, Peace Economics and Development
Editor
Series copyright holder
Emerald Publishing Limited
ISBN
978-1-78350-974-4
eISBN
978-1-78350-965-2
Book series ISSN
1572-8323