New Missions and the Changing Character of Military Organisations

Abstract

In the post Cold War era, military organisations have grappled with the challenge of how to bridge the gap between their mandate, the demands placed upon them by the new security environment and other pressing political concerns. To reflect on this, this chapter examines the responses of officers and civilian students from 13 countries on a range of issues, namely how they perceive the use of armed forces in various missions, the priority assigned to these missions; the importance and mandate of international security organisations; the status of the military within society as their role becomes more international; and the willingness of citizens to serve in the armed forces, given that these missions are often abroad. Judging from the findings, it appears as if there are a number of critical concerns regarding the future role, functioning and character of military organisations, which may be attributed to the emergence of a civil–military gap in many societies.

Citation

Heinecken, L. (2007), "New Missions and the Changing Character of Military Organisations", Caforio, G. (Ed.) Cultural Differences between the Military and Parent Society in Democratic Countries (Contributions to Conflict Management, Peace Economics and Development, Vol. 4), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 177-199. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1572-8323(07)04008-8