The Transformation of Europe's Armed Forces: From the Rhine to Afghanistan

326 Pages·2011·2.46 MB·English

by  Anthony King

The Transformation of Europe’s Armed Forces
As a result of new strategic threats, Europe’s land forces are currently
undergoingahistorictransformationwhichmayreflectwiderprocesses
of European integration. Europe’s mass, mainly conscript armies are
being replaced by smaller, more capable, professionalised militaries
concentratedintonewoperationalheadquartersandrapidreactionbri-
gades,abletoplan,command,andexecuteglobalmilitaryinterventions.
Atthesametime,theseheadquartersandbrigadesareco-operatingwith
each other across national borders at a level which would have been
inconceivableinthetwentiethcentury.Asaresult,atransnationalmili-
tarynetworkisappearinginEurope,theforcesinwhichareconverging
oncommonformsofmilitaryexpertise.Thisisagroundbreakingstudy
of the military dimensions of European integration, which have been
largely ignored until now. The book will appeal to scholars across the
socialsciencesinterestedintheprogressoftheEuropeanproject,andthe
natureofthemilitarytoday.
AnthonyKingisProfessorofSociologyattheUniversityofExeter.He
haswrittenextensivelyonsocialtheory,footballandthearmedforces.
Since 2003 he has been conducting intensive research on the armed
forces, observing military training, exercises and operations as a result
ofwhich hehas developedclose relationswiththearmedforcesatthe
highest levels. He has co-written parts of Britain’s new stabilisation
doctrine and has recently worked for NATO’s Regional Command
South Headquarters in Kandahar, Afghanistan. On the basis of this
work,hehascontributedtopublicdebatesaboutsecurityanddefence
policy,appearingontheBBCandwritingforTheGuardian,Prospectand
theRoyalUnitedServicesInstitutepublications.InSeptember2010,he
gavetheChathamHouseAnnualDefenceLecture,‘MilitaryCommand
intheNextDecade’.

The Transformation of
’
Europe s Armed Forces
From the Rhine to Afghanistan
Anthony King
cambridge university press
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CambridgeUniversityPress
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©AnthonyKing2011
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
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noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2011
PrintedintheUnitedKingdomattheUniversityPress,Cambridge
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationdata
King,Anthony,1967–
ThetransformationofEurope’sarmedforces:fromtheRhineto
Afghanistan/AnthonyKing.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN978-0-521-76094-2
1. EuropeanUnioncountries–ArmedForces. 2. EuropeanUnion
countries–Militaryrelations. 3. EuropeanUnioncountries–Military
policy. 4. Strategicculture–EuropeanUnioncountries. 5. Combined
operations(Militaryscience) I. Title.
UA646.K47 2011
355.0094–dc22
2010030519
ISBN978-0-521-76094-2Hardback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceor
accuracyofURLsforexternalorthird-partyInternetwebsitesreferredto
inthispublication,anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuch
websitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
Contents
Listoffigures pagevi
Listofabbreviations vii
Preface xi
PartI Strategiccontext
1 Towardsasociologyofmilitarytransformation 3
2 Europe’snewmilitary 20
3 Thecapacityforautonomousaction? 46
PartII Operationaltransformation
4 Theoperationalnetwork 65
5 Theoperationalrenaissance 103
6 Operationalart 126
PartIII Tacticaltransformation
7 Theempoweredbrigade 149
8 Elitism 178
9 Cohesion 204
10 Co-ordination 237
11 ThefutureofEurope’sarmedforces 271
Bibliography 288
Index 304
v
Figures
2.1 TheNATO‘layer-cake’ page41
4.1 NATO’scommandstructure2004–8 71
4.2 ThelocationofNATOoperationalandstrategic
commandspost-Prague 72
4.3 Therapidreactioncorps/higherreadinessforcesheadquarters 77
5.1 Centreofgravitymatrix 123
6.1 Campaignschematic 129
6.2 Proposedeffects-basedcampaignschematic 142
9.1 Modelpits 222
9.2 OrdersforGlacier5 224
vi
Abbreviations
ACCHAN AlliedCommandChannel(NATO,Northwood)
ACE AlliedCommandEurope(NATO,Mons)
ACLANT AlliedCommandAtlantic(NATO,Norfolk,Virginia)
ACO AlliedCommandOperations(NATO,Mons)
ACT AlliedCommandTransformation(NATO,Norfolk,
Virginia)
ADZ AfghanDevelopmentZone
AFCENT ArmedForcesCentralEurope(NATO,Brunssum)
AFNORTH ArmedForcesNorthernEurope(NATO,Kolsas)
AFSOUTH ArmedForcesSouthernEurope(NATO,Naples)
AJP AlliedJointPublication(NATOdoctrine)
ANT actornetworktheory
ARRC AlliedRapidReactionCorps(NATO,Rheindalen);
originallyAlliedCommandEuropeRapidReaction
Corps
C4I command,control,communication,computersand
interoperability
CAOC CombinedAirOperationsCentre
Centag ArmyGroupCentral(NATO,Heidelberg)
CFSP CommonForeignandSecurityPolicy
CIFS closeinfiresupport(team)
CIMIC civil–militaryco-operation
CO Commandingofficer
COG centreofgravity
Conops conceptofoperations
CSG CommandSupportGroup
DCOS DeputyChiefofStaff
DSACEUR DeputySupremeAlliedCommanderEurope(NATO)
EBAO/EBO effects-basedapproachtooperations/effects-based
operations
ESDP EuropeanSecurityandDefencePolicy
EUFOR EUFORCE(Bosnia)
vii
viii Listofabbreviations
FM100-5 FieldManual100-5Operations(USdoctrine)
FOFA follow-onforcesattack
FOO ForwardObservationOfficer
FST firesupportteam
GOC GeneralOfficerCommanding
GOP GuidelinesforOperationalPlanning
HRFHQ HigherReadinessForceHeadquarters(theRapid
ReactionCorps)
IDF IsraeliDefenceForce
IED improvisedexplosivedevice
IFOR (NATO)InterventionForce(Bosnia),toimplement
Dayton
ISAF InternationalSecurityAssistanceForce(successive
rotationsoftheheadquartersaredesignatedbyRoman
numerals)
ISR intelligence,surveillanceandreconnaissance
technology
ISTAR intelligence,surveillance,targetacquisition,
reconnaissance
JFCB JointForceCommandHeadquartersBrunssum
(NATO)
JFCN JointForceCommandHeadquartersNaples(NATO)
JFHQ/JHL JointForceHeadquartersLisbon(NATO)
JIB JointInfluenceBranch
JRDF JointRapidDeploymentForce
JRRF JointRapidReactionForce
JWP JointWarfarePublication
KFOR KosovoForce(NATO)
LCC LandComponentCommand/Commander
LOT liaisonandobservationteam
NGO non-governmentalorganisation
Northag ArmyGroupNorth(Rheindalen)
NRF NATOResponseForce
OPP operationalplanningprocess
PGMs precision-guidedmunitions
PJHQ PermanentJointHeadquarters
REME RoyalElectricalandMechanicalEngineers
RMA ‘revolutioninmilitaryaffairs’
SACEUR SupremeAlliedCommanderEurope
SACLANT SupremeAlliedCommanderAtlantic
SAS 22SpecialAirServiceRegiment
Listofabbreviations ix
SBS SpecialBoatService
SFOR StabilisationForce(NATO,Bosnia)
SHAPE SupremeHeadquartersAlliedPowersEurope
SOF SpecialOperationsForces
TACP TacticalAirControlParty
TLAM TomahawkLandAttackMissiles
TRADOC TrainingandDoctrineCenter(USArmy)
UAV unmannedaerialvehicle(adrone)
UNPROFOR UnitedNationsProtectionForce
WMD weaponsofmassdestruction