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‘The Redefinition of the Role of Military Power in Europe: Old, New or Just
Plain Different?’
Dr Andrew Dorman
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Defence Studies Department
King’s College London
based at the
Joint Services Command and Staff College
Watchfield
Wiltshire
SN6 8TS
UK
Tel: + 44 (0) 1793 788075
Fax: + 44 (0) 1793 788295
E-mail:
andrew.## email not listed ##
A draft paper prepared for presentation at the annual International Studies Association
conference, Hawaii, USA, 2005. The paper represents work-in-progress and should
not be cited without the express approval of the author.
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For those studying defence and security issues these are interesting times. Over the
last decade we have witnessed a considerable academic and professional military
debate about the ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’ (RMA). This has revolved around
arguments over what defines an RMA, what comprises it and what are its implications
for today and tomorrow. More recently the debate has been widened into the whole
subject of defence transformation which has brought in issues such as the role of
private military companies and the privatisation of defence.
Moreover, the pertinence of this debate has been brought home to military and
political leaders by the frequency of military operations.
The first line of John
Kampfner’s book Blair’s Wars neatly sums this up ‘It is some feat to go to war five
times in six years’.
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These divisions have become more apparent in the capability
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The analysis, opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this paper are those of the author
and do not necessarily represent the views of the JSCSC, the UK MOD or any other government
agency.
2
John Kampfner, Blair’s Wars, (London, Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2003), p.ix.
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