European Military Culture and Security Governance: Soliders, Scholars and National Defence Universities

This book offers the first systematic, comparative analysis of military education and training in Europe within the context of the post-Cold War security environment. Based on an analysis of military education institutions in the UK, Germany, Finland, Romania and the Baltic States, this book demonstrates that the convergence of European military cultures since the end of the Cold War is linked to changes in military education. The process of convergence originates, at least in part, from the full or partial adoption of a new concept by post-commissioning professional military education institutions: the National Defence University. Officers are now educated alongside civilians and public servants, wherein they enjoy a socialization experience that is markedly different from that of previous generations of European officers, and is increasingly similar across national borders. In addition, this book argues that with the control over the curricula and graduation criteria increasingly set by civilian higher education authorities, the European armed forces, while continuing to exist, and hold significant (although declining) capabilities, stand to lose their status as a profession in the traditional sense. This book will be of much interest to students of military, European security policy, European politics, and IR in general.

1. Introduction 2. New wine in new bottles: British military education in the post-Cold War era 3. A conservative military education college in post-heroic society: The Federal Armed Forces Command and General Staff Academy (Führungsakademie der Bundeswehr) 4. Northern Exposure: The emergence of the Finnish National Defence University 5. Westernisation through education: The 'Carol 1' National Defence University and the reconstruction of the Romanian officer corps 6. Constructing regional strategic culture: The Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) 7. Comparing professional military education: Drivers and agents of change 8. Conclusions-the end of the European military profession and beyond