Changing Military Doctrine: Presidents and Military Power in Fifth Republic France, 1958-2000

(Hardback)

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As Rynning shows, armed forces have a natural interest in shaping military doctrine according to their resources, doctrinal traditions, as well as their assessment of the international environment. However, armed forces are also the instrument of policy-makers who are in charge of national security. Using civil-military relations in France from 1958 to the present as a case study, he shows when policy-makers are capable of controlling military doctrine as well as the means armed forces rely on to influence doctrine. Some scholars argue that policy-makers can control military doctrine only when the international environment is threatening--a situation granting them added decision-making authority. Others argue that such control ultimately depends on the degree of domestic political disagreement/consensus. With access to most of the leading military personnel and policy-makers of the era, Rynning provides an analysis that will be instructive to scholars as well as policy-makers and military leaders concerned with contemporary civil-military relations.

Reviews

"Using neoclassical realist theory Rynning deftly shows how French presidents in collusion with handpicked innovative generals overcame domestic resistance to national security policy change. Contradicting conventional wisdom French leaders have used allied commitments to shelter doctrinal change, improving cooperation in NATO. This is a highly innovative and readable study of military doctrinal change using the Fifth Republican as field of exploration." Irgemar Dorfer Professor Swedish Defence Research Agency "At last a clear analysis of French military strategy from 1958 to 2000, in which Sten Rynning successfully identifies the dominating factors." Maurice Schmitt General Chief of Staff of the French Armed Forces, 1987-1991

Author Bio

STEN RYNNING is a Research Fellow with the Copenhagen Peace Research Institute, a Lecturer with the Institute of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, and a Research Fellow with the NATO Europe-Atlantic Partnership Council./e Dr. Rynning has published extensively in scholarly journals.