Conveners
Defence Cooperation and Military Assistance: Studies in (Re)Alignments
- Revecca Pedi (University of Macedonia)
Defence Cooperation and Military Assistance: New Research Directions
- John Helferich (EISS)
Defence Cooperation and Military Assistance: Reforms in European Security
- Michal Onderco (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
Description
For nearly all states, various forms of defence cooperation and military assistance are central to their national security policies. This can take the form of bilateral and multilateral arrangements, or of more structured and institutional cooperation through organisations such as the African Union, the EU, NATO, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of various forms of defence cooperation or military assistance, often on a regional or sub-regional level. It can also take a variety of forms, from joint military training and exercises to operational planning, procurement, and defence-industrial research. This panel invites papers on defence cooperation and military assistance in a broad and inclusive sense, from a variety of disciplines (history, political science, sociology, etc.) and of analytical, theoretical, and empirical perspectives. Papers may cover: responses to traditional security threats (Russia’s military assertiveness or China’s rise, etc.), or more diffuse risks and challenges (terrorism, proliferation, human smuggling and the impact of global climate change). Papers may also cover the creation and evolution of defence institutions, cooperation arrangements whether in bi-, tri-, or ‘minilateral’ ways and, last but not least, the organisational and operational aspects of innovation within the context of defence cooperation.
The maritime warfare and security environment of the 21st century is changing. The proliferation of non-traditional maritime security threats, such as piracy, maritime terrorism, and illegal fishing, combined with the emergence of gray-zone warfare at sea through irregular actors, attests to this change. As a result, the international norms surrounding the use of force at sea are evolving as...
Under which circumstances is security assistance effective? This article aims to build a theoretical framework to help scholars and practitioners evaluate the effectiveness of security assistance (SA). Security Assistance consists in outsourcing the conduct of stability operations to local partners, increasing their military capacity and professionalism. While existing literature has...
Military alliances are often seen as hierarchical security institutions where powerful patrons use ‘sticks’ (e.g., threats of abandonment) and ‘carrots’ (e.g., reassurance) to shape the policies of their protégés. However, alliance dynamics are not one-sided. Institutionalized alliances provide protégés with opportunities to bargain for better terms, rather than merely accepting their patron’s...
In late 2024, the heated debate about an emerging alliance between China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, which had started among U.S. think tankers, reached European policymakers and the public. At first sight, cooperation between these countries appears predominately bilateral and largely focused on support for Russia’s war in Ukraine. However, systematic empirical research about emerging...
When the Swedish Social Democratic Party shifted its stance on NATO membership in the spring of 2022, broad parliamentary consensus to divert from Sweden’s tradition of non-alignment to pursue collective security was achieved. A century earlier Sweden had contemplated similar trade-offs before joining the world’s first international organisation based on the principles of conflict mediation,...
This paper examines how small states adapt their defense strategies in a shifting global order shaped by intensifying great power competition, emerging regionalisms, and evolving security dynamics. It argues that small states enhance their defense posture through a mix of hard and soft balancing, shelter-seeking, and diversified security partnerships. Using Greece as a case study, the paper...
Defence cooperation - whether through NATO, the EU, or bilateral and multilateral arrangements -plays a crucial role in national security across all European states. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 reinforced the importance of military preparedness. However, after three years of war, it is clear that European responses in terms of defence spending have varied significantly....
Since the end of the Cold War, the decline in the formation of formal treaty-based alliances has coincided with a volatile security environment and the rise of network-enabled military capabilities. Developments such as the US push to prepare for network-centric warfare since the late 1990s, the growing interest in developing weapons systems through partnerships, such as the Australia-United...
Russia’s actions against Ukraine in 2014 led to a reassessment of the European security environment by the West. NATO reinforced its military presence in Eastern Europe and developed measures to counter hybrid threats, which were strengthened after 2022. Although hybrid threats are not new per se, their use over the past decade has posed new strategic challenges to the West. This paper aims to...
Since the onset of the war in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the European Union (EU) has acted with unity and cohesion, taking unprecedented steps, particularly in defence. Although the illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has re-emphasised the importance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the backbone of Europe's territorial defence, a...
Is the European Union capable of developing a credible European deterrence? This question is more pressing than ever, particularly in light of the second Trump administration and its inclination toward unilateralism. As the war in Ukraine approaches its third year, the EU’s efforts in defence cooperation have intensified—but have they been effective in meeting the evolving security demands?...
This article studies the politics of fighting corruption, with particular attention to ‘building integrity’, which has emerged as a new concept in the field. NATO and its member states in particular, have since early 2000s have invested substantially in integrity mechanisms and practices in order to reduce the risk of corruption and to embed integrity principles in the defence establishments...
The need to enhance European cooperation in defence and security has become increasingly urgent since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Participation in EU common security initiatives remains a pressing issue for Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. With their pivotal position, distinct historical experiences and perspectives on Russia and the war in Ukraine, and complex domestic...
As a small state, Greece has always been trying to enhance its national security by participating in several bilateral and/or multilateral cooperative schemes, in order to facilitate the countering of the numerous international and regional threats of the security environment. To this end, the Greek government –in the context of its participation in the European Union as one of its oldest...
While NATO remains the primary alliance for collective defense in Europe, security guarantees have multiplied at the bilateral or minilateral level across the continent in recent years. In 2019, France and Germany signed the Treaty of Aachen, and in 2021, France and Greece formed a strategic partnership, both documents including a mutual defense clause between their respective parties. After...
Over the last few years, Turkish defense industry has made a tremendous progress, quickly pushing Ankara into the club of major arms exporters. Moreover, Turkiye managed to establish technological prominence in certain niches, most notably the production of UAVs: Bayraktar and Akinci became recognisable brands in the Middle East, post-Soviet countries and Eastern Europe. Most importantly,...
