Summary: Military Power as an Instrument of Foreign Policy in the Twenty-first century
Hans-Georg Ehrhart
The extent to which the military is able to contribute to the security of a state depends on the international framework and on the foreign political goals. Since the end of the bipolar system the threat scenario has changed, initiating a phase of insecurity and transforming the character of military power. Conventional war between states has been replaced by low intensity conflicts (LIC), primarily carried out within a state, involving public as well as private actors using comparatively "simple” means of warfare.
The postmodern military is undergoing a change of values, which articulates itself as humanitarian involvement, modifying military values such as honor and fatherland. The soldier is no longer merely a warrior but also a peacekeeper and diplomat, and his tasks are increasingly becoming those of peacekeeping and peacemaking, i.e. peace support operations (PSO), and his deployment is legitimized by regional and international organizations. Multinational force structures enhance the internationalization of the military which is to implement a cooperative security policy and, in doing so, increasingly has to cooperate with civilian international players or NGO’s, respectively.
The technology assisted revolution in military affairs calls for an adaptation of command and control and force structures as well as of training and operational concepts. Human resources are partially being replaced by new technologies and the remaining soldiers are increasingly becoming highly qualified specialists. Furthermore, the postmodern military is confronted with the privatization of force, i.e. the execution of force by nonnational actors. Here the borders to organized crime become fluid.
The key tasks of the postmodern military are PSO’s and LIC’s and the main criteria to ensure success are to improve the situation for the people in the area and to prevent one’s own soldiers from getting injured. The fight against nonnational actors reveals the new security dilemma that can only be brought under control by a global approach, through cooperation and development. The EU with its European security and defense policy is pursuing such a security approach, at least in its tendency. Nevertheless its action plan regarding terrorism and the threat from nonnational actors does not go far enough. The ongoing EU convention would be a good chance to think about the importance of military power for international stability and security within the context of globalization.
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