Reluctant warriors? European army professionalism in transition (France, Germany, Italy, Poland).

摘要

This study aims at a broad assessment of the current state of European army professionalism and puts forward the hypothesis that European armies are becoming more professional relative to the recent past. This hypothesis is tested in four case studies: France, Germany, Italy, and Poland.; In particular, the study raises three main questions. First, what is professionalism and how does it apply to the military context? Second, are European armies becoming, by some measurable standard, less professional? And, third, if professional decline is not evident, are there other trends that portend substantial changes to European army professionalism?; The dissertation defines professionalism as consisting of three interrelated elements: the content (expertise), the orientation (public service), and the regulation of the professional activity (social control). The current state of European army professionalism is assessed at three different levels: the society; the institution; and the individual professional. Current developments are examined through the lens of both macro-level trends (society, strategic environment) and micro-level considerations (army practices and regulations, individual soldiers' perceptions). At each of these three levels, the army profession faces a number of challenges. Six such potential sources of deprofessionalization are identified: debellicization; encroachment; technicism; bureaucratism; alienation; and careerism. Each of them affects, in turn, one or more of the three constituent elements of military professionalism---expertise, public service, and social control.; Notwithstanding significant variations within as well as across individual armies, this study found no evidence to suggest that European armies are becoming less professional. It concludes that the conditions today are more conducive to a positive evolution of European military professionalism than at any point in the recent past. At the same time, it points to two main risks as far as the future professionalism of European armies is concerned: the risk of professional frustration and skill deterioration inherent in ongoing peacekeeping operations and the impact of civilian thinking, especially as regards the use of force, on military culture.