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Defense Policy and Armed Forces

Description

As military competition increases, nations are adapting their defense policies and transforming their armed forces. Doctrine, organization, equipment and training are key to understanding the evolution of land, air and naval forces.

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Aircraft carriers sailing at sea (with fighter jets and helicopters, conducting exercises)
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Open Innovation in Defense. Passing Fad or New Philosophy?

Date de publication
26 October 2022
Accroche

The use of civilian technologies on the battlefield—one of the lessons that can be drawn from recent conflicts—is attracting growing interest from the armed forces of France and other nations. The growing number of examples of effective integration of civilian technologies into the armed forces, including during conflict, shows the importance of open innovation and the acceleration of the international race toward innovation in the defense industry.

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Modernizing the People's Liberation Army: The Human Factor

Date de publication
11 October 2022
Accroche

The tremendous demographic challenges facing China will not significantly affect the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the immediate future, but will become more problematic in the medium and long term. The rapid aging of the population and the resulting socio-economic imbalances will put pressure on defense budgets, military wages and the general attractiveness of the army. For the time being, the PLA’s primary goal in terms of human resources is to build a less oversized, more professional army, prepared for high-intensity combat.

 

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Modernization of the Bundeswehr: Back to basics?

Date de publication
03 October 2022
Accroche

Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the Bundeswehr has been led to refocus on territorial defense and collective security, which constituted the core of its activity for decades. This evolution break with the long period of efforts during which the Bundeswehr painfully tried to transform itself into an intervention army.

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German Defense Policy: A Historic Turning Point?

Date de publication
13 September 2022
Accroche

The war in Ukraine has been a rude awakening for Berlin. 

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Le retour de la haute intensité en Ukraine : quels enseignements pour les forces terrestres ?

Date de publication
27 July 2022
Accroche

After twenty years of counter-terrorism, the Ukrainian battlefield marks the renewal of so-called “high-intensity” warfare. It constitutes a major strategic turning point, reversing the contemporary model of wars involving the West.

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After Mali, what Commitment from Germany in the Sahel?

Date de publication
23 June 2022
Accroche

Germany, despite the reluctance of its public opinion, is committed to supporting security in the Sahel, notably through its participation in the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM) and recently in Niger, and in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

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Deus ex machina : les enjeux de l’autonomisation des systèmes d’armes

Date de publication
24 May 2022
Accroche

While the automatization of machines is part of an already long historical, conceptual, and technical trajectory, the exponential progress of artificial intelligence techniques, robotics and their military applications suggest the emergence of systems that integrate more autonomy. Indeed, despite campaigns calling for a moratorium on autonomous weapons, most military powers are developing programs focused on autonomy. 

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Après Barkhane : repenser la posture stratégique française en Afrique de l’Ouest

Date de publication
10 May 2022
Accroche
Nearly a decade after its successful war against terrorism in Mali, France is now in the process of turning a page in its military history in Africa. The upcoming end of Operation Barkhane, scheduled since the spring of 2021, comes, however, in a particularly deteriorated strategic context.
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La paix par la force. La modernisation de la défense sud-coréenne sous la présidence Moon Jae-in

Date de publication
04 May 2022
Accroche

South Korea's defense modernization plan, Defense Reform 2.0, represents a significant effort in terms of military capabilities since 2018. The outgoing president, Moon Jae-in, has placed particular emphasis on high-tech acquisition as well as transforming the Korean defense industrial and technological base into a major domestic and international supplier.

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Rwanda’s Military Diplomacy. Kigali’s Political Use of the Military Means to Increase Prestige and Influence in Africa and Beyond

Date de publication
07 April 2022
Accroche

Although it is one of the smallest states on the African continent, Rwanda has adopted a proactive foreign policy. Kigali has deployed troops within the framework of multilateral peacekeeping missions to increase its prestige and influence. Since last year, changes have arisen: Rwanda has extended its activities outside of multilateral operations, intervening unilaterally in the Central African Republic (CAR) and then in Mozambique. Rwanda desires to foster its reputation as a regional and continental “security provider”. 

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Aircraft carriers sailing at sea
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