541. French Military Doctrine in the 1990s
- Author:
- Sten Rynning
- Publication Date:
- 08-2001
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Danish Institute for International Studies
- Abstract:
- The end of the Cold War and the disappearance of the strategic rationale for territorial nuclear deterrence have raised fundamental questions in relation to French military doctrine. Significant territorial threats have disappeared, and the main role for military instruments now lies on the peripheries of Europe or further beyond. For those who had invested faith in nuclear deterrence and strategic stability—and that concerns most actors not only in France but also elsewhere among NATO allies—this change of events has been a severe challenge. President Mitterrand symbolizes the pains of adjustment in many ways as he never seriously considered changing track and became instead an ardent opponent of profound reform.
- Topic:
- Defense Policy, NATO, Cold War, Nuclear Weapons, and Reform
- Political Geography:
- Europe and France