Time for honest defence. Review of Thomas-Durell Young. 2017. Anatomy of post-communist European defence institutions: the mirage of military modernity

Abstract

Macmillan Online Dictionary defines reform as ‘a change that is intended to correct a situation that is wrong or unfair, or make a system work more effectively’. One of the historical case studies to apprehend military reforms could be the establishment of the first Roman professional army by Emperor Augustus. The reform replaced the concept of temporary armies by introducing standing forces consisting of 28 legions (5,500 men in each). Cavalry was similarly reinforced by a number of auxiliaries. Standing forces therefore amounted to a total strength of approximately 300,000 men. The success of reform was built on enticing volunteers and keeping soldiers loyal by increasing wages, introducing veterans’ pensions and dropping the importance of nobility privileges in promotion. One of the takeaways from this case is the clarity of the reform’s objectives. It is therefore a paradox that the specifics of current European defence sector reforms are even excessively complicated in the formulation of objectives and evaluation. The enduring pressure from the US to European allies for increasing military spending and Russian revisionism to reassert influence in the post-Soviet space are two critical aspects to reassess and refresh European military reforms. Moreover, the last changes in the security environment convinced even European states that are most avert to military action that the time to sheathe swords is over. The importance of credible military deterrence is one among the top priorities in the agendas of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and its member states. It is probably the first time since the end of the Cold War that existing qualitative capability gaps are not only recognised by most of European allies but also addressed in military reform programmes. Military reforms in post-Soviet countries can be compared with the experience of riding a roller coaster in an amusement park. They turned into western orbit and took up active roles in international operations within NATO; 4 of them are currently hosting troops of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence. It would be fair to start a review of Thomas-Durell Young’s book by saying that from a military practitioner’s point of view, many of the negative assessments seemed outrageous. During my reading, I was sunk in contemplation and the argumentation sometimes felt out of touch. It was difficult to accept some baseless statements. In my understanding, it means that the book reached the objective to disassociate from traditional declarative assessment of reforms and rethink achievements more critically.