Q&A ALL CHAPTERS

Which specific ministries typically support the National Security Council in national security matters?

Defence, Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Justice, with the Ministry of Finance also involved.

How does the Clausewitzian view define war?

War is defined as a continuation of politics by other means, emphasizing its inherent ties to political objectives and rational strategic calculation.

What is a common critique of the Clausewitzian view of war?

A common critique is that it oversimplifies war as a rational extension of politics, often ignoring emotional, cultural, and non-state dynamics that drive modern conflicts.

What is the primary purpose of wargaming in military planning?

It is a method to test military plans and assess how a course of action (COA) performs against enemy COAs, but it is not intended for creating plans.

Name three challenges encountered during wargaming.

Remaining objective, following structured rules, and extracting insight rather than trying to "win."

What are four possible results that can come from wargaming?

Better synchronization, decision support, weakness identification, and increased command confidence.

Describe the structured process of wargaming.

It follows a cycle of Action, Reaction, Counteraction, and Assessment, which then repeats.

List five reasons why states engage in arms control.

To enhance security and stability, avoid arms racing, provide humanitarian mitigation, prevent diversion and proliferation, and achieve strategic goals.

What is the conceptual contrast used to situate arms control as a balanced middle ground?

It is presented as a balanced middle ground between pacifism and militarism, aimed at maintaining peace through strength.

Name five forums or mechanisms where arms control takes place.

United Nations, European Union, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), NATO, and bilateral mechanisms.

What are the four main methods of arms control?

Non-proliferation, disarmament, export controls, and confidence-building measures.

What are the different geographic scopes of arms control?

Multilateral, regional, and bilateral.

Describe the various legal natures and structures of arms control agreements.

They can be legally binding, political and institutionalized, or informal.

What considerations are there regarding participation in arms control?

Whether it is inclusive or exclusive.

What considerations are there regarding oversight in arms control?

Whether it includes verification mechanisms

What types of weapons are covered by arms control instruments?

Weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical, biological) and conventional weapons.

Name three types of instruments used in arms control.

Treaties (non-proliferation/disarmament), export controls, and transparency (confidence building).

List five major challenges currently facing arms control.

Erosion of the rules-based order, resurgence of nuclear arms races, proliferation hotspots, militarization of space, diminishing humanitarian disarmament focus, and the emergence of disruptive technologies.

How is Command and Control (C2) defined in military terms?

It is the way military leaders give orders and coordinate their forces, connecting strategy (big goals) with tactics (actions on the ground).

What does 'good command and control' signify?

It means units working together, responding to problems fast, and staying focused on the mission.

What does the acronym 'C4ISR' stand for?

Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance.

Why is Command and Control important?

It facilitates organization, adaptation, balance between forces (land, air, sea, cyber), and connection between military and political leadership.

What is the underlying principle of 'Mission Command'?

Trusting subordinates to act effectively works better than centralized control.

What are the inherent expectations of planned missions in command and control, recognizing that perfect conditions are not the norm?

Expectations account for friction, chaos, chance, and danger during operations.

What are the three levels of NATO's standing structure?

Strategic level, operational level, and tactical level.

List three key lessons for modern military operations.

Mission command is crucial, prioritize secure communications, fast and accurate intelligence, coordinated joint operations between forces, protected and flexible logistics, and morale and motivation are as important as weapons.

How is military cyber power defined?

It is the ability of a nation to project power in cyberspace to achieve strategic objectives.

What are the three main components of cyber power?

Technological capabilities, human capital, and intelligence and strategic planning.

What are the key elements of 'Technological capabilities' in cyber power?

Infrastructure (advanced computing, secure networks, cyber warfare units), innovation (investment in research, AI, quantum computing), and cyber weapons (development of offensive and defensive cyber tools).

What does 'Human capital' refer to within cyber power?

Education and training, along with government and private sector collaboration.

What aspects are included in 'Intelligence and strategic planning' for cyber power?

Cyber espionage, defensive posture, and offensive capabilities.

How is cyber power measured?

Through qualitative metrics (government policies, cybersecurity culture) and quantitative metrics (budget and investment, incident response capabilities, international influence).

What are the three main challenges of cybersecurity in the future?

Cybersecurity risks (increasing complexity, potential for escalation), policy and governance (need for stronger international regulations, ethical considerations), and technological evolution (impact of AI/machine learning, quantum computing).

What are the three basic distinctions in defense budgeting?

Defense expenditure vs. budget, budget authority (commitments) vs. outlays (payments), and base budget vs. variable budget.

Explain the difference between 'Defense expenditure' and 'budget'.

Defense expenditure is the total spending, while the budget refers to planned allocations.

Distinguish between 'Budget authority' and 'outlays'.

Budget authority refers to approved and promised expenses, while outlays are the gradual payments.

What is the difference between a 'Base budget' and a 'variable budget'?

A base budget covers fixed and regular spending, whereas a variable budget accounts for flexible and irregular spending.

List the six main military budget categories.

Personnel, running costs, equipment, infrastructure, research and development (including research and technology), and operations.

What are two key military budgeting considerations?

Trends over time (evolution of spending) and the time factor (absorption rates and budget momentum).

What is the role of the defense industrial sector?

It is a sector of the economy that produces military equipment for governments and provides military power and national security.

Name five challenges in the (European) defense market.

Cost vs. performance, legacy systems vs. future technology, national sovereignty vs. cooperation, interoperability vs. national sovereignty, consolidation vs. innovation, and developments vs. off-the-shelf purchases.

What is the role of the European Defense Agency?

It is responsible for intergovernmental defense coordination.

What was introduced by the EU Defense Package (2009)?

Intra-EU defense transfers and defense procurement.

What is the purpose of the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP)?

It is a 2023 EU act designed to increase 155 mm ammunition production and refill stocks.

What does the European Defense Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA) aim to achieve?

This 2023 EU act introduces a common procurement framework and aims to improve EU industry competitiveness and state aid.

What is the primary goal of the 2024 European Defense Industrial Strategy?

To push for collaborative defense procurement, supported by a €1.5 billion EU Defense Industry Program, and to link with NATO capability requirements.

What are the key objectives of the White paper for European Defense Readiness 2030 (2025 EU act)?

Closing capability gaps, deepening the EU defense market, and enhancing readiness for worst-case scenarios, while ensuring member-states retain control over national procurement.

Name five key aspects of military mobilization.

Standing force structure, conscription and reserves, private military companies, defense industrial base, requisitioning options, and social media mobilization.

What is the distinction between 'Collective Security' and 'Collective Defence'?

Collective security deals with potential internal threats (e.g., EU, UN), while collective defence deals collectively with potential external threats (e.g., NATO).

What is the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and who are its permanent members?

It is the decision-making body of the UN with permanent members: China, France, Russia, UK, and USA, who hold veto power.

What are the two main authorities of the UNSC regarding peace and security?

Proposing sanctions (Art. 41) and using military force (Art. 42) if peace is threatened.

When does the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) typically act on matters of peace and security?

The UNGA acts if the UNSC is blocked, as seen during the Russian war in Ukraine.

What is the significance of UN Article 51?

It establishes the right to self-defence and forms the legal basis for NATO's collective defence.

What are the three core principles of UN peacekeeping operations?

Consent of the parties involved, impartiality in action, and limited use of force (only self-defence).

What were the two main establishments of the Washington Treaty, the foundational treaty of NATO?

Article 5 established collective defence, and Article 3 mandated member states to maintain military capacity.

What is the current strategic concept of NATO?

Ensuring security with a 360-degree approach.

What are the two geopolitical functions of NATO?

Defending against external threats and pacifying European power dynamics.

Describe the three phases of NATO's evolving role.

1. Cold War (1949-1991): concerns about aggression by USSR, leading to integrated forward defence.

2. Post-Cold War (1991-2014): shift from Article 5 to 'out of area' crisis management and enlargement.

3. From 2014 onwards: shift focus back to collective defence after Russian aggression.

What significant development occurred at the 2014 Wales Summit for NATO?

Introduction of the NATO Response Force, a very high readiness joint task force.

What was decided at the 2016 Warsaw Summit?

Deployment of enhanced forward presence in Eastern Europe.

What was the key outcome of the 2023 Vilnius Summit for NATO?

Outlining the NATO membership of Ukraine in the future.

Name two internal challenges within NATO.

Burden sharing and political fractures.

What significant policy was introduced by the Maastricht Treaty (1993) for the EU?

The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

What security and defence policy was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty (2009)?

The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

Besides being an intergovernmental framework, what type of tasks does the CSDP focus on?

Lower-intensity security tasks.

What legal basis supports EU military support within the CSDP framework?

The mutual defence clause and solidarity clause.

Describe the evolution of the EU's strategic outlook from 2003 to 2022.

2003 European security strategy (optimistic, highlighting peace/stability);

2016 EU global policy (more cautious, acknowledging rising threats);

2022 Strategic Compass (calls for stronger EU security role post-Ukraine invasion).

What is the role of the Military Planning and Conduct Capability within the EU's Defence Industrial Policy?

It provides a command-and-control capability to EU missions and operations.

What is the EU's Military Mobility initiative, and why is it significant?

It facilitates troop and equipment movement across Europe and is considered a flagship project for EU-NATO cooperation.

What two materials do nuclear weapons rely on?

Enriched uranium or reprocessed plutonium.

What are the two main types of nuclear weapons and how do they work?

Atomic bombs (fission-based by splitting atoms) and hydrogen bombs (fusion-based by fusing atoms).

Which two methods do nuclear weapons typically use to achieve detonation?

Gun-type method and implosion assembly method.

What are the two strategic uses for nuclear weapons?

Tactical/substrategic (shorter range, battlefield use) and strategic (longer range, high-yield weapons for deterrence).

What are the possible compositions of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)?

Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear.

How are Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) defined?

Weapons that can have a large-scale impact on people, property, or infrastructure.

What does a functional nuclear weapon consist of?

A nuclear warhead, a delivery system, and a platform.

What are the three components of the Nuclear Triad?

Land-based Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), air-based delivery (bombers), and sea-based Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs).

What are the pros and cons of land-based Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)?

Pro: Warhead silo is not exposed; Con: Stationary and non-recallable.

What are the pros and cons of air-based nuclear delivery missiles?

Pro: Flexible and recallable; Con: Vulnerable.

What are the pros and cons of sea-based submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs)?

Pro: Survivable; Con: Expensive.

List three reasons why states pursue (or don't pursue) nuclear weapons.

Security (deterrence against threats), domestic politics, and norms (states seek prestige or legitimacy).

Name the six methods states use to proliferate their nuclear weapons.

Technical hedging, insurance hedging, hard hedging, sprinting, hiding, and sheltered pursuit.

Define 'Technical hedging' as a nuclear proliferation strategy and give an example.

Developing nuclear technology and infrastructure without building a bomb, exemplified by Japan or South Korea.

Define 'Insurance hedging' and provide an example.

Advancing a nuclear program to a point where it can quickly build a bomb if needed, such as Iran.

What does 'Hard hedging' involve in nuclear proliferation, and which states practiced it?

Actively preparing for a bomb, developing its designs and testing components, but stopping short of final assembly, as seen with India (pre-1974) and South Africa (1980s).

Explain 'Sprinting' as a proliferation method, and provide an example.

Rushing to build nuclear weapons, often in response to an immediate security threat, exemplified by Pakistan (1998) or Germany (during WWII).

How is 'Hiding' employed as a nuclear proliferation strategy, and give an example?

Secretly developing nuclear weapons, as exemplified by Israel or North Korea.

What is 'Sheltered Pursuit' in nuclear proliferation, and which country is an example?

Developing nuclear weapons under the protection of a powerful ally, with China as an example.

What defines a 'state of mutual assured destruction'?

A state where nuclear superpowers enter a state of mutual vulnerability.

What is a 'Secured second-strike capability'?

A country's ability to retaliate after being struck with a nuclear attack, ensuring it can inflict unacceptable damage on the attacker.

What does the 'stability-instability paradox' suggest about nuclear weapons?

It suggests that while nuclear weapons deter large-scale war, they also increase the likelihood of smaller, more frequent conflicts between nuclear-armed states.

What are the two types of targeting in nuclear doctrine?

Countervalue (civilian) vs. counterforce (military).

Name three types of operational policy within nuclear doctrine.

First strike, launch-on-warning, and launch-under-attack.

What are the two common types of declaratory policy in nuclear doctrine?

Nuclear ambiguity and no-first-use pledges.

Define 'Vertical escalation' in conflict.

The intensification of a conflict.

Define 'Horizontal escalation' in conflict.

Geographic expansion of a conflict.

What is Jervis' stance in the debate on nuclear superiority?

Leaders feel pressure to seek escalation dominance.

What is Kroenig's stance in the debate on nuclear superiority?

Nuclear superior states can take higher risks in crises.

What is the core question in the 'Long Peace' debate?

It debates the post-1945 decline in great power wars and whether nuclear deterrence is the explanation or if there is another explanation.

Describe the three identified Nuclear Eras.

1. First Nuclear Age (1945-1991): small number of nuclear states, bipolar Cold War deterrence.

2. Second Nuclear Age (1991-2010s): collapse of USSR, post-Cold War disarmament and counter-proliferation, increasing number of nuclear states, fear of proliferation to 'rogue states' and 'nuclear terrorism'.

3. Third Nuclear Age (2010s - present): complex nuclear landscape, rising nuclear modernization, emerging nuclear competitors, new technologies affecting deterrence, erosion of arms control, return of major power competition.