Description
My investigation offers a comparative analysis of French and British military transformation by articulating two levels of analysis (1) high level i.e. strategy/national and (2) lower level i.e. operational/military. Starting with professionalization, Western militaries have since been undergoing a deep process of transformation to fit the realities of the 21st century environment. In this complex and threatening environment France and the United Kingdom find themselves in a similarly challenging position. Despite shrinking means, the two medium powers seek to preserve a great power status and ambitious strategic objectives. I use Ontological Security Theory (OST) and strategic culture as conceptual lenses to explain why these two nations chose not to reassess their strategic ambitions and favour military transformation to rebalance wavering strategic models. Beyond the standardization of western militaries there are notable differences in force design between the French and the British models. The second part of my investigation looks at how France and the UK operationalise their grand strategy. I compare the major recent and ongoing transformations implemented in the French and the British land armies.
