Description
Confronted to a fast evolving and challenging environment, France and the United-Kingdom are confronted to the same issue: both armies have shrunk and can’t afford to grow any bigger. Having the capacity to become mass-multipliers, cooperation and technology are thus core dimensions of contemporary transformation for the French and British armies. Yet the two armies share a different relationship with technology and have grown to become very different partners. This investigation examines why and how these professionalised armies sharing similar challenges invest in different army models and transformation. To that aim, I compare the French and British armies’ reliance on cooperation and technology and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. The first part of my investigation suggests French and British armies rely on different role conceptions to boost partnerships. The second part analyses core differences in the way (1) technology is perceived, (2) technology is integrated by the forces. I claim France relies on an all-capacity (broad design) experienced force presenting itself as credible. By contrast, the British army relies on a specialised technological force (narrow design) and seeks to be seen as reliable – especially by the U.S.
