Description
My study investigates the impact of operational experiences on French army innovation. I provide a new case study to military innovation literature and explore further the interaction between bottom-up adaptation and top-down innovation. By providing a better understanding of force design and transformation the investigation looks to highlight key challenges the French army is likely to face in the future. First, it questions the role of the army by exploring the influence of domestic security on army transformation looking at the impact of Opération Sentinelle. It then looks at operations in Afghanistan and the Sahelo-Saharan strip to highlights the key role COIN campaigns have played in shaping the current army model and moulding French army’s identity. Finally, it investigates how the French Army is looking to transition from a COIN model to a model fit for ‘high-intensity’. I argue that although bottom-up adaptations have been well integrated to top-down innovation creating an overall coherent model, the recent ‘turn to high intensity’ calls into question its sustainability.
