The US military-technological revolution and the ‘Europeanization’ of the French defence industrial sector during the 1990s
RUSI JOURNAL FEBRUARY 2004 This article suggests a possible correlation between the United Statesled military-technological revolution and the cab for 'Europeanization' of the French defence industry during the 1990s. It presents French views with regard to the US-promoted 'Revolution in Military Affairs' (RMA) and points to elements that fostered an intensified European orientation of the French defence industry during the 1990s. I
France’s Silent Revolution on Missile Defence
The French government has been frequently regarded (Delpech, 2000) as a vocal critic of American plans for national missile defence (NMD). Although, the government had, its own interests in improving theatre missile defence, it saw NMD as a repeat of the ill-fated 1980s Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) and consequently vociferously opposed it. NMD for the French government offered insecurity rather than security, particularly given that it would destroy the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.
You say you want a revolution (in military affairs)
Much of the discussion of a contemporary revolution in military affairs (RMA) involves an exchange of views about speculative technologies, organizations, or doctrine thought likely to increase military capabilities. Although this discussion suffers from many overgeneralizations, a premature consensus has emerged to define an RMA as a discontinuous increase in military capability and effectiveness resulting from combinations of new technology, doctrine, and organization. Unfortunately, this definition does not obtain in many situations accepted as historical RMAs, nor do some periods of military change that fit the definition appear to represent the paradigm shift assumed to accompany an RMA, partly because it downplays the role that developments off the battlefield have in military change. Consequently, it is premature to develop operational military capabilities around this concept of military change until we understand context. A new definition of the RMA and potential lines of analysis are offered in ...