Workshop: Military Doctrines after 2014

The ETH Workshop on Military Doctrines after 2014 discussed different factors that currently influence debates about military doctrines: The end of the war in Afghanistan; the conflict between the West and Russia over Ukraine; as well as shrinking European defense budgets. The workshop also focused on what implications these recent developments have for the doctrine of the Swiss Armed Forces.

Panel I: The Truth Is on the Ground: Lessons Learned in Afghanistan and Mali
A first panel was dedicated to European armies’ recent experiences. Prof. Beatrice Heuser (University of Reading) and LtGen Olivier Tramond (French Defense Ministry) discussed relevant “lessons” drawn from recent military operations in Afghanistan and Mali.

Panel II: How to Be the Least Wrong? Planning for the Next War under Conditions of Austerity and New (Old) Threat Perceptions
The second panel discussed how future military operations may be planned and carried into execution in the wake of the European financial crisis and a changing security environment. MajGen (ret.) Kees Homan and the CSS’ Michael Haas presented national debates in the Netherlands as well as a case study of Singapore – a small country, not directly exposed to a military threat, not part of a military alliance, but still preparing itself for a comprehensive defense with cutting-edge technology.

Panel III: Which Way to Go? Impact on Swiss Doctrine and Training
A third panel offered insights on the implications of recent trends in military operations for Switzerland and its military doctrine. BrigGen Daniel Lätsch and Col(GS) Laurent Currit discussed if Switzerland and its core defense planning are still in tune with modern warfare and the hard-won lessons of over a decade of European expeditionary operations.