16 August 2018
Defence planning: new research
As the editors point out in their introduction to the issue, the “upstream” nature of defence planning deserves greater attention compared to the usual focus on the “downstream” decisions and processes relating to the use or non-use of force. The editors emphasise that defence planning cannot be described merely as a result of political decision making nor as a neutral reaction to external threats. Rather, paraphrasing Émile Durkheim and his idea of “social facts”, defence planning emerges as a “strategic fact” determined by its own dynamics.
The issue can be found here including open access to the introductory article: