The Pandemic and the Military: EU and NATO Between Resilience and Total Defence

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has once again seen the use of the military in support of civilian authorities. Since pandemics and other non-military challenges are likely to grow in scope and frequency, the use of the military in such contingencies will also become the ‘new normal’. However, to make the employment of the military more effective, a number of additional steps need to be taken. These range from closer cooperation of key international institutions such as the EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to specific improvements in national pandemic preparedness. Moreover, these steps must also include the establishment of a broader political framework that centres on resilience as a central paradigm and helps insulating military contributions from political antagonisms and deliberate disinformation. COVID-19, pandemic, resilience, total defence, European Union, NATO, cyber, disinformation, emerging technologies, hybrid

Identifying total defense logistics concepts: a comparative study of the Swedish pandemic response

“…military and civil defence. While the role of the military aspect of this defence strategy is quite well known, the purpose of the civilian aspect of TD is not to further militarize the civilian sector but to eliminate organizational and ideological barriers that may hinder the smooth collaboration between civil institutions (Missiroli and Rühle, 2020). In a broad sense, civil defence is discussed under two major roles: improving operational preparedness between key actors, and anticipating and preparing for broader, unconventional and even asymmetric challenges, including countering digital disinformation and cyber-attacks (Missiroli and Rühle, 2020).…”

“…While the role of the military aspect of this defence strategy is quite well known, the purpose of the civilian aspect of TD is not to further militarize the civilian sector but to eliminate organizational and ideological barriers that may hinder the smooth collaboration between civil institutions (Missiroli and Rühle, 2020). In a broad sense, civil defence is discussed under two major roles: improving operational preparedness between key actors, and anticipating and preparing for broader, unconventional and even asymmetric challenges, including countering digital disinformation and cyber-attacks (Missiroli and Rühle, 2020). Thus, aside from the armed forces, civil defence seeks to institutionalize collaboration between government ministries, civic organizations, the private and business sectors as well as the general population that organize and carry out supporting civil defence activities and operations.…”

“…Within the improvement of operational preparedness, which embodies the central hub of the civil defence, a number of critical and important activities occur within this function. Among them are the improvement of stockpile and demand management, development of emergency response contingencies, training in emergency response scenarios, identifying and re-engineering critical supply chains and improving intelligence and information sharing (Missiroli and Rühle, 2020). Under preparation for asymmetric threats and unconventional challenges, activities include the development and improvement of counter-disinformation abilities, and the improvement and preparedness for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.…”