The Defence Attachs: Vectors of Defence Diplomacy - Essay Example

The Defence Attachs - Vectors of Defence Diplomacy Definition Diplomatic Missions are not merely country representatives but representatives whose function is the solidification of ties within host governments and the safeguarding of the home country's interests and welfare. As representatives of states, Diplomatic Missions are, in themselves, statist microcosms. By virtue of the aforementioned, most, if not all, Diplomatic Missions comprise within themselves commercial, political, legal and military state representations, among others. Focusing on military representation, this report will elucidate upon the functions and purposes of Defence Diplomacy Missions. Prior to doing so, however, it is necessary to commence with a definition of the terms, such as would frame our understanding of it componential elements and implications: "To provide forces to meet the varied activities undertaken by the MOD to dispel hostility, build and maintain trust and assist in the development of democratically accountable armed forces, thereby making a significant contribution to conflict prevention and resolution."1 In accordance with the above cited definition, the importance of Defence Diplomacy within the context of international and inter-state relations may be affirmed. Quite simply stated, the exigencies of defence diplomacy emanate from the fact that it serves both to solidify inter-state defence relations and, in optimal situations, for the negation of nascent military/security threats. Historical Evolution As Aldrich (1994) contends the very nature of the twentieth century as the bloodiest and most violent the world had ever witnessed, led to the evolution of defence diplomacy. World War I, followed just two decades later by World War II, left millions dead, cities and countries destroyed, economies shattered and civilisations in ruin. The horrors of these two wars, not to mention their cost, underscored the importance of diplomacy as a preventative strategy and defence diplomacy as a national security imperative. In other words, defence diplomacy is the by-product of incalculably violent and insupportable, protracted warfare. Within the context of the aforementioned, diplomatic missions proliferated and assumed reciprocal, voluntary form. These mission came to embrace a military, more specifically, a defence purpose and as such, the spread of diplomatic missions implied the parallel proliferation of defence attaches offices. These offices, representing a country's military, its Armed Forces abroad, soon evolved into an integral component, not just of military defence but, of Military Intelligent Services. As such, they did not simply function as the purveyors of defence and military-related information but acted in such a way so as to maintain national security interests and to fortify the represented state's international military alliances. The importance of Defence Diplomacy and, by association, the institution of the Defence Attach, continued to expand from inception onwards. On the international level, the Cold War most certainly established and promoted the importance of the said institution. The value of the said institution directly derived from the importance of national defence and national security interests and, accordingly, within the context of an ever connected and interrelated world, has increased. Within the geographic parameters of the Arab Middle East, Defence Diplomacy assumed unique importance. As recent events, if not those of the past five decades, have illustrated, the region is subject to numerous threats, many of which have the potential to function as regime destabilisers. The implication here is that, just as did other countries and regions, Arab nations recognised the exigencies of Defence Diplomacy and accordingly, ensured the evolution of the institution of the Defence Attach within the context of the Military Intelligence Directorate. In so doing, Arab nations effectively expanded the range of the mechanisms and instruments they deployed for maintaining the interests of their respective states' abroad and, importantly, for fortifying military alliances as would safeguard their national interests and ensure the preservation of the integrity of their state sovereignties. As may be deduced, therefore, the importance of the said institution can hardly be over-stated and it is precisely within the context of this importance that one must understand and assess GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) defence diplomatic missions. State Military Thinking The fundamental missions of the defence diplomacy, carried out in order to ensure the national security, are: promoting and developing multilateral and bilateral military cooperation, increasing the State Armed Forces contribution to regional and global security, signalling the international events and evolutions that could affect the State interests, implementing the State Armed Forces interoperability with other Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC). Several inferences may be drawn from the above stated. The first is that state defence, rather than assume an openly militaristic form, adheres to a peaceful, preventative format. Prevention here unfolds through the formation of an intricate web of alliances as would mitigate against aggression, on he one hand, and ensure alliance should aggression occur, on the other. The second inference is that the inability of some nations, such as those of the GCC, to defend themselves against overt, concentrated external military aggression, enters into such diplomatic defence alliance as would ensure that, in case of aggression, there would be an allied defence response. In other words, the formulation of diplomatic defence alliances, such as which are facilitated and carried forth by Diplomatic Defence Missions, constitute an integral component of national security and defence for states across the world, not withstanding those of the Arabian Gulf. It is evident, at this stage of the discussion, the state defence diplomacy operates on variant levels and has a myriad of interrelated purposes. Hence, state defence diplomacy vectors are, according to the level they are promoted at the following: The political and military vector, fulfilled by the senior political and military command. The defence attach offices. The military representatives to international organisations. The defence diplomacy performed by the State personnel within the international forces in theatres of operations. Within the context of the above stated and within the parameters of inter-state and international relations, the defence attach's office assumes a status of singular importance. The defence attach office is the permanent diplomatic representative of the defence minister and the chief of the General Staff. The defence attach office is responsible for the military bilateral cooperation, the military representation within the country of accreditation, the support, explanation and promotion of the security and defence policy, the national interests and State's image abroad. The named office, in other words, functions to promote, represent and fortify a state's military interests and its national security requirements. Another component of the defence attach's activity is acquiring information and documentation regarding the country of accreditation, based on legal means, and sending reports on the local security, the political and military situation in the country of accreditation.2 The implication here is that the military attach serves as a conduit of defence-related information, with international laws governing the activities of diplomatic missions effectively legitimising the said function, insofar as the information gathered and conveyed is done so through legitimate means and does not cross over into espionage or involve the passage of such information as would threaten the national security of the host country. As such, the type of information gathered and conveyed, as well as the means by which this information is gathered, is strictly regulated by international law. Therefore, while the defence diplomatic mission may not illegally access such information as which would undermine the national security of the host state, the primary objective of its information gathering and conveyance functions is the accumulation of data and information about events and situations that could represent a risk for the national security and the State interests or in order to avoid the strategic surprise. As may have been deduced from the foregoing, within the diplomatic mission, the defence attach plays an important role, focused on representing the defence minister, counselling the ambassador on security and military issues, participating, together with the embassy staff, in activities that are security, political and military related and cooperating in political and military representation activities.3 Given that the defence attach's role is the promotion of national security through diplomatic means, implying alliance formation, the defence attach's activity in allied countries focuses on promoting and developing cooperation relations, identifying and supporting optimal solutions for developing the State Armed Forces to meet its region standards. Within the context of regional diplomacy, therefore, the military/defence attach plays a fundamental role in the promotion of allied, unified and coordinated defence strategies, with the assumption here being that of a shared threat. On the other hand, the multidirectional, unpredictable and undefined military and non-military contemporary risks and vulnerabilities addressed to the State political, military, economic and security interests and the dynamics of the global environment require for the defence attach office's missions to be adapted to the local situation. In such instances, the focus need be on: Increasing the role and importance of intelligence gathering activities. Restructuring the responsibilities with regard to asymmetrical risks. Diversifying work means and methods. i. Increasing financial and human resources allocations. Taking into consideration the following: ii. State's strategic and security situation. iii. The international security environment changes and their increased dynamics require continuous changes in order to adapt the role. iv. Missions and structure of the defence attach offices, as well as adaptability and flexibility on the part of the defence attach institution management. All these lead to a gradual transformation of defence attach offices, therefore the assignment of new missions to the defence attach focuses on the following: The defence attach's missions differentiation according to the local situation in the country of accreditation. The initiation and promotion of international relations at various levels by the defence attach. The missions and statute of the defence attach, as the continuous changes of the global security situation have a direct impact on them. The correct use of the "priority" concept in the defence attach's activity. Because of the different missions of the defence attach offices within the State embassies, there is no standard structure for them, each defence office structure being tailored to meet the main objectives established for the country of accreditation. This effectively means that there is no single blueprint for the precise articulation of the defence attach's roles and functions within the country of accreditation. Instead, there is a general framework with the precise details of the defence attach's functions within a particular country effectively determined by the country of accreditation itself 9its strategic importance) and the politico-economic circumstances of the time. The personnel chart is established based on various factors such as: The importance of the country of accreditation. The level of bilateral military relations. The political, military and intelligence requirements for the country of accreditation. The volume of activity necessary to cover regional requirements. The process of selection for the defence attachs positions is opened to all the officers in the State Armed Forces, with no specific gender requirements. The available positions are published in the Information Bulletin of the Ministry of Defence and each service receives a list of the defence attach future openings. The Ministry of Defence, through the Military Intelligence Directorate, is in charge of the selection process organisation. The officers selected to fill defence attach positions have to attend months of training course, focused on the development of the skills necessary: To advise the ambassador. To establish and maintain bilateral relations in the field of security and defence. To analyse the local situation. To send reports back home, and last, but not least. To integrate the defence attach in the local diplomatic community. There are some relevant perspectives that can be foreseen as far as the short and medium term evolution of the State military diplomacy is concerned: The active involvement in order to fulfil the State foreign policy goals. The increase in the role and importance of the State military diplomacy in providing the national security: i. The intensification and coordination at higher levels of the political and military cooperation with all alliance countries; ii. The initiation and development of political and military cooperation with other states that the State might have partnership relations with in the future; iii. The promotion of State's role as a state capable to assist in implement and generate stability in its geographical area and in the world. iv. The activities meant to promote the State Armed Forces on the international arena, thus preventing and countering foreign actions meant to discredit or affect the state image; The participation, through various means specific to defence diplomacy, in the war against international terrorism and organised crime. The diplomatic support given to the State military participation in international operations and in other activities meant to provide regional and global stability. The increased pace for recognising and evaluating risks and vulnerabilities indicators for the State. The increased flexibility in dimensioning and assigning defence attach positions, customising and differentiating the mission orders. As per the above stated, therefore, the nature of the role and functions of a diplomatic defence mission are determined by both the state's MoD and the strategic position of the country of accreditation. In all instances, however, this role is invariably critical to national security considerations and is, thus, a central component of international diplomacy, bearing in mind that the latter is fundamentally geared towards the peaceful resolution of nascent and developing conflicts. IMPLICATIONS OF DEFENCE DIPLOMACY FOR THE BUSINESS OF DEFENCE It is already a recognised fact that an increasing proportion of defence procurement, in the broadest sense of the term, is spent on the purchase of services, again in the broadest sense of that term, as distinct from military hardware, warships, guns, tanks and aircraft. The role of Defence Diplomacy as the vehicle for developing actively, State military advice, assistance, training, security doctrines and practices generally, including the introduction and sustenance of modern interoperable systems, will reinforce the trend towards Defence becoming a service business as contrasted with the business of Defence being primarily to provide a tied customer for shipyards and factory production lines. Conclusion The defence attach institution is the main diplomatic asset of the ministry of defence and a focal point for the foreign military relations. The recent evolution of defence attach structure regarding the role, missions and extension vectors, and the dynamics of the global political and military situation show that the continuous development and modernisation process of the defence attach institution has not finished. Furthermore, at least from the State perspective, the role and importance of the State defence diplomacy are expected to increase. Within the contextual parameters of the foregoing discursive analysis of the definitional implications, roles and functions of defence diplomacy, one need stress its centrality to both prevention and national security. Insofar as it functions to facilitate the formulation of an intricate web of defence alliance and military cooperation, it plays a fundamental role n the prevention of armed conflict. Added to that, to the extent that diplomatic defence missions function as a conduit for the exchange of information on the one hand, and an instrument for the accumulation and conveyance of information pertinent to national security, it solidifies and fortifies national security. It is on the basis of the stated that diplomatic defence missions occupy a status of unique importance in inter-state and international relations. Bibliography Andrew Cottey , Reshaping Defence Diplomacy, 2004. Andrew Cottey, Reshaping Defence Diplomacy -- New Roles for Military Cooperation and Assistance (Adelphi Papers), 2004. David Pratt, Re-tooling for New Challenges: Parliaments as Peace Builders, The Parliamentary Centre, Ottawa, 2005. Gary D. Rawnsley, Taiwan's Informal Diplomacy and Propaganda (Studies in Diplomacy), 2000. Kennan wrote this telegram while serving as an American diplomat in Moscow. He came to call his policy "containment" and outlined its principles in an article published the next year in Foreign Affairs; he signed the article with an X. Mirza Aslam Beg, National security: Diplomacy and defence, 1999. Michael Hughes, Diplomacy Before the Russian Revolution: Britain, Russia and the Old Diplomacy, 1894-1917 (Studies in Diplomacy), 1999. Michael L. Dockrill and Brian J. C. McKercher, Diplomacy and World Power: Studies in British Foreign Policy, 18901951, 2002. Richard Aldrich , Intelligence, Defence and Diplomacy: British Policy in the Post-War World (Studies in Intelligence), 1994. Shaun Riordan, The New Diplomacy (Themes for the 21st Century) , 2002. The Department for International Development developed two policy statements, one for security sector reform and one for Safety, Security and Access to justice. The Ministry of Defense developed a policy paper on defense diplomacy. Read More