GENEVA CENTRE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF
ARMED FORCES (DCAF)
TRAINING COURSE PAPER
CIVILIAN PARTICIPATION IN THE DEVELOPING
DEFENCE AND SECURITY POLICY
Marina Caparini
Senior Fellow, DCAF
Switzerland
Paper presented at the Training Course on “2005 Partnership Action Plan on
Defence Institutions Building (PAP-DIB) Regional Event in the Caucasus.", held in
Tbilisi, 26-29 April 2005, organized by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control
of Armed Forces.
DCAF Training Course Papers
DCAF Training Course Papers constitute studies designed to promote reflection and
discussion on civil-military relations and issues of democratic control over defence and
security sector. The publication of these documents is unedited and unreviewed.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect those of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces.
DCAF Training Course Papers are not for quotation without permission from the
author(s) and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces.
CIVILIAN PARTICIPATION IN THE DEVELOPING DEFENCE
AND SECURITY POLICY
Marina Caparini
Civilians would be found at the highest levels of decision making in former Soviet countries. It
is said that civilians remain to be the political masters. In other words, the military assess the
risk to society, the civilians consider/evaluate the assessment. The process is referred to as
civil-military relations.
In transition states civilians need to be found throughout the hierarchy. This leads to shared
responsibilities between the military and civilian element in defense management. What are
some of the common problems related to a civil-military defense management?
•
Continuous investments need to be made in the developing civilian defense
management.
•
How do military and civilian personnel perceive/accept each other?
•
Problems also result due to change within the controlling system. Replaced civilian
staff need to be reeducated from the very beginning. Basically, you have to start all
over again.
•
Should a retired military be considered a civilian? Do they possibly bring in the
military mindset of their past?
•
Low competency of certain personnel leads to mismanagement and discrepancies
between the MOD and the General Staff (e.g. Poland, Czech Republic)
What were some of the problems civilians faced in the defense sector in Poland?
•
Civilians experienced higher entry requirements.
•
Civilians tended to hold more marginal decisions.
•
Civilians were given fewer professional opportunities to develop their professional
skills.
•
Civilians tended to have lower salaries.
•
Civilians were given less benefits.
In Latin America, most countries experience post-authoritarian characteristics. They lack
civilian capacity and the armed forces are pulled into law enforcement activities without any
adaptation in the military doctrine. The civilian democratic control is not a technical process
but more the creation of depoliticized institutions. Unfortunately, a problem exists within the
educational process itself. There is a natural resistance by the elderly towards learning. They
tend to be less open to new perspectives.
Established in 2000 on the initiative of the Swiss government, the Geneva
Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), encourages and
supports States and non-State governed institutions in their efforts to strengthen
democratic and civilian control of armed and security forces, and promotes
international cooperation within this field, initially targeting the Euro-Atlantic
regions.
The Centre collects information, undertakes research and engages in
networking activities in order to identify problems, to establish lessons learned
and to propose the best practices in the field of democratic control of armed
forces and civil-military relations. The Centre provides its expertise and support
to all interested parties, in particular governments, parliaments, military
authorities, international organisations, non-governmental organisations,
academic circles.
Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF):
rue de Chantepoulet 11, P.O.Box 1360, CH-1211 Geneva 1, Switzerland
Tel: ++41 22 741 77 00; Fax: ++41 22 741 77 05
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