Understanding Civil-Military Interaction: Lessons Learned from the Norwegian Model(Military Strategy and Operational Art)

A novel examination of civil-military interaction in particular between militaries and humanitarian actors, in light of the so-called 'Norwegian model' that espouses a clear divide between political and humanitarian (or military and civilian - the model is in fact unclear) actors, while maintaining a tight coordination between them. The Norwegian government has significantly reduced their own military's capacity in the field of civil-military interaction, raising the question as to whether knowledge and skills in this field are necessary. Using a multi-actor security framework, this book examines whether or not the Norwegian government is correct in its assumptions (about both the model and civil-military knowledge amongst military personnel) and concludes that the Norwegian model is a well-meaning but inefficient and problematic model in reality. Although the case study focuses on Norway, the lessons learned are relevant to all nations engaged in civil-military operations.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Part I Introduction, Theory, Core Concepts and Actors: Introduction; Theorizing civil-military interaction: security, legitimacy, authority and obligation; Actors in the civil-military relationship. Part II Norwegian Experiences in Civil-Military Interaction: Norwegian humanitarian policy, the Norwegian model and irresponsible idealism; CIMIC: the `function-that-shall-not-be-named’. Part III Challenges, Lessons-Learned and Recommendations: `Hearts-and-minds’ and vacuums; The politics of humanitarian space; Why civil-military interaction? Some recommendations; A Norwegian future in civil-military interaction?; Conclusion. Appendix: methods and parameters; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author :
Gunhild Hoogensen Gjorv is an Associate Professor at the University of Tromso, Norway.

Review :
'Hoogensen Gjorv provides us with a fascinating and detailed insight in the Norwegian practice of civil-military interaction. The many examples and the way the author relates these to theoretical concepts make this book a very interesting read for scholars and practitioners alike.' Sebastiaan Rietjens, Netherlands Defence Academy, The Netherlands 'Rarely has the civil-military interface been so comprehensively theorised, analyzed and contextualised. This study is grounded in the Norwegian experience in Afghanistan, but its findings and observations will be relevant for all scholars, policy makers and soldiers that are confronted with managing civil-military relationships in complex operations.' Cedric de Coning, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Norway