2025 Bordeaux Defence Economics conference

Beschreibung

Do allies require spending up to 5% of GDP to deliver an effective alliance? Or does this latter depend on how available resources are spent and used? Would it be more relevant to spend 3% only but wisely? How much is required to deliver expected outcomes? It might not be only a matter of how much is spent but the
nature of threats and how to answer them. In addition, a lot can be said about how resources are allocated inside budgets between human resources and capabilities, infrastructures, deployability, etc.

To understand stakes and issues and define the right defence policy, it is therefore necessary to look at budgetary, economic but also political and geostrategic dimensions – opening the door to innovative approaches to produce international security in domestic and collective perspectives.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has revived the role of the Atlantic Alliance as the means to improve collective security of European democracies. Not only did member states reassess their commitment to collective security but hitherto neutral democracies, Finland and Sweden, joined the Alliance. Contrary to
the Atlantic Alliance, in its 76th year of existence, past alliances were usually contextual and short-lived. Thus, the notion of burden sharing necessarily takes a more cooperative than transactional meaning in enduring alliances.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, several evolutions and transformations have dramatically changed the art of war. The use of new capabilities has improved the effectiveness of troops. Civilian innovations are disrupting the equipment choices as well as how to operate. In addition, the “grey zone” battles, the use of drones as well as cyber and electronic warfare have effectively widened the concept of war to a degree unimaginable in the past century. These technological and operational transformations challenge the classical perspective on the alliance burden sharing from the 1960s.

Additional Description

This seminar proposes to deal with this (non-exhaustive) list of topics from any relevant disciplines (economics, political science, war studies, geo-economics, geo-strategy…):
- How much to spend? What are the relevant thresholds?
- Is it better to get more money now vs constant additional resources in the long run?
- How to spend allocated budgets? What is the right split between personnel, personnel, equipment, deployment, operations and maintenance?
- Do off-the-shelf acquisitions provide the adequate answer with regard stakes and issues? Can a stronger domestic industry contribute to international security in a longer perspective?
- To which extend do dual infrastructures and resources contribute to deliver international security?
- What does military efficiency stand for? How to define it and design KPIs?
- What could collective military efficiency correspond to?
- Can high levels of military expenditures be sustainable financially and/or effective militarily?

Zeitraum	16 Juni 2025 → 18 Juni 2025
Veranstaltungstyp	Konferenz
Ort	Bordeaux, FrankreichAuf Karte anzeigen
Bekanntheitsgrad	International