The role of the military : A study in how civil-military cooperation is formed during CBRN incidents

Abstract: Europe is currently in a stage of increased military spending due to greater insecurity in the region. Previous studies claim that one consequence of such an increase may be greater reliance on the military in matters that had previously been handled by civil agencies. Are societies in Europe facing a change in which the military will be more involved in crisis incident response? The purpose of this study is to examine if the role of the military in a society depends on the level of militarization of the country. With the foundational question of why the military has different roles within different societies, this study focuses on civil-military cooperation (CIMIC) dealing with CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radioactive and Nuclear)-related issues, in order to investigate the possible relationship between CIMIC and militarization. Empirical data from countries with high- and low levels of militarization are collected, and thereafter analyzed and categorized into “ideal types” of CIMIC. The forms of each country are then compared and put in the context of militarization in order to answer the foundational question. This study initiates the closing of a research gap regarding examination and analysis of the relationship between militarization and CIMIC during CBRN incident response. Additionally, this study marks the initial development of a method, including new “ideal types”, that enables the comparison of CIMIC, opening new doors for analysis of civil-military cooperation.