Professionalizing the Estonian reserve component

Download
Author
Everett, William R.
Date
1998-12Advisor
Eyre
P, Dana
Stockton
N, Paul
Second Reader
NA
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
As new democracies such as the Republic of Estonia decide how to structure their military forces for the future, they will need to determine the mix of two different force components: standing active-duty forces, and reserve forces composed of citizen-soldiers. This thesis argues that reliance on reserves can offer significant advantages over standing forces, depending on a nation's external security requirements and domestic economic constraints. In particular, citizen-soldier reserves can allow nations that do not face immediate external threats, such as Estonia, to meet their security requirements for less money than required by standing forces. Citizen-soldier reserves are also less likely to pose a domestic threat to democratic civilian control. Both issues are of special concern to nations such as Estonia, where the process of democratic consolidation is still underway, and little funding is available for defense.
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Estonian road to effective defense : civil-military dimension
Lahtein, Harry (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2002-03);Today's world is characterized by rapid changes in international relations. Most of Europe is engaged in transatlantic cooperation founded upon common democratic values. For Estonia, the most significant development in the ... -
The nature of Russia's threat to NATO's enhanced forward presence in the Baltic States
Kristek, Michael R., Sr. (Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2017-12);In the wake of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and subsequent military support to separatists fighting in Eastern Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has deployed Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) forces ... -
Prospects for cyber deterrence
Moore, Ryan J. (Monterey California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2008-12);In today's Information Age, a nation's dependence on cyberspace is becoming an increasingly important aspect of national security. As technology has improved, and more sectors of critical national infrastructure are ...