Fighting with Friends: Alliances and Military Effectiveness

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

A state's power in the international system and military effectiveness on the battlefield vary not only as a function of its own resources, geography, and adversaries, but also as a function of its allies. This panel sheds light on our understanding of the outcomes of international and intranational conflicts by examining how international alliances and partnerships shape how states fight. What explains variation in the formation of effective coalitions and the aggregation of capabilities on the battlefield? What are the causes and consequences of great power efforts to strengthen the military power of their allies and partners? Employing a variety of methods and examining different historical periods, this panel investigates the mechanisms by which alliance relationships shape states’ defense policies and military effectiveness, and outlines the implications of the findings for both academic theory and policy. Through insights in force structure specialization, technology sharing, and security force assistance (SFA), the papers in this panel contribute to an understudied aspect of international security studies: how cooperative state relationships shape military power and effectiveness on the battlefield.

Sub Unit

• Division 19: International Security

Cosponsor

• Division 20: Foreign Policy

Individual Presentations

• The Cult of the Persuasive: Organizational Determinants of US Influence in SFA - Rachel Tecott, U.S. Naval War College

• Use Their Force: How Alliances Shape the Distribution of Military Capabilities - J Andres Gannon, University of California, San Diego

• Sharing Vulcan’s Secrets: State Transfer of Advanced Military Technology - Erik Sand, Naval War College

• The Strategic Logic – and Historic Rise – of Military Capacity Building - Marc Toby Grinberg, Brown University

Chair

• Michael Horowitz University of Pennsylvania

Discussants

• Fiona Cunningham University of Pennsylvania

• Jennifer Spindel University of New Hampshire