All together now? The governance of military capability reform in the ESDP. Bruges Political Research Paper No. 1, 10/2006

This paper examines the process of military capability reform undertaken in the European Union (EU) since the establishment of the European Security and Defence Policy in 1999. It is argued that although the improvement of military capabilities has been the principal rationale underpinning the development of a security and defence policy within the EU, the continued preference on the part of member states for non-binding, “new” or “soft” governance mechanisms in this policy field is a key factor accounting for the lack of progress achieved in capability reform thus far