In Pursuit of Conceptual Excellence: The Evolution of British Military-Strategic Doctrine in the Post-Cold War Era, 1989-2002 (review)

"Military-strategic doctrine" can be defined as "conceptual thinking on the nature of conflict and the best conduct of warfare" (p. 22). Before 1989, Britain's armed services viewed military strategy largely in the context of NATO, where nuclear deterrence was the main concept. During the subsequent decade, Britain's armed services generated innovative military-strategic doctrine which has underpinned a series of successful post–Cold War crisis interventions and the international reputation Britain now enjoys for military excellence. Markus Mäder's goal is to analyse the causes, debates and schools of thought that drove this doctrinal evolution. The book achieves its objective, and provides a valuable and original contribution to the literature on Britain's post–Cold War military transformation.

In Pursuit of Conceptual Excellence adopts a chronological structure. The first part (chapters 1–6) charts the emergence of conventional power in British military thinking during the "formative" period between 1989 and 1996, when the preoccupation was single-service doctrinal development in the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. The second part (chapters 7–11) covers the "consolidation" period when Britain codified its conceptual thinking on peace enforcement and expeditionary intervention, developed joint military-strategic doctrine and then adapted to the asymmetric threats identified after 11 September.

The study is a significant addition to the military studies field in three ways. The first is the methodology employed to analyse the evolution of military-strategic doctrine. Mäder's approach is to trace the "organisational culture" prevailing in the British armed services at the time that new doctrinal strands began to evolve, the subsequent process and "informal" debate on the doctrine development, and the codification of key themes in "formal" published doctrine. This "framework of doctrinal evolution" (p. 27) leads to a clear and logical exposition of debates and outcomes viewed through the organisational filters of the Ministry of Defence, senior military commanders and their subordinate doctrine development staffs.

Second, In Pursuit of Conceptual Excellence can be differentiated from earlier works on British post–Cold War military-strategic doctrine because of its analytical scope. In explaining doctrinal evolution as the product of strategic, technological, and social changes, Mäder offers an integrated perspective that links hitherto disparate academic approaches. Third, the book represents an important study in contemporary military history because it synthesises an impressive array of oral histories provided by the serving officers and officials involved in doctrine development, as well as an extensive array of other primary and secondary sources. The consequence is that Mäder provides a methodologically innovative, comprehensive and scholarly assessment of a major element of post–Cold War British military reform.

In summary, In Pursuit of Conceptual Excellence is core reading for academics, policy-makers, and the new generation of "soldier-scholars" seeking to understand the content and direction of British post–Cold War military transformation. Its appeal should also extend to those seeking an analytical prism to understand doctrinal debates and reforms in other states.