“Working in International Environments”

About this report: Between December 2004 and April 2007, Italy, France, Spain and Germany were sharing responsibility for the Multinational Task Force Southeast (MNTF SE) within EUFOR operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first large scale military mission carried out by the European Union (EU). Against this background, the Bundeswehr Institute of Social Sciences (SWInstBw) in Strausberg (Germany) in co-operation with the Chair of Sociology of Peace Processes/Master of Peacekeeping and Security Studies – University Roma TRE in Rome (Italy), the Centre d’études en sciences sociales de la défense (C2SD) in Paris (France) and the Unidad de Sociologia del Ejercito de Tierra (USET) in Madrid (Spain) conducted a research project on multinational co-operation within this Task Force. The aim of the study was to examine interaction and communication processes between soldiers of the four countries, to identify factors which encourage and/or hinder co-operation, and thus to define and evaluate conditions of multinational military integration from a specifically European perspective. The field research, based on a quantitative survey by questionnaire among soldiers of the four countries as well as participant observation and qualitative interviews on site, took place in 2006 (August–October) at camp Mostar-Otiješ where the HQ of the MNTF SE was located. The results of this research are presented in two forms: First, the characteristics of the four national contingents of the MNTF SE are described respectively. Secondly, the attitudes of Italian, French, German and Spanish soldiers regarding dynamics of multinational co-operation, national stereotypes, military leadership, motivation and cohesion as well as future European military integration are analysed and discussed in comparative perspective.