F1IS 4540 - The Use of Military Force

The overarching aim of the course is for students in international affairs to develop sufficient understanding of military operations to be able to contribute to decision making at the strategic level.

Two presentations, including a class discussion, address the decision-making of war.

One presentation addresses the framework of operations (UN, NATO, EU, national, coalition).

Four presentations address the “mechanics” of war (air, maritime, land, special operations, logistics, command and control).

Three presentations address “non-conventional” strategies: nuclear, ballistic missile defence, space, cyber, hybrid.

Three assignments, all Policy Memoranda, are meant to operationalize the understanding of war and strategy as the class moves forward. They are debriefed in session, each debriefing occurring before the next one must be turned in.

Two class workshops enable the students to “play” an operational decision (Joint Targeting Board and Conseil restreint de défense).

Learning Outcome

• Develop an understanding of all forms of warfare.

The employment of air power, maritime operations, land operations, special operations, logistics and support from home station to theatre to the battlefield (4 presentations by the Professor).

Non-conventional forms of warfare: cyber operations, military use of space, nuclear power, ballistic missile defence, hybrid warfare (3 presentations by the Professor).

Application in a scenario (Policy Memorandum 2: Produce Military Options).

Application in two boards (Joint Targeting Board, Préparation de Conseil restreint de Défense)(workshop).

• Develop expertise on the framework of operations

Political-military decision making, political control over military operations, ethical and legal considerations (1 presentation by the Professor)

NATO operations. Other frameworks: UN-, EU-led operations. Coalition operations (1 presentation by the Professor).

Operational planning process (NATO) (1 presentation by the Professor).

• Develop strategic thinking.

Framework and process of strategic thinking, from analysis to recommendations (1 presentation by the Professor).

Participation in two Boards (Joint Targeting Board, Préparation de Conseil restreint de Défense), with most students being able to play key roles (on a voluntary basis).

Policy Memorandum 1: Produce Strategic Options, based on real-life context, with each student choosing a « national » perspective from one of the six countries directly involved.

Collective debriefing in collective session (workshop).

Application to a specific theatre: workshop session (presentation of the situation and of the requirement, then group discussion in think-tank format).

Policy Memorandum 3: Produce Full-range options (fictional scenario based on real-life region).

Professional Skills

Develop competencies in Policy Memorandum format.

The Policy Memorandum: general principle, format, techniques.

Policy Memorandum 1: Produce Strategic Options (real life context).

Policy Memorandum 2: Produce Military Options (fictional scenario based on real-life issue).

Policy Memorandum 3: Produce Full-range options (fictional scenario based on real-life region).

It is necessary to have some basic knowledge of international organisations that have a mandate in peace and security: the UN, NATO, OSCE, EU and AU. Some knowledge or understanding of military operations, for example, based on history such as World War II, recent conflicts, etc, will also help but are not requirements per se. Also, students should be conversant in the Laws of Armed Conflict (LOAC), specifically, in legal and ethical issues related to jus ad bellum, jus in bello and just post bellum.

A student who has no knowledge in military history, no previous exposure to strategic concepts, no overall understanding of the world since World War II (e.g., Cold War, Arab-Israeli conflict, post-Soviet Union) will have a hard time.

Seven sessions are based on a presentation delivered by the instructor, leaving room for discussion. The presentation itself is in PowerPoint and will be made available on the Drive after delivery.

Five sessions are in workshop format, either to debrief assignments, or to prepare assignment 3 (think-tank workshop), or to conduct two Board-type operational decision-making meetings (with students role-playing members of the Boards).

Flexibility will be applied depending on avenues of discussion.

All written assignments will be expected to conform to a format that will be accessible on the Drive. Each assignment is a “Policy Memorandum” which has a generic outline but allows for a large degree of flexibility. Based on the given format, the expectation is for a 3-6 page document.

Because each assignment will be discussed in class next in session after the due date, students must be aware that there will be very little flexibility regarding delivery date and must organize their time accordingly, specifically, to deconflict various assignments originating from their other courses.

They must be turned in in paper form with an electronic copy through the drive. The reason for the paper copy being that it will be returned with handwritten comments and grading explained.

Assignment 1: Individual paper (3-6 pager in standardized format) “Policy Memorandum 1”, explained at the end of session 02, due for delivery at session 06, debriefed in session 07. 20% of overall grading.

Be prepared to brief orally, in a condensed version, during the class discussion of session 07.

Assignment 2: Individual paper (3-6 pager in standardized format) “Policy Memorandum 2”, explained at the end of session 05, due for delivery at session 08. 30% of overall grading.

Be prepared to brief orally, in a condensed version, during the class discussion of session 08.

Assignment 3: Individual paper (3-6 pager in standardized format) “Policy Memorandum 3”, explained at the end of session 08, due for delivery at session 11. For this assignment, based on a fictional scenario involving real-life countries, the students will be organized in groups of four for free discussion during session 08. The written assignment to be turned in will be based on the individual’s conclusions related to the discussion. 40% of overall grading.

Participation: Bonus 10% for constructive participation.

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: None.
• Reading and Preparation for Class : Read-ahead package per course of 15-50 pages will be considered “required” (though no need to explain during the session), possibly 30-80 pages more considered “optional/useful/amplifying knowledge”. Most readings will be official documents available on the internet (such as the UN Charter), doctrinal publications, occasional articles.

All readings will be available on the Drive at the beginning of the course (mid-January 2026).

It is important to note that the discussion in session is not based on an analysis of the read-ahead. The read-ahead is only meant as implied knowledge. There will be no grading conducted on whether the reading has occurred or not.

• Research and Preparation for Group Work: One hour per workshop (3 workshops).
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: An estimated 10-15 hours of research and writing per assignment (based on student feedback from previous years).