Beyond Manoeuvre Theory for European Defence

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the debate about European defence in the light of the Russo‐Ukraine war and growing doubts about US commitment to Europe. It argues that Europeans need to fundamentally relearn the ability to imagine military strategy from a European viewpoint. In a first step, we investigate the influence of manoeuvre theory in NATO thinking. In a second step, we engage with the growing manoeuvre‐critical literature and come to the conclusion that manoeuvre theory does not hold the answer for European strategic challenges vis‐à‐vis Russia. In a third step, we reappraise alternative defence concepts mainly developed in West Germany during the 1980s as a source for rethinking European conventional defence and deterrence in the nuclear age. We argue that, even though concepts such as ‘spider‐in‐the‐web’ do not offer ready‐made blueprints, they do provide conceptual impulses to (re)think positional defence in the nuclear age. Finally, we point out avenues for future research.