Introduction

The transformation of the security and defence fields has been debated for decades in security and strategic studies, with the focus ranging from structural power shifts to technological innovation to institutional development. This debate has mainly been devoted to material factors and to multilateral top-down processes of managing what could be seen as an increasingly complex and challenging security environment in which the European state as a single entity has undoubtedly lost much of the capability to act and pursue policy independently (Haaland Matláry 2009). The literature has, however, also captured the less material move towards what has been characterized as post-Westphalian states and modes of security governance, which have gained ground mainly in Europe (Kirchner ampentity Sperling (Eds) 2007, Wagnsson et al. (Eds) 2009).