Experiences of Joined-Up Security, Defence and Intelligence Policies: Drawing Lessons from Multi-Layer Governance Systems

Gustavo Müller, Maria Martins, Meltem Muftuler-Bac, Ezgi Uzun, Raluca Csernatoni, Vladislava Gubalova & Lucia Rybnikárová

This working paper examines cases of non-EU countries with complex governance structures that, like the European Union, have difficulties coordinating their joined-up policies in the areas of security, intelligence and defence.

Its first part discusses the challenges of joined-up action for the European Union's external action, with a focus on coherence.

The second part analyses cases of policy responses in Brazil, the United States and Turkey. It describes and discusses how these countries’ governments deal with coordination and implementation problems in the areas of migration management (Brazil and Turkey) and artificial intelligence (United States). Each case study sheds light on the country’s specific policy challenges, the strategies used to address these issues, and the possible lessons learned.

The third part summarises the main takeaways from each case study and reflects on their adaptability to the EU's external action. Lessons can be drawn from Brazil’s Operation Acolhida as a civil-military and inter-ministerial initiative to tackle a high migratory influx, from the creation of the United States’ Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and the country’s mainstreaming of artificial intelligence in security and defence areas, and from Turkey’s continuous learning process in migration policies and the establishment of the country’s Migration Board.

In conclusion, the paper argues that solutions to inter-agency coordination and coherence problems can be found without large institutional or treaty changes and that policy recommendations should consider innovative solutions to improve European Union joined-up external action.