Complications with English in military-oriented coalitions

Abstract

As a multinational organization, English has always been of importance and an operational requirement for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It has also been of fundamental significance in building and sustaining the military coalitions of the last twenty years. English is not just a language today, but a war-fighting skill and a tool for interoperability. For the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, with their shared histories and battles won and lost together, it has an even deeper and more meaningful role. For the English-speaking nations, the language is a reflection of their shared values and common interests and not just a tool for the battlefield or a means of communication. Given the demands upon the language, this work sets out to address some of the complications these entail: what difficulties arise with such high levels of expectation and what are the implications for today's military-oriented coalitions?