Combat Forces Research Articles

Association between burnout and insomnia in U.S. Air Force Pararescue personnel: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Studies have examined burnout and its impact on health, to include its influence on sleep. While many studies report a significant relationship between burnout and insomnia in civilian populations, no studies have examined this relationship in a military population. The United States Air Force (USAF) Pararescue personnel are an elite combat force who are specially trained to conduct both first-line combat and full spectrum personnel recovery and may be at high risk of burnout and insomnia. The current study investigated the association between dimensions of burnout and insomnia, and also examined potential moderators of the associations. A cross-sectional survey was administered to 203 Pararescue personnel (Mean Age = 32.1 years; 100% Male; 90.1% Caucasian) recruited from six US bases. The survey included measures of three dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal achievement), insomnia, psychological flexibility, and social support. Emotional exhaustion was significantly associated with insomnia with a moderate to large effect size, when controlling for covariates. Depersonalization, but not personal achievement, was also significantly associated with insomnia. There was no evidence that associations between burnout and insomnia were moderated by psychological flexibility or social support. These findings help to identify individuals at risk of insomnia and may ultimately be useful in developing interventions for insomnia in this population.

Electrical Aircraft Ship Integrated Secure and Traverse System Design and Key Characteristics Analysis

The shipborne helicopter is an essential maritime combat force of the modern navy. However, as the most advanced shipborne helicopter landing assistance system, the ASIST still suffers from the significant disadvantage of the uncontrollable driving speed of the claw. This paper aims to propose an implementation scheme of the EASIST transmission system by selecting an asynchronous motor as the direct power source to solve the problem. On this basis, the speed controller is built by combining the vector control algorithm with an ANFIS control algorithm. In addition, the capture and traction characteristics of EASIST are analyzed, and the capture track of the claw and the maximum load in the traction process are obtained. Finally, the dynamics model of the transmission system is established by power bond graph theory, and the system simulation test is carried out. Simulation results show that the proposed EASIST reduces the capture time by about 60% and dramatically reduces the capture speed. And when towing the shipborne helicopter, EASIST can keep a good speed-tracking effect under the action of wildly varying load force. The research results of this paper are of great significance to broaden the application scope of ASIST and improve the traction efficiency, which plays a vital role in enhancing the combat effectiveness of shipborne helicopters.

Strategy of Towarding the Strength of Indonesian Navy in Overcoming Violations in the 2nd Indonesian Sea Lane Archipelagic to Achieve theStability of Marine Security in Supporting Military Operations other thanWar (Mootw)

Security in the territorial waters of a country is one of the important elements in maintaining the sovereignty of a country which based on facts on the ground shows that the ALKI II region poses a threat to international shipping where the threats are in the form of smuggling of goods, human trafficking, as well as terrorism and the impact of Malaysia's expansionary politics. is the impact of the non-optimal security in the ALKI II area due to the non-optimal degree of TNI al strength and regulations that are still overlapping in overcoming violations in the ALKI II area, so this study aims to find out how the interoperability between TNI dimensions in the ALKI II area in supporting the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia. And how are the efforts in strengthening the strategy of the pattern of operations and deployment of TNI AL forces in the ALKI II region. Then this study uses a qualitative approach with descriptive analysis methods supported by literature studies as a method of data and fact tracking, where based on the results of the study it is known that interoperability between dimensions The TNI in the ALKI II area has not been well integrated and is still running independently and the pattern of operations and deployment of the TNI's combat force is not optimal yet with a centralized and regional nature so that optimization is needed. realizing the stability and security of Indonesian marine waters.

Defense of Kyiv by the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic against the military of Bolshevik Russia in January-February 1919

The era of revived but lost Ukrainian statehood in 1917–1921, provides invaluable lessons and allows us to contemplate the growth of the nation. The subject of the article is one of the key military events of this era, the defense of Kyiv in January-February 1919, during the second war of bolshevik Russia against the independent Ukrainian People's Republic. The actual material on how the army of bolshevik Russia successfully used the end of World War I to restore the occupation of the UPR is systematized. After all, the allies of Ukrainian statehood in 1918 lost the world war. The enemy also took advantage of a month-long military confrontation between the Ukrainian government and the opposition. It was revealed that a month after the removal of Hetman P. Skoropadskyi and the approval of the UPR Directory, the UPR armed forces had to organize the defense of the capital from the troops of Bolshevik Russia, which were advancing from Chernihiv and Poltava. After the anti-Hetman uprising, the command of the Ukrainian army failed to form sufficiently capable, politically stable, morally responsible, and patriotic forces to effectively confront the enemy. There were cases when units of the UPR Army formed during the anti-Hetman uprising, led by local atamans, refused to carry out orders, left the front, and raised uprisings in the rear. Combat forces could only hold off the enemy for a while, but not change the situation at the front. The organization of the defense of Kyiv was carried out by the command of the Sich Riflemen Corps. Previously, one strike group of the corps supported the forces holding back the enemy's offensive near Poltava. On February 5, 1919, the troops defending Kyiv left the capital without shifting the nature of the confrontation from defense to street fighting. Keywords Sich Riflemen, Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic, Bolshevik troops.

Comparing deployment experiences of South African National Defence Force personnel during peace support missions: Sudan vs Democratic Republic of Congo

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has operational responsibilities in Africa regarding peace support operations. These deployments are the bread and butter of the SANDF and members are therefore frequently deployed for extended periods. These deployments are unique environments with taxing circumstances, which place various psychological demands on the soldier. The psychological impact of these demands originates not only from combat and the consequent clinical effect thereof, but also from organisational factors and the contribution of family stressors. The study reported here endeavoured to examine the positive and negative subjective deployment experiences of soldiers in two different mission areas. The data compared and further utilised to provide a framework of two proposed matrices, namely booster and stressor matrices, which may affect the optimal psychological functioning of soldiers. The study adopted a survey design utilising qualitative data focusing on retrospective data. The data stems from the Psychological Demobilisation Questionnaire developed by psychologists in the SANDF and amended by the authors. Data were collected from both combat service support and combat forces, from two different missions in different countries, both missions were one year in duration. Data revealed both positive and negative experiences correlating with the context of operations. These themes were categorised in terms of the sphere of functioning (organisational, family and clinical) from the deployment experience. The booster and stressor matrices provide a practical and accessible framework to military commanders on how to ‘boost’ or mitigate some of the experiences of their deployed force, as the commanders play a key role in the deployed soldier’s experience and the impact of such experiences in the theatre of operation.

СУТЬ, СТРУКТУРА ТА ЗМІСТ УПРАВЛІНСЬКОЇ ГОТОВНОСТІ МАЙБУТНІХ ОФІЦЕРІВ ЗБРОЙНИХ СИЛ УКРАЇНИ В СУЧАСНИХ УМОВАХ ВЕДЕННЯ БОЙОВИХ ДІЙ

In the article are discussed scientific research on the theory of significance of combat forces and the activity process in terms of nature, structure and concept of command and control readiness of future officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in modern warfare in the system of military education today and their practical importance in the formation of knowledge, skills and competencies of command and control readiness of future officers. The command and control readiness of future officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the educational process of command and control training of the military form the basis for the formation of a high military professionalism, which has the following components: system of professional knowledge and skills in military unit management, training and education of the subordinate personnel; system of behavioural skills; system of moral and psychological skills. This research article theoretically defines the command and control readiness of future officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the modern conditions of warfare and its practical importance for the officers when they perform socially important professional duties. To formulate command and control readiness of future officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the modern warfare, the scientific article practically defines the importance of creating a professionally-oriented educational environment at military educational institutions and military facilities. The importance of creating a professionally oriented educational environment in higher military educational institutions and military training units of higher education institutions. Command and control readiness of an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine implies the presence of the appropriate level of physical health, formation and development of physical qualities necessary for successful professional activity, the presence of the appropriate level of physical culture of the person. This is obvious, because any professional activity of military service personnel requires that a particular level of application of physical strength by the person, physical energy is associated with the expenditure of not only mental but also physical energy in the process of fulfilling their professionally significant duties both in peacetime and in warfare. The future officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the formation of command and control readiness in the process of training in higher military educational institutions and military educational units of higher education institutions must be trained in the general theoretical foundations of the disciplines, the main goal of the program is to provide the students with the knowledge and skills necessary for their command and control training, scientific, methodological, organizational and pedagogical skills.

Patient Satisfaction and Physician Empathy at a Hellenic Air Force Health Service.

Patient satisfaction and physician empathy are important indicators of health care services quality. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors related to the health care users' perception about physician empathy and their satisfaction with the services offered by the Medical Department of a Hellenic Air Force Combat Wing Health Service. One hundred and twenty six individuals who randomly visited the Medical Department from January to February 2019 participated in the survey. The "Measuring the satisfaction of visitors to hospital outpatient clinics" questionnaire by Aletras etal. and the Greek version of the "Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy" questionnaire were used for data collection. High satisfaction scores were found in relation to the medical staff (mean 20.45, max 25), the examination room (mean 18.23, max 25), the nursing staff/secretarial support (mean 16.93, max 25), and the overall satisfaction (mean 17.15, max 25). The satisfaction score related to the infirmary was low (mean score 8.8, max 25). Physician empathy score was extremely high (mean 21.2, max 25). Statistically significant correlations were detected between physician empathy satisfaction score and the medical staff, nursing staff/secretarial support, and the overall satisfaction scores (P < .001). Health care users reported high physician empathy and overall satisfaction scores but low infirmary satisfaction scores. The more positively that patients evaluated physician empathy, the more satisfaction that patients had with other measures.

Evaluation of the NIO and T.A.L.O.N Intraosseous Devices as Placed by U.S. Army Conventional Force Combat Medics—A Randomized Crossover Study

In recent U.S. Military conflicts, hemorrhage remains the leading cause of preventable death with 30%-40% mortality rates. Management consists of effective bleeding control and rapid resuscitation with blood products. Rapid and accurate circulatory access is crucial in battlefield trauma management. This study evaluates the insertion success rate and time to successfully insert the NIO automatic intraosseous (IO) device and the Tactical Advanced Lifesaving IO Needle (TALON) manual IO device. The primary outcome is successful first attempt insertion. Secondary outcomes are the time taken for the successful insertion, user-reported "ease of use" for both devices, and user-reported device preference. This is a prospective randomized crossover study comparing the NIO and TALON devices. As they are often the frontline health care providers, combat medics (68W) were recruited to participate in this study. They were randomized into two cohorts based on the IO device and location they would start first. Each medic performed a total of four IO cannulations on the proximal tibia and the humeral head of cadaveric human models. Sixty medics participated in the study, performing a total of 240 IO insertions, 120 with NIO (60 at the proximal tibia and 60 at the humeral head) and 120 with TALON (60 at the proximal tibia and 60 at the humeral head). The first attempt success rate was 89.2% for the NIO and 83.3% for the TALON, P = .19. The time to successful first attempt insertion for the NIO [M = 24.71 seconds, SD = 4.72] and the TALON, [M = 24.70 seconds, SD = 4.74] were similar, P = .98. The differences between the success of device insertion and time to successful insertion did not achieve statistical significance. The "ease of use" score (5-point Likert Scale) for the NIO [M = 4.73] and the TALON, [M = 4.11], demonstrated a significant difference, P < .001. Ninety percent [n = 54] of the combat medics preferred the NIO versus only 10% [n = 6] preferred TALON. Our findings indicate that the overall insertion success rate and time to successful insertion were similar between NIO automatic IO device and the TALON manual IO device. In our study, Army combat medics learned how to use both devices rapidly but felt the NIO automatic IO device easier to use and overwhelmingly preferred this device.

Associations Among Subcortical Volumes With Mental Health In Special Operations Forces Combat Service Members

Associations Among Subcortical Volumes With Mental Health In Special Operations Forces Combat Service Members

Counting the costs of trauma: the need for a new paediatric injury severity score

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate news headlines, little attention has been given to the announcement that the USA and UK will withdraw combat forces deployed to the so-called war on terror in Afghanistan. Protracted conflicts in the Middle East (eg, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan) and Africa (eg, Libya and the Sahel) continue unabated and under-reported, with well over 100 000 conflict-related deaths in 2020.1 The toll on populations, especially children, is a shameful signal lost in the noise of other world events.

The anti-mercenary norm and the market for combat force

Since 2013, combat services have been increasingly exchanged on the market. This development is puzzling since the practice emerged despite an anti-mercenary norm banning such services, and without any revision of the norm. The article argues that the combat market is not a deliberate design, but the result of strategic interaction. For some, compliance with the anti-mercenary norm is the best strategy, while for others, violating the norm is best. However, once the norm violation occurs, it is in the interest of all actors to maintain a façade of compliance. Non-compliant actors benefit from the combat services, and compliant actors do not have to engage in costly sanctioning of the norm violation, and avoid the reputational costs associated with non-enforcement. The article employs game theory to investigate the strategic interactions of actors across eleven combat contracts from 2013 to 2019.

Construction and Application Technology Architecture of Domain-specific Knowledge Graphin Military Field

Domain-specific Knowledge Graph in Military Field is a bridge to connect all kinds of battle factors, such as combat forces, command system, weapon platforms. It’s also an important means to break through the information gap between different areas of different services. Most of the existing knowledge graph is general knowledge graph for general fields, but there is no mature method of knowledge graph construction and expression for the industry data of military specific fields. So based on the special needs for military knowledge acquisition, storage, representation, query and other technologies in the future information and intelligent operations, and application scenarios, this paper discusses the current opportunities and challenges of the knowledge graph in military domain. Then the construction of knowledge graph in military domain and application technology framework are proposed.

Turkish Armed Forces Combat Medic Course: Predictors of Trainee Success.

Turkish Armed Forces Combat Medic Course: Predictors of Trainee Success.

K계열 자주포 현존전력 극대화 방안 연구

최근의 인구절벽과 국방개혁2.0에 의해서 병력감축과 복무기간 단축이 시행되고 있다. 또한, “지작사-군단작전”중심으로부대개편이 추진됨에 따라 효율적인 화력운용체계 구축이 시급한 실정이며, 세계적인 자주포 발전추세도 사거리 연장과 발사속도 증가, 정확도 향상 등을 목표로 미국 등 여러 국가에서 개발시험 중에 있다. 하지만 한국군은 K9자주포의 전력화를 완료하고, 현재 1차 성능개량을 시행 중이며 2차, 3차 성능개량은 발사속도 향상과 무인화 등에 중점을 두고 추진할 계획이다. 본 연구는 첫째, 군단중심의 작전에 기여할 수 있는 사거리 연장의 필요성를 제언하며 둘째, K9자주포의 현존전력극대화 차원에서 패키지 성능개량 추진을 강조하였다. 마지막으로 K계열 자주포의 전환배치를 통한 동원전력 향상 방안을 제시하였다. 이 논문에서 제안한 K9자주포의 단계별 성능개량 방안은 차기자주포 개발에 유용하게 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다

Mental Health Symptoms Are Associated With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury History in Active Special Operations Forces (SOF) Combat and Combat Support Soldiers.

Special Operations Forces (SOF) combat arms and combat support Soldiers are at risk for impaired mental health, such as mood- and stress-related disorders, due to operational and training demands. Additionally, these individuals experience high risk for sustaining mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). These mTBIs have also been linked to negative psychological outcomes, such as anxiety and depressive symptoms. Studying mental illnesses and their related symptoms alone does not fully address mental health, which may be better understood by 2 separate but overlapping continua measuring both mental illness and subjective well-being (ie, emotional, psychological, and social well-being). Due to the lack of research in this area, current mental health symptoms in active SOF combat Soldiers in relation to mTBI warrants investigation. In this study, 113 SOF combat and combat support Soldiers completed self-report psychological and mTBI history measures during an in-person laboratory setting. These psychometric measures included (1) psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory 18), (2) anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item), (3) posttraumatic stress (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5), (4) somatization (Patient Health Questionnaire-15), and (5) subjective well-being (Mental Health Continuum Short Form). On average, SOF combat Soldiers endorsed moderate well-being and low psychological distress, somatization, posttraumatic stress, and anxiety. Most SOF combat Soldiers had sustained 1 or more mTBI. We observed mTBI history had significant effects on each dependent variable in the expected directions. History of more mTBIs, controlling for age, was associated with lower subjective well-being as well as higher psychological distress, somatization, posttraumatic stress, and anxiety symptoms. Although SOF combat Soldiers reported relatively adaptive mental health symptoms across participants, there was considerable variance in the measures reported. Some of the variance in mental health symptoms was accounted for by mTBI history while controlling for age, with reporting higher numbers of lifetime mTBIs and older age being associated with worse mental health symptoms. Longitudinal investigations into these associations and their impact on Soldier performance is warranted.

Artillery from the Perspective of Firing Effects and Ensured Capabilities

Abstract Artillery is a branch capable of effectively supporting the dynamic operations performed by combat forces, with a decisive role in neutralizing, destroying or annihilating the opponent’s capabilities, harassing and banning the actions of troops by executing a precise, effective and timely fire to obtain the expected effects. It uses high-tech subsystems and intelligent ammunition, while the concentration of fire and means is flexible, and the possibility of measuring and evaluating the effects on the target is high, due to the precise means of identification, research, selection and tracking a multitude of fixed or mobile land targets, either planned or unplanned. The ability of the artillery to act in the composition of joint tactical groups gives it an additional utility at tactical level, while the actions of the artillery are complex and ubiquitous in stability and peacekeeping operations, even near the contact alignment, with a strong impact for a wider range of scenarios.

Deployment Experiences and Suicidal Behaviors Related to Interpersonal Violence Perpetration Among Army National Guard Soldiers.

An issue of major policy interest in the U.S. military has been interpersonal violence (IPV), especially relative to the frequent and lengthy deployments of U.S. service members to Iraq and Afghanistan. Lacking, however, are estimates of perpetrators of IPV, in particular, for reservists who have been 30% of the ground combat force. In the present study, Army National Guard soldiers (N = 4,567 in 50 company-sized units) responded to questions about deployment and combat, IPV, and suicidal behaviors. Over a tenth (12.2%) of the soldiers reported having done any aggressive behaviors toward significant others or children during postdeployment. More lengthy and repeated deployments were associated with perpetration of IPV. Having killed or wounded someone and having experienced some form of combat trauma were much more strongly associated with IPV perpetration. Suicidal behaviors were associated with having committed IPV, with the greatest risk associated with suicide attempts. Findings are discussed in terms of underlying mechanisms of both IPV perpetration and suicidal behaviors.

An invisible warfare with the internet of battlefield things: A literature review

The internet of battlefield things (IoBT) is an innovative technology for improving the operational effectiveness of military systems. It is a network of sensors, wearables, and IoT devices that makes use of cloud and edge computing to create a coherent combat force, connect warfighters with smart technology in armor, radios, weapons, and other objects. To ensure the cybersecurity of IoBT, it is a critical mission to have a systematic understanding of the cyberattack and cyber defense. This article offers an insightful review in order to improve cybersecurity awareness and advance the development of appropriate security mechanisms from both cybersecurity and IoBT perspective. The review characterizes three common types of cyberattacks and three common types of cyber defenses across the military field. Multiple entry-points and single device hacking behavior, unmanned aerial vehicles controlled risks, and collateral damage forms three main crucial attacks to military cyberspace. Comply to connect, blockchain, and artificial cyber hunters are three major types of cyber defense strategies that increase cybersecurity efficiency across current and emerging operational environments.

Function Analysis of Command and Control System in Intelligent War

With the in-depth application of artificial intelligence and other new technologies in the military field, intelligent war has gradually emerged and shown a strong combat effectiveness. First of all, the main combat forces and functional modules of intelligent war are analyzed to grasp the characteristics of “autonomy” and “integration of cross domain operation and control” in intelligent war. Then the main functions of command and control system in intelligent war are analyzed and elaborated, focusing on the functions with human participation, the main contents of each function are stated in detail. Through the analysis of system functions, it can provide high reference value for the design and construction of intelligent command and control system in the future.

Women in uniform: the opening of combat roles in state militaries

ABSTRACT Women have historically been excluded from combat roles in state militaries. However, in recent years, women’s growing involvement in combat roles has sparked public debate. Currently, only a small minority of countries allow women into their ground combat forces. Given the policy relevance, it is important to examine the conditions under which militaries will allow women into combat roles. Using data from 1970–2016, I empirically examine how a variety of aspects of women’s participation in social, political, and economic activities and institutions affects the probability that combat roles will be opened to them. The results provide robust evidence that women’s participation in politics, civil society, and economic activities are associated with a higher probability that these exclusionary policies are lifted from combat roles. However, I do not find evidence of an association between expectations pertaining to women’s familial roles and the probability of combat positions being opened to them.