Defense Communications Research Articles

Attack in the Form of Defense? Populist Anti-media Tactics to Avoid Being Blamed

This article explores the relationship between blame and populism by analyzing the defensive communication strategies employed by right-wing populist leaders in their attacks on the media. The study focuses on Jair Bolsonaro and concludes that he used various strategies to avoid taking responsibility for adverse outcomes while blaming the media as one of his favorite targets. The explorative study draws on qualitative discourse analysis of the presidential narratives to shed light on the paradoxical nature of these defensive strategies. Bolsonaro’s political style involved preemptively neutralizing the media’s critical performance and reacting negatively to any critical coverage that contradicted his version of events and undermined his authority.

ЭМПАТИЯ И ЗАЩИТНЫЕ СТРАТЕГИИ В ОБЩЕНИИ ВРАЧЕЙ-ОРДИНАТОРОВ С РАЗНЫМ УРОВНЕМ ПЕРФЕКЦИОНИЗМА

The paper presents the results of a study of associations between empathy and defensivecoping communication in medical residents with different level of perfectionism. Psychiatry and neurology residents (n = 100) aged 22–29 filled out the following validated instruments: “Three-Factor Perfectionism Inventory” (Garanyan N. G., et al.); “The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI)” (M. Davis); “Diagnosis of the dominant strategy of psychological defense in communication” (V. V. Boyko). The sample was divided into three groups with high (n = 37), medium (n = 33) and low (n = 30) levels of perfectionism. The obtained data indicate a positive correlation between empathy factor “Perspective taking” and strategy of defensive communication “Peacefulness” in all the three groups of residents with different levels of perfectionism. In residents with medium level of perfectionism “Peacefulness” also correlated with “Empathic concern”, and “Avoidance” correlated with “Personal distress”. In residents with high level of perfectionism “Aggression” negatively correlated with “Perspective taking” and “Empathic concern”. The collected data contribute to a more complete understanding of associations between empathy and defensive communication in psychiatry and neurology residents and can be applied to specify psychological targets of residents training.

Strategic Communications in the Global Security Environment: StratCom’s Shift of the Balance of Power

The public-facing aspect of national defence communications is a lesser understood organizational function of militaries around the world. Though conventional propaganda and diplomacy efforts date back centuries, the modern approach to military Strategic Communications (StratCom) is a murky, fast-evolving discipline that is not well understood by the public. As such, the topic bears further examination due to its vital importance in achieving defensive and strategic military objectives. Through defining StratCom’s function and the contexts that led to its inception, this paper gives an overview of how StratCom has been useful for the U.S. and its Western allies in their navigation of a tense, nuclearized global security environment. Thereafter, through examining the new ways these strategies are employed in our hyper-connected world, this paper demonstrates that the West’s adversaries have leveraged StratCom to tip the scales of hard power in the contemporary hybrid war environment.

An overview on Azelaic Acid: Biosynthesis, signalling and the action under stress conditions in plants

Plants are exposed to various biotic and abiotic stress factors throughout their lives. For this reason, they have developed some defense mechanisms. They can induce systemic acquired resistance (SAR), which provides long-lasting protection against diverse pathogen attacks. In recent years, several chemical inducers (salicylic acid, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate, azelaic acid, pipecolic acid, and dehydroabietic acid) have been determined to play roles in this mechanism. The transfer of these signal molecules from infected tissue to non-infected tissues through phloem provides potent defence communication. Azelaic acid is a well-known molecule that triggers salicylic acid accumulation under biotic stress as a priming factor to induce SAR, although little is known about its role under abiotic stress. Here, this review aims to call attention to the effects of AzA under abiotic stress conditions as well as biosynthesis, transport and signalling.

Interpersonal Communication Patterns in Final Students’ Conflict with Parents in Encouraging Timely Graduates

As a student city, Yogyakarta has a reputation as a centre of education and intellectuals in Indonesia. Yogyakarta is the home of several leading universities, such as Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, and several other private universities that attract students from all over the country and abroad. The importance of resolving interpersonal conflicts between final-year students who are writing their thesis with their parents is a determining factor in graduation amidst the pressure of academic tasks faced. This study also describes various factors that cause the application of communication patterns in conflict resolution. This type of research is qualitative descriptive, aiming to understand, explain, and describe related phenomena. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with four pairs of informants involved in the conflict. Data were analyzed using interactive techniques involving interactions between data collection elements, data presentation, data reduction, and conclusion. The findings revealed the application of empathetic communication patterns in two pairs of informants and defensive communication patterns in two pairs of informants. The empathetic communication patterns carried out by couples AB and EF led them to find a solution to their conflict. Feelings of mutual respect and understanding of each other’s conditions are the keys to finding a way out. The defensive communication pattern carried out by the CD and GH couples ultimately causes stress in children. They cannot understand each other’s feelings. Several factors that influence the implementation of this pattern include learning independence, resilience, parenting patterns, and financial power.

Pola Komunikasi Pasangan Nikah Muda Dalam Menjaga Keharmonisan Rumah Tangga Di Kecamatan Huristak Kabupaten Padang Lawas

In general, this research aims to find out how young married couples communicate in maintaining household harmony in Tobing Julu village, Huristak sub-district, Padang Lawas district, what are the factors that cause young marriages in Tobing Julu village, Huristak sub-district, Padang Lawas district, how do young married couples behave? in resolving conflicts that occur within households in Tobing Julu village, Huristak sub-district, Padang Lawas district. This type of research uses qualitative methods through a descriptive approach which aims to describe information in detail according to the reality that occurs at the research location. Data was obtained through observation and interviews. Data analysis for this research uses a version of the Miles and Hermawan data model which includes data collection, data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing/verification. The results of the research show that the factors causing young marriages in Tobing Julu village, Huristak sub-district, Padang Lawas district are economic, parents and their own will, the communication patterns used by young married couples in maintaining household harmony in Tobing Julu village, Huristak sub-district, Padang Lawas district are cooperative communication patterns and defensive communication patterns and the way young married couples resolve conflicts in Tobing Julu village, Huristak sub-district, Padang Lawas district, is to communicate well, be open to each other, lower the ego of each partner and accept all forms of the partner's strengths and weaknesses.

Virtual reality evidence on the impact of physicians' open versus defensive communication on patients.

Using virtual reality (VR) in an experimental setting, we analyse how communicating more openly about a medical incident influences patients' feelings and behavioural intentions. Using VR headsets, participants were immersed in an actual hospital room where they were told by a physician that a medical incident had occurred. In a given scenario, half of the participants were confronted by a physician who communicated openly about the medical incident, while the other half were confronted with the exact same scenario except that the physician employed a very defensive communication strategy. The employed technology allowed us to keep everything else in the environment constant. Participants exposed to open disclosure were significantly more likely to take further steps (such as contacting a lawyer to discuss options and filing a complaint against the hospital) and express more feelings of blame against the physician. At the same time, these participants rated the physician's communication skills and general impression more highly than those who were confronted with a defensive physician. Nevertheless, communicating openly about the medical incident does not affect trust in the physician and his competence, perceived incident severity and likelihood of changing physician and filing suit.

Conflicts and defensive communication: investigating the mature, neurotic and immature defences of service professionals

PurposeThis study aims to examine task and relationship conflict and their linkage with defensive communication strategies, i.e. mature, neurotic and immature defensive communication. Furthermore, Study 1 also investigated the mediating impact of relationship conflict and the moderating impact of a manager’s active-empathic listening in dealing with task conflicts and the defensive communication of the employees. Study 2 intended to assess the causal direction of task conflicts and defensive communication strategies.Design/methodology/approachThis research integrates the Job Demands–Resources framework, Conservation of Resources theory and Conflict Expression framework. Data from 124 professionals in India’s tertiary industry was gathered using a longitudinal approach. Study 1 analyses the dynamics between conflicts and defensive communication while considering managers’ active-empathic listening as a potential mitigating factor. Study 2 was conducted after a 10-month interim to delve into the intricate causal connections between defensive communication strategies and task conflicts. For analysing the data, SPSS was used for conducting confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, to analyse the conceptual framework and the hypothesised relationships in this study, partial least squares (PLS) modelling was performed using Smart-PLS 4.0.FindingsTask conflicts have a significant negative association with mature and neurotic defensive communication, whereas they have a strong positive relationship with immature defensive communication. Relationship conflict significantly mediates the association between task conflict and immature defensive communication. The moderating role of the manager’s active-empathic listening was not supported. In addition, the relationship between immature defensive communication and task conflict is significantly positive, outlining their bidirectional association. In contrast, the association between mature defensive communication is significantly negative. This highlights the potential of immature defensive communication to create escalatory conflict spirals and of mature defensive communication to de-escalate them.Research limitations/implicationsDefensive communication strategies, commonly explored in the psychological realm, particularly within family and romantic relationship contexts, have received limited attention in organisational behaviour. This longitudinal study offers a unique perspective on the evolution of defensive communication and its impact on task conflict over time, enhancing the understanding of how individuals adapt their communication strategies as conflicts persist or dissipate. The investigation also advances the understanding of conflict spirals, illustrating the potential of mature defensive communication to de-escalate conflicts while revealing a bidirectional connection between immature defensive communication and task conflicts.Practical implicationsLeaders need to prioritise addressing task conflicts, particularly those that might spiral into relationship conflicts. This would present managers with the ability to make task conflicts more functional in nature, which could help to enhance both team and organisational achievements. The bidirectional relationship between task conflict and immature defensive communication points towards the exigency for managerial and organisational initiatives to prevent the development of conflict spirals at the workplace.Originality/valueThis study offers crucial interdisciplinary perspectives into the body of literature with the longitudinal investigation of the connections between managers’ active-empathetic listening, task conflict, relationship conflict and the various defensive communication strategies. With the help of insights from this study, managers and leaders will be empowered to take the necessary actions to reduce employee defensive behaviours and foster a supportive culture for evoking positive and desirable performance.

Information security in the space age: Britain’s Skynet satellite communications program and the evolution of modern command and control networks

ABSTRACT Britain initiated its Skynet satellite communications program in 1966 to provide assured connectivity with its forces across the world. Using recently declassified documents, this article reframes the history of British space activities by elucidating how the requirements for flexible and secure defense communications shaped U.K. space policy during the Cold War. Although Skynet inaugurated a communications revolution, it was the product of the longstanding British priority of possessing global information networks under sovereign control. In the Space Age, however, Britain had to reconcile its desire for an autonomous satellite communications network with the reality that American assistance was vital.

Defense communication system AWS

AWS is an upcoming technology along with decentralized infrastructure. This knowledge is employed in variety of different domains including cloud computing, finance, energy, messaging and others. AWS really takes up vital part in military message passing which enables certainty and safety of messages by dodging changes created to data that is collected in blocks. AWS needs the access where each user is an authorized user. In this paper we will be proposing different cryptographic techniques along with AWS technology to ensure safe and secure passage of messages between different teams in the defence sector.

Механизмы психологической защиты и ее доминирующие стратегии в общении у старшеклассников и студентов-первокурсников

The study of psychological defense mechanisms is relevant due to their significance in the development of personality self-regulation as well as their importance in teaching and personal development of high school students and university students. The objective of the study is to identify and compare the features of psychological defense and its dominant communication strategies in high school students and first-year students. The theoretical analysis of the problem showed that it is insufficiently studied. The research hypothesizes that psychological defense of high school students and university students has a similar character, since they can be attributed to the same age group. The study involved high school students of comprehensive schools (n=50, aged 16-17, 30 of them were boys and 20 were girls) and first-year university students (n=100, aged 17-19, 65 of them were boys and 35 were girls) living in the city of Bryansk. To identify the most common types of psychological defense, the “Life Style Index” methodology was used (R. Plutchik, G. Kellerman, H. R. Conte); the study of psychological defense strategies was conducted using the questionnaire “Diagnosis of the dominant strategy of psychological defense in communication” (V. V. Boyko). The obtained data indicate that the manifestation of different types of psychological defense and their dominant communication strategies in the two groups of subjects has a similar character. Statistically significant differences between the indicators (according to the F-test) were not found either, which emphasizes that the subjects belong to the same psychological age – youth. Indeed, the mechanisms of regression and displacement are the center of psychological defense in high school students, and displacement is dominant in university students. The data also show that such psychological defense strategies as placidity and withdrawal (avoidance) prevail in adolescence. The research has revealed significant correlation between non-constructive defense communication strategies and immature, non-adaptive types of psychological defense in high school students and university students. The gathered data contribute to a more complete understanding of the patterns of behavior self-regulation in senior schoolchildren and first-year students. The results can be used in counseling and psychocorrective work of a psychologist, as well as in the process of teaching and personal development of high school students and university students.

Insect Herbivory on Main Stem Enhances Induced Defense of Primary Tillers in Rice (Oryza sativa L.).

Clonal plants are interconnected to form clonal plant networks with physiological integration, enabling the reassignment as well as sharing of resources among the members. The systemic induction of antiherbivore resistance via clonal integration may frequently operate in the networks. Here, we used an important food crop rice (Oryza sativa), and its destructive pest rice leaffolder (LF; Cnaphalocrocis medinalis) as a model to examine defense communication between the main stem and clonal tillers. LF infestation and MeJA pretreatment on the main stem for two days reduced the weight gain of LF larvae fed on the corresponding primary tillers by 44.5% and 29.0%, respectively. LF infestation and MeJA pretreatment on the main stem also enhanced antiherbivore defense responses in primary tillers: increased levels of a trypsin protease inhibitor, putative defensive enzymes, and jasmonic acid (JA), a key signaling compound involved in antiherbivore induced defenses; strong induction of genes encoding JA biosynthesis and perception; and rapid activation of JA pathway. However, in a JA perception OsCOI RNAi line, LF infestation on main stem showed no or minor effects on antiherbivore defense responses in primary tillers. Our work demonstrates that systemic antiherbivore defense operate in the clonal network of rice plants and JA signaling plays a crucial role in mediating defense communication between main stem and tillers in rice plants. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for the ecological control of pests by using the systemic resistance of cloned plants themselves.

Putting on the Blitz: Urgency and Department of Defense Communications in Times of Budget Shortfall

The existing theories of interaction between Congress and the Department of Defense (DOD) focus on elite-level principle-actor problems. However, the Department, as one of the most popular institutions in the United States, also has significant public appeal and maintains an active public affairs arm. This article builds on theories of bureaucratic reputation to argue that the DOD uses its public communications to advocate for its own budget. I leverage computerized text analysis to examine over 40,000 public facing documents published by the DOD since 2005. I find evidence that the DOD changed both the timing and the content of its public-facing communications to strategically argue for its budget. This is true during large budgetary shifts (like the U.S. budget sequester) and during the period of the year that the budget is under debate.

A Review of SATis5: Perspectives on Commercial and Defense 5G SATCOM Integration

This review provides a comprehensive review of past and existing works on 5G systems with a laser focus on 5G Satellite Integration (SATis5) for commercial and defense applications. The holistic survey approach is used to gain an in-depth understanding of 5G-Terrestrial Network (5G-TN), 5G-Non-Terrestrial Network (5G-NTN), SATis5 testbeds, and projects along with related SATis5 architectures. Based on the survey results, the review provides (i) outlook perspectives on potential SATis5 architectures for current and future integrated defense and commercial satellite communication (SATCOM) with 5G systems, and (ii) a thorough understanding of problems associated with anticipated outlooks and corresponding studies addressing these problems. The commercial SATis5 architectures discussed here can be extended to civilian SATCOM applications.

Coordinated Singing in Coppery Titi Monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus): Resource or Mate Defense?

Coordinated singing, performed as duets by mated pairs and often joined by offspring to form choruses, is a distinctive behavioral attribute of the social system of pair-living and pair-bonded Neotropical titi monkeys. Duets and choruses are presumed to be associated with mate or territorial defense, but no consensus has yet been reached regarding their function. Here, we examined temporal and spatial patterns of coordinated singing in eight wild groups of coppery titi monkeys, Plecturocebus cupreus, in Peruvian Amazonia to test predictions of the joint resource and mate defense. We investigated singing rates in relation to female reproductive state, fruit consumption and demographic context using a dataset based on 227 observation days and analyzed temporal and spatial distribution of songs using a dataset based on 150 songs, collected between June 2017 and September 2021. Titi monkeys sang least frequently when females were likely to be sexually receptive and most frequently when females were likely to be pregnant. Groups also sang slightly more often when fruits were consumed more intensively, although this association did not reach statistical significance. The duration of songs was not associated with female reproductive state or fruit consumption, but songs were longer during inter-group encounters compared to non-encounter contexts. Songs were not concentrated in the core areas of home ranges; rather, they were distributed throughout the home ranges in concordance with its use. Finally, songs were concentrated around dawn. Our results provide support for a function in joint resource defense and inter-group communication of coordinated songs in coppery titi monkeys. The function of coordinated songs for mate defense in the form of paternity guarding, on the other hand, was not supported by our findings.

Managing Medical Errors in a University Hospital: How to Handle the Internal Learning–External Protection Paradox?

Hospitals are looking to strengthen their safety culture by learning internally from medical errors that occur to prevent them from happening again. This implies creating an atmosphere of psychological safety that encourages errors to be reported. Only open communication from teams can help to improve practices. Also, many establishments have implemented no-punishment charters, creating a policy of tolerance of errors. However, a medical error can become a legal issue. The fact that a court of law can use anything hospital staff have said or written after an adverse event has occurred encourages defensive communication to protect oneself from outside stakeholders. To date, the literature on medical errors has not studied how hospitals overcome this contradiction. In this qualitative research, we use paradox theory in the case of a single university hospital to understand how a hospital confronted with medical errors can effectively manage the internal learning–external protection paradox. A deeper study of this specific context also allows us to supplement the literature on organizational paradoxes. We demonstrate how the interactions between different levels of analysis contribute to operationalizing paradox management in a dynamic and characteristic way, on the one hand, and what makes it effective, on the other hand.

Analysis of user pairing non-orthogonal multiple access network using deep Q-network algorithm for defense applications

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) networks play an important role in defense communication scenarios. Deep learning (DL)-based solutions are being considered as viable ways to solve the issues in fifth-generation (5G) and beyond 5G (B5G) wireless networks, since they can provide a more realistic solution in the real-world wireless environment. In this work, we consider the deep Q-Network (DQN) algorithm-based user pairing downlink (D/L) NOMA network. We have applied the convex optimization (CO) technique and optimized the sum rate of all the wireless users. First, the near-far (N-F) pairing and near-near and far-far (N-N and F-F) pairing strategies are investigated for the multiple numbers of users, and a closed-form (CF) expression of the achievable rate is derived. After that, the optimal power allocation (OPA) factors are derived using the CO technique. Through simulations, it has been demonstrated that the DQN algorithms perform much better than the deep reinforcement learning (DRL) and conventional orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) schemes. The sum-rate performance significantly increases with OPA factors. The simulation results are in close agreement with the analytical results.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Fault location measurement of sensor nodes based on fuzzy control algorithm

The sensor nodes are devices with extra capabilities of sensing, communicating and processing of the recorded data. The sensor-based wireless and IoT-enabled networks can contribute a precarious part of army command, defense control, defense communications, computerized based intelligence and surveillance, and above all the targeting systems. Examples of defense applications include monitoring of own army forces and enemy forces; monitoring of ammunition, monitoring of equipment, targeting at certain regions; and nuclear as well as biotechnology-based attack detection. With the advent of AI and latest technologies, a technical paradigm shift can be seen in monitoring the faults in sensor nodes that are capable to collect the data and entire decisions are inferred on the basis of this data. By deploying sensors in critical areas, all the movements can be followed in detail. Hence, instant fault location measurement of sensor nodes with the least complex approaches is the need of the hour. Therefore, a novel soft computing-based approach is proposed in this paper for measuring the fault in locations of sensor-based networks using fuzzy logic and neural networks with high accuracy. The proposed technique allows lower consumption of energy while locating the faults. The results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed fault location scheme with respect to the network node loss, measurement error, and measurement time taken for detecting faults in locations of sensor nodes. The proposed fuzzy and neural network-based method outperforms the existing benchmarked techniques considered for comparative study.

Examination of B-M. Koltès’ Play Tabataba in Communicative Perspective Using Dramatic Method

We tried to analyse the dramatic discourse between two people formed by “monologuedialogue” in French writer Bernard-Marie Koltès’s play Tabataba, and this analysis is based on the communication model of Roman Jakobson. We have explained the concepts of addresser, addressee, context, message, contact and code in this theory. Then we have described referential function, poetic function, emotive function, conative function, phatic function and metalingual function of the language one by one. In our four-part study we have interpreted the complaints of the siblings about each other and their expectations from each other in terms of the functions of the language. We have separated those interpretations as dramatic exposition, dramatic node, dramatic resolution and analysis of dramatic deep structure sections. We tackled said steps by reflecting defensive communication and open communication in the context of judgemental/introductory, supervisory/problem-oriented, planned/unplanned, unconcerned/understanding, superior/egalitarian and certain/empirical attitudes. In the analysis of the dramatic deep structure, based on the findings we have obtained, we found that the heroes have invisible wishes behind their apparent wishes and that they hide those wishes in their subconscious. We analysed this communication process between siblings in line with the model, then in the light of the data displayed with open communication, we analysed the messages of the subtext that emerged in closed communication. Therefore, based on the communication model theory, we moved the dramatic text to an implementation format using discursive analysis.

Guarding Vibrations-Axestotrigona ferruginea Produces Vibrations When Encountering Non-Nestmates.

Simple SummaryStingless bees visit flowers to collect pollen and nectar which is stored in their nest. These stores are highly valuable and help the colony to overcome times of resource scarcity. The bees protect the collected nectar and pollen against robbers of all kind. It should be advantageous for a colony if it can recognize intruders and chase them away. In this context, the communication with nestmates might be crucial. The most important signals that stingless bees use are chemicals and vibrations. Communication between nestmates has been mostly studied in the context of foraging. Little is known about communication in the context of defense. We tested if vibrational signals play a role in nest defense and nestmate recognition of the African stingless bee Axestotrigona ferruginea. Stingless bees produce distinct vibrations in the context of foraging and guarding. Foraging vibrations most likely contain food source information whereas guarding vibrations might be used to alarm nestmates.Flower visiting stingless bees store collected pollen and nectar for times of scarcity. This stored food is of high value for the colony and should be protected against con- and heterospecifics that might rob them. There should be high selective pressure on the evolution of mechanisms to discriminate nestmates from non-nestmates and to defend the nest, i.e., resources against intruders. Multimodal communication systems, i.e., a communication system that includes more than one sensory modality and provide redundant information, should be more reliable than unimodal systems. Besides olfactory signals, vibrational signals could be used to alert nestmates. This study tests the hypothesis that the vibrational communication mode plays a role in nest defense and nestmate recognition of Axestotrigona ferruginea. Substrate vibrations induced by bees were measured at different positions of the nest. The experiments show that guarding vibrations produced in the entrance differ in their temporal structure from foraging vibrations produced inside the nest. We show that guarding vibrations are produced during non-nestmate encounters rather than nestmate encounters. This further supports the idea that guarding vibrations are a component of nest defense and alarm communication. We discuss to whom the vibrations are addressed, and what their message and meaning are.