Military Effectiveness Research Articles

Dynamic Commitment Problems and Military Effectiveness: Resolve, Adaptation, and Flexibility in the Use of Force

Dynamic Commitment Problems and Military Effectiveness: Resolve, Adaptation, and Flexibility in the Use of Force

Review of: K. Pollack. Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness

The review analyzes the recent book written by an American military expert and political scientist Kenneth Pollack and entitled Armies of the Sand: Past, Present and Future of the Effectiveness of Arab Armies. The author of the monograph has been studying Arab armies and Middle East conflicts for more than 30 years and had previously published several papers that consider the military organization of different countries in the region. In this book, Pollak seeks to summarize long-standing discussions that consider the reasons for the low military effectiveness of the Arab armies after the Second World War. The author consistently examines four principal arguments that seek to explain the reasons for the failures of the Arab armies on the battlefield (the influence of the Soviet military doctrine, politicization, the level of socio-economic development, culture). For each of the hypotheses, Pollack selects the most representative examples from the history of military operations carried out by the Arab armies after 1945. In doing so the researcher tries to prove or disprove the hypotheses. To better substantiate his conclusions Pollack also examines whether non-Arab armies that presumably faced the same difficulties as the Arab ones also performed poorly on the battlefield. The author concludes that Arab culture has been the most influential factor that prevented Arab armies from winning wars.

Fratricidal Coercion in Modern War

Does the threat or use of violence against one's own soldiers make them more willing to perform their duties in battle? Existing theories largely dismiss this kind of fratricidal coercion as ineffective or obsolete, suggesting that positive inducements like ideology, material rewards, and primary group bonds drive soldiers' behavior. We argue instead that fratricidal coercion can improve soldier compliance, reducing wartime desertions, missing in action, premature surrender, and other forms of indiscipline. Yet it also places soldiers at greater risk of physical harm, and potentially impedes an army’s ability to inflict costs on enemy forces. To test our claims, we use a three-pronged empirical strategy that draws on (1) a monthly panel dataset of 609 Soviet Rifle Divisions in 1941--45, built from 34 million personnel files; (2) a close-range paired comparison of two Rifle Divisions selected via matching; and (3) 526 land battles (1939--2011) to assess the cross-national generalizability of these micro-level findings. Fratricidal coercion improves soldier compliance across all of these samples, but at the cost of higher casualties. These findings highlight the need to bring coercion back into our theories of combat motivation and military effectiveness.

ТЕОРЕТИКО-МЕТОДИЧНІ ЗАСАДИ НАВЧАННЯ ВІЙСЬКОВО-СПЕЦІАЛЬНИХ ДИСЦИПЛІН МАГІСТРІВ ВІЙСЬКОВО-СОЦІАЛЬНОГО УПРАВЛІННЯ:ЕКСПЕРИМЕНТАЛЬНЕ ДОСЛІДЖДЕННЯ

Introduction. Experimental research was reviewed and way of a scertaining and generating experiment was exposed concerning introducing technique of development of military and special competence of master sofmilitary and social management based onthe grounds of the content presentation in the process of teaching military and special disciplines. Purpose. The a imof generating experiment was toexamine effective nessof the teaching military special disciplinest echniqueof masters of military and social management. Methods. Authenticity of the got results is well-proven by means of methods of mathematical statistics.Results. The article presents tages of organizing and conducting a pedagogical experiment and the resultsof development of military and special competence of mastersof military and social management base don the ground sofve rsatilestructural and functional techniqueof a content presentation in the process of teaching military and special disciplines. Aiming to very fying maturitylevel of military and special competen ceofmastersof military and social management, we haved evelopedan experimental research program. In 2016-2019 ascert aining and generating experiments were conducted in the National Defence University of Ukrainen amed after Ivan Cherniakhovskyi, the National Academy of the National Guardof Ukraine, the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukrainen amed after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. Ascer taining experiment in cluded the following stages: – determinati on of accuracy; – determination of the currentstate of the teaching military and special disciplines of masters of military and social management; – development of researchhypo thesis.In the control groupeducation of the future master sof military and socialmanage ment was conducted under traditional technique of teaching military and special disciplines whilein the experimental groupanin novation techniqueof the content presentationin the processof teaching military and special disciplines was applied. There sultsofex perimental research of special military competence development in the process of teaching military and special disciplines for student of ficersin the higher military educational in stitutions were summarized; a level of maturity of special military competence of masters of military-social management was analysed. There sults of generating experiment in the control and experimental groups in dicated advantages of military and special competencete chnique effectiveness of the student off icersin the experimental group. Originalit. Results of the experimental researchindicate that in troduction of the applied techniqueduring educational processin the higher military educational in stitutions improve smaturity of military and special competence of masters of military and social management. Conclusion Experimental study confirmsourhypothesisthat effectiveness of professionalactivity of masters of military and socialmanagementis higherif directive military and special competence development basedon competent approach and introduction of the applied techniquein to the educational processin the higher military educational in stitutionstakeplace.

II. DÜNYA SAVAŞI DÖNEMİ VOGUE DERGİ KAPAKLARINDAKİ KADIN İMGESİ VE GİYİM ANLAYIŞI ÜZERİNE GÖSTERGEBİLİMSEL BİR ÇÖZÜMLEME

Moda yalnızca estetik bir anlayış biçimi olmayıp aynı zamanda güçlü yan anlamlar içeren, birçok alandan etkilenerek şekil alan ve sürekli değişen sosyo-kültürel bir olgudur. Özellikle büyük krizlerin yaşandığı savaş yıllarının moda ve giyim üzerindeki etkisi, kadın giyimindeki biçimsel ve estetik dönüşümün yanısıra zorunlu sosyolojik bir takım etkileri de beraberinde getirmiştir. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı Vogue dergisinin II. Dünya Savaşı dönemi kapaklarının göstergebilimsel açıdan incelenerek, savaşın kadın imajı, moda ve giyim üzerindeki yansımasını araştırmaktır. Aynı zamanda modanın sembolik ve yananlamlarla birlikte, dönemin etkisiyle nasıl şekillendiği belirlenmeye çalışılmıştır. Çalışmanın evreni II. Dünya Savaşı döneminde yayımlanmış olan 143 adet Vogue dergi kapağından oluşmaktadır. Örneklemi ise, özellikle Amerika’nın savaşta etkin olduğu 1942, 1943 ve 1944 yıllarından bir adet olmak üzere toplam üç adet dergi kapağı, amaçlı örnekleme yönetemiyle belirlenmiştir. Çalışmada Vogue dergi kapakları göstergebilimsel açıdan Roland Barthes’ın anlamlandırma şeması üzerinden incelenmiş, kapakta yer alan kadın fotoğraflarının yananlamları kültürel kodlar üzerinden, yazılı göstergeler ise kapak üzerindeki sloganlar incelenerek yorumlanmıştır. Dönemin moda ve giyim anlayışı üzerindeki etkisi ise metinlerarasılık kuramından modaya uyarlanarak Th. F. Broden tarafından oluşturulan giysilerarasılık kuramı üzerinden incelenmiştir. Sonuç olarak Vogue dergi kapaklarında kadın imgesinin; vatansever, yardımsever, barışçıl, fedakâr, en az erkekler kadar savaş döneminde etkin ve söz sahibi, göreve hazır, güçlü bir kadın profili yansıtıldığı görülmüştür. Savaşın kadın giyimi üzerinde büyük etkisi olduğu, sivil kıyafetlerde dahi haki, “Kızıl Haç’’ ve Amerikan bayrağı yansıtımı olarak beyaz, kırmızı, lacivert renklerinin kullanıldığı, özellikle ceket ve şapkalarda askeri üniforma etkilerinin görüldüğü, saç, makyaj ve aksesuarlarla birlikte maskülen ve feminen etkinin dengelendiği saptanmıştır.

How leaders’ experiences and rebellion shape military recruitment during civil war

The use of forced recruitment strategies during war can adversely affect military effectiveness and human rights. Given these costs, under what conditions do state leaders adopt coercive recruitment during civil wars? We find that between 1980 and 2009, states changed their recruitment practices 140 times during civil wars – half of which were towards coercive recruitment. Since structuralist explanations focus on factors that remain more or less constant over time, they cannot explain the frequency of these changes. Instead, we focus on individual-level factors and argue that leaders’ dispositions as risk-takers determine their beliefs about using force to solve collective action dilemmas during civil wars. Further, conflict context matters for leaders’ recruitment decisions – when rebel groups engage in coercive recruitment, leaders may also feel more justified in using such strategies. Using the LEAD Dataset and data on recruitment, we find that risk-tolerant leaders, including those who have had careers in the security sector, as well as those who have prior experience as a rebel or revolutionary leader, are more likely to use force to increase recruitment. While we theorize that this effect may be mitigated by combat experience, the evidence is mixed. Lastly, we find that rebels’ use of forced recruitment makes state leaders less likely to use voluntary recruitment.

The role of change management in improving policy effectiveness in the SANDF

Armed forces the world over have three primary functions – force development, force deployment and force employment. Defence policy plays a guiding role in all of these, but it is especially important in establishing the rationale for the creation of credible military deterrence. Usually, a defence policy presupposes the development of armed forces that are effective at executing their mandate, a condition that is measurablein terms of the discipline, skill and quality of the organisation. The study on which this article reports, used this concept to describe how change management – especially by focusing on incorporating effective prioritisation – could enhance the current defence policy. A general analysis of South African defence policy publications indicates that, indeed, the policymakers had thoroughly considered the effectiveness of the armed forces when they wrote the White Paper on Defence of 1996 and the Defence Review of 1998. By 2006, the South African Army had interpreted national defence policy and formulated a future strategy of its own very much in alignment with the ‘modern system’ approach of the original policy publications. The present study suggests that the principal reason for the large variance between defence policy, military capabilities, and real operational demands stems from the lack of effective prioritisation of defence. This article, therefore, concludes that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been largely unsuccessful in complying with the demands of defence policy, irrespective of the fact that the policy by itselfmay be obsolete and/or inappropriate for the South African context. Furthermore, it is concluded that military effectiveness in meeting current operational demands is also doubtful. Finally, the schizophrenic organisational culture of the defence force may be the primary cause of its moving ever closer to reneging on its constitutional mandate.

21 years of Polish military NATO membership - glass half empty

After the accession to NATO, Polish military should have adapted to new realities but the process coincided with changes of the security environment and NATO strategic reorientation. In order to meet expectations and contribute to Allied requirements, Polish Armed Forces faced the dilemma of keeping balance between transformation, the forces numerical decrease and modernization of the inventory. Due to the choice of direction with the focus on the capability problems, the change has not brought expected effect until now. Applying existing terminology and notions, the article examines discrepancy between perceptions of the NATO accession and the state of the military effectiveness in the face of deepening Polish - American military strategic partnership.

The Role of Polish Armed Forces in the Fight Against Epidemiological Threats (SARS-Cov-2)

First, the authors will refer to the general tasks that the armed forces are faced with in connection with the epidemiological threat. Then, the tasks and areas of Polish soldiers' involvement during the fight against the pandemic will be presented. Further, the impact of the existing threat on the functioning of the armed forces will be analyzed. Finally, based on the analyses carried out, conclusions will be drawn to boost the readiness for epidemiological threats, allowing the appropriate state security level to be achieved more effectively. The appearance of SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus, causing the COVID-19 disease in Poland, was a new and unprecedented threat posing an enormous challenge to the state security management system. Therefore, the armed forces have been involved in the fight to stop the pandemic quickly and efficiently. Primarily, the services of territorial defense forces, operational forces, and cadets were relied upon. Soldiers support the health service, carry out preventive measures, and monitor and control national borders. They participate in mitigating the effects of the crisis and in strengthening the resilience of local communities. They support the activities of local government and sanitary institutions. The evolving pandemic has become a test of military units' effectiveness and readiness taking part in the fight. military units' effectiveness and readiness taking part in the fight. This allows us to draw conclusions that are significant for the armed forces' on-going operations and define future directions concerning modernization and development.

Щодо можливості застосування кластерного підходу під час розроблення та виробництва озброєння та військової техніки в Україні

У статті висвітлено сучасний стан та проблеми створення та організації серійного виробництва нових зразків озброєння та військової техніки для Збройних Сил України. На основі аналізу виробничо-економічних процесів та форм організації виробництва в оборонній промисловості окремих країн світу розкрито сутність, переваги й шляхи реалізації кластерного підходу, що може бути застосований під час розроблення та серійного виробництва нових зразків озброєння та військової техніки в Україні. Запропоновано загальну структуру такого кластеру, деталізовано порядок його створення та принципи функціонування, а також можливий вплив на підвищення ефективності реалізації програм технічного оснащення Збройних Сил України.

The Effect of Ration Military Supplemented with Functional Food on Cardiopulmonary Endurance in Military Athletes: a Randomized, Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

The Effect of Ration Military Supplemented with Functional Food on Cardiopulmonary Endurance in Military Athletes: a Randomized, Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Methods to measure and track population perception and support within a manual wargame

The outcomes of military campaigns depend to a large extent on the support of local and other wider population groups, so it is important to understand their perceptions. Here we briefly describe the approach used to represent support for organizations and factions in a professional wargame designed to represent military campaigns. This specific approach was developed originally using a simple marker track system that used a basic quantified set of relationships between military campaign effects and changes to the track levels. This marker track system was developed for military campaign wargames in the UK as a means to portray support or dissent in population groups relevant to the operations, but there was originally no mechanism to drive changes other than by expert judgment. Our improved approach continues the use of marker tracks but attempts to develop a more defensible method based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs for linking events to changes and levels on the tracks. We conducted experiments to quantify the relative importance of each element in Maslow’s hierarchy. We then continued by conducting a further experiment to identify the impact of a set of effects seen in a wargame against the Maslow elements. This has led to a set of quantified scores that may be used to drive the modifications to the marker tracks when wargame events occur. These scores are based on our initial experiments and may be updated for a specific application, perhaps for a specific setting or location in the world. The revised or enhanced approach aims to produce a transparent solution that can be understood by a military or security analyst, thus facilitating refinement, updating, and change.

Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum atomica

ABSTRACT Is it coherent to defend nuclear deterrence from an ethical and just-war point of view, given the likely devastating effects of an actual nuclear exchange? This article holds that the salutary effects of successful deterrence are so substantial that, given the state of the world today, such deterrence does abide by the proportionality criterion of the just war tradition when considered against the direct political effects of deterrence, not the military effects of detonations. This article further explores why such salutary political effects are likely to remain viable in the twenty-first century, given both technical and political developments. The article also explores some of the main arguments against nuclear deterrence derived from the Cold War and considers to what extent they are relevant today.

Research on Effectiveness Evaluation Method of Weapon Equipment

Due to the wide application of high and new technology in weapons and equipment, modern weapons present the characteristics of complexity and systematization, and their effectiveness analysis and evaluation are paid more and more attention, which has become an arduous and urgent task in the research of weapon equipment system. Only by using scientific methods and technology to evaluate the effectiveness of various types of weapons and equipment, can we have a profound understanding of the characteristics and application value of weapons and equipment, ensure that the army can give full play to the operational potential of weapons and equipment, improve the operational efficiency, and explore the correct direction of the construction and development of weapons and equipment. Therefore, systematic research on weapon equipment effectiveness evaluation method is a necessary way for every military equipment effectiveness researcher to seek effective and accurate quantitative analysis of weapon equipment effectiveness method.

The long-term effects of mandatory military on health outcomes

Abstract Introduction In the past many young men spent a period of time in military service. To enter in the military service the person should pass a health visit where the physical and mental health conditions were verified. We focus our analysis on the Italian military service that was stopped to be mandatory in 2004, to explore if health visits during the military service have effects in preventing future illnesses. To do that we compare health outcomes of the cohort of Italian people born in 1985 and in 1987, i.e. before and after the suppression of the mandatory military service, respectively. Methods Data on demographic characteristics of men potentially enrolling the last compulsory military visit and the one after the abrogation were obtained from the Italian National Statistics Institute. For health outcomes, we obtained for the same population the health records of hospital admissions from 2007 to 2017. A difference-in-difference analysis was performed to calculate whether the probability of being differed among the two cohorts of people. Results A total of 215,081 males born in 1985 and 210,616 males born in 1987 were admitted to hospital in the period 2007-2017. A decreasing trend from 2007 to 2017 in overall hospitalization rates were observed for both cohorts of 1987 (1.26 to 1.15) and 1985 (1.22 to 1.13). The regression model showed a significant lower probability for the 1985 cohort, respect to the 1987, of being admitted for an infectious or parasite disease (coefficient -0.83; 95% CI: -1.15 - -0.51) and for tumours (coefficient = -0.83, 95% CI:-1.57 - -0.09) Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study that attempted to quantify the potential preventive impact in the male population of the physical examination during the mandatory military visit. With an age difference of 2 years between the 2 cohorts, the results show a significant reduction in terms of hospital admission for certain types of health conditions Key messages The mandatory military service was helpful in detecting certain diseases whose diagnosis would otherwise be delayed or undetected. Physical and mental examinations for mandatory military service, could see how a potential screening programme of prevention among young men.

Analysis of the Khmer Walled Defensive System of Vimayapura (Phimai City, Thailand): Symbolism or Military Effectiveness?

This article analyses the walled defensive system of the Khmer city centre of Vimayapura (modern Phimai, Thailand) to evaluate the theoretical level of military effectivity of both the walls and the moats against potential attackers, considering their technical characteristics and the enemy’s weapons. We also study the layout of the urban enceinte, the constructive material, the gateways as well as weakness and strengths of the stronghold and the symbolic, monumental and ornamental functions in the overall role of the walls. Based on comparisons with similar cases, as well as in situ observations of the archaeological remains and a bibliographical research, our study reveals that the stonewalls were not designed primarily to resist military attacks. Instead, the army, the moat, and possibly the embankments and/or palisades would have been the first lines of defence of the city.

EVALUATING SOUTHEAST ASIAN MILITARY CAMOUFLAGE DESIGNS USING CAMOUFLAGE SIMILARITY INDEX (CSI)

Military camouflage plays a critical survivability component of the front-line soldiers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the existing military camouflage effectiveness across Southeast Asian countries using Camouflage Similarity Index (CSI). CSI is a color-based image algorithm based on CIELAB color space. The value ranges from 0 to 1 and the best value 0 is achieved if the selected camouflage perfectly blends with the selected background. 10 existing military camouflage designs across Southeast Asian countries were evaluated under 7 different locations (20x50 pixels) from 1 selected woodland background. Each location had different L*, a*, and b* values. Post-hoc Tukey test showed that there was no significant difference between camouflage, indicating that the existing Southeast Asian Military camouflage had equal effectiveness of concealment on the selected woodland background. This study represents the first attempt to investigate the effectiveness of Southeast Asian military camouflages. The results of this study could be very beneficial for Southeast Asian military organizations, academicians, and camouflage manufacturer in terms of finding the enhanced direction from the current design which subsequently enhances the survivability of the front-line soldiers.

Conceptualising the quiet revolution: the post-Fordist revolution in western military logistics

ABSTRACT There is growing evidence that simultaneous to the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), a less obvious, but equally profound, Revolution in Military Logistics (RML) has occurred that shapes and underpins western military effectiveness. However, there has been no conceptualisation of this RML nor its wider effect on Western force structures. This article addresses this gap in the security literature. Using an interdisciplinary literature review and case studies, it makes two central contributions: first, it details how western military logistics systems and practises have transformed following post-Fordist principles in the last two decades. In doing so, second, it contributes a major new conceptual framework to the military logistics and security studies literature. Finally, the implications of these processes for military effectiveness are examined, with the conclusion asserting that the cumulative effect of this post-Fordist RML has potentially increased western militaries’ strategic vulnerability.

Why Governments Have Their Troops Trained Abroad: Evidence from Latin America

AbstractWhy do governments send their soldiers abroad for military training? Governments frequently expose their troops to training offered by other countries, although this may undermine military control and even lead to coups. Focusing on the demand side of security assistance, I argue that governments accept these costs to achieve diplomatic and military goals. Governments first send some soldiers abroad to substantiate their cooperation with the host country. Once this diplomatic commitment is made, governments increase training rates to counter threats using military skills unavailable at home. I test both arguments by studying training patterns at the most notorious US training facility: the School of the Americas. Using original data based on more than 60,700 course attendance records between 1946 and 2004, I find support for the proposed diplomatic and military logics of foreign training. Governments were more likely to send soldiers to the school after they had aligned their foreign policy with that of the United States, and only increased training in response to insurgent attacks. The findings demonstrate why and when governments are willing to cede significant parts of their political power to foreign-trained soldiers and other states. This has important implications for understanding military effectiveness and security cooperation.

The Paradox of Security Force Assistance after the Rise and Fall of the Islamic State in Syria–Iraq

ABSTRACT This article focuses on innovative conceptual definitions to capture the various terms and ideas that abound concerning the delivery of military assistance, aid, and training in fragile states, often subsumed under the term security force assistance (SFA). It highlights different Kurdish militias and units within the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) to demonstrate inherent problems with any SFA program. We conduct a conceptual, theoretical, and empirical analysis to evaluate variations, concluding that in these contexts the definition of success and military effectiveness is contextual, often deviating from what the providers, such as the U.S. and other nations, may desire.