Military Environment Research Articles

Military Effectiveness and Naval Warfare

Military effectiveness created a growth in political science literature. However, this work focused overwhelmingly on continental warfare. China’s rise highlights naval warfare. Do the central findings of the literature hold for war at sea? We explore this question by comparing naval and land combat patterns via a new dataset on interstate surface naval battles fought between 1649 and 1988. We find essential differences deriving from the contrasting nature of the sea and land as military environments, which have made naval outcomes more sensitive to materiel, quicker, and more one-sided. There are, however, also important similarities involving material–nonmaterial interactions. These features pose important implications for policy on future anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) warfare in East Asia, the balance of investment in skill and materiel in naval resource allocation, and research on military effectiveness.

Body dysmorphic disorder, muscle dysmorphia, weight and shape dissatisfaction and the use of appearance-enhancing drugs in the military: a systematic review

BackgroundBody dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and muscle dysmorphia (MD) are common but often underdiagnosed disorders. These disorders have rarely been explored in the context of military personnel by mental health researchers...

'Probably just sexism'- gendered experiences of resource access in rugby.

Research pertaining to the experiences of women in rugby is scarce, which, coupled with the limited visibility of the sport and difficulty accessing resources, suggest that women's rugby remains undervalued. Indeed, evidence of such gender inequalities remains largely anecdotal, with little rigorous research undertaken to understand the perspectives of women in rugby. This study aimed to explore the experiences of a diverse cohort of rugby players in relation to their participation in the sport and their ability to access resources. Twenty UK-based rugby players (10 men, 9 women and 1 non-binary person aged 29.1 ± 8.3 years) from school, university, club, military, and semi-professional environments, volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews (36 ± 12 minutes) discussing their rugby experiences in relation to their gender and playing level. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and a reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken. A widespread under-prioritisation of women in rugby was highlighted. Gender biases were apparent in access to changing rooms, pitches, quality coaches, and playing opportunities, and were reportedly propagated at the managerial level. Irrespective of gender, some amateur players reported difficulty accessing a suitable rugby environment. Insufficient player numbers precluded the formation of second teams, often resulting in inexperienced players competing beyond their ability. Women's rugby players experienced considerable gender bias. This exploratory study highlights a need to address such issues to protect player welfare. Interventions to change the culture in rugby clubs and increased representation of women in managerial positions in rugby are recommended to enact meaningful change.

Pottery and Social Practice: Between Home and Abroad

This article aims to explore the uses of material culture and their relevance to identity formation. The premise is applied specifically to the moving auxilia, in order to observe the effects of movement and transfers on the selection and consumption of material culture within the military environment. It is common knowledge that pottery supply and use within the Roman military were to an extent governed by specific state-controlled supply routes and contracts, meaning that the same pottery styles could have been observed at different forts from different regions. Nonetheless, the cultural side of demand should not be overlooked as it may have tailored supply differently to various regions depending on the preferences in the area. Similarly, auxiliary units transferred from home may have preserved some of their familiar pottery styles and reproduce them upon arrival to the new territory. This article will explore the ways pottery was employed at locations associated with Batavian auxilia in order to capture their image construction between home and abroad. Once removed from their core territory and placed in a new environment with new norms in terms of material culture and even dressing and addressing one another, how did their consumption adapt to the area and to which extent did it keep a unique character? The main case-study explored in this paper is Războieni in order to assess the pottery consumption patterns of Batavian auxilia abroad in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.

Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in women of the Czech Republic Armed Forces: a cross-sectional pilot study

IntroductionSexually transmitted infections (STIs) are an everlasting health issue globally. The military environment is recognised as a high-risk setting. Human papillomavirus (HPV), Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are the most...

Barodontalgia and its implications for Navy divers and dentists: A narrative review.

One of the responsibilities of Spanish Navy Dentists is to carry out dental examinations to military divers. Diving is considered an elite activity and carries a high risk of different pathologies, including barodontalgia which is an oral pain induced by atmospheric pressure changes. This study aims to conduct a narrative review on barodontalgia and its implications for divers and Navy dentists. A search was carried out in Pubmed-MEDLINE, Embase and Scielo for all types of articles that explained and related barodontalgia to divers and their diving activities. Barodontalgia is a rare pathology, but with a higher incidence in the military environment than in the civilian one, being more frequent in upper teeth. Its etiopathogenesis is related to how the tooth reacts to pressure changes. Depending on the time of onset and type of pain during the activity, it can be classified in different ways. The diagnosis is complicated due to the impossibility to reproduce in the dental office the conditions in which it first appeared. Military dentists must know about barodontalgia and its relationship with other oral pathologies, in order to avoid its appearance in military divers. Key words:Barodontalgia, navy dentists, military divers, scuba diving.

Scientific Communication Initiative at a Medical Military Library

Implementation of new scholarly communication library service in the digital age is characterized by the competitive forces between the old library information services and the ambiguity of future information services. This research analyzes the development process of scientific initiative and collaborative partnership in the military medical library environment aimed to enhance the quality of scientific communication and information skills in military residents and clinicians. The hindering internal and external forces and facilitators of developing and implementing scientific initiative service in the military medical library are evaluated. The environmental analysis was conducted to determine the scholarly communication needs in the scholarly military medical environment. The ambassador-based model was used for the development of scientific communication initiative (SCI) at the military medical library. The SCI consisted of two components: library information communication and scientific communication. This implementation in the military medical environment enhanced scholarly communication, research skills development, and information education. A collaborative Scientific Hub, and liaison partnerships with military graduate medical education program directors and clinicians enhanced the scientific communication and information skills in residents. The Ambassador model, used in the development of scientific initiative in academic and military environments, was valuable for developing and implementing specialized interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary information services in the academic and military environment. Higher education hierarchy, educational needs, organizational hierarchy, academic culture, and educational environment influence the implementation of information services in academic and military environments.

Introduction to special issue section: Resilience to stress and trauma within the military environment

Introduction to special issue section: Resilience to stress and trauma within the military environment

A Review of Enforcement of Military Discipline Law to Establish Professionalism of the National Army to Strengthen National Security and Resilience

AbstractLaw enforcement practices in the military environment are still not in line with sectoral egos. Law enforcement has not been able to guarantee substantive order, truth and justice. When carrying out law enforcement in the military environment, it should not only refer to normative legal rules, but what needs to be done more is to make legal breakthroughs that are more effective and efficient. The discipline of a soldier is an absolute thing that is inseparable from his duty to maintain the security of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. This study analyzes contemporary forms of threats related to security and resilience and explains the similarities and differences in national resilience studies which aim to realize a national security system and develop national security systems in other countries. This research is normative juridical research, using a statutory approach, conceptual approach, and analytical techniques in the form of grammatical interpretation and systematic interpretation. This research explains that the forms of threats that occur in Indonesia include problems at the border, intolerance between ethnicities and between governments and religions, inequality in bureaucratic reform, inadequate law enforcement, and transnational crime. This research shows that national resilience and security are influenced by the professionalism of the Indonesian National Army. The safe conditions of a country cannot be separated from just security and defense but are in synergy with other factors, namely economics, politics, law, socio-culture, ideology, geography, demography and resources

Ketamine Use for Palliative Care in the Austere Environment: Is Ketamine the Path Forward for Palliative Care.

The goal of palliative care is to focus on the holistic needs of the patient and their family versus the pathology of the patient's diagnosis to reduce the stress of illness. U.S. servicemembers deployed to austere environments worldwide have significantly less access to palliative care than in military treatment facilities in the U.S. Preparation for future conflicts introduces the concept of prolonged medical management for an environment where urgent casualty evacuation is impossible. Ketamine is currently widely used for analgesia and anesthesia in the care of military service members and its use has increased in combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan due to the favorable preservation of respiratory function, minimal changes in hemodynamics, and lower pain scores compared to opioids. Ketamine acts as a non-competitive antagonist on N-methyl-D aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Its anesthesia and analgesic effects are complex and include both presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons in brain and spinal cord. The use of palliative care to minimize suffering should not be withheld due to the logistical boundaries of austere military environments or lack of guidelines for recommended use. The use of ketamine for palliative care is a new clinical management strategy to provide both sedation and pain management for an acute pain crisis or comfort measures for the terminally ill. This makes ketamine an attractive consideration for palliative care when managing critically wounded patients for an extended time.

Anchors Aweigh! The History of Women Surgeons at Sea.

Throughout history, the maritime nations of the world have employed surgeons in sea-going service. The history of women in surgery and the military is well described, but no previous report exists describing the gender breakdown of past and current sea-going US Navy general surgeons. Using literature review, primary sources, personal interviews, and correspondence with Navy Medicine administrative leaders, this historical review describes the evolution of women providing surgical care at sea. During the 1800s and early 1900s, some of the earliest women surgeons in England, America, and Russia began their surgical careers in military service or providing combat casualty care. Women at sea served unpaid nursing roles in the 1700s and provided informal medical care in the 1800s. In 1913 and 1941, 2 different women held medical leadership roles aboard sea-going vessels. Four years after Congress allowed women to serve aboard combatant vessels, Dr Beth Jaklic became the first woman to serve as Ship's Surgeon aboard a US Navy warship in 1997. From 1997 to 2020, 19% of surgeons serving on aircraft carriers were women and one-half of the 20 general surgeons assigned to maritime surgical billets were women in 2022. War and the military environment historically have offered opportunities for women to break boundaries in the world of surgery. Navy Medicine's experience with women surgeons at sea serves as a positive example to the broader surgical community, especially "austere" practices and subspecialties with limited female representation.

Criminality of military servants of the army and other military forms of Ukraine in the conditions of russian aggression against Ukraine. Criminology aspect

The article examines the rise in criminality among military personnel within the military environment during the war in Ukraine. The increase in breaches of military discipline and law is linked to heightened mobilization demands and psychological stress on servicemen. The authors analyze statistics of military criminal offenses during a state of war and highlight the threats it poses to national security and trust in military service. The article emphasizes that a state of war is a key determinant of military crime, calling into question certain aspects of the criminological situation in Ukraine.
 The article also explores various reasons for criminal behavior among military personnel on a micro-level. These include psychological difficulties, strenuous physical demands, family upbringing, professional dissatisfaction, legal issues, and cultural factors. Individual factors also influence criminal behavior, encompassing financial hardships, psychological deviations, substance abuse, disregard for legal norms, and a lack of psychological support. The article provides statistics on criminal offenses among military personnel and underscores the increase in criminality during wartime.
 The article delves into the distinctions between military and civilian criminal offenses, emphasizing the heightened accountability of military personnel for similar actions compared to civilians. Servicemen who breach military discipline can face both disciplinary and criminal consequences, including punishments such as lifelong imprisonment and liberty restrictions. The article underscores that a state of war can lead to increased criminality among military personnel due to factors such as stress, psychological pressure, and restricted access to leisure and social services during wartime. The authors conclude that it is crucial to provide support and programs to mitigate these risks and facilitate the reintegration of military personnel after returning from conflict zones. The article underscores the need to enhance military service and elevate its prestige to ensure the professionalism of military personnel and meet the contemporary challenges of Ukraine’s foreign policy.

The Impact of Organizational Values Training on Leadership Development in Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Military Trainees

Previous researchers have studied how organizational values guide both day-to-day decision-making and long-term strategic planning in various industrial sectors. Little previous research has documented the impact of organizational values within military environments nor the effect of training on organizational values in developing leadership attributes. In this study, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) trainees participated in a study of the impact of values training on perceptions of leadership. This research sought to determine whether a focus on organizational values during initial military officer training would impact self-assessments of various elements of leadership (leadership attributes and competencies). Analyses revealed that comprehension of organizational values had few significant relationships with perceptions of leadership competencies. However, application of organizational values was found to be positively correlated with multiple leadership attributes. The length of time exposed to organizational values was not found to be related to the leadership attributes included in this study, except for the leadership attribute delegation. Taken together, the results of this research suggest that higher individual cadet ratings of organizational value comprehension and the application of organizational values are connected with more positive perceptions of multiple leadership attributes. Organizational leaders, both military and civilian, can use these findings, along with the survey instruments created for the research, to support efforts to enhance and evaluate training programs focused on the development of leadership competencies.

Cumulative Blast Impulse Is Predictive for Changes in Chronic Neurobehavioral Symptoms Following Low Level Blast Exposure during Military Training.

Cumulative low-level blast exposure during military training may be a significant occupational hazard, increasing the risk of poor long-term outcomes in brain function. US Public Law 116-92 section717 mandates that US Department of Defense agencies document the blast exposure of each Service member to help inform later disability and health care decisions. However, which empirical measures of training blast exposure, such as the number of incidents, peak overpressure, or impulse, best inform changes in the neurobehavioral symptoms reflecting brain health have not been established. This study was approved by the US Army Special Operations Command, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Using methods easily deployable across different organizational structures, this study sought to identify and measure candidate risk factors related to career occupational blast exposure predictive of changes in neurobehavioral symptom burden. Blast dosimetry-symptom relationships were first evaluated in mice and then tested in a military training environment. In mice, the righting time neurobehavioral response was measured after exposure to a repetitive low-level blast paradigm modeled after Special Operations training. In the military training environment, 23 trainees enrolled in a 6-week explosive breaching training course, 13 instructors, and 10 Service member controls without blast exposure participated in the study (46 total). All participants provided weekly Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) surveys. Peak blast overpressure, impulse, total number of blasts, Time in Low-Level Blast Occupation, and Time in Service were analyzed by Bayesian analysis of regression modeling to determine their probability of influence on the post-training symptoms reported by participants. We tested the hypothesis that cumulative measures of low-level blast exposure were predictive of changes in neurobehavioral symptoms. In mice, repetitive blast resulted in reduced righting times correlated with cumulative blast impulse. In Service members, peak blast overpressure, impulse, total number of blasts, Time in Low-Level Blast Occupation, and Time in Service all showed strong evidence of influence on NSI scores after blast exposure. However, only models including baseline NSI scores and cumulative blast impulse provided significant predictive value following validation. These results indicate that measures of cumulative blast impulse may have utility in predicting changes in NSI scores. Such paired dosimetry-symptom measures are expected to be an important tool in safely guiding Service members' occupational exposure and optimizing force readiness and lethality.

Advanced Network Intrusion Detection with TabTransformer

In today's digital era, the security of networked systems is of utmost importance amidst the increasing prevalence of cyber threats and sophisticated intrusion techniques. This paper addresses the critical need for robust network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) in today's digital landscape, amidst escalating cyber threats. Leveraging a dataset derived from a simulated military network environment, we explore various intrusion scenarios encountered in cyber warfare. Reviewing existing literature reveals a spectrum of methodologies, including anomaly-based and deep learning approaches. To enhance current methodologies, we propose a binary classification framework using TabTransformer, a transformer-based architecture, for network intrusion detection. We present detailed methodology, encompassing data preprocessing, model architecture, and evaluation metrics, with empirical results demonstrating the efficacy of our approach in mitigating cyber threats and enhancing network security.

A trace fiber population study on upholstered chairs in a military environment

This fiber population study has assessed the prevalence of the color and type of trace fibers present on upholstered seats in a specific setting to identify the most common and rare colors and to determine their evidentiary value. Nearly 22,000 fibers were collected via tape lifts from 25 fabric covered chair seats in a lobby area on Beale Air Force Base and examined microscopically to determine their apparent colors. Overall, blue and white/colorless were the most and nearly equally common colors (32.0 % and 31.5 %, respectively), followed by black/grey (19.6 %), brown (8.6 %), yellow/tan (4.9 %), and red/pink (2.5 %), while orange, purple, and green were the rarest (0.5 %, 0.3 %, and 0.3 %, respectively). Among rarest color fibers, plant-based fibers were predominant (77.7 %), consisting of mainly cotton, followed by synthetic fibers (17.4 %), then the least prevalent animal fibers (5.0 %). These color rankings align similarly to previous studies, despite the prominence of blue color fibers and higher proportions of brown and yellow/tan color fibers.

The Limits of Legal Regulation of Military Relations

The paper deals with one of the key features of the regulation of legal relations in the military environment. Those are the detailed regulation of rights, responsibilities, the execution of assigned tasks and orders. The author sees the reasons for such legal expansion in the historical tradition, i.e. fostering obedience and discipline among military personnel, guidance assistance to inexperienced commanders for them to be able to fulfill the assigned duties, as well as controllability and the intention to unify military activities in various military formations. Dysfunctional manifestations of this management style are instilling the lack of independence in decision-making, the habit of relying on superior management for all matters, the loss of initiative by subordinates, the inability to work in a team, lack of immediate response to sudden changes in the situation or non-standard situations. During military operations, these shortcomings not only reduce the effectiveness of control but are also likely to result in prevailing enemy's will, defeat, and unjustified casualties. Using particular examples of excessive regulation, the author questions the need, limits and degree of detailed legal regulation in the military environment. The paper analyzes the cases of directive control of the German Army (Auftragstaktik) and the commander's model used in respect of the subordinates with no detailed orders, with the subordinates being free to choose means and methods to achieve their goals. As measures to improve the legal regulation of the domestic military administration, the paper proposes to eliminate the legal responsibility of military commanders for deviation from detailed orders in cases they take reasonable risk and do not violate legally protected interests. The study uses the methods of formal logic, i.e. comparison, description, classification, analysis, synthesis, etc., which made it possible to characterize the essence of the legal relations under consideration and compare them with the methods of legal regulation of the relevant labor relations.

Stress in First Year Medical Cadets of Armed Forces Medical College, Bangladesh

Introduction: The journey of medical life specially in the military environment is a very stressful for medical cadets. Objectives: To determine stress in 1st year medical cadets of Armed Forces Medical College. Methods: Out of 124 medical cadets, 117 were conducted based on a well established questionnaire that included different established factors of stress. The methodology and purpose of study was well explained to all the cadets and consent was obtained. In this study, the Medical student Stressor Questionnaire with small cadetship related factor 24(MSSQ) was used to identify sources of stress. Each of the questions in this questionnaire can be a potential source of stress in cadet in his academic life. Data were analyzed with SPSS v.12. Relation between variables was assessed with chi-square test with a significance level of 0.05% Results: Of the 124 total cadets, present 117 received questionnaires and completed them returned them. Out of 117 cadets, 82(70%) were female and 117(100%) were unmarried. Moderate stress (1.87) experienced in academic factors as well social factors. Bangla medium students facing relatively more stress than English version background students. Conclusion: This finding suggests, the very medical education is full of multi varieties stressors. More so cadetship accentuates the stress further in medical life. Now the time has come to think the policy maker involved in medical education. Their realistic thinking to reorganized the curriculum according to time limit to ensure a stress free environment as much as possible in the 1st year of MBBS. JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 19, No 1 (June) 2023:15-17

Implementation Of Death Crime Executions for Class I Narcotics Distributors

The enactment of Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics, types of Psychotropics class I and class II as stated in the attachment to Law Number 5 of 1997 concerning Psychotropics have been moved to Narcotics class I in Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics and the attachment regarding types of Psychotropics class I and class II in Law Number 5 of 1997 concerning Psychotropic Substances are revoked and declared invalid. With this figure, the level of narcotics use in Indonesia is the largest in Asia. Indonesia is considered a drug emergency, the process of executing the death penalty does not have a deterrent effect on drug dealers or smugglers. The problem is, how to carry out the execution of the death penalty for class I narcotics dealers and what are the obstacles to not immediately carrying out the death penalty for class I narcotics dealers. The research method used is Empirical Normative Legal Research. In conclusion: The death penalty imposed by a court in a general court or military court environment is carried out by being shot to death. This provision does not reduce existing provisions in the criminal procedural law regarding carrying out court decisions. Based on Law No. 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics. And the factors that cause obstacles in the implementation of the death penalty include legislative factors (legal substance), law enforcement factors, means and facilities factors, and community factors.

Improving Work to Reduce Victimhood of Military Personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

The practical impact on criminal manifestations in the military environment, together with criminological, criminal law, criminal procedural, and forensic areas, is also complemented by others, including victimology . Today, the military service solves the most important state tasks and performs extremely important social functions, therefore victim behavior in the Armed Forces is a serious issue that requires resolution . Previous studies indicate that for military personnel who have been subjected to criminal attacks, the level of victimization is much greater than for others . In this regard, solving problems related to the maximum reduction in criminal and victim behavior in the army environment is a priority . The author concludes that among the effective tools for reducing victimization in the military environment, first and foremost is victimological prevention, as well as victimological forecasting, the importance of which is only increasing every year . He also convincingly proved that it is impossible to achieve a positive effect in reducing victimization in the military environment by ignoring the high-quality coordination of the activities in question, improving the legal framework for this work, scientifically based and normatively enshrined prevention of criminal processes in the troops, as well as other measures . In the future, we should strive to ensure that the victimological impact on military crime represents a set of forms and methods to prevent the victimization of the persons in question, as well as to ensure the safety of potential victims of this crime