Military Grounds Research Articles

Forced migration flows in Czechoslovakia due to the building of military grounds in the periodical press

The Institute of Social Sciences of the CSPS of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice is an interdisciplinary workplace of social sciences and humanities with a primary research focus on the area of Central Europe in the field of social psychology, sociology and history.

Mahatma Gandhi’s Contribution to Education

On economic, political and military grounds, India was of first rate importance to the British and education was the instrument by which they sought to maintain and strengthen their domination by experimenting with a unique model of educating an elite through a foreign language. However, contrary to the popular belief, English education was not forced on the Indians. Rich Indian citizens had actively come forward in setting up the system as the only way to modernize their society. So much time was spent in mastering English language by the Indian School boys that the main purpose of education was missed. The premium on rate learning and examinations was so high, that the growth of inquisitiveness and an experimental bent of mind, so necessary for economic development, were not cultivated. But more important was an invisible and quite change in attitudes and values of viewing education as a social welfare activity for girls and an investment for boys. As an outcome, the system concentrated on a centralized and uniform higher education

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ РОЗВИТКУ ВІЙСЬКОВОГО ТУРИЗМУ В УКРАЇНІ

The article reveals the concept of military tourism. It is determined that military tourism is tourism on the battlefields and historical battles for all concerned, as well as for veterans and relatives of fallen soldiers, visits to existing and historical military facilities and training grounds, warships, submarines, military equipment, shooting from weapons on training grounds and shooting ranges, participation in military exercises and maneuvers, stay on training grounds as spectators – military tour, these also include tours to visit military concentration camps and prisons. Scientists have identified several classifications of subspecies of military tourism. Military tourism is military-historical, arms, military tourism, military tourism. There is also another classification of the division of military tourism into military-cognitive, military-adventure tourism, military-historical reconstructions of hostilities, illegal tours directly to the zone of military conflict. According to another approach, military tourism should be divided into three functional groups, taking into account the purpose and value orientations of tourists, as well as the emotional context of the trip: military-historical tourism, military tourism and military-event tourism. The resource base of military tourism in Ukraine is represented by objects of historical and cultural heritage of the princely era, the Cossacks, as well as the First, Second World and Civil Wars in the form of remnants of fortresses, defensive ramparts, graves, monuments and memorials to fallen soldiers and fellow villagers, places of executions or battles, military history museums, relevant exhibitions and festivals, military hotels. But not only visiting historical sites related to military events includes military tourism, but also tourists often want to try to shoot with weapons, ride tanks, armored personnel carriers, helicopters, as well as life in the military and participation in military training programs. In Ukraine, only one route has been developed and operates in the Transcarpathian region. It is established that military tourism in Ukraine is not fully mastered, but at the same time promising.

Fungal elimination of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) from the soils

Abstract The analysis of microscopic fungi collection created at theDurmishidze Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology revealed 107 strains assimilating 2,4,6-TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) belonging to the different fungal genera. The strains have been isolated from the polluted areas adjacent to the military grounds and industrial waste waters. It has been shown TNT is degraded most actively by strains belonging to the following genera: Trichoderma, Aspergillus, Mucor and Trichoderma. Optimal cultivation conditions for highly active strains -the destructors of TNT have been revealed. It has been established that the carbon skeleton of TNT being utilized by the mentioned strains undergoes biotransformation. The existence of radioactive intermediates of biotransformation, organic acids (70-90%) and amino acids (10-30%) have been detected in liquid culture. Radioactive label of 1-14C-TNT is mostly found in fumaric acid, which is known as one of the main products of benzene biotransformation and further conversion into succinic acid. Remediation level of TNT-contaminated red and black soils treated by the most active strains Aspergillus nigerN2-2 and Mucor sp. T1-1 have been studied under laboratory and field conditions. Cultivation of the above mentioned strains under laboratory conditions in sterile, black and red soils for 30 days at 30°C allowed decreasing the content of TNT in black soil to the residual, and in red soil - to 15%; cultivation of Aspergillus niger N2-2 decreased the amount of TNT in black soil to 11 and in red soil - to 21%. Under field conditions, TNT degradation level in contaminated soils by naturally existing micro flora during 100 days was equal to 40-50%, and in the case of additional introduction of both fungal strains, TNT-destructors reached 80%.

Factors Influencing the Success of a Market Based Conservation Initiative to Promote Rural Land-use Compatibility

Encroachment of incompatible land uses increasingly threatens military training across the country. In many states, military training grounds are part of the rural landscape resulting in significant interest from military leadership in the maintenance and enhancement of land uses that are compatible with training operations. In the southeast, a vast majority of the rural landscape is under private ownership increasing the needs for policies that address the interests of landowners and provide meaningful incentives for maintaining land-use compatibility. Market-based conservation strategies have the potential to provide an effective means for conserving large landscapes used for military training. This issue is particularly salient in North Carolina that has an extensive military training footprint. We conducted a case study to evaluate a cross-sector partnership in the state that collaboratively developed a Market-Based Conservation Initiative Pilot to promote land use compatibility by engaging private landowners in performance-based contracts. This study determined the factors that influenced pilot project outcomes and lessons learned when developing market-based strategies that integrate military interests. Data analysis identifies five key factors that are 1) military funding authority to establish agreements, 2) development of landowner trust and program credibility, 3) military understanding the purpose and associated risks of a pilot program, 4) military perception of rural landownership patterns, and 5) institutional mandates of the Navy.

Use of Tradescantia clone 4430 for direct long-term soil mutagenicity studies

Soil mutagens permanently and directly affect terrestrial plants, soil microorganisms and invertebrates and indirectly impact vertebrate and human populations. However, the dynamic response to soil mutagens under conditions of long-term exposure has been studied insufficiently. The clonal nature of Tradescantia #4430 and the well-developed associated test systems for evaluation of genotoxicity allow investigation of the permanent effects of direct exposure to the soil not only on plants of the same genotype, but even with the same individual plants, as was done in the present study. Twenty soil samples of different origin were studied in Tradescantia after 0.5, 1 and 2 years of direct exposure to the soil, in order to examine the induction of pink cells (PC), colorless cells (CC) and branched hairs (BH). Additionally, after 0.5 years, micronucleus (MN) formation was assessed, and after 1 year, the variation of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers was evaluated. Nine soil samples were of urban origin, and the others came from different soils from former military grounds. The results of the 0.5-year exposure were compared with the effects of aqueous/DMSO extracts tested in previous work. The long-term exposure period allowed not only a better differentiation of the soils within territories, but also permitted detection of differences between soils of urban and military origin. The results also depended on the test used to evaluate genotoxicity. The ‘burst’ phenomenon, consisting of a sudden increase of BH variation and, especially, of CC, was observed only in tests of samples from several military sites, mainly after a 2-year exposure. MN formation was less frequent after 0.5 years of exposure compared with the results from aqueous extracts, and this difference was highly significant. The variation of the RAPD markers in a significant portion of the soil samples coincided with a higher level of variation according to other tests (PC, CC, BH), but predicting the genotoxicity of the soils based on their elemental soil composition at the end of the experiment was impossible. At several points where a ‘burst’ was observed, the concentration of a number of elements was lower. A cumulative effect is hypothesized to explain these observations. Tradescantia clone #4430 is the most suitable system for such studies.

Bioremediation of Polish military training grounds following post-training reclamation and environmental management during ongoing military operations

Polskie poligony w aspekcie realizowanych działań militarnych i rekultywacji terenów popoligonowych

EVALUATION OF NOISE AROUND MILITARY INSTALLATIONS / TRIUKŠMO KARINĖSE TERITORIJOSE ĮVERTINIMAS

Noise is one of the most common adverse environmental factors. Military bases and airports and the areas surrounding them are affected by acoustic impact. The problem of military noise is researched in this article. Since 2004 Šiauliai Airport has been the site of NATO forces’ base in the Baltic States for the protection of the region's airspace. Military aircraft are used for the mission. The Kairiai military grounds on the Curonian Lagoon is the only site in Lithuania where all kinds of military forces may arrange their training. Measurement of the level of noise caused by Šiauliai Airport in residential and public areas of the surrounding areas and by the Kairiai military grounds was carried out using a Nor121 digital sound analyser. It was found that the maximum noise level (Lmax) in the surroundings of Šiauliai Airport sometimes exceeds the permissible maximum noise level specified in HN 33:2007. Exceeding of Lmax on aircraft flights was short (up to 5 minutes). The calculated level of noise Lden and Lnight at all points of measurement within the territories surrounding Šiauliai Airport does not exceed the limit values and causes no damage to the health of the population in Šiauliai. The noise generated by shooting at Kairiai military grounds causes no damage to the health of residents. Santrauka Vienas iš plačiausiai paplitusių kenksmingų aplinkos veiksnių yra triukšmas. Akustinį poveikį patiria karinių poligonų ir aerodromų aplinka. Šiame straipsnyje nagrinėjama karinio triukšmo problema. Nuo 2004 m. Šiaulių oro uostas tapo Baltijos šalių NATO pajėgų dislokacijos vieta, iš kurios vykdoma Baltijos šalių oro apsauga. Šiai apsaugai atlikti naudojami kariniai lėktuvai. Prie Kuršių marių įsikūręs Kairių poligonas yra vienintelis Lietuvoje, kuriame gali treniruotis visų rūšių karinės pajėgos. Šiaulių oro uosto triukšmo matavimai aplinkinių teritorijų gyvenamojoje ir viešosios paskirties aplinkoje bei Kairių poligone atlikti skaitmeniniu garso analizatoriumi Nr. 121. Nustatyta, kad maksimalus triukšmo lygis (L max) Šiaulių oro uosto aplinkoje kartais viršija leistinąjį maksimalų triukšmo lygį pagal HN 33:2007. L max viršijimai, siejami su orlaivių skrydžiais, buvo trumpalaikiai (iki 5 min.). Apskaičiuoti dienos, vakaro, nakties triukšmo lygis L dvn ir nakties triukšmo rodiklis L nakties neviršija ribinių triukšmo dydžių, Šiaulių miesto gyventojų sveikatai grėsmės nekelia. Kairių poligone šaudymo pratybų keliamas triukšmas gyventojų sveikatai grėsmės nekelia.

Leaf-mining moths (Lepidoptera) of the Biedrusko military area in western Poland

A bstract: Results o f the research on the leaf-mining moths (Lepidoptera) carried out in the Biedrusko military area in 1997-2008 are presented. The investigation showed great species richness o f the moths. 258 species have been recorded in the military area, which makes about 47% o f this fauna reported from Poland. 24 species are new to Greater Poland Voivodeship and several were reported from few, scattered localities. The most interesting species are described in details. New data on the biology o f Syncopacma ochrofasciella are also given. Key w ords: Lepidoptera, leaf-miners, W Poland, military area, diversity, faunistics, new records I n t r o d u c t i o n The military grounds in Biedrusko cover the area of about 7200 ha to the north of Poznan. The area has been used as military grounds for over a hundred years and thus it shows little anthropogenic transformation. The “Biedrusko” Protected Landscape Area has been established in 1995 to protect this naturally valuable area. Later this area has been included into the European Ecological Natura 2000 Network as a Special Area of Conservation (site code PLH300001).

Assessing Conservation Action for Substitution of Missing Dynamics on Former Military Training Areas in Central Europe

Abstract Disproportionately large numbers of threatened and endangered species and unusually high biodiversity have been documented on former military training areas. However, throughout the world, nature protection areas on former military grounds are faced with the dilemma of preserving ecosystems that must change. In central Europe, many of these areas are characterized by dry acidic grasslands on sandy soils. However, these resource‐limited ecosystems are faced with two interacting threats: missing disturbance dynamics and increasing atmospheric nitrogen deposition from urban agglomerations. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of conservation action for substitution of missing dynamics. Impacts on plant species assembly, performance of functional groups, soil nutrient availability, and successional trajectory are analyzed. Of particular concern is mimicking beneficial effects of military maneuver on pioneer species such as Corynephorus canescens, which is endangered in many countries. In a controlled field experiment, we manipulated mechanical disturbances representing conservation measures—harrowing, topsoil removal, tilling, and tank driving. Our findings suggest that only topsoil removal and tank driving effectively remove organic material and create self‐sustaining vegetation dynamics. Topsoil removal affects both filters in community assembly: the abiotic filter related to soil resources and the biotic filter related to competition between species. We further demonstrate that plant functional groups based on growth form show different rates of recruitment after disturbance with graminoids‐dominating initial dynamics. This study provides basic information on effective conservation strategies for dry acidic grasslands on former military training areas.

Community response to military shooting noise immissions

The assessment of the impact of any kind of noise exposure on the population is a fundamental step in the process of noise abatement. Data about the exposure‐response relationship for annoyance due to noise emissions from military shooting grounds are rather scarce at the time. In order to establish new legal exposure limit values for shooting noise from heavy and light weapons, we conducted an extensive telephone interview survey in several ‐ mostly rural ‐ municipalities affected by military shooting noise in Switzerland. The exposure assessment for each respondent was calculated based on the source models of a range of weapons and ammunitions of the Swiss army. Preliminary results suggest that although the responses of the population to noise from military weapons are rather dispersed, data should be sufficiently consistent to establish an exposure‐response relationship which can help in defining a binding exposure limit value.

Soil Pollution with Trace Elements in Territories of Military Grounds in Latvia

Soil Pollution with Trace Elements in Territories of Military Grounds in LatviaContamination of land used for military activities can significantly differ from that of municipal and industrial land, both in the intensity and type. Largely this is due to the intensity of activities even in a comparatively large surface area, and also by use of substances and materials not common in civil practice. Pollution from military grounds can affect not only soldiers, but also adjacent territories and water resources. In this study, concentrations of trace elements in the soil, water and higher vegetation in former Soviet army military territories were surveyed. The presence of point sources was found, and in a few cases the pollution is intensively spreading into deeper soil horizons and groundwater.

INVESTIGATION AND EVALUATION OF SURFACE WATER POLLUTION WITH HEAVY METALS AND OIL PRODUCTS IN KAIRIAI MILITARY GROUND TERRITORY

Water pollution with heavy metals, oil and its products is a very important environmental problem. Major part of chemical elements penetrating into the environment gets accumulated in the soil and bed sediment of water bodies. They may also migrate into surface, ground and underground water and spread at great distances. From here, they may enter again nutritional chains and poison living organisms. It is very important and necessary to investigate military territories and evaluate their environmental condition in order to identify the works of their cleaning and optimization of their environmental condition as well as their scope. However, not all the military territories in Lithuania have been sufficiently investigated so far, damage to the environment is not known. Therefore, investigation of such territories is of utmost importance, it is of scientific and environmental significance. This work is dedicated to the investigation and evaluation of surface water and bed sediment pollution with heavy metals and oil products in one of the biggest military grounds of Lithuania ‐ Kairiai Military Ground. Results of the investigation allowed answering the main questions about the most common pollutants, spreading in the environment because of military activities, to determine the level of pollution and most vulnerable territories.

INVESTIGATION OF SOIL POLLUTION WITH HEAVY METALS IN LITHUANIAN MILITARY GROUNDS

Military grounds are the largest military activity territories in Lithuania. In some of them, military activities are going on for more than 100 years. Specific nature of long‐term activities carried out in military grounds with military equipment, weapons, ammunition and different busters have caused the anomalies of pollution with heavy metals in some places. And what is more, in many places the environment is polluted with oil products, remains of bullets and explosive devices can be found in tactical fields, and continuous devastation has resulted in a sandy soil. The damage caused to the environment by military activities is not limited with pollution of military grounds and surrounding landscapes with different chemical substances. Water that gets into the soil destroys the remains of explosives and ammunition, filters into the deeper layers of the soil and poses a risk of pollution. The surface layer of the soil is a barrier protecting subsoil water against pollution with different chemical substances. By the extent of soil pollution, it could be judged about the risk of subsoil water pollution. The carried out investigation was aimed at finding out the distribution of heavy metals characteristic of munition (zinc, copper, lead) in the deeper layers of the soil (up to 1‐meter depth) and the trends of its changes. Tests were carried out in two major military grounds of Lithuania located in different places but used for the same purpose. The received results allowed not only to evaluate the extent of pollution with heavy metals but also to determine the peculiarities of their migration.

Phantom Fracas: The 1968 American Sale of F-4 Aircraft to Israel

In a late November 1968 exchange of letters between Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security Affairs Paul Warnke and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yitzhak Rabin, the Johnson administration formally agreed to supply Israel with 50 F-4 Phantom aircraft.' Under the terms of the sale, the Israel Air Force (IAF) would also receive associated ordnance, spare parts, maintenance equipment and training. Six of the Phantoms would be specially configured to serve as reconnaissance platforms, though they would be capable of fulfilling standard combat missions as well. The first batch of aircraft would reach Israel in September 1969, according to an accelerated delivery schedule one that would not, however, interfere with Phantom production for American military forces.2 On both military and diplomatic grounds, the Phantom sale held great significance for Israel. Militarily speaking, the addition of this state-of-the-art aircraft to the Israeli order of battle massively upgraded the IAF's fighting power. Diplomatically speaking, the deal signalled an enhanced American commitment to Israel's security. Likewise, the sale had very important implications for American foreign policy. It meant that the United States had now chosen, in effect, to become Israel's principal arms supplier, a role that it had strenuously sought to avoid before the 1967 Six-Day War. Furthermore, at least insofar as concerned airpower, the United States had now also reconciled itself to providing Israel with better arms than those in the hands of its Arab opponents, another departure from past policy. Not every Johnson administration official necessarily viewed the Phantom sale as quite so consequential at the time, but they all nevertheless recognized that it could seriously affect America's standing in the Middle East by infuriating the Soviet Union and the Arab world. For this reason, the administration thought long and hard about its decision to sell the Phantom to Israel, meticulously weighing the potential benefits and potential costs of such a deal. Indeed, it took almost all of 1968 to make up its mind on the sale. Moreover, the administration's most senior foreign policy officials -

The new French interventionism

In the early 1990s, one of the principal features of the French military establishment was the extent of its commitment outside France's borders, and the encouragement it received to this end from President Frangois Mitterrand. This contrasted with the previous reticence and ambivalence about the engagement of troops outside France. This apparent change of heart had at least as much political as military justification, linked especially to France's relationship with the United Nations after the Cold War. Despite suggestions of accord, however, regarding France's military means and missions, troop deployments in the civil wars in Bosnia and Rwanda aroused considerable discord on political, military and financial grounds, and served to highlight the extent to which the presidential domaine reserve still applied in foreign and military affairs under Mitterrand as it had under his illustrious predecessor, Charles de Gaulle.

The Post-Glacial History of Pulsatilla vernalis and Daphne cneorum in Bitcherland, Inferred from the Phytosociological Study of Their Current Habitat

The post-glacial history of Pulsatilla vernalis and Daphne cneorum in Bitcherland is reconstructed by using a phytosociological study of their current habitat. These two species form part of the mesohydric heathland association Daphno cneori- Callunetum. This plant community is characterized by the co-existence of a group of sub-atlantic species and a group with continental affinities in which the two species are found. The presence of this same continental floristic assemblage in the sandy pinewoods of Peucedano-Pinetum of central and oriental Europe leads to the conclusion that D. cneorum and P vernalis constitute relict species from the Boreal Period in the Bitche region. During this period, the climatic climax of the area should have consisted of pine forests having approximately similar vegetation to the current east- european Peucedano-Pinetum association. The global warming which followed this period caused the replacement of this association of pine forests by an oak association, Luzulo-Quercetum, repressing the semi- heliophilic species, among them P vernalis and D. cneorum, to the clearings and edges of these oak forests. These two species were then able to colonize the secondary heaths, created by the over-exploitation of forests since the Middle Ages. The development of intensive forestry practices in the XIX century has caused the regression of these two species, which nowadays are found only in the military grounds in Bitche.

The European helicopter industry and Britain's role

For the helicopter industry the next five years will prove crucial with fierce competition between the US and Europe likely. The Eurocopter Group, through its European Partnerships, is evolving into a possible market leader. Britain's partnership with Euro‐copter, Guisolphe asserts, would be valuable on political, military and industrial grounds. He notes, however, that the future is by no means assured and will be dependent on any decisions taken by the UK MoD not only on military, industrial and budget considerations but also political ones. He concludes with the hope that the UK will choose to cooperate with Europe thus ensuring that it remains at the cutting edge of the helicopter industry.

Brazilian colonial gardens and the Rio de Janeiro Passeio Público

In the Latin American colonial urban nuclei, open spaces were formally characterized by their derivation from metropolitan representative landmarks, such as pillories (symbols of justice), churches, câmaras e cadeias [municipal councils and prisons], and other governmental buildings. Franciscan conventual forecourts, the outer courts of Jesuit buildings, câmara e cadeia public squares (where official public announcements were made or the starting points of festivities took place) and military parade grounds (such as the Viceregal Palace Square in eighteenth-century Rio de Janeiro) are examples of these urban configurations in Brazil.

A SURVEY OF THE ACID WATER DIATOM ASSEMBLAGES OF TWO HEATHLAND RELICS IN THE BELGIAN NORTHERN CAMPINE (GROOT & KLEIN SCHIETVELD, BRASSCHAAT) WITH AN ASSESSMENT OF THEIR CONSERVATIONAL VALUE

The diatom assemblages of 47 lentic heathland waters, mostly moorland pools, on two military range and training grounds in the Belgian northern Campine were surveyed. In many of the pools a marked dominance of Eunotia exigua and a very low species diversity was observed. In most of them only a trivial diatom flora remains. A few waters on the border of the terrains are clearly polluted by agricultural waste. Assemblages and taxa indicating meso-oligotrophic, less extremely acid conditions are restricted to deeper waters, slightly influenced by ground water, and sites apparently affected by more mineral-rich seepage from lowland streamlets. These observations are discussed in the light of acidification and possible management of heathland waters.