Today's Military Research Articles

Sexual Assault in the U.S. Military: Trends and Responses

Sexual assault is without doubt one of the most pressing issues confronting the U.S military today. The Department of Defense (DoD) acknowledges that sexual assault is a crime “incompatible with military service” and seeks to establish an environment where sexual assault is not tolerated, condoned, or ignored. Yet questions persist over exactly how much progress DoD has made toward this goal. This paper reviews trends in the prevalence of sexual assault within the U.S. military, assesses how rates of sexual assault in the military compare to civilian rates, and then examines what the military has done to confront the problem and how it might improve such efforts.

Somewhere in France (9 April 17): a centenary review of medical arrangements at Vimy Ridge

In April 1917, medical units of the 4 divisions of the Canadian Corps combined for the first time in support of a single action, the assault upon Vimy Ridge. Detailed planning, infrastructure development, information dissemination and rehearsal were features of preparations by the combat arms and medical elements of the Canadian Forces. Extraordinary coordination resulted in the rapid rescue and evacuation by Canadian medical services of 8000 casualties over 4 days. Characteristics of today's military medical services are evident in the work of the Canadian Army Medical Corps 100 years ago.

Rola klas mundurowych na przykładzie działalności profilaktycznej prowadzonej przez Żandarmerię Wojskową

Contemporary world is giving a lot of possibility to young people to the development, and technological progress and of civilization requires adapting and dealing it with from them, what new. Although technological progress and of civilization he is facilitating for us living, these are in certain fields lives, children and teenagers still are exposed to pathological phenomena which are lying in wait for them in schools and the virtual world of the Internet. Along with increased activity preventive in the civil environment, the Military Police became an institution, to which request for helps have more and more often started flowing of pathology in the completion of classes in preventing and the counteraction widely comprehended. Today's Military Police − as the service about police character − for conducting all activities, being aimed recognizing, the prevention and fighting pathology have experience and the personnel back. Of action in favour of keeping the appropriate safety state in schools they must be consulted on many plains, by experienced specialists, and a joint effort can be a guarantee that the young people of today will be brought up in its heart of hearts values and respects to the second man. Article in question, on the destination showing is able to exploit the potential of the Military Police, as the important institution in the process of the prevention of pathology and building the value of young citizens, through the respect to the tradition, uniform and the honour of the soldier.

Military culture and sexual issues: The sex-stress phenomenon

IntroductionSex abuse within the military has long been an open-secret afflicting both male and female veterans whose etiology is often attributed to character deficits (personality disorders or paraphilic disorders). Few studies look at the sex-stress phenomenon as a feature of military life itself and the role this plays in sex abuse within the military milieu. While much attention is focused on US forces, this problem in endemic within military cultures per se. The recent sex abuse scandal involving the French military in the Central African Republic illustrates the pervasiveness of the problem.Objectives/aimsTo explore the psycho-cultural mechanisms of stress and its sexual expression and how certain scenarios within the military milieu exacerbates this impulse-control reaction. To address the relationship of the availability of sex-release options – without and/or without the military population (and how increased enlistment of women has changed the nature of the target population in today's military).MethodsLook at the problem historically (from WWII – present) with particular illustrations. Evaluate common (often failed) approaches to addressing the problem, including the fallacy that superior officer know best how to handle these cases. Explain the psycho/physiology of the sex-stress phenomenon – mechanism of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-gonad axis. Look at the relationship between sex-trauma and suicides among veterans.Results/conclusionsOffer a viable assessment/diagnostic of sexual problems within the military culture along with a treatment model that offers both psychotherapeutic (cognitive-behavioral protocols…) as well as identifying acute clinical symptoms that may respond to psychotropic medications.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.

The Unarmed Army: Evolving Second Amendment Rights and Today's Military Member

In 1992, Department of Defense Directive 5210.56 and strict military regulations hollowed out the core of the Second Amendment for members of the United States Armed Forces. Consequently, more than two million military members show up to work each day — in defense of this nation — but lacking the inherent right of self-defense acknowledged in the Constitution by the Supreme Court and guaranteed to ordinary citizens. After a series of mass shooting events on military bases, it remains unconscionable that military men and women are left vulnerable at home in the United States.First, this Article addresses Second Amendment issues raised by the restrictive military gun regulations. In doing so, it investigates the historic tensions between the Supreme Court and military jurisprudence, and the balancing of military “order and discipline” against enumerated constitutional rights. Beginning with the Global War on Terror, the Supreme Court has demonstrated an increased willingness to involve itself in military matters — a stark contrast to its deference and avoidance during the Vietnam War.Second, this Article provides a survey of the Department of Defense Directive effecting these bans, and the implementation of the Directive through Army headquarters regulations and local base regulations. These regulations affect all members of the military community including uniformed service members, family members, civilian employees, contractors, and even retired veterans who access military installations for groceries and healthcare. By their association with the military, all of these individuals suffer severe restrictions on their Second Amendment rights.Third, this Article explores two landmark judicial decisions concerning Second Amendment rights. In each decision, the judiciary applied an in-depth textual and historical analysis, and found a right of self-defense to be the core of the Second Amendment. In both federal courts and state legislatures, a modern right of self-defense outside of the home with a handgun is now recognized. This right should equitably be extended to military members who are both citizens and soldiers of the United States. This Article concludes by proposing several means to restore this right to military members, while arguing for sensible policy and implementation.

Reporting for Double Duty: A Dyadic Perspective on the Biopsychosocial Health of Dual Military Air Force Couples

There are approximately 1.5 million active duty service members in today's military and approximately 726,000 (56.1 %) of these individuals are married. Therefore, healthy couple functioning is important for the military community. Although there is current literature on couple functioning in non-dual military couples, there is limited research on the marital health of dual military couples. This study explored the marital health (marital satisfaction, adjustment, and quality) and stress among dual Air Force couples in relation to length of time in service, rank, deployments, and level of physiological stress. Results indicated that husbands' deployments, rank, and time in service were related to his physiological distress, wives' rank was negatively related to her marital adjustment and marital quality, and husbands' marital satisfaction was negatively related to wives' rank. Future research recommendations and implications for using a biopsychosocial approach for assessing dual military couples are provided.

Validity and Reliability of an Algorithm to Help Select Safe Dietary Supplements

BackgroundThe use of dietary supplements (DS) is widespread in today's military. Service members use these products to enhance their performance and ability to conduct mission‐specific tasks; however, some of these products may be harmful.ObjectiveTo assess the reliability of the Operation Supplement Safety DS algorithm, a tool used to educate service members on safe selection of DSMethods:4th year medical students completed the algorithm as part of an educational session on dietary supplements. Students scored 12 DS by using the algorithm, which consists of seven yes (1) or no (0) questions. Scores for the 12 DS were assessed for validity and reliability.Results:Forty responses for the 12 DS were examined. Six supplements were expected to receive a score of 蠅4, suggesting they were possibly safe. Following are the average scores (±SD) of the DS in relation to the intended score, without name of products: Melatonin (4.9±0.8 vs. 5.0), Fish oil (5.9±1.3 vs. 7.0), Multivitamin/mineral for men (4.0±0.9 vs. 5.0), Iron (4.2±1.4 vs. 5.0), Multivitamin/Mineral (3.8±1.1 vs. 5.0), Weight Loss (1.1±1.1 vs. 0.0), Sexual Enhancement (1.3±0.7 vs. 1.0), Protein Powder (1.6±1.4 vs. 1.0), Performance Enhancing A (1.5±1.0 vs. 2.0), Performance Enhancing B (2.0±1.0 vs. 3.0), Performance Enhancing C (0.6±0.5 vs. 0.0), and Performance Enhancing D (1.8±SD 1.0 vs. 3.0).ConclusionsThe students' scores had little variability and were generally comparable to expected outcomes. Although the results suggest this tool may be valid and reliable for items being tested, additional assessments are needed to validate this tool.This study was supported by Center Alliance for Dietary Supplement Research (NB91FD).

Nutritional Armor for the Injured Warfighter: Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Surgery, Trauma, and Intensive Care

Nutrients have traditionally been viewed as a means to provide basic energy for cellular homeostasis and amino acids for protein synthesis in all humans. Young, healthy men and women in the military today are presumed to be well nourished and mentally and physically fit to perform their duties in austere environments. Exposure to high-intensity projectiles, blast injuries, and other wounds of war, however, is an everyday occurrence during deployment that potentially challenges all homeostatic mechanisms. After sustaining such devastating injuries, critically ill, surgical, and trauma patients are in a constant dynamic state between the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (and compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome. Compelling evidence supports both immune and metabolic response modulation by specific nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids, primarily eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The concept of providing nutrients as therapeutic rather than supportive agents to meet the basic cellular caloric and metabolic demands requires a major paradigm shift. Although the exact route and dose of these metabolically active lipids has yet to be determined, data from large clinical studies of cellular ex-vivo experiments in patients support the liberal use of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the setting of trauma, surgery, and intensive care.

Encyclopedia of military science

The Encyclopedia of Military Science provides a comprehensive, ready-reference on the organization, traditions, training, purpose, and functions of today's military. Entries include coverage of the duties, responsibilities, and authority of military personnel and an understanding of strategies and tactics of the modern military and how they interface with political, social, legal, economic, and technological factors. A large component is devoted to issues of leadership, group dynamics, motivation, problem-solving, and decision making in the military context. Finally, this work also covers recent American military history since the end of the Cold War with a special emphasis on peacekeeping and peacemaking operations, the First Persian Gulf War, the events surrounding 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and how the military has been changing in relation to these events.

Effects of Antioxidant Treatment on Blast-Induced Brain Injury

Blast-induced traumatic brain injury has dramatically increased in combat troops in today’s military operations. We previously reported that antioxidant treatment can provide protection to the peripheral auditory end organ, the cochlea. In the present study, we examined biomarker expression in the brains of rats at different time points (3 hours to 21 days) after three successive 14 psi blast overpressure exposures to evaluate antioxidant treatment effects on blast-induced brain injury. Rats in the treatment groups received a combination of antioxidants (2,4-disulfonyl α-phenyl tertiary butyl nitrone and N-acetylcysteine) one hour after blast exposure and then twice a day for the following two days. The biomarkers examined included an oxidative stress marker (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, 4-HNE), an immediate early gene (c-fos), a neural injury marker (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP) and two axonal injury markers [amyloid beta (A4) precursor protein, APP, and 68 kDa neurofilament, NF-68]. The results demonstrate that blast exposure induced or up-regulated the following: 4-HNE production in the dorsal hippocampus commissure and the forceps major corpus callosum near the lateral ventricle; c-fos and GFAP expression in most regions of the brain, including the retrosplenial cortex, the hippocampus, the cochlear nucleus, and the inferior colliculus; and NF-68 and APP expression in the hippocampus, the auditory cortex, and the medial geniculate nucleus (MGN). Antioxidant treatment reduced the following: 4-HNE in the hippocampus and the forceps major corpus callosum, c-fos expression in the retrosplenial cortex, GFAP expression in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), and APP and NF-68 expression in the hippocampus, auditory cortex, and MGN. This preliminary study indicates that antioxidant treatment may provide therapeutic protection to the central auditory pathway (the DCN and MGN) and the non-auditory central nervous system (hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex), suggesting that these compounds have the potential to simultaneously treat blast-induced injuries in the brain and auditory system.

Туркменистан - нова постійно нейтральна держава Центральної Азії

The paper examines twenty years' historical experience an the independent state - the Republic of Turkmenistan in securing the national security during the post-Soviet period in 1991-2011. Five Ph. D. Theses of Central Asian researchers, covering issues of the national, regional and international security policies, are analyzed. The main constitutional and legislative instruments which regulate the operation of the national security system are looked into. The main focus is external and internal threats in new geopolitical requirements. The structure and functions of the representative, legislative and executive bodies of the Republic are described as well as the personal role of the President in protection of national interests. It is emphasized that the country upholds permanent neutrality and builds up an up-to-date national army. The Armed Forces posture and readiness are examined. Characteristic features of the Republic's foreign policy implementation in Central Asia and elsewhere are identified. The engagement of Turkmenistan in regional and international organizations is highlighted. Laws regulating military service, staff training for the Ministry of Defense and the national defense setting are reviewed. The defensive nature of the Republic's military policy is emphasized. Today's military risks and threats to national security are described. The military cooperation with the Russian Federation, the USA, the NATO, the UN, the CIS, the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is analyzed. The Republic is ready to take part in international humanitarian and relief operations. Specific examples of the relationship with Ukraine in the military field are given. The role and place of the Republic of Turkmenistan in Central Asia and in the world are summarized. Turkmenistan guarantees its security by permanent neutrality which is recognized by the UN member countries.

Mental Health Issues of Women Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan

The number of women serving in the military and deployed to active-duty is unprecedented in the history of the United States. When women became a permanent sector of the U.S. Armed Services in 1948, their involvement was restricted to comprise only 2% of the military population; today women constitute approximately 14.5% of the 1.4 million active component and 18% of the 850,000 reserve component. Yet, little attention has been paid to the mental health needs of women military members. This review article highlights the history of women in the military and then focuses on the impact of combat exposure and injuries, military sexual trauma, alcohol use, and family separations which are associated with PTSD, depression, suicide, difficulty with reintegration, and homelessness.

Quantifying Gains Using the Capabilities‐Based Test and Evaluation Method

Today's military operating environments are more operationally diverse and technically challenging. Fielding relevant weapons systems to meet the demands of this environment is increasingly difficult, prompting policy shifts that mandate a focus on systems capable of combating a wide threat range. The capabilities‐based test and evaluation construct is the Department of the Navy's effort to concentrate on integrated system design with the objective of satisfying a particular operational response (capability) under a robust range of operating conditions. One aspect of capabilities‐based test and evaluation is the increased employment of advanced mathematical and statistical techniques in the test and evaluation (T&E) process. This case study illustrates advantages of incorporating these invaluable techniques, like design of experiments and modeling and simulation, within the T&E process. We found through statistical analysis that the application of design of experiment concepts to the System Under Test throughout three primary phases of T&E quantifiably improved the accomplishment of the selected response variable of interest. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Nuclear Forensics: False Hopes and Practical Realities

Political Science QuarterlyVolume 126, Issue 1 p. 53-75 Nuclear Forensics: False Hopes and Practical Realities RICHARD WEITZ, RICHARD WEITZ RICHARD WEITZ is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Political—Military Analysis at Hudson Institute, where he studies weapons of mass destruction and other issues. His books include The Russian Military Today and Tomorrow, Global Security Watch-Russia, and National Security Case Studies.Search for more papers by this author RICHARD WEITZ, RICHARD WEITZ RICHARD WEITZ is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Political—Military Analysis at Hudson Institute, where he studies weapons of mass destruction and other issues. His books include The Russian Military Today and Tomorrow, Global Security Watch-Russia, and National Security Case Studies.Search for more papers by this author First published: 15 February 2013 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1538-165X.2011.tb00694.xCitations: 2 AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume126, Issue1Spring 2011Pages 53-75 RelatedInformation

Capturing Insights to Reduce Future Warfighter Fatalities

Until recently, there has been a widely-held belief that if an infantryman survives the first few combat encounters or firefights of a deployment, the Soldier is likely to survive the full tour of duty. Though it has been discussed anecdotally that military units tend to suffer higher casualty rates in their first engagements with the enemy, the “first five firefights” belief has not been validated. In this study, we examined the “first five firefights” concept to evaluate if Soldiers have an increased chance of becoming a fatality during their early days of deployment. By gathering and analyzing Soldier fatality data, conducting interviews with Soldiers, and evaluating human performance models of common fatality scenarios, we found the “first five” concept to be untrue. Rather, we identified that Soldiers are particularly vulnerable to becoming a fatality within the first three months of deployment. Soldiers also experience a period of increased vulnerability at mid-deployment and again near the end of the deployment. These vulnerabilities, explored through interviews with Soldiers, have implications for changes in training, tactics, techniques, and procedures in today's military.

Avoiding the Extremes: A Proposal for Modifying Court Member Selection in the Military

This article address the method used in the military court-martial system to select jurors (referred to as panel members). Under military law, the panel members who sit in judgment of a military service member are hand picked by the court-martial convening authority. The question often raised in how is a fair trial possible when the very person who determines if there should be a trial at all, and if so, what charges should be brought, is also the person who gets to hand-pick the people responsible for deciding guilt? Often the court-martial convening authority is the senior military officer on the base. If the convening authority determines that the charges should go to trial, can we really expect the military subordinates he selected to serve as panel members to exercise an independent evaluation of the case? Nonetheless, this is the very system that exists in the military today. This article addresses this issue and offers a proposed change – not to the military’s panel selection system itself, but through an expansion of the accused’s rights to exercise peremptory challenges as a means of addressing the potential for unfairness and the threat of panel member-stacking. Part I of the article explores the current law associated with panel member selection, and the rationale behind this system. It examines the most common criticisms of this selection process, the solutions that have been proffered to date, and why those proposed solutions have failed to take hold. Part II looks at the law of challenges for cause and peremptory challenges. It focuses specifically on the historical development of peremptory challenges within the military and how the system of peremptory challenges currently operates. Part III proposes an expanded use of peremptory challenges for the military accused. Specifically, this part addresses how the selection process should be modified, the costs and benefits of such a modification and why this proposed change strikes an appropriate balance between the rights of the accused and the unique needs of a military justice system. In the final part, the article addresses the likely criticisms of this proposal.

The Multifaceted Role of Today's Military Anesthesiologist

The Multifaceted Role of Today's Military Anesthesiologist

Degradable, antibacterial silver exchanged mesoporous silica spheres for hemorrhage control

Effective hemorrhage control becomes increasingly significant in today's military and civilian trauma, and current available local hemostatic agents have been reported to have various drawbacks and side effects. Herein in this study, a silver exchanged calcium doped ordered mesoporous silica sphere (AgCaMSS) with good degradability and antibacterial properties was developed for hemorrhage control. The well-ordered and symmetry hexagonal AgCaMSS with pore size of 3.2 nm, BET surface area of 919 m 2/g and pore volume of 0.74 m 3/g was prepared by one-step based catalyzed self-assembly and subsequent ion-exchange procedures. The degradation behaviors in Tris–HCl solution indicated that the addition of calcium and silver facilitated the dissolution and the weight loss of the prepared AgCaMSS could attain more than 40% after 42 days. The results obtained demonstrated that the optimal AgCaMSS formulation could significantly promote the blood clotting, activate the intrinsic pathway of coagulation cascade, induce platelet adherence. Consequently, effective hemostasis with low exothermic effects was achieved and the mortalities in femoral artery and liver injury models were reduced. The antibacterial experiment using broth culture method revealed that the prepared AgCaMSS had better antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the AgCaMSS developed here would be a promising material platform for designing hemostats in more extensive clinical application.

America's Military Today: Challenges for the Armed Forces in a Time of War ‐ by Tod Ensign

<i>America's Military Today: Challenges for the Armed Forces in a Time of War</i> ‐ by Tod Ensign

Understanding China's Military Strategy*

Chinese military modernization and its resulting aggressive posturing have serious implications for Asian stability and Indian security. This article is an attempt to understand the main security challenges from a Chinese perspective; the kind of responses, especially military, that China has undertaken; and the way Chinese military strategy has evolved from Mao's People's War days to a modern hi-tech military force today. In the short run Chinese military objectives appear focused on finding ways to defeat the United States in the event of a conflict between the two countries, possibly over Taiwan. But the long-term consequences of Chinese strategy remain uncertain, at least partly because the rise of China, on which that military power will depend, is itself difficult to predict with certainty. War is the continuation of politics.1