Noncombat Roles Research Articles

Israeli men's attitudes toward posthumous reproduction and prior consent amid ongoing armed conflict.

From October 7, 2023, until August 28, 2024, 187 posthumous sperm retrieval (PSR) procedures have been conducted on deceased men, 171 of whom are soldiers. PSR was predominantly initiated by parents to cope with their profound loss. However, the attitudes of Israeli men toward this procedure are unknown. This study aims to investigate the attitudes of Israeli men toward prior consent to PSR and posthumous-assisted reproduction (PAR) initiated by partner or parents. A cross-sectional study of 600 Israeli men aged 18-49 years who were questioned in February-April 2024 amid the ongoing armed conflict. The questionnaire included demographic details, role in the conflict, and attitudes toward PSR/PAR. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess agreement for PSR/PAR after adjustment for possible confounders. The average age of participants was 32 years, with 52% married or in a committed relationship and 6.5% self-identified as having same-sex relationships. The majority were secular (63%), 21% were traditional (21%), and 16% were religious. In terms of involvement in the ongoing conflict, 35% served in combat, 21% in non-combat roles, and 44% did not participate. Most men (71%) prefer pre-documenting their PSR preferences, with 70% advocating for consent during recruitment for regular military service and 78% before reserve service. Regarding PAR, 37% opposed it at their partner's request, while 47% opposed it at their parents' request. In a multivariable model, the odds of approval of PAR following parental request were four- and three-fold higher among traditional and secular versus religious men (odds ratio, OR=4.1, 95% CI: 2.0-8.1 and OR=3.3, 95% CI: 1.8-6.2, respectively) and following the request of a partner, twice higher among traditional and secular versus religious (OR=2.0, 95% CI: 1.1-4.2 and OR=2.0, 95% CI: 1.1-3.6, respectively). While it is understandable that grieving parents seek solace through PSR, consent should be obtained from the men themselves, as a considerable proportion do not support the process as it is currently performed.

Supply and Demand: Drivers of Women Non-Combat Participation in Rebel Groups

Including women into their ranks offers non-state armed groups advantages in terms of mobilisation, intelligence gathering, and establishing ties with civilians. However, especially in conservative societies, this inclusion of could also cause backlash from group members and supporters. While several previous studies analyse why rebels choose to recruit female combatants, limited attention has been paid to women in non-combat roles. I address this gap by studying the drivers of women’s inclusion into rebel groups as non-fighting members, hence contributing to wider efforts to bring gender-sensitive approaches to research on security and violence. Specifically, I conduct a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of 118 groups in the period 1989–2015. The results indicate that a conjunction of supply-side factors (female unemployment, gender inequality) and demand-side factors (leftist ideology, territorial control, military strength) drive female non-combat participation in rebel groups. The causal impact of women’s marginalisation is highly context-dependent: Leftist rebels’ calls for gender equality are appealing to (particularly poor and excluded) women. Yet, rebels with high demand for skilled labour prefer to recruit non-marginalised women that received at least some job training.

Women Participation in Conflict: The Case of the Biafran War

In order to investigate the type and scope of Biafran women’s involvement in the Nigerian Civil War from 1967 to 1970, this case study looks into their various responsibilities by using academic research on women’s participation in the conflict as a lens. Through historical narratives, archive materials, and empirically documented interview of a government official who is Biafran, results show that, in contrast to stereotypes of women as passive during conflict, Biafran women had essential and active roles. They served even when deliberate malnutrition (“weapons of war”) was applied against them, severely impairing their capacity to provide for their families. Some women ventured into hostile terrain on perilous missions to procure provisions and sustenance. Furthermore, Biafran women fought alongside men on the front lines, a novel finding that refutes the belief that they only play supportive, non-combat roles. The research also reveals a rise in political involvement due to community organizing activities spearheaded by women such as Madam Agafa. Nevertheless, there are gaps in our understanding of the unique contributions made by Biafran women to conflict resolution and peace-building. This case study highlights the gendered stereotypes that emphasize women’s passivity during the war. It draws attention to Biafran women’s profound and significant role during this independence movement in various military, political, social, and economic spheres. They made significant sacrifices like males and participated voluntarily and forcefully. The research aims to encourage more women to participate in Nigerian decision-making and post-conflict reconciliation socially, economically and politically.

"Development and validation of a brief warfare exposure measure among U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans: The Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory-2 Warfare Exposure-Short Form (DRRI-2 WE-SF)": Correction.

It is important to assess warfare experiences beyond direct combat exposure, as these exposures can negatively impact military veterans' health. Although two validated scales from the Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory-2 [DRRI-2] together capture a broad range of stressful warfare experiences, the length of this combined measure (30 items) is prohibitively long for some settings. Therefore, the goal of this project was to develop and validate a short form Warfare Exposure measure (DRRI-2-WE-SF). U.S. veterans deployed for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan completed questionnaires across 2 studies (study 1, N = 1046; study 2, N = 7141) to develop and validate the DRRI-2 WE-SF. Study 1 involved developing the DRRI-2 WE-SF, a 9-item self-report instrument with strong internal consistency (α = .86) and large correlations with the full Warfare Exposure measure (r = .97). In study 2, the DRRI-2 WE-SF again demonstrated high levels of reliability and validity and evidenced high levels of classification accuracy (89.7% correct classification) and significant time savings (all ts > 39; all ps < .05) in comparison to the full measure. The DRRI-2 WE-SF is a psychometrically sound measure of direct exposures to warfare and its consequences. This measure of proximal warfare exposure retains the strong properties of the full measure while significantly reducing completion time. These properties make the DRRI-2 WE-SF a useful tool for efficiently evaluating proximal warfare exposure among individuals who have served in both combat and noncombat roles. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Development and validation of a brief warfare exposure measure among U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans: The Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory-2 Warfare Exposure-Short Form (DRRI-2 WE-SF).

U.S. veterans deployed for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan completed questionnaires across 2 studies (study 1, N = 1046; study 2, N = 7141) to develop and validate the DRRI-2 WE-SF. Study 1 involved developing the DRRI-2 WE-SF, a 9-item self-report instrument with strong internal consistency (α = .86) and large correlations with the full Warfare Exposure measure (r = .97). In study 2, the DRRI-2 WE-SF again demonstrated high levels of reliability and validity and evidenced high levels of classification accuracy (89.7% correct classification) and significant time savings (all ts > 39; all ps < .05) in comparison to the full measure. The DRRI-2 WE-SF is a psychometrically sound measure of direct exposures to warfare and its consequences. This measure of proximal warfare exposure retains the strong properties of the full measure while significantly reducing completion time. These properties make the DRRI-2 WE-SF a useful tool for efficiently evaluating proximal warfare exposure among individuals who have served in both combat and noncombat roles. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of sex and combat employment on musculoskeletal injuries and medical downgrading in trained military personnel: an observational cohort study

IntroductionFollowing the opening of all combat roles to women across the UK Armed Forces, there is a requirement to understand the risk of injury to these female personnel. Women injure...

Summaries

Summaries

Noncombat Participation in Rebellion: A Gendered Typology

Abstract Research on women's participation in rebel organizations often focuses on “frontline” fighters. But there is a dearth of scholarship about noncombat roles in rebel groups. This is surprising because scholarship on gender and rebellion suggests that women's involvement in rebel governance, publicity, and mobilization can have positive effects on civilian support for and participation in rebel organizations cross-nationally. Further, women often make up the critical infrastructure that maintains rebellion. A new conceptual typology of participation in rebellion identifies four dimensions along which individuals are involved in noncombat labor: logistics, outreach, governance, and community management. These duties are gendered in ways that make women's experiences and opportunities unique and, often, uniquely advantageous for rebel organizations. Women take on complex roles within rebellion, including myriad tasks and duties that rebels perform in conjunction with or in lieu of combat labor. An in-depth analysis of women's noncombat participation in the Provisional Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland demonstrates this typology's purpose and promise. Attention to noncombat labor enables a more comprehensive analysis of rebel groups and of civil wars. Studying these activities through this framework expands our understanding of rebellion as a system of actors and behaviors that extends beyond fighting. Future scholarship may use this typology to explain variation in types of women's participation or the outcomes that they produce.

Reduced Activity and Quality of Life in Women Soldiers with Heavy Menstrual Bleeding and Dysmenorrhea.

The aim of the study was to examine the effect of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) and dysmenorrhea on daily activity and quality of life (QoL) in young women engaged in demanding activities. Cross-sectional study. A total of 422 Israeli women soldiers in combat and non-combat roles. Participants were asked to provide consent and to complete study questionnaires. A pictorial bleeding assessment chart (PBAC), visual analog scale (VAS), verbal multidimensional scoring system for assessment of dysmenorrhea, and approved Hebrew-translated age-appropriate Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). HMB (PBAC >100) and severe HMB (PBAC >185) were demonstrated in 181 (50%) and 96 (26%) participants, respectively. A high PBAC score was recorded in 20% who answered "no" or "unknown" in the questionnaire on having HMB. Mild, moderate, and severe dysmenorrhea were demonstrated in 80 (21.5%), 115 (31%), and 142 (38%) participants, respectively. The prevalence of HMB and dysmenorrhea was similar in soldiers in combat and non-combat roles. Diagnosis of HMB was related to the lower fitness-for-service score, history of bleeding, and dysmenorrhea. Daily activity and QoL were both affected by the severity of HMB and dysmenorrhea. Underdiagnosis of HMB and dysmenorrhea results from a combination of unawareness from the women's side and inattention from the system. In an era of female empowerment, each woman should be at the optimal physiological and psychological level to start her career; thus, addressing the menstrual burden and providing effective treatment is needed in the military scenario and other settings with demanding activities.

Utility of preinduction tests as predictors of attrition in infantry recruits: a prospective study

IntroductionInfantry recruit attrition wastes resources and can affect combat readiness. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of preinduction tests as a predictor of attrition among conscripts...

Deep Convolutional Neural Network based Ship Images Classification

Ships are an integral part of maritime traffic where they play both militaries as well as non-combatant roles. This vast maritime traffic needs to be managed and monitored by identifying and recognising vessels to ensure the maritime safety and security. As an approach to find an automated and efficient solution, a deep learning model exploiting convolutional neural network (CNN) as a basic building block, has been proposed in this paper. CNN has been predominantly used in image recognition due to its automatic high-level features extraction capabilities and exceptional performance. We have used transfer learning approach using pre-trained CNNs based on VGG16 architecture to develop an algorithm that performs the different ship types classification. This paper adopts data augmentation and fine-tuning to further improve and optimize the baseline VGG16 model. The proposed model attains an average classification accuracy of 97.08% compared to the average classification accuracy of 88.54% obtained from the baseline model.

Breaking the Glass Ceiling? Female Participation in Militant Organizations in Islamic State Affiliates in Southeast Asia

ABSTRACT Prior research on female participation in militant organizations explores organizational and individual factors that influence women’s recruitment, and the roles women fulfill. However, most research focuses either on transnational organizations or local militant groups. Within this study, we explore how linkages with transnational groups shape female participation within their overseas affiliate organizations. We employ an original dataset of female militants arrested or killed between 2014 and 2019 in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, accounting for organizational affiliation. Overall, we find that female participation in militant groups increased between 2015 and 2017, with most of the increase associated with the Islamic State. While most women with an Islamic State association assumed non-combat roles, more than a third assumed combatant roles, indicating the influence of country-level and regional dynamics. Based on our data, female combatants with an Islamic State association served exclusively as either suicide attackers or conducted bombings, diverging from the varied roles assumed by women combatants in other groups in the region. Overall, our findings highlight how the nature of transnational organizations can combine with the local dynamics of their affiliate groups to produce unique trends in the local female militant landscape.

Under-Diagnosed and Under-Treated Menorrhagia in Young Women Produce Suboptimal Performance

Background: Menorrhagia can have a significant impact on a woman's life. It can lead to anemia, fatigue, difficulty with physical activities, absence from work, and avoidance of social activities and may be the first sign of a bleeding disorder. We presumed that many young women with menorrhagia do not seek medical advice or are under-treated. This study aimed to document the prevalence of menorrhagia, by questionnaire, visual scores and self-assessment; its association with bleeding disorders, and the effect of menorrhagia on activity and quality of life (QoL) in young adults engaged in compulsory military service. The military service in Israel is obligatory for women as for men, making this cohort similar to the general population. Method: In this cross-sectional study we gave a short oral lecture presenting the study objective and plan to female soldiers in combat and non-combat roles. Participants were asked to consent to complete a one page coded, unidentified, initial questionnaire. After providing an additional informed consent, study participants were asked to complete additional study questionnaires, including personal and family bleeding history, pictorial bleeding assessment chart (PBAC), dysmenorrhea questionnaire, and age-appropriate PedsQL™. All forms were coded with the same number as the initial questionnaire. PBAC scores above 100 were diagnostic for menorrhagia and above 200 signified severe menorrhagia. Results: Of 422 women soldiers completing the initial questionnaire, 365 (86.5%) completed all study questionnaires. Characteristics of women not completing all study questionnaires were similar to those with complete study data except there were more soldiers in a combat role in the former (P=0.02). The median (range, 25th-75th interval) of the PBAC score was 100 (4-590, 55-189). PBAC scores &amp;gt; 100 and 200 were reported by 181 (50%) and 81 (22%), respectively. Most participants correctly self-assessed menorrhagia; still, a high PBAC score was also recorded in some who answered "no" or "unknown" in the initial questionnaire (Figure 1). Diagnosis of menorrhagia was associated with a history of bleeding, specifically cutaneous and bleeding from the oral cavity (Figure 2), yet none of the participants reported a diagnosis of a known bleeding disorder. The use of NSAIDs during menstruation was associated with a higher rate of menorrhagia (Table 1). No association was found with the current army role. However, the diagnosis of menorrhagia was related to the pre-enrolment fitness ranking [a score reflecting the overall per-recruitment health status] (Table 1). Those with menorrhagia suffered from higher pain levels and moderate to severe negative effects on activity during the days of menstruation compared to those without menorrhagia (Table 1, Figure 3). A trend for lower QoL was found in those with menorrhagia (Table 1). Discussion: Menorrhagia in young adults is a significant clinical problem effecting activity and quality of life. It is under-recognized and under-treated. The association with other bleeding manifestations may suggest an under diagnosis of bleeding disorders. In a world of women empowerment, any treatable cause, leading to suboptimal performance should be addressed. Thus, assessment for menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea should be part of well-being visit also in young adults to provide appropriate management to reduce the undesired effects of menorrhagia. Disclosures Revel-Vilk: Takeda: Honoraria; sanofi-Genzyme: Honoraria; Pfizer: Honoraria.

‘The recognized adjunct of modern armies’: foreign volunteerism and the South African War

ABSTRACTOver 2,000 foreign volunteers fought in the South African War of 1899–1902. They supported the 60,000-strong Boer force against a British army numbering 500,000 men. Some foreigners were integrated into the commando forces of the two Boer republics, the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. But most fought in separate foreign corps or performed non-combat roles. Their presence signals that, instead of a distant colonial skirmish, the South African War should be understood as a modern war with an international history. This article examines the different pathways volunteers took to join the conflict. It examines the battlefield experiences of foreign volunteers during the first phase of conventional warfare and the second guerrilla phase after mid-1900. It explores how nascent international humanitarian convention and internal military doctrines influenced these experiences. Ultimately, it reveals how conflicting conceptualizations of the war, as both a national struggle and a colonial campaign, presented serious dilemmas to foreign participants that eventually drove many from the fight. Despite these effects, European military observers came to view South Africa’s battlefields as the archetypal modern warzone, one in which, despite the increasing ‘nationalization’ of warfare, the foreign volunteer was ‘the recognized adjunct of modern armies.’

Perceived stress, exercise habits, and exercise addiction in Israeli army reserves: A pilot study

ABSTRACT Being an army reservist involves stress and uncertainty. While some individuals use exercise to cope with stress, no previous research has ever studied the relationship between army reservists exercise habits and perceived stress. The current study examined the hypothesis that Israeli army reserves in combat roles would report greater perceived stress and (to cope with the stress) exhibit more intensive exercise habits, as well as higher risk for exercise addiction, than the army reserves who are in a non-combat (i.e., office job) role and controls who are not in the army reserve. Participants (n = 277) completed questionnaires assessing their regular exercises habits, perceived stress, and risk for exercise addiction. The results showed that combat reserves scored higher on all dependent measures than non-combat reserves and controls. Perceived stress accounted for 38.8% to 56.6% of the variance in the risk of exercise addiction. Findings suggest that Israeli army reserves in combat role exercise more, for longer episodes, with greater reported intensity, and are at a greater risk for exercise addiction than the reserves in non-combat roles and controls. The higher risk for exercise addiction in the combat reserves, accompanied by a lower predictive power of the perceived stress, reflects a weaker association between these two variables in this group, most likely because combat reserves feel obliged to be physically fit in case of active deployment. This is the first study to show that differences in reservists’ roles is associated with different levels of risk for exercise addiction.

Too little, too late: protecting American soft networks in COIN/CT

ABSTRACTAssistance of local-national partners is necessary to the USA in order to protect its national security interests throughout the world. These partners, typically individuals who support USA diplomats, service members, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in non-combatant roles, form USA soft networks. Due to the nature of their work, many of these individuals associated with the policy and actions of the USA become vulnerable to violent threats from adversaries. In fact, adversaries have grasped that attacking USA soft networks is a logical approach for enemies fighting from positions of weakness. As a result, examination of other domains may yield best practices that build resiliency in USA soft networks, thereby cementing national security interests. Further, agency theory illuminates critical principles in the relationships between local-national partners and field practitioners, and informs policy development efforts as a result.

Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution by Judith L. Van Buskirk

Reviewed by: Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution by Judith L. Van Buskirk Dinah Mayo-Bobee (bio) judith l. van buskirk Standing in Their Own Light: African American Patriots in the American Revolution Norman University of Oklahoma Press 2017 312 pp. Although it has taken some time for a vigorously researched study of African American participation in the fight for American independence to appear, Standing in Their Own Light satisfies every anticipation. What we learn about black Americans who supported the Patriot cause is that these men and women have a unique story to tell. Theirs should be considered apart from the history of those who understandably took advantage of Lord Dunmore's 1775 proclamation inviting slaves to fight for the British in return for freedom. Dunmore presented a crucial opportunity for the enslaved to escape bondage, but hundreds of free and enslaved black Americans chose differently. Yet because Dunmore's efforts are considered a blow against slavery, the African Americans who fought for independence and the creation of a new republic shared a more obscure history (35). Even though some of these men and women are mentioned in scholarly works now and then, their appearances are anecdotal and largely detached from major events of the American Revolution (5, 6). Judith L. Van Buskirk reverses this trend. Along with demonstrating that Revolutionary rhetoric transformed the debate over slavery throughout the thirteen colonies, Van Buskirk introduces readers to hundreds of African Americans who fought for and in many cases died for America's [End Page 262] independence. By bringing their service to light the author enables each one to "stand in their own light and shine for everyone to see" (xiv). Van Buskirk's research demonstrates through these Patriots' own words and actions that liberation from colonial rule and the creation of a new nation were important to black men and women who saw their participation in the Revolutionary War as part of their larger, personal fight against racial injustice and slavery. From the beginning to the end of a well-written and coherently arranged book, Van Buskirk surpasses her goal. Utilizing scores of manuscript collections located in repositories across the country, the book relies on period newspapers, military records, pension applications, government documents, letters, wills, and other primary sources. With the use of these sources, Standing in Their Own Light recreates the world of inequality and systemic racism that necessitated African Americans' fight for equality. The book then places their perspectives in the forefront, including disappointment over the nation's failure to end racial discrimination and slavery (73). One of the study's most important contributions is Van Buskirk's detailed record of the part African Americans played in key events that occurred before, during, and after the Revolution. This includes firsthand accounts of their participation in the Boston Massacre (1770), the Boston Tea Party (1773), and the Battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill (1775). In addition, the book provides a comprehensive geographic assessment of the laws and public sentiments that African Americans circumnavigated in order to join militias and the Continental Army or to participate in noncombat roles (18). After spending a great deal of time researching and becoming familiar with these men and their families the author admittedly formed an emotional attachment to many (xiii). Nonetheless, nowhere in the book does the scholarship sacrifice objectivity for sentimentality. Indeed, where a record exists it is pursued, but where there is none or a lead is truncated, the author acknowledges the dead end and moves along. Nor does the book lionize any of the black protagonists or their white supporters beyond the accolades bestowed by contemporaries who fought alongside or witnessed their achievements on or off of the battlefield (5, 11). An objective approach along with a meticulous process of verification and elimination increases the value of Van Buskirk's scholarship and enables us to comb through the lives and service of African Americans in George Washington's military with confidence. [End Page 263] Revolutionary rhetoric had clearly begun to transform African Americans' outlook about their prospects in a new nation long before Washington welcomed them into his fighting forces. After initially issuing...

Adam Montgomery. The Invisible Injured: Psychological Trauma in the Canadian Military from the First World War to Afghanistan.

Some forty thousand Canadians served in the Afghanistan War from 2001 to 2011 in active operations, while training missions continued until 2014. During this time, 158 Canadians were killed and close to 1,900 physically wounded (209). Countless other unseen wounds were suffered by military personnel, as well as by aid workers, journalists, and police who served in noncombat roles. One of Canada’s two national newspapers, the Globe and Mail, has provided since 2015 a series of award-winning journalistic investigative stories exploring the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the mounting number of suicides, now over sixty, among members of the Canadian Forces and those who have left it after serving in Afghanistan. The mounting suicides have been labeled an epidemic. Adam Montgomery’s The Invisible Injured is a timely book that provides new insight into the war of the mind. The first two chapters lay the foundation of the many treatments associated with shell shock and battle stress in the world wars, although Montgomery draws heavily upon the already robust Canadian and international literature on these subjects. A historian well versed in military and medical history, Montgomery adds some nuance to the already established discussion, especially of First World War veterans struggling for rights and pensions. He observes that for each world war, the number of service personnel diagnosed with mental wounds increased dramatically after the war, their medical needs deepening over time. Also analyzed is the challenging interaction of veterans and the state, in which veterans were often left angry and frustrated at having to prove their illness, while state officials were seeking to uncover fraud and were wary of taking on long-term costs for injuries.

The social origins of female combatants

We investigate the factors that lead some rebel organizations to deploy women in combat roles while others restrict women’s participation to non-combat roles or exclude them entirely. Our argument focuses on the influence of the scope and frequency of women’s prior participation in social, political, and economic activities on groups’ decisions to employ women in combat roles and women’s desire to pursue such roles when they are made available. We evaluate our hypotheses using a new dataset on women’s combat participation in rebel movements active from 1979 to 2009. Our results provide support for our central hypothesis.

War Within and Without: Irish women in the First World War era

The period 1914–1918 was tumultuous in Ireland when conflict wrought by international tensions was exacerbated by a fractious domestic political scene that ultimately resulted in partition of the island into two jurisdictions: Northern Ireland, comprised of six of the nine Ulster counties, and the Free State, encompassing the remaining twenty-six counties. Both were dominions within the British Commonwealth with domestic parliaments controlling internal affairs. Neither were the desired political outcome of the various factions who had protested, taken up arms, and eventually negotiated. Women were pivotal on both sides of the political divide. For those who wished to stay in the union with Great Britain, the First World War was a chance to demonstrate loyalty and to showcase the particular contributions of women, from hosting Belgian refugees to the encouragement of enlistment of husbands, sons and friends. For those who wished to see the enactment of independence for Ireland, as promised in the 1912 Home Rule Bill and the suspended Act of 1914, the First World War provided an opportunity to enact long-held ambitions for a violent revolution, with women participating in active combat and non-combatant roles. Thus while the First World War was a pivotal moment for women globally, in Ireland it had an additional layer of complexity given the national political context. This article seeks to explore these intersections and tensions, providing an introduction to this special issue in which many facets of the war period in Ireland are explored.