Regular Armies Research Articles

Gender Equality in Wartime: How War Changed the Role of Women in Society

The article analyzes the current state and promising ways of ensuring gender equality in the defense and security forces of Ukraine. The aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the resulting violation of territorial integrity, sovereignty, encroachment on Ukraine’s independence, brought to the fore the issue of overcoming gender stereotypes, establishing equality, and combating gender-based and sexual violence both in Ukraine and around the world. In these conditions, first of all, the state policy regarding the development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was revised. This article focuses on the issues of military service from the point of view of equal rights, opportunities and equal value of the results of the activities of men and women. “Stereotyping” of their roles in resolving armed conflicts is one of the reasons for gender inequality within the security and defense sector of Ukraine. The author analyzed the number of armed forces of some foreign countries for genetic equality. Some countries already have female (or predominantly female) units, however, regular armies rarely involve them in direct combat. It is concluded that women play a significant role in the modern Ukrainian army, and recent events, in particular Russian aggression against Ukraine, continue to create instability in the world. And in such difficult conditions, our state, most likely, will have to exist for quite a long time. Therefore, it would be possible to significantly strengthen the defense capability of the country by attracting women to mandatory military service. The article also draws attention to the fact that in modern conditions there is a steady trend towards a significant increase in the number of women, the geography of the positions held by female servicemen is expanding significantly, but in order to ensure gender equality in the Armed Forces, the legislator must still improve the mechanism for taking into account the characteristics of social gender under time of military service. Moreover, the understanding of gender equality in the military should become established - not as a mechanical identification of men and women, but as taking into account the specifics of the capabilities of one or another social gender to effectively perform their official duties in certain positions with the most positive result.

Demilitarization of the Russian Front after World War I

This article examines the demilitarization of the Russian Front after World War I. Demilitarization is understood as complex processes associated with the physical transformation of the war landscape and overcoming the toxic legacy of war: freeing the space from the presence of regular armies, military property, and military installations, as well as from the impact of specific war practices such as soil intoxication, water pollution, waterlogging of forests and fields, and deforestation. The aim of this study is to examine the institutions and mechanisms of demilitarization and demobilization of the Russian army in 1917–1918. The theoretical framework of this study draws on environmental history and postcolonial studies that allow the author to consider demilitarization through the prism of interaction with the environment and to understand its features in the former imperial boundaries. The paper works with materials of the Russian military archives, which help reconstruct the mechanisms of demobilization and the practices of demilitarization of the Russian Front. The author concludes that demobilization institutions were created in three stages, from May 1917 to May 1918: the first ones were established by the Stavka in May and supplemented in November 1917, but relatively “functional” demobilization institutions emerged in December and were associated with the Bolshevik administrative transformations. Whereas during the war demilitarization (clearing trenches and their surroundings of the effects of suffocating gases, sanitation, soil reclamation, and collecting weapons from battlefields) was practiced to preserve the army’s fighting ability, chaotic demobilization obscured these environmental issues with trivial problems of transportation and preservation of military property. The continental nature of the demilitarization of the former Russian Front makes it possible to speak of its remilitarisation as early as the summer of 1918.

ARMED CONFLICT LAWS: PROTECTING CHILDREN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

Armed conflicts are as old as humanity itself. In past, regular armies were not established. The individuals, ordinarily the adults of hostile tribes, were used to participate in armed conflicts. However, the participation of children was also common in certain situations. Although children would not have been active participants, they were engaged as a strategic tool in armed conflicts and proved to be the most vulnerable segment in such a situation. With the passage of time, regular armies have been established including children. However, the recruitment of children is restricted below a particular age. In Islamic law, primarily adult members are considered combatants, and children have been given immunity. However, in the case of their engagement in armed conflicts, certain principles have been established to deal with them. This paper identifies the principles and rules of Islamic law protecting children in armed conflict matters. Keywords: Armed, Conflicts, Children, Islamic, Law, Protection, Right

ARMED CONFLICT LAWS: PROTECTING CHILDREN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

Armed conflicts are as old as humanity itself. In past, regular armies were not established. The individuals, ordinarily the adults of hostile tribes, were used to participate in armed conflicts. However, the participation of children was also common in certain situations. Although children would not have been active participants, they were engaged as a strategic tool in armed conflicts and proved to be the most vulnerable segment in such a situation. With the passage of time, regular armies have been established including children. However, the recruitment of children is restricted below a particular age. In Islamic law, primarily adult members are considered combatants, and children have been given immunity. However, in the case of their engagement in armed conflicts, certain principles have been established to deal with them. This paper identifies the principles and rules of Islamic law protecting children in armed conflict matters. Keywords: Armed, Conflicts, Children, Islamic, Law, Protection, Right

Monster Duels in Byzantine Polemological Tradition of X-XIV Centuries

The article is dedicated to a common theme in Byzantine literature, with a particular focus on descriptions of battles between warriors and monsters. According to the authors, the reworking of stories about hunting large predators from ancient mythology is characteristic of the Byzantine and partially Western European military traditions from the 10th to 14th centuries. The authors argue that the ideas of rational warfare permeated not only strict military manuals but also hagiographical literature, historical chronicles, heroic epics, and other narratives. Therefore, the incorporation of the archetypal plot of ‘fighting monsters’ into military settings is at the center of this study. The authors demonstrate that ancient battle stories had no place in the strict orders of real actions by regular armies. The article introduces materials from M. Y. Suzyumov’s personal archive into scientific circulation and draws on sigillography data. The article shows that in medieval texts, such short but intense clashes between two opponents are interpreted not only as entertainment or instruction but also in a philosophical sense as an embodiment of the eternal struggle between good and evil.

ПЕТРОВСКИЕ ПРЕОБРАЗОВАНИЯ В КОНТЕКСТЕ ТЕОРИИ ВОЕННОЙ РЕВОЛЮЦИИ

The theory of military revolution is known to describe the process of transformation of states in Early modern period with the appearance of armed with firearms regular armies. According to the Brian Downing model, this process consists of several successive steps. 1. The starting point in development is the medieval monarchy, where the power of the suzerain is limited to meetings (conditionally, “parliaments”), where aristocrats predominate, managing the resources of their land holdings. 2. The military revolution downgrades the value of chivalry and requires the creation of a large army of firearms-wielding mercenary infantrymen. 3. Funding a new army requires the reallocation of resources to the detriment of the nobility. 4. “Parliaments” resist these demands, with the conflict between the monarchs and the nobility starting. 5. The new army ensures the victory of monarchs. 6. The monarchs abolish “parliaments” or deprive them of real powers that means the victory of absolutism. 7. Further, the victorious monarchs subjugate the nobility, taking away part of their resources. 8. Reforms start, with a new financial system created. 9. New bureaucracy is created, with commoners recruited for positions. 10. The nobility tries to fit into these new structures by taking office positions. The article focuses on testing the Downing model on the material of Peter I transformations and shows that Russian historical process of the second half of the 17th - early 18th centuries actually went through the ten steps mentioned above.

International badge protection "The Red Cross"

The great difference in the concept of armed conflicts، Since most of them At the moment are non-international armed conflicts, If these disputes are based on sometimes overcome between the regular armies of states and groups of rebels of the same state، or between two such groups among themselves، often these groups have APolicy scorer، or economical، or social and seeking to achieve them in all possible ways and Means. Due to the spread of these Disputes In the region, in many countries, including Yemen, Libya, Syria and others, the number of casualties among civilians or those under their rule continues to increase, and even the number of casualties among medical workers, volunteers working in the National Societies of the International Red Cross and Crescent Movement, while providing medical and relief services to civilians affected by these conflicts has increased alarmingly and terrifyingly Brutality, In TheCountryThat Place of disputes It is increasing day by day. Therefore, in our research, we address the nature of the use of the distinctive emblem, whether as a means of protection or a means of indication. Identification of cases of misuse of the badge and mechanisms for avoiding bad use.

Ways to improve legal regulation in the field of logistics of territorial defense of Ukraine

The article analyzes some legal acts in the field of logistics of territorial defense of Ukraine in the modern period, details their problematic issues and offers proposals for improving legal regulation in this area.
 Сurrently, Ukraine's defense sector is being actively reformed, but it does not yet meet today's requirements. Modern problems and challenges arising in the field of defense require fundamentally new scientifically sound approaches to the formation of the military organization of the state, the search for effective ways and mechanisms to protect national interests from real and potential threats of a military nature.
 The purpose of the article is to analyze the regulations in the field of logistics of territorial defense of Ukraine in the modern period and provide suggestions for improving legal regulation in this area.
 The experience of Switzerland and Israel deserves to be borrowed for the Institute of Local Territorial Defense of Ukraine, as these countries maintain armies that operate on the principles of universal conscription. All men under the age of 19 to 50 undergo military (alternative) service. A small part of the regular professional army maintains modern equipment and weapons, systematically trains a large number of reservists, who are kept on the principle of the police system and keep light small arms, ammunition and equipment.
 That is, these countries, due to national and historical features, built national regular armies to conduct defense, including territorial. However, they in a special way effectively keep 95-98% of the army personnel in reserve. These are countries with a total system of general military service, that’s relevant at present for Ukraine in point of view of Russian military aggression.
 As for the institute of local territorial defense in Ukraine, we propose to prescribe in the Law of Ukraine "On Fundamentals of National Resistance" certain provisions on social motivation and logistics of "voluntary assistants" for a quality information motive to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
 In addition, we propose to understand the logistical support of the territorial defense of Ukraine as a set of measures to ensure all the necessary activities related to ensuring the combat capability of territorial defense entities for the effective implementation of the assigned tasks.

The “Evolution” of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in the Light of Technical Development

In today’s conflicts of war, the various bombings, which are perpetrated against military or civilian targets, have been directed against members of the regular armies considered to be “occupying”, as well as against the locals who collaborated with them or assisted them. In the military, such acts are mentioned as an element of asymmetric warfare, and on various interpretations, they are sometimes classified as a terrorist acts. In case of “peaceful” countries, it can only be interpreted according to the latter concept, which can be aimed at a specific person, political orientation, intimidation, revenge or other criminal activity. The explosive devices used fall into the so-called “home-made” category in terms of their design. The assassin’s primary purpose is to achieve a devastating effect. In this article I deal primarily with improvised explosive devices appearing in so-called “civilian” life.

THE BIRTH AND LIFE OF THE DEFINITION OF MILITARY OBJECTIVES

AbstractThe forgotten story of the birth and life of the definition of ‘military objectives’ is relevant to the ongoing discussion about the need to adapt the law to asymmetric warfare. This definition, authored by a West German law professor and former member of the Nazi party, was driven by a Western effort to privilege regular armies while curbing the actions of guerrilla fighters and exposing their civilian supporters to harm. The Non-Aligned Movement turned the tide by burdening regular armies while exempting irregular combatants from the consequences of disregarding the law. It was only through judicial intervention—grounded in an imagined history of the linear progress of humanity—that civilians on both sides of asymmetric conflicts would ultimately become entitled to receive adequate protection.

PRIVATE MILITARY COMPANIES AND THE “PRIVATIZATION” OF MILITARY CONFLICTS IN THE CONTEX OF THE DEMONOPOLIZATION OF THE STATE VIOLEN

The prerequisites for the emergence of private military companies and private security companies, the features of their functioning in the context of the demonopolization of state violence are considered. The influence of the establishment of a monopoly on the use of violence in the process of the formation of states of the modern type (states of the Modern era) is highlighted. In a historical retrospective, the reasons for the formation of a state monopoly on the use of violence, factors that contributed to the strengthening of royal power, led to the centralization of state power and the formation of depersonalized rational-bureaucratic state institutions are presented. The role of wars in the emergence of regular armies in the context of the formation of modern-type states is analyzed. The influence of the Cold War on the emergence of private military companies and low-intensity military companies is considered, structural prerequisites for the spread of private military companies both in developed countries and in developing countries are identified. The connection between the loss of the monopoly on the use of violence by states and the emergence of low-intensity wars is shown. The main reasons for the disappearance of high-intensity wars are analyzed. It is shown that the loss of a monopoly on the use of violence by states is not a constant, but is the result of the spread of low-intensity wars that arise due to the loss of advantages in waging high-intensity wars.

The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Middle Eastern and North African History

The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Middle Eastern and North African History

From “Shock and Awe” to Asymmetric Warfare in Modern Military Warfare

This study aims to present the strategies from “Shock and Awe” to asymmetric warfare in modern military warfare. The main points in the article are: Introduction: The lessons of a war - The Yom Kippur War; In the years before the Yom Kippur War; After the Yom Kippur War, the American military understood that it had to focus on mobile and rapid warfare against regular armies, an issue that had been neglected over the past decade; The “Shock and Awe” battle strategy. In conclusion: a very important element for coping with asymmetric warfare is the psychological strength of the civilian population. As stated, one of the ways of warfare of the weak side against the strong side is the marking the psychological sensitivity of the civilian population of the strong side as a target. A psychological attack on the civilian population can manifest itself in the launching of missiles at it, the control of its information, the multiplicity of casualties of its soldiers and the sowing of a sense of frustration in it due to prolonged confrontation.

The Israeli challenge of cognitive influencing

The type of confrontation that has largely replaced classical wars between sovereign states and regular armies has unique characteristics springing from the nature and conduct of terrorist organizations. In the sphere of cognition, terror organizations, ignoring any moral or legal rules, deliberately perpetrate various acts of violence to coerce governments into changing their policies.

Deontology, Consequentialism and Reciprocity in Contemporary Just War Thinking

Abstract There has always been a degree of tension between, on the one hand, the writings of philosophers, theologians and lawyers on the ethics of war, and, on the other, the moral approach of soldiers, those actually engaged in combat. The former base their thinking on deontological reasoning, albeit with occasional reluctant gestures towards notions such as ‘military necessity’, while the latter are by temperament consequentialist, stressing, in particular, the importance of reciprocity. This tension is controllable in the implausible context of war between liberal, Western European countries, but comes to the surface in situations where regular Western armies are in combat with the armed forces of non-liberal states, or in situations of asymmetric warfare. The question is posed – can the notion of a just war survive in the absence of reciprocity?

Jewish intelligence and the question of the Arab countries invasion prior to the 1948 War of Independence

ABSTRACT Before the end of the British Mandate and the establishment of the State of Israel, the Yishuv’s intelligence services assessed that King Abdullah would be willing to accept the existence of a Jewish state and that the other Arab countries, for internal and external reasons, would not be interested in getting involved in war. They concluded that an invasion by regular Arab armies in response to a declaration of a Jewish state would be a ‘low probability’ and that Arab propaganda calling for the destruction of Israel only amounted to a war of nerves. Today it is abundantly clear that the intelligence agencies failed to weigh these factors correctly. In fact, what primarily motivated the Arab regimes to launch an all-out war was indeed their internal and external situation, since by so doing they could divert public attention away from their internal problems and ameliorate their external status.

The Great Illusion: Security Sector Reform in the Sahel

ABSTRACT Security sector reform (SSR) is regularly cited by states and regional organisations as crucial for stability in the Sahel. However, these declarations and interventions are not based on deep analysis, and much of the literature focuses overwhelmingly on the role of external actors or technical aspects of SSR. Against this backdrop, three preliminary factors need to be addressed in order to reform the security sectors in Burkina Faso and Mali: abuses and violations by regular armies; state support to non-state armed groups; and the securitisation of the region by external actors. In this context, SSR remains hamstrung and illusory: it is not inclusive, which threatens to undermine its outcome.

Prostitution in Armed Conflict Contexts in Colombia

This article presents two cases of victimization of female sex workers in the armed conflict context in the cities of Manzanares and Samaná, Caldas. In methodological terms, the research was presented from a qualitative perspective that establishes a centrality of the survivors and witnesses’ testimony and narrative of the facts that allow the key reconstruction of historical memory. The findings allow to infer that tolerance zones, bars, and canteens where prostitution is exercised are configured in small mountain villages, border places, thresholds between urban and rural areas, red zones and time bombs as they constitute centers of information circulation and social regulation by regular and irregular armies, making them a perfect target for actions of social cleansing and forced displacement based on stigma and the signaling of cooperation to opposing armies.

THE USAGE OF UAVs AND REQUIREMENTS IN MODERN COMBATS

The strong development of science and technology, especially the outstanding achievements in the recent fourth industrial revolution, has created many changes in the fields of social life. Especially in the fields of military in general, combat activities in particular, the application of scientific and technological achievements to improve the effectiveness of commanders and staffs contributing to creating breakthroughs in construction, regular, modern and elite armies of all countries' army. Recently, the use of UAVs, the quintessential product of science and technology, has brought a lot of effectiveness in modern combat operations, especially in reconnaissance and targeting targets in difficult combat conditions. From that common trend, the article generalized the history, discussed and posed a number of characteristics of requirements and design for UAVs to meet the new requirements of modern warfare.

Irregular Warfare. Understanding the Role of People

Abstract The time of conventional conflicts and warfare between states or regular armies has come to an end. The recent theatres of operations have shown us that the Irregular Warfare, marked by the concealment of combatants among the civilian population, has captured the way of conducting military actions. The paper identifies the role of local communities in conflict zones, and their influence in the outcome of armed confrontations.