Showing papers in "Armed Forces & Society in 2006"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focused on examining four military lifestyle demands: risk of service member injury or death, frequent relocations, frequent separations, and foregiveness of service members.
Abstract: Adopting M. Segal’s framework, we focused on examining four military lifestyle demands—(1) risk of service member injury or death, (2) frequent relocations, (3) periodic separations, and (4) foreig...
244 citations
TL;DR: Based on a new Army War College study of unit cohesion in the Iraq War, Wong et al. as mentioned in this paper argue that successful unit performance is determined by social cohesion (the strength of interpersonal bonds amon...
Abstract: Based on a new Army War College study of unit cohesion in the Iraq War, Wong et al. argue that successful unit performance is determined by social cohesion (the strength of interpersonal bonds amon...
158 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an alternative account of comradeship is proposed based on ethnographic analysis of the British armed forces and the Royal Marines, in particular, which examines the drills that British troops are collectively trained to perform and claims that these constitute the key social rituals for the British military.
Abstract: Military sociologists have attempted to explain how military institutions develop and maintain high levels of social cohesion. They have focused primarily on how the personal and intimate social interactions between soldiers produce bonds of comradeship. This comradeship is taken as the basis of social cohesion. Although sustainable, there is an unfortunate bias in the work of military sociologists. They focus almost exclusively on informal rituals in which personal bonds are forged. In fact, the decisive rituals that bind military groups together are the formal processes of training. Drawing on ethnographic analysis of the British armed forces and the Royal Marines, in particular, this article attempts to redress the balance. It examines the drills—above all, the communication drills—that British troops are collectively trained to perform and claims that these constitute the key social rituals for the British military. On the basis of this analysis, an alternative account of comradeship is proposed
157 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the relationship between propensity and motivation to enlist in a sample of enlisted combat soldiers in the U.S. Army and found that those soldiers who reported high enlistment propensity before beginning service reported significant institutional motivations to join and plans for a mil...
Abstract: Propensity to serve in the military expressed by high school seniors has been shown to be a strong predictor of actual service. Among male high school seniors, 70 percent of those who express high desire or likelihood of service actually enter the military within six years of high school graduation. Propensity to serve has been declining among American youth, and there are not sufficient high-propensity youth to meet manpower needs, so low-propensity youth must be recruited as well. In this article, we explore the relationship between propensity and motivation to enlist in a sample of enlisted combat soldiers in the U.S. Army. We provide an analysis of motivational data that tests Moskos’s institutional and occupational models of service and find the organization of motivations to be more complex than Moskos’s dichotomous conceptualization. We find that those soldiers who reported high enlistment propensity before beginning service reported significant institutional motivations to join and plans for a mil...
136 citations
TL;DR: The U.S. military faces a substantial recruiting challenge stemming from the high percentage of youth pursuing education beyond high school, cyclical fluctuations in civilian job opportunities, and the occurrence of international and domestic events that can lead to periods of heightened concern as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The U.S. military faces a substantial recruiting challenge stemming from the high percentage of youth pursuing education beyond high school, cyclical fluctuations in civilian job opportunities, and the occurrence of international and domestic events that can lead to periods of heightened concern. This article examines previous research and recent survey data to advance a conceptual framework concerning the themes found in youth goals relating to the possibility of military service. Using the data from the 2001, 2003, and 2004 Department of Defense Youth Polls, seven distinct motivational themes were identified and organized in the form of an Integrated Typology of Enlistment Themes. This typology shows how the concepts of "occupational" and "institutional" goals relate to tangible goals such as job benefits as well as to intangible goal themes such as "fidelity" and "dignity," which were the two leading themes identified in the analysis of the Youth Polls.
112 citations
TL;DR: The case of the United Kingdom from an international perspective is examined in this article, where attempts to mitigate the effects of social exclusion suffered by some subgroups within the veteran population, although the great majority does well in terms of short-term employment prospects.
Abstract: An important feature of civil-military relations is the way in which states recognize the sacrifices that the men and women of the armed forces give to their country and provide care and support for them and their families once they leave the military as veterans. Yet states differ not only in the levels and kinds of support provided for ex-service personnel but also in their very definition of what a veteran is. This article examines the case of the United Kingdom from an international perspective. It explains how and why the United Kingdom has developed a particular—and inclusive—definition of veteran and, in conjunction with veterans interest groups, a strategy for allocating scarce resources to this group. The article analyzes attempts to mitigate the effects of social exclusion suffered by some subgroups within the veteran population, although the great majority does well at least in terms of short-term employment prospects. It concludes with an analysis of the dilemmas that are likely to confront th...
102 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that there is much to be gained by reflecting on the process of doing research, and "writing in" the authors where appropriate, particularly within the context of research on the military.
Abstract: While the concept of reflexivity has been used extensively across the social sciences over many decades, its impact on studies of the military has remained marginal. Reasons for this go to the heart of the dominant epistemological foundations of a military sociology that implicitly assumes that researcher bias can be neutralized by adhering to the traditional positivist model of sociological research. In this article, the authors argue that there is much to be gained by reflecting on the process of doing research, and “writing in” the authors where appropriate, particularly within the context of research on the military. In appraising the quality of research projects, it is helpful to know more about the motivations of researchers (especially given that many are veterans), theways in which access to the military sample were negotiated, and the criteria placed upon researchers and their projects by military funders. Overall, the authors argue that the paucity of material focused on the process of researchi...
82 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine how Dutch soldiers train for peacekeeping missions and demonstrate that this training takes the shape of infantry combat exercises, a characteristic that negatively influences the soldiers' level of satisfaction during deployments.
Abstract: Based on anthropological fieldwork, this article studies the experience of two Dutch peacekeeping units: the “Grizzly” artillery battery that was deployed to Kosovo in 1999 (KFOR2) and the “Bulldog” infantry company that was deployed to Bosnia in 2000 (SFOR8). By examining the units’ experience from training through deployment, this article argues that the Dutch army is a threatened organization that suffers from a relatively low status in society. The army gains support mainly by performing peace missions, which soldiers perceive as “feminine” and therefore inappropriate. This article examines how Dutch soldiers train for peacekeeping missions and demonstrates that this training takes the shape of infantry combat exercises, a characteristic that negatively influences the soldiers’ level of satisfaction during deployments.
58 citations
TL;DR: The U.S. Army and NATO, in response to the possibility that their deployed troops will be engaged in or facilitate human trafficking, have enacted new policies intended to remove their troops from the demand for women trafficked for sexual services.
Abstract: On numerous occasions in the past fifteen years, U.N. peacekeepers have been accused of sexually assaulting or abusing the populations they serve. A Comprehensive Review of peacekeeper misconduct completed in 2005 identified significant problems and recommended numerous changes to address them. The U.S. Army and NATO, in a response to the possibility that their deployed troops will be engaged in or facilitate human trafficking, have enacted new policies intended to remove their troops from the demand for women trafficked for sexual services. The Department of Defense and NATO initiatives are similar to those being considered by the United Nations for preventing sexual misconduct by its peacekeepers. Because the United States, NATO, and the United Nations are all addressing the problems of sexual misconduct by deployed troops, their efforts should be mutually reinforcing. The examples of American and NATO armed forces offer hope that the United Nations will also enact strong measures to prevent future misc...
57 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, Why They Fight examines why soldiers continue in battle despite obvious risk to personal safety and concludes that today's soldiers, just as those in the past, fight for each other.
Abstract: The MacCoun, Kier, and Belkin critique of Why They Fight: Combat Motivation in the Iraq War is based on the incorrect assumption that the outcome variable of the study is combat performance. Why They Fight seeks to investigate combat motivation—not battlefield performance. Why They Fight examines why soldiers continue in battle despite obvious risk to personal safety. Referencing a well-established body of literature and using a methodology appropriate for analyzing combat motivation, Why They Fight concludes that today’s soldiers, just as those in the past, fight for each other. Why They Fight also reports, however, that today’s soldiers are motivated in combat by notions of freedom and democracy
56 citations
TL;DR: From independence through 2004, sixteen West African states have experienced forty-four successful military-led coups, forty-three often-bloody failed coups and at least eighty-two coup plots as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: From independence through 2004, the sixteen West African states have experienced forty-four successful military-led coups, forty-three often-bloody failed coups, at least eighty-two coup plots, sev...
TL;DR: The United States armed-forces and society intersection is explored comparing attitudes toward the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan among West Point, Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), and civilian undergraduates as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The United States armed-forces-and-society intersection is explored comparing attitudes toward the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan among West Point, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), and civilian undergraduates. A survey was administered in January and February 2003 to determine if military affiliation is associated with attitudes toward sending troops into Afghanistan after the war started and Iraq before sending troops. Majorities of all students supported both war efforts, though United States Military Academy at West Point and ROTC cadets are somewhat more supportive of both wars compared to civilian students. However, most differences are explained by students’ gender and political affiliation, suggesting that differences between groups result from selection effects rather than cultural differences. The authors contend a fourth wave in civil-military affairs potentially has emerged in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 through a civil-military attitude fusion complicated by a gender-politics gap.
TL;DR: This paper focused on the effect of domestic factors in explaining the relationship between civilians and the military and found that domestic factors had a significant impact on the relationship of civil-military relations, while domestic factors did not.
Abstract: The civil-military-relations literature has long concentrated on domestic factors in explaining the relationship between civilians and the military. This article concentrates on the effect of an ex...
TL;DR: In this article, the results of an exploratory study of how Army military spouses with children cope with everyday stresses varies based on ethnic background, using data from 4,464 respon...
Abstract: This article presents results of an exploratory study of how Army military spouses with children cope with everyday stresses varies based on ethnic background. The study used data from 4,464 respon...
TL;DR: The European Union's Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) defies logic from a military point of view as discussed by the authors, and it is designed to further the project of nation-building in a broadening European Union.
Abstract: From a military standpoint, the European Union’s Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) defies logic. Why would the European allies seek to create a competing military force outside NATO when worried about American isolationism and when unable and unwilling to dedicate the necessary resources? This article suggests an alternative motive behind the European Union’s establishment of a defense program—the development and enhancement of a “European identity.” In short, the ESDP is designed in no small part to further the project of nation-building in a broadening European Union. This article proposes a social-constructivist framework for analyzing this development.
TL;DR: In this paper, an in-depth analysis of civil-military relations in Nigeria's nascent democracy is presented, which chronicles the factors responsible for the Nigerian army's descent into the abyss, once a professional body, shortly after political independence in 1960.
Abstract: This article is an in-depth analysis of civil-military relations in Nigeria's nascent democracy. It chronicles the factors responsible for the Nigerian army's descent into the abyss—once a professional body—shortly after political independence in 1960. The author argues that much still needs to be done to effectively tame the military, which has indeed become a monster. However, unless the “contradictory pressures of depolitization and renewed political involvement” are curtailed, the hope of a consolidated democracy in Nigeria, and in virtually all other states emerging from military absolutism, will remain a mirage after all, despite all pretensions to the contrary.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the idea that behavioral and social scientists may test the robustness of their theories by studying the same phenomenon across in extremis settings and concluded that research involving human participants conducted in safe, peaceful settings will not necessarily generalize to combat; combat findings may differ from those developed elsewhere.
Abstract: Previous work by the author that was based on data collected in combat has been criticized, based on its ability to generalize to research done in routine, peaceful settings. The idea that behavioral and social scientists may test the robustness of their theories by studying the same phenomenon across in extremis settings is explored. Research involving human participants conducted in safe, peaceful settings will not necessarily generalize to combat; combat findings may differ from those developed elsewhere. The appropriate scientific approach is to replicate and extend, in the combat context, findings already well established in peacetime work
TL;DR: The Japanese prefecture of Okinawa has witnessed a great deal of protest activity against the U.S. military bases on the island and anti-base sentiment is regularly expressed by the local press and the public.
Abstract: The Japanese prefecture of Okinawa has witnessed a great deal of protest activity against the U.S. military bases on the island. Antibase sentiment is regularly expressed by the local press and the...
TL;DR: This article applied principal-agent logic to analyze the post-cold war friction between civilian authorities and top military commanders in U.S. civil-military relations and found that the principal agent logic can be applied to analyze both civil-and military relations.
Abstract: Recent research on U.S. civil-military relations has applied principal-agent logic to analyze the post-cold war friction between civilian authorities and top military commanders. This article propo...
TL;DR: This is a narrative of accomplishment that speaks well for a government and an army on a continent where both are widely held in contempt as mentioned in this paper, arguing that Africans are contributing meaningfully to e...
Abstract: This is a narrative of accomplishment that speaks well for a government and an army on a continent where both are widely held in contempt. It argues that Africans are contributing meaningfully to e...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the meaning of the voluntary reticence of Yom Kippur War ex-POWs from the Vietnam War and the cultural code of captivity.
Abstract: Between 1973 and 1993, over 30 of the 591 American ex-POWs from the Vietnam War (1973) published autobiographies; on the Israeli side, a book was written by only 1 of the 314 ex-POWs from the Yom Kippur War (1973). In the United States, their return transformed the POWs into national heroes. Alternatively, in Israel, the ex-POWs put on a thick cover of silence, to disappear from the public eye and the public discourse for almost twenty-five years. This article attempts to delve into the meaning of the voluntary reticence of Yom Kippur War ex-POWs. An examination of the complex relationship between their personal stories and Israel’s cultural code of captivity helps explain that silence. The article contributes to our understanding of the influence of cultural codes in the construction of military history, military autobiography, and military values and myths.
TL;DR: Falluja shows that the United States and its military commanders treat power as a possession or capability independent of the relationship in which it is to be exercised, whereas power in Iraq is better understood in terms of relationships as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Why should it be so difficult for the United States, with its overwhelming military edge, to counter low-level conflict? An answer is suggested by the paradigmatic example of U.S. operations in Falluja in April 2004. Falluja shows that the Bush administration and its military commanders treat power as a possession or capability independent of the relationship in which it is to be exercised, whereas power in Iraq is better understood in terms of relationships. Considered in this light, Falluja clarifies several issues shaping U.S. understanding of power and offers insight into the application of conventional force against insurgents
TL;DR: In this paper, the U.S. Army determines the readiness of company-sized and battalionsized units by assessing them in four areas: personnel, equipment on hand, equipment serviceability, and training to meet mission-essential tasks.
Abstract: Doctrinally, the U.S. Army determines the readiness of company-sized and battalionsized units by assessing them in four areas: personnel, equipment on hand, equipment serviceability, and training to meet mission-essential tasks. Surprisingly, these assessments do not include factors identified in surveys, personal interviews, and observational accounts of soldiers regarding what prepares them for combat and contributes to their combat effectiveness. Among the more prominent of these factors are the quality of small (primary) group relationships and the competencies of unit leaders. The present study considers these factors in addition to doctrinal readiness assessments. Soldier perceptions combined with doctrinal assessments (1) more readily differentiated the readiness of units; (2) were associated with independently derived soldier perceptions of fellow soldiers, leaders, and equipment being prepared for combat operations; and (3) implied interventions to improve specific unit activities.
TL;DR: Focusing on four critical components of combat cohesion (leadership, morale, trust, and training), the authors argues that under Boris Yeltsin, combat cohesion deteriorated to the point where the Russi...
Abstract: Focusing on four critical components of combat cohesion—leadership, morale, trust, and training—the author argues that under Boris Yeltsin, combat cohesion deteriorated to the point where the Russi...
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TL;DR: In 2003, Leonard Wong, Thomas Kolditz, Raymond Miller, and Terrence M. Potter published a monograph Why They Fight: Combat Motivation in the Iraq War as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In 2003, Leonard Wong, Thomas Kolditz, Raymond Miller, and Terrence M. Potter published a monograph through the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College. Why They Fight: Combat Motivation in the Iraq War examines combat motivation and unit cohesion using interviews from soldiers fighting in the Iraq War. This important study found that cohesion remains a key component of combat motivation. Furthermore, contrary to previous studies, contemporary soldiers include values such as freedom, democracy, and liberty as factors in combat motivation. Subsequently, Robert MacCoun, Elizabeth Kier, and Aaron Belkin submitted an article to Armed Forces & Society critical of Why They Fight. Instead of an article, MacCoun et al. shortened their piece and resubmitted a commentary. What follows is a fascinating exchange between MacCoun et al. and Wong and Kolditz. The discussion touches on conceptual and methodological issues central to the mission of Armed Forces & Society.
TL;DR: The concept of American empire has gained increasing popularity as a means of describing contemporary international relations as discussed by the authors, which suggests a very active American military that may need to make adjustments due to the strain being placed upon it.
Abstract: The concept of American empire has gained increasing popularity as a means of describing contemporary international relations. To the extent that an American imperial endeavor exists, this creates strain on the military, which, like the Roman legions of past millennia, is the ultimate means of enforcing an imperial will. There are several arguments that suggest the “empire of liberty” is a compelling description of America in the third millennium. This concept suggests a very active American military that may need to make adjustments due to the strain being placed upon it. Empire may not harm civilmilitary relations, but only if the United States can militarily resource its ambitions.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors apply Cottey, Edmonds, and Forster's thesis of first and second-generation civil-military relations to the protectorate of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Abstract: How might Bosnia-Herzegovina attempt to institute democratic civil control over its military? This article applies Cottey, Edmonds, and Forster’s thesis of first- and second-generation civil-military relations to the protectorate of Bosnia-Herzegovina. It argues that in the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, this agenda does not occur in a loosely overlapping fashion with the initiation of the first-generation agenda providing the basis upon which the second-generation agenda can be implemented. Rather, the reverse occurs: the second-generation, capacity-building agenda allows for the construction of state-level institutions in the defense and security sphere—not least a functioning ministry of defense—the hallmark of the first-generation macroinstitutional structural reform agenda. This approach may well prove to be appropriate for other protectorates, and it is of rising strategic significance in an age of preemptive action against failed and rogue states, regime change, and democratization
TL;DR: This article investigated the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama using qualitative tests for diversionary war proposed by another researcher, Ryan C. Hendrickson, and found that this use of force was likely a "type" of diversionarywar, in that it was likely motivated by a need to solve domestic political problems rather than to achieve strategic goals.
Abstract: This article investigates the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama using qualitative tests for diversionarywar proposed by another researcher, Ryan C. Hendrickson. The author finds that this use of force was likely a “type” of diversionary war, in that it was likely motivated by a need to solve “domestic political problems” rather than to achieve strategic goals. Several proposals to further develop qualitative tests for diversionary war are advanced.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine how a group of young immigrants from the former Soviet Union use their military conscription in the context of their acculturation, investigating its actual effect on their coping in the host society.
Abstract: In Israel, where over one million immigrants from the former Soviet Union (FSU) arrived during the past decade, compulsory military service provides young immigrants with an opportunity for acculturation These youth are regarded as a population at risk, as they both face the trials of adjustment to a newsociety and are in the midst of their identity formation, at decision-making crossroads regarding future life goals The purpose of this phenomenological studywas to examine howa group of young immigrants from the FSU use their military conscription in the context of their acculturation, investigating its actual effect on their coping in the host society