{"title":"Book Review: Divided not conquered: How rebels fracture and splinters behave","authors":"Steve Medeiros","doi":"10.1177/0095327x241245358","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327x241245358","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":130147,"journal":{"name":"Armed Forces & Society","volume":"30 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140729179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Playstation Mentality to Killing? Adverse Psychological Consequences in Drone Pilots and the Stigmatization thereof in the Military","authors":"Ayla Molenkamp, Maartje Weerdesteijn, Alette Smeulers","doi":"10.1177/0095327x241236221","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327x241236221","url":null,"abstract":"Since the start of the 21st century, drones are increasingly used for military purposes. There have been concerns that the work of drone pilots resembles a video game and it has been argued that drone pilots are less likely to develop mental health problems than other service members. Such an assumption could increase stigmatization but empirical research is lacking. For this explorative study, 11 respondents were interviewed. They were purposefully sampled from the United States, the Netherlands, and Israel because of their insight into the working environment of drone pilots. These respondents included scholars, a therapist, and military personnel. They suggested that drone pilots do face mental health problems because of their work and that due to their distance to the battlefield, stigmatization of these problems is more likely. These findings, however, are nuanced by differences across countries and units.","PeriodicalId":130147,"journal":{"name":"Armed Forces & Society","volume":"04 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140377568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nisar Ahmad Arghandwal, Mohammad Ehsan Omaid, Zmarai Fana
{"title":"Afghan Scholars’ Response to Perspectives on the Afghanistan War: Arrogant Conquest; Disgraceful Withdrawal","authors":"Nisar Ahmad Arghandwal, Mohammad Ehsan Omaid, Zmarai Fana","doi":"10.1177/0095327x241227919","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327x241227919","url":null,"abstract":"In response to the special issue on the Afghanistan War published by Armed Forces & Society, this article offers alternative perspectives regarding America’s longest war from the point of view of scholars who experienced the war firsthand and continue to live in its aftermath. We argue that Afghanistan was invaded by Western militaries who came to experience political failures and moral regrets. The soil could be conquered, but the Afghan nation has always strictly rejected foreign rulers and dictations. As our research critically evaluated the special issue articles published in the Armed Forces and Society Journal, we believe these articles fall short of reasonable analysis by only considering and analyzing the military strategies, war tactics, and failed stabilization efforts in Afghanistan. Civilian casualties owing to military operations by U.S.-led forces, not establishing an inclusive central government, strong resistance of the Taliban, ignoring the Afghan nation’s core ambitions, Pakistan’s double game policy, and high level of corruption led the U.S. to defeat. Nevertheless, we conclude that the U.S. approach to getting revenge for 9/11 victims and restoring their dignity through banzai attacks, blind bombardments, and night raids in civilians’ homes in Afghan cities and villages and taking innocent lives must be recognized, remembered, and condemned.","PeriodicalId":130147,"journal":{"name":"Armed Forces & Society","volume":"112 22","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140381343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"We (All) Want You? Perceived Military Leadership Potential and Actual Leadership Role Occupancy in Working Life: A Longitudinal Study of a Swedish Cohort","authors":"Therese Reitan, Sten-Åke Stenberg","doi":"10.1177/0095327x241228845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327x241228845","url":null,"abstract":"One of the main tasks of the armed forces is to recruit and select future soldiers and to identify potential officers. However, these procedures may have a wider societal impact beyond the borders of the military organization itself. This study aims to examine how compatible assessments of military leadership potential are with those in the labor market. Using longitudinal data concerning a large cohort of Swedish males who underwent mustering during the early 1970s, we analyzed the association between officer suitability assessments and managerial role occupancy at age 50 to 55, while controlling for socio-demographic factors in childhood and adulthood. We found a high level of predictability, whereby those who were ranked highest were four times more likely to hold managerial positions than those with the lowest ranking. Results are discussed in relation to perceptions about leadership skills and possible institutional isomorphism between the armed forces and other societal organizations.","PeriodicalId":130147,"journal":{"name":"Armed Forces & Society","volume":"28 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140443423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Commentary on the Standard Model of Military Group Cohesion","authors":"G. Siebold","doi":"10.1177/0095327x231225433","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327x231225433","url":null,"abstract":"In response to King’s article on cohesion, this author submitted a critique, “The Essence of Military Group Cohesion” (2007), based on 20 years of research. The critique noted that King had set up several strawmen and presented a narrow focus. Furthermore, the critique introduced the Standard Model of Military Group Cohesion as a more widely useful approach. The Model was further articulated in “Key Questions and Challenges to the Standard Model of Military Group Cohesion” (2011) and “The Misconceived Construct of Task Cohesion” (2015). This current article describes major conceptual and measurement efforts leading up to the development of the Model, critiques and expansions of the Model, and needed future research to refine the Model as well as combine cohesion with other key variables such as motivation, combatant capacity, and leadership to more fully explain variation in key military outcome variables such as unit performance and retention.","PeriodicalId":130147,"journal":{"name":"Armed Forces & Society","volume":"30 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140492855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reserve Soldiers as Transmigrants—Two Decades On: A Research Note","authors":"Eyal Ben Ari, Edna Lomsky-Feder, Nir Gazit","doi":"10.1177/0095327x231223541","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327x231223541","url":null,"abstract":"The choice of our article—Reserve Soldiers as Transmigrants—for the 50th anniversary of Armed Forces & Society special issue indicates heightened interest in reserve forces and recognition of their organizational and social uniqueness. At base of our previous publications was an implicit assumption that reservists belong to diverse and representative social and cultural groups. In other words, we did not explicitly address the issues of the social distribution of reservists. In this short piece, we turn that assumption into a variable so that the key questions that arise for further research are “Who serves in the reserves?” and “What are the implications of the social distribution of reservists?” While these questions have been addressed in regard to conscripts and regulars, there is a dearth of relevant studies on reserves. We suggest that this line of analysis further illuminates the complexity of contracts and dynamics between reservists, the military, and the state.","PeriodicalId":130147,"journal":{"name":"Armed Forces & Society","volume":"41 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140492299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cohesion, Combat Performance and Civil-Military Relations: Contextualizing “The Word of Command”","authors":"Anthony King","doi":"10.1177/0095327x231181611","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327x231181611","url":null,"abstract":"In 2006, Armed Forces & Society published my article on small unit cohesion, “The Word of Command.” It has been the focus of considerable discussion since that time. This essay describes the origins and the purpose of that 2006 article, as an attempt to contribute to an emergent “practical” paradigm in the study of cohesion. Instead of focusing on interpersonal cohesion, my original article prioritized skill—task cohesion. This commentary argues that although the political implications of small unit cohesion was subordinate in 2006, that initial article—and my wider work on cohesion—speaks directly to a key theme in the journal: civil-military relations.","PeriodicalId":130147,"journal":{"name":"Armed Forces & Society","volume":"71 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139604088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Mcneeley, M. A. Morgan, M. Logan, Andrea Hazelwood, Valerie A. Clark
{"title":"Mortality Among Individuals Released From U.S. Prisons: Does Military History Matter?","authors":"S. Mcneeley, M. A. Morgan, M. Logan, Andrea Hazelwood, Valerie A. Clark","doi":"10.1177/0095327x231218893","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327x231218893","url":null,"abstract":"The physiological effects of imprisonment are well-documented and include a heightened risk for various forms of mortality post-release. The incarceration-mortality nexus does not apply equally to all groups, however, and research shows that some demographics (i.e., vulnerable populations) experience a greater likelihood of death. In the current study, we analyze correctional data over a 10-year period (2010–2019; n = 36,716) from Minnesota to assess the extent to which formerly incarcerated military veterans differ from non-veterans in their relative risk of mortality, net of relevant control variables. We also examine whether specific risk factors for post-release mortality differ between these groups. Findings indicate that veteran status is not a significant predictor of all-cause, natural, or unnatural mortality among releasees, though several notable within-group differences were observed. Policy implications of the current study are discussed in relation to the provision of veteran-centric health care services and directions for future research are given.","PeriodicalId":130147,"journal":{"name":"Armed Forces & Society","volume":"46 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139159518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Markus Bayer, Aurel Croissant, Roya Izadi, Nikitas Scheeder
{"title":"Multidimensional Measures of Militarization (M3): A Global Dataset","authors":"Markus Bayer, Aurel Croissant, Roya Izadi, Nikitas Scheeder","doi":"10.1177/0095327x231215295","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327x231215295","url":null,"abstract":"In this article, we present the novel M3-dataset. This global dataset brings together 30 existing and newly developed indicators and a total of 140,000 observations on three dimensions of material, political, and societal militarization from 1990 to 2020. We introduce a novel, multidimensional concept of militarization, explain the construction of the dataset, data-collection process, and the measures taken to ensure the validity and reliability of the data. We illustrate the usefulness of the dataset for researchers by analyzing for the first time the impact of military policing as one aspect of societal militarization on violence and human rights violations at the global level. We conclude by discussing the significance of the M3 dataset and outlining how scholars in different fields and with various research interests, including (de-)democratization, armed conflict, and human development, can benefit from incorporating this dataset into their studies.","PeriodicalId":130147,"journal":{"name":"Armed Forces & Society","volume":"36 16","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139005266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessing the Link Between Bible Reading and Flourishing Among Military Families: Preliminary Findings","authors":"Matt Bradshaw, Sung Joon Jang, Byron R Johnson","doi":"10.1177/0095327x231211554","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327x231211554","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines whether participating in a Bible reading program for military families (called “Hero Squad”) is positively related to overall human flourishing among children, family units, and parents/caregivers. Previous research shows salutary associations between multiple dimensions of religiosity (including reading sacred texts) and different aspects of flourishing (e.g., physical health, psychological well-being, character and virtue, social connections and support), so it was hypothesized that program participation would promote flourishing over time. Two waves of survey data were collected on a sample of 175 U.S. military families in 2021 and 2022, and differences between pretest and posttest surveys were analyzed. As hypothesized, improvements in indicators of flourishing were observed over time. These findings contribute to published work on religious participation by showing that Bible reading may promote overall mental, physical, and social well-being. Implications and limitations of these preliminary findings are discussed.","PeriodicalId":130147,"journal":{"name":"Armed Forces & Society","volume":"29 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138594135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}