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This report explores the history of Puerto Rico's relationship with the United States military and the resistance against militarization. Since the U.S. invasion in 1898, Puerto Rico has experienced the progressive takeover of land for military purposes, resulting in environmental damage and health repercussions. The resistance against militarism has taken various forms, including civil disobedience, marches, and armed struggle. The report showcases a collection of political propaganda, such as posters and pasquines, which were used to spread anti-militarist messages and mobilize people. These materials provide insight into the themes, styles, and campaigns of leftist propaganda between 1960 and 2000, highlighting the power imbalance between the armed forces and the common people. The report includes images and descriptions of selected propaganda pieces, demonstrating the diversity of styles and messages. [Extracted from the article]

This study assessed the relative degree of association between quality of army life and perceived attributes of different types of leaders. Interviews with one hundred thirty lower ranking enlisted personnel provided information about soldiers' satisfaction with various facets of military experience and their perceptions of the behavior of superiors whom they viewed as either formulating (originators) or merely relaying (givers) daily orders. Regression analyses indicated that satisfaction with both the quality of army life in general and leadership in particular were related more closely to perceived attributes of the originator rather than to such attributes of the giver. This finding is attributed to the originator's greater hierarchical influence within the army structure. (Author)

This paper represents one of the most recent and pertinent studies conducted in Afghanistan, aiming to address the societal imperative of comprehending the factors behind the fall of the Republic government and the subsequent rise of the Taliban to power. Furthermore, the paper seeks to analyse public attitudes towards the current situation. Employing a quantitative approach, the research utilizes a descriptive-analytical method through questionnaires and the participants include social media activist, students and universities professors, the data collected by online survey according WhatsApp, Facebook messengers, telegram, email and other social media groups from different ethnic groups. The findings of this research have identified several pivotal factors contributing to the ascent of the Taliban to power, including the US-Taliban agreement in Doha, Qatar; political disparities; administrative and financial corruption within the Republic's administration; Pakistan's support for the Taliban; the previous government's accord with the Taliban; ethnic dominance; robust military morale of the Taliban; and proficient war management by the Taliban. Afghanistan, as a multi-ethnic society, witnesses political dynamics predominantly rooted in ethnic affiliations. The majority of respondents express dissatisfaction with the current Afghan situation, displaying significant concerns for the populace. Foremost concerns, in terms of prioritization, encompass poverty; closure of girls' schools; restrictions on women's education and employment; escalation of civil unrest; mono-ethnic rule; ethnic conflicts; emergence of ISIS; ethnic marginalization; violations of citizenship rights; political participation and legitimacy crises; and authoritarianism. Consequently, to address the political crisis and establish a viable system, the research concludes that while Pashtuns lean toward a centralized system, Hazaras, Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Turkmens evince greater interest in a decentralized structure.

The article studies the evolution of the military-political course of the French Fifth Republic. The authors provide a comprehensive analysis of the four editions of the French White Paper, which are the conceptual foundations of the country’s defense and national security strategy. Particular attention is paid to the impact of the domestic political situation, international political and economic processes, as well as membership in the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance on the formation of France’s defense policy. The methodological basis for the study of the French military policy evolution is a systematic approach: a comprehensive study of the Fifth Republic’s defense and national security strategy as parts of the global European security architecture, which consists of closely related components. In addition the authors use the concrete-historical method, as well as induction, deduction, content analysis and comparative analysis of the Fifth Republic’s regulatory and legal documentation in the field of national defense and security, which allowed identifying elements of the specifics and continuity of the military-political course of France. With the help of forecasting, as well as a statistical method based on official data from government departments and research centers, the authors assessed the state of the French Republic Armed Forces. The excessive involvement of the French armed forces in various external and internal military operations, accompanied by a reduction in the number of personnel and deterioration of their equipment, weakens of the combat potential of Paris.

The paper addresses the introduction of literacy schools for the lower ranks in the Russian army. The study primarily focuses on the teaching process, as well as on the used instructional techniques aimed to improve the education efficiency. The materials include army orders, as well as publications by Russian officers in the Russian Empire's central military edition--the Voennyi Sbornik ("Military Collection") journal. The methodological basis for the study is formed by principles of historicism and objectivity, traditional for this kind of research. It also employed analytical, probabilistic, statistical, typological and comparative methods. The method of historicism allowed for the use of diverse facts, uncovered in field work with sources, and subsequent identification of important phenomena and processes related to the organization of the teaching process in company schools. The paper also paid attention to the instructional techniques that were applied in the teaching process. In conclusion, the authors note that the company literacy schools established in 1857 boosted the number of literate lower ranks. Classes in company schools were carried out in periods when military units were stationed in winter quarters. The term of study was no more than 3 years in these schools. The curriculum included a limited range of subjects such as reading, writing, arithmetic and Scripture knowledge. The teaching was performed by regimental officers who were given complete freedom in choosing methods to instruct learners.

The article analyzes the speech of the Zig-Zag magazine in relation to the city of Arica, as a collaborator in a propaganda policy of Chileanization, in the context in which Peru and Chile must prepare for the Treaty that will resolve the geopolitical and sovereignty conflict over the cities of Tacna and Arica. From this perspective, the research question is: How do the reproduction and dissemination of the Zig-Zag's photographs collaborate, and what lies behind the news regarding the city of Arica between 1910 and 1930 in the construction of the Chileanizing discourse? From this city? In this line the news and photographic images of the Zig-Zag magazine referring to the city of Arica, referred to a systematic violence towards the Peruvian population of the area, focused on the invisibility of the original inhabitants and the negative and derogatory language towards the Peruvians. Granting an exorbitant relevance: to the actions of the Chilean State in the area, to the objectivity and rationality of its political authorities to resolve the conflict with Peru, and to repeatedly expose the Chilean army as the greatest military force prepared in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the innovative, cutting age solution within the language testing realm, namely computer adaptive language testing (CALT) in accordance with the NATO Standardization Agreement 6001 (NATO STANAG 6001) requirements for further implementation in foreign language training of personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AF of Ukraine) in order to increase the quality of foreign language testing. The research provides the CALT method developed according to NATO STANAG 6001 requirements and the CALT algorithm that contains three blocks: "Starting point", "Item selection algorithm", "Scoring algorithm" and "Termination criterion". The CALT algorithm has an adaptive ability, changing a complexity level, sequence and the number of items according to the answers of a test taker. The comparative analysis of the results of the CALT method piloting and the paper-and-pencil testing (PPT) in reading and listening according to the NATO STANAG 6001 requirements justifies the effectiveness of the three-level CALT method. It allows us to determine the following important benefits of CALT: test length reduction, control of measurement accuracy, objective assessment, improved test security, generation of a unique set of items, adaptive ability of the CALT algorithm, high motivation of the test takers, immediate score reporting and test results management. CALT is a qualitative and effective tool to determine test takers' foreign language proficiency level in accordance with NATO STANAG 6001 requirements within the NATO Defence Educational Enhancement Programme. CALT acquires a special value and relevance in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Professional school counselors are tasked with providing information about postsecondary options to high school students and their families. Opportunities in the military offer a variety of benefits; however, misconceptions about military education and career pathways are prevalent among students, families, and educators, so professional school counselors should be aware of these when advising students. The purpose of this paper is to provide professional school counselors with an overview of military service options and the benefits of each, as well as to outline the variety of options for entry into the military via active duty and higher education pathways. The American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) "Professional Standards and Competencies" (2019) clearly outline postsecondary advising as a key competency for school-based counseling professionals and as such it is important for counselors to be aware of each of these military options.

This paper examines the discursive structures employed in legitimizing the event of U.S. forces withdrawal from Iraq and identifies them in relation to linguistic features. It attempts to describe the relation between language use and legitimation discursive structures in depicting political events. The paper focuses on the political event of U.S. forces' withdrawal from Iraq in the English newspaper issued in Iraq. The study shows the way in which journalists express their values and attitudes concerning this critical event. Consequently, this requires a critical discourse analysis (henceforth, CDA) to analyse news articles in the Iraqi English newspaper: The "Kurdish Globe" (henceforth, KG) newspaper. Accordingly, the study presents a qualitative content analysis of newspaper articles to identify the legitimation discursive structures and their linguistic features. It is found that the main discursive structures of legitimation employed in the KG newspaper are: authorization, rationalization, and moral evaluation. Besides, there were five verb processes used to represent this legitimation, including material, verbal, relational, mental, and existential.

Pakistan was bifurcated and Bangladesh emerged as a sovereign state in 1971 after the culmination of a separatist movement that was raised on the basis of Bengali nationalism claimed on ethnic and cultural grounds. Since the pronounced demand as well as well-defined goal of the movement changed from autonomy to the separation only after Pakistan Army?s action on 25th March 1971 and also Awami League (AL) and Mujibur Rehman, the party and leader that spearheaded the separatist movement, got prominence as separatists after Agartala Conspiracy Case in 1966 the time and events of the origin of the Bengali Movement need to be looked for. This paper highlights the ideological origins of Bengali separatism even before the partition of India in 1947. It also finds out the early organisations which, when got matured in later decades, became instrumental in promotion of the Bengali separatist movement. The paper then examines the development which for the first time generated the cultural and lingual feelings as well as economic grievances that nurtured the Bengali separatist movement. Therefore main research question of the paper is when and how the Bengali Movement started.

Australia's strategic environment is most influenced by three factors: the status of the US-China relationship, America's willingness to defend the rules-based global order in Asia, and the stability of the Asian region. This commentary examines the 2016 Defence White Paper's analysis of these three factors and examines its overall narrative. As a public document, the White Paper is necessarily limited in its ability to frankly assess the most serious challenges in Australia's strategic environment and the threat they pose to national security. However, there is a risk that the document's optimistic narrative discourages a thoughtful consideration of the changes in Asia's regional order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Self-harm and suicide behaviours are a major public health concern. Several factors are associated with these behaviours among military communities. Identifying these factors may have important implications for policy and clinical services. The aim of this review was to identify the risk and protective factors associated with self-harm and suicide behaviours among serving and ex-serving personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, Canadian Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force and New Zealand Defence Force. Methods: A systematic search of seven online databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Global Health, PsycINFO, PTSDpubs and CINAHL) was conducted alongside cross-referencing, in October 2022. Following an a priori PROSPERO approved protocol (CRD42022348867), papers were independently screened and assessed for quality. Data were synthesised using a narrative approach. Results: Overall, 28 papers were included: 13 from Canada, 10 from the United Kingdom, five from Australia and none from New Zealand. Identified risk factors included being single/ex-relationship, early service leavers, shorter length of service (but not necessarily early service leavers), junior ranks, exposure to deployment-related traumatic events, physical and mental health diagnoses, and experience of childhood adversity. Protective factors included being married/in a relationship, higher educational attainment, employment, senior ranks, and higher levels of perceived social support. Conclusion: Adequate care and support are a necessity for the military community. Prevention and intervention strategies for self-harm and suicide behaviours may be introduced early and may promote social networks as a key source of support. This review found a paucity of peer-reviewed research within some populations. More peer-reviewed research is needed, particularly among these populations where current work is limited, and regarding modifiable risk and protective factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a number of positive aspects for Army in the 2016 Defence White Paper. The acknowledgement of a broader set of national interests beyond Australia's immediate region that will shape force structure priorities coupled with the need for a balanced force structure is most significant. The commitment to continuing to strengthen Army's combat capabilities is also positive. However, the inconsistency between the policy rhetoric and the investment program is of concern. The lack of depth in the examination of the force structure drivers which may be derived from supporting a 'rules-based global order' and 'contributions to coalition operations' leaves one pondering what Army's role is beyond special forces. This point was reinforced when a high-end close combat role is explicitly called out for special forces yet it is less clear in the level of combat or close combat capabilities expected of the rest of the Army. The White Paper also makes explicit that Army has benefitted from significant investment over the last decade or so and while silent on the consequences one is left in no doubt that Army is not a high investment priority. The investment program for Army appears to be a number of disjointed projects rather than a coherent program designed and argued around a land combat system. The policy challenges for Army is that its role is still ambiguous and the schedule in the investment program leaves Army vulnerable to slippage or cancellation due to budget pressure which will severely undermine Australia's land capability and the aspiration of a balanced joint combat capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia's involvement in World War I, currently in its centenary years of commemoration, continues to capture the public's imagination in a way that arguably surpasses all other historical events in Australia's history. This is particularly in terms of popular culture representations such as advertising, film, and television; children's literature; popular and academic history publications; and educational resources at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. So pervasive is the public's awareness of Australia's first major military campaign, Gallipoli, that by the time high school students in year 9 study the unit on Australia's involvement in WWI, they are already familiar with the common tropes of narratives surrounding this event, however inaccurate they may be. This paper reports on research conducted in three Australian high schools that provided students with a collection of five sources and a series of questions to answer about the Gallipoli campaign as a historical and commemorative event. The research is interested in understanding how the Gallipoli campaign is perceived at the time of its 100- year anniversary and to see whether or how students reflect collective memory and official history in their own narratives of the nation.

The paper reports on an innovative approach to evaluate the level of harmonisation of Ukrainian border guards training with the common standards for border guarding in the European Union (EU) member-states. There are different types of borders and different organisational structures in border guard agencies in the EU. The authors present the results of a research aimed at analysing the level of interoperability of Ukrainian border guards. In case of border guards' training, interoperability stands for their level of professional readiness for joint actions with representatives of foreign border guard authorities. For this purpose, the EU border guard agencies under the supervision of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex Agency) introduced the Interoperability Assessment Program (IAP), as the means to assess, first of all, the level of integration of the Common Core Curriculum (CCC) for basic border guards' training into border guard authorities' national curricula. The programme's results provide information on the degree to which the CCC meets the requirements regarding its content. The overall CCC implementation at the NASBGSU was 77.5%, namely: by modules (General Studies -- 95%; Land Border Module -- 75%; Air Border Module -- 81%; Sea Border Module -- 58,6%); by content (General studies -- 96%; Legislation -- 73,9%; Practice -- 80,8%). The results of the evaluation held at the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, involving cadets of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Humanities showed that Ukrainian border guards and their system of education and training are in line with the EU member-states' common standards and the Ukrainian border guard agency personnel can be effectively used for the various operational and service activities of protecting different border sectors.

The article discusses a government defence white paper which tackles issues facing the defence establishment of New Zealand. One question raised in the discussions about the white paper was about the roles of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and other parts of the defence establishment. Reasons for the raising and maintenance of New Zealand's armed forces according to the Defence Act 1990 are listed. Also noted is the white paper released by the Australian Department of Defence.

High­-quality early care and education (ECE) relies on teacher training. However, state policies require that the ECE workforce attain only minimal preservice credentials, and the field needs more information about inservice professional development models that might effectively train teachers, no matter what their prior experience or education level. With the aim of addressing this policy context, this paper reports on the professional development provided to caregivers in the U.S. military's child development centers. The military model utilizes both a "one-­size-­fits-­all" and constructivist approach and comprises four distinct phases. Each phase is provided or coordinated by an on­site Training and Curriculum Specialist and takes place within a broader context of support. By describing the components contributing to the military model, this paper highlights the many interrelated inputs that may be essential aspects of an ECE teacher professional development system, thus also offering lessons for policy makers who wish to upgrade professional development policies as a means for improving ECE program quality.

Focuses on the financial limitations of establishing massive conventional forces to defend Western Europe, while highlighting the relation between the 1952 British Global Strategy Paper (GSP) and the Eisenhower New Look of 1953. What was emphasized by both papers; Basis for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); Information on the factors which influenced the GSP; Recommendations made by the GSP.

Discusses the defense structure planning and implementation in the Baltic States. Elements of a society based on the soviet command economy; Independence against a background of economic hardship and difficulty; Use of the armed forces to assist in the preservation or restoration of law and order in certain circumstances.

The United States Air Force (USAF) provides career and technical education (CTE) to a wide variety of specialty career fields. Training airmen to carry out the mission while honoring the USAF core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do is the top priority of military leaders and trainers. Vehicle maintenance is especially important as one minor malfunction could cause multiple injuries and deaths. Vehicle maintainers are thus trained in grueling learning environments and follow arduous regulations to ensure the utmost adherence to standards. This paper presents the findings of a recent study at the Port Hueneme Naval Station in California, home of the technical school of Air Force Vehicle maintenance. The results focus on three specific areas that contribute to performance: student learning preferences, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) scores and other personal characteristics, and a comparison of alternate training aids. (Contains 6 tables and 3 figures.)

In this semi-autobiographical short story, Malcolm Reed writes about English teachers' responsibilities towards the pupils they teach. This work grew from his insight that the armed forces have traditionally recruited from areas of high unemployment and low literacy. Reed taught for many years in an all-boys, secondary school in one of London's poorest boroughs with a disproportionately high concentration of Black students. This essay is a many-layered, unsettling story that draws real and fictional voices into a conversation that disturbs memories and poses fundamental questions about what teaching English involves. (Contains 9 footnotes.)

No one would have thought that the military clashes between Cameroon and Nigeria over the Bakassi Peninsula would one day end. For close to 50 years, Cameroon and Nigeria had been fighting over the resource-rich area of Bakassi to take control of it. The mechanisms that resolved these military upheavals were the World Court's Judgment (WCJ) of 2006 and the Green Tree Agreement (GTA) of 2006. The end of the five-year special regime program, as stipulated by the GTA, finally laid to rest the Bakassi conflict. Hitherto, following the end of hostilities between the Cameroonian and Nigerian military in the Bakassi Peninsula, the region was/is being marred by militant activities. The main thrust of this paper is to examine the role played by the Cameroonian and Nigerian military in maintaining peace in the Bakassi peninsula even after the conflict has been resolved. This research used the qualitative method with content and thematic analysis on some military activities in the Bakassi peninsula. Data was collected from secondary sources and observations from two field undertakings in Bamusso, Isangele, and Idabato subdivisions in the Bakassi region. After resolving the conflict, this paper cautions that Cameroonians and the Nigerian military have not only been engaged in security activities but have taken up new humanitarian and developmental activities. This research recommends for Cameroon and Nigerian governments divert heavy projects from the military to civilians, deploying more civilian personnel in the medical, judicial, and administrative fields in the Bakassi Peninsula. They should only limit the use of their military personnel in fighting piracy and militancy in the area. If such policies are implemented, both countries will be assured peace and tranquillity in the Bakassi Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One aspect of the total defence concept involves the temporary requisition of civilian transportation vehicles to meet the increased logistical demands of a wartime army. These vehicles are selected and managed in peacetime, mobilised at the onset of the war, used by military units throughout the war, and returned to their original owners afterwards. This paper presents a model for the reception process of such civilian vehicles during mobilisation. In practice, however, reception processes are not without challenges. Under the time constraints of mobilisation, issues may arise, including inappropriate reception, missed deadlines, and compromised operational readiness. To investigate these issues, the study employs conceptual modelling, supplemented by insights from professional experience. The main contributions of this paper include a conceptual model of the mobilisation process, a framework for maintaining records of mobilised assets, and a focus on previously underexplored mobilisation issues. Proper reception of mobilised vehicles significantly affects the transportation capability and operational readiness of military units as well as the accuracy of the post-conflict return process. Implementation of the proposed solutions requires careful consideration due to interdependencies with other aspects of the mobilisation process, such as doctrinal arrangements, administrative systems, mobilisation procedures as well as the quality and regularity of both professional and reservist military training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conspiracy theories spread through social and other media often bringing easy explanations of events that cannot be easily explained. Beliefs in conspiracy theories may lead to simplified and radical viewpoints that can negatively influence one's behavior and actions. The paper analyzes the association between beliefs in popular conspiracy theories spread through social media and work performance using the results of an authors' test of conspiracy theories applied to a sample of 178 students of the Faculty of Military Leadership, University of Defence in Brno, Czech Republic. The students were selected as representatives of high-profile professions that should be trained to deal with potential disinformation and conspiracy theories. The assumption was that the students would be generally immune to the impact of conspiracy theories. The analysis did not confirm a hypothesis that individuals with top work performance are less prone to beliefs in conspiracy theories than individuals with solid/poor work performance. The findings confirm the necessity to systematically train people working in high-profile professions to work with available information and deal with potential disinformation and conspiracy theories. The findings are useful in the HR management practice of organizations that care about the professional qualities of their people and encourage further research on the origin, spread, and impact of conspiracy theories in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of threats and scenarios requires continuous performance improvements of ballistic protections for armed forces. From a modeling point of view, it is necessary to use sufficiently precise material behavior models to accurately describe the phenomena observed during the impact of a projectile on a protective equipment. In this context, the goal of this paper is to characterize the behavior of a small caliber steel jacket by combining experimental and numerical approaches. The experimental method is based on the lateral compression of ring specimens directly machined from the thin and small ammunition. Various speeds and temperatures are considered in a quasi-static regime in order to reveal the strain rate and temperature dependencies of the tested material. The Finite Element Updating Method (FEMU) is used. Experimental results are coupled with an inverse optimization method and a finite element numerical model in order to determine the parameters of a constitutive model representative of the jacket material. Predictions of the present model are verified against experimental results and a parametric study as well as a discussion on the identified material parameters are proposed. The results indicate that the strain hardening parameter can be neglected and the behavior of the thin steel jacket can be described by a modeling without strain hardening sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]