Search

The rescue of downed Anglo-American aircrews in France during the Second World War highlights the transnational nature of this kind of resistance. From their training to their evasion, flight crews themselves experienced the Second World War without traditional national borders. Moreover, their successful rescue in Occupied France depended on the ability of civilian helpers to think transnationally and to operate with little regard for the nation-state. This article focuses on evasion training, rescue, and postwar attempts to honor civilians for their assistance to highlight these themes of transnational resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses about the essential requirements crucial in making an effective plan for survival in the event of nuclear war. In this report, the author emphasizes the importance of understanding the conditions under which survival is possible and feasible. Furthermore, the author suggested to declassify the assumptions and basic data underlying hazard probability studies to the greatest extent compatible with national security, so that the public may better understand the nature of the threat and consequences of nuclear attack.

The article discusses the Medieval writings of the Damascene theologian-mufti Ibn Taymiyya related to the his fatwa on the military training, and considers whether the training discussed of that of the soldier-slaves of the Mamluk sultanate, or for the martial arts training of Muslim non-mamluks in paramilitary schools. A translation of the document is presented.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this research was to evaluate neuroendocrine and physical performance responses in sailors and Marines undergoing U.S. Navy Survival, Evasior, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training. METHODS: Participants were 20 men (Age: 25.3 ± 3.6 yr; Height: 178.1 ±6.1 cm; Weight: 83.7 ± 12.6 kg). Men were further split into high fit (N = 10) and low fit (N = 10) subgroups based on physical fitness test scores. Blood samples were obtained at baseline (T1), stress (T2), and recovery (T3) timepoints, and were analyzed for plasma epinephrine, plasma norepinephrine, plasma dopamine, serum cortisol, serum testosterone, and plasma neuropeptide Y. Vertical jump and handgrip tests were performed at T1 and T2. RESULTS: Stress hormone concentrations were significantly elevated at T2, with a concomitant reduction in testosterone concentrations. NPY concentrations did not increase at T2, but decreased significantly at T3. Subjects maintained performance on vertical jump and handgrip tests from T1 to T2. Significant between group differences were observed in norepinephrine (high fit: 3530.64 ± 2146.54 pmol • L-1, low fit: 4907.16 ± 3020.85 pmol • L-1) and NPY (high fit: 169.30 ± 85.89 pg • ml-1, low fit: 123.02 ± 88.86 pg • ml-1) concentrations at T3. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that despite significant increases in stress hormone concentrations in all subjects during SERE, fitter subjects exhibited differential hormonal responses during recovery, with quicker return of norepinephrine and NPY to baseline concentrations. This suggests physical fitness level may have a protective effect in recovery from periods of high stress military training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of combat helmets has greatly reduced penetrating injuries and saved lives of many soldiers. However, behind helmet blunt trauma (BHBT) has emerged as a serious injury type experienced by soldiers in battlefields. BHBT results from nonpenetrating ballistic impacts and is often associated with helmet back face deformation (BFD). In the current study, a finite element-based computational model is developed for simulating the ballistic performance of the Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH), which is validated against the experimental data obtained at the Army Research Laboratory. Both the maximum value and time history of the BFD are considered, unlike existing studies focusing on the maximum BFD only. The simulation results show that the maximum BFD, the time history of the BFD, and the shape and size of the effective area of the helmet shell agree fairly well with the experimental findings. In addition, it is found that ballistic impacts on the helmet at different locations and in different directions result in different BFD values. The largest BFD value is obtained for a frontal impact, which is followed by that for a crown impact and then by that for a lateral impact. Also, the BFD value is seen to decrease as the oblique impact angle decreases. Furthermore, helmets of four different sizes--extra large, large, medium, and small--are simulated and compared. It is shown that at the same bullet impact velocity the small-size helmet has the largest BFD, which is followed by the medium-size helmet, then by the large-size helmet, and finally by the extra large-size helmet. Moreover, ballistic impact simulations are performed for an ACH placed on a ballistic dummy head form embedded with clay as specified in the current ACH testing standard by using the validated helmet model. It is observed that the BFD values as recorded by the clay in the head form are in good agreement with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's views on the operational and organizational changes at the Naval War College (NWC) as of April 2018. NWC reportedly wants to accommodate the changes that affect the future of students and ensure that they are equipped with the necessary training and skills in times of conflict. These changes include training of international officers and the increased focus on war-fighting in the Joint Professional Military Education program.

Abstract: Aircraft flying in hostile environments are exposed to ground-based air defense systems. It is not always possible to both accomplish the mission and fly outside the range of the enemy’s weapon systems, especially if the positions of the enemy’s systems are not perfectly known. Automatic evaluation of mission routes from a combat survival perspective could therefore aid the pilots to plan their missions. When updated information regarding the positions and capabilities of the enemy’s systems is received during flight, the route could be re-evaluated and the mission could be re-planed or aborted if it is assessed to be too dangerous. The survivability model presented here describes the relation between the aircraft and the enemy’s defense systems. It calculates the probabilities that the aircraft is in certain modes along the route, e.g., undetected, tracked or hit. Contrary to previous work, the model is able to capture that the enemy’s systems can communicate and that the enemy must track the aircraft before firing a weapon. The survivability model is used to calculate an expected cost for the mission route. The expected cost has the attractive properties of summarizing the route into a single value and is able to take the pilot’s risk attitude for the mission into account. The evaluation of the route is influenced by uncertainty regarding the locations of the enemy’s sensors and weapons. Monte Carlo simulations are used to capture this uncertainty by calculating the mean and standard deviation for the expected cost. These two parameters give the pilots an assessment of the danger associated with the route as well as the reliability of this assessment. The paper concludes that evaluating routes with the survivability model and the expected cost could aid the pilots to plan and execute their missions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: This study investigated whether a stressful military training program, the 9- to 10-week U.S. Army basic combat training (BCT) course, alters the cognitive performance and mood of healthy young adult females. Background: Structured training programs including adolescent boot camps, sports training camps, learning enrichment programs, and military basic training are accepted methods for improving academic and social functioning. However, limited research is available on the behavioral effects of structured training programs in regard to cognitive performance and mood. Method: Two separate, within-subject studies were conducted with different BCT classes; in total 212 female volunteers were assessed before and after BCT. In Study 1, Four- Choice Reaction Time, Match-to-Sample, and Grammatical Reasoning tests were administered. The Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) was administered in Study 2. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) was administered in both studies. Results: In Study 1, reaction time to correct responses on all three of the performance tests improved from preto post-BCT. In Study 2, PVT reaction time significantly improved. All POMS subscales improved over time in the second study, whereas POMS subscales in the first study failed to meet criteria for statistically significant differences over time. Conclusion: Cognition and mood substantially improved over military basic training. These changes may be a result of structured physical and mental training experienced during basic training or other factors not as yet identified. Application: Properly structured training may have extensive, beneficial effects on cognitive performance and mood; however, additional research is needed to determine what factors are responsible for such changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of imaginative literature in offering insights into various peace-oriented conflict resolution methods. Through a critical analysis of three short stories set in a dystopian Zimbabwean context of extreme difficulties, the paper argues that hope is ubiquitous and fictions of our time offer subtle and strategic pointers to probable solutions. Through the presentation of the lived experiences of ordinary citizens, the short stories analysed ultimately point to a realisable vision of the future which has pointers which are suggestive of life beyond survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the modern battlefield, protection from the enemy surveillance is vital for the survivability of the force. The beginning of the XXI century has made surveillance by means of thermal devices an advanced solution to the searching, identification and recognition of heat sources, including even people. The research has been made in order to define the protection level of the Combat Individual Protection System (CIPS) of the Latvian Army from the thermal infrared (TIR) detectors. Eleven different CIPS combinations have been used in the weather conditions of the experiment. The methodology of the field evaluation has been established, and special design clothing system for the sniper and recon units as well as for the camouflage in the snowy terrain has been identified based on the best TIR protection quality. Implementation of the CIPS-Modl- SNIPER/RECON-system into CIPS has been suggested. The developed field trial methodology of the TIR protection quality definition can be applied to further research on the visual (VIS) and near infrared (NIR) quality of the combat clothing systems. Keywords - CIPS, camouflage, protection, thermal infrared, IR, TIR, combat clothing, electromagnetic spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The United States military has lost more troops to suicide than to combat for the second year in a row and better understanding combat-related risk factors for suicide is critical. We examined the association of killing and suicide among war veterans after accounting for PTSD, depression, and substance use disorders. Methods We utilized a cross-sectional, retrospective, nationally representative sample of Vietnam veterans from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study ( NVVRS). In order to perform a more in depth analysis, we utilized a subsample of these data, the NVVRS Clinical Interview Sample ( CIS), which is representative of 1.3 million veterans who were eligible for the clinical interview by virtue of living in proximity to an interview site, located within 28 standard metropolitan regions throughout the United States. Results Veterans who had higher killing experiences had twice the odds of suicidal ideation, compared to those with lower or no killing experiences ( OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.07-3.67), even after adjusting for demographic variables, PTSD, depression, substance use disorders, and adjusted combat exposure. PTSD ( OR = 3.42, 95% CI = 1.09-10.73), depression ( OR = 11.49, 95% CI = 2.12-62.38), and substance use disorders ( OR = 3.98, 95% CI = 1.01-15.60) were each associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation. Endorsement of suicide attempts was most strongly associated with PTSD (OR = 5.52, 95% CI = 1.21-25.29). Conclusions Killing experiences are not routinely examined when assessing suicide risk. Our findings have important implications for conducting suicide risk assessments in veterans of war. Depression and Anxiety 00:1-6, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving combat survivability is the most important aspect of military technology. Hence the development of new lightweight armour systems is a key requirement. A large number of new high performance polymer fibres have been developed in recent years, which include Aramid fibres, polyethylene fibres and polypropylene fibres, amongst others, and have been applied to soft armour systems. To gain a fundamental understanding of which fibre type is the best for a specific application requires the development of techniques which can span all length scales. It has been widely recognised that multiscale modelling, which encompasses the full range of length and time scales, will be an important factor in the future design and testing of novel materials, and their application to armour design. In the present paper a new material damage model suitable for the simulation of impact on thin laminated panels fabricated from high performance fibres is implemented into the commercial ls-dyna® finite element code. The new material model links the mesoscale behaviour of the individual fibres to the macroscale behaviour within a conventional shell finite element. The implemented model is used in a parametric high velocity study to illustrate the applicability of the model to the design of thin armour panels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals and corporations worldwide are increasing their use of computer-mediated-communications (CMC) systems and processes. Such endeavors are shortening lines of communications, yet simultaneously distancing understanding. Winston Churchill once opined that the British and the Americans are two great peoples separated by a common language. Some relate aspects of culture as the source of Churchill's quote. Separating factors may be more engrained than was previously believed or theorized. The authors examined a high-stress setting in which the trappings of culture disappear leaving only the basic emotional and cognitive survival aspects of personality: the environment of military combat. The study examined the relationship of an individual's ability to function efficiently using virtual communications and processes while under extreme stress. Observing the results of the study's individual-environment relations raise the question of whether personality is a factor in virtual team efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the development, testing and fielding of a humvee egress assistance trainer (HEAT) to help decrease the number of injuries and fatalities associated with vehicle rollovers in combat. It states that Chief Warrant Officer Three (CWO3) Rik Cox, a lowest-ranking officer in the U.S. Army's Forces Command (FORSCOM), was given approval to pursue the first HEAT project. It notes that army units schedule predeployment HEAT sessions before deployment and had dropped fatalities.

Although the greed-grievance approach has brought significant insight to the causes and conduct of civil wars by providing a coherent explanation of armed group motivations, it is increasingly being called into question. This article reconsiders the approach in light of insights gleaned from International Relations theory, specifically Realism. In particular, it will use the levels of analysis approach and the analytical separation between means and ends and between rhetoric and action to critique both greed and grievance explanations. The paper then proposes that the fungible concept of power and the primary motivation of survival provide superior explanations of armed group motivation and, more broadly, the conduct of internal conflicts. A case study of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), an armed group which is poorly understood in terms of greed-grievance, will illustrate the functional utility of a power-security approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes whether the animal cruelty demonstrated by the United States military during survival training can be regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Overview of the legislative history of the AWA; Animals regulated under the AWA; Classification of the military as an animal dealer.

The article discusses trends and problems in small combat tactical unit training for the U.S. Army, as well as the complexities of field testing these methods. The successes of the REALTRAIN simulated combat exercises training program, as well as the Army Training and Evaluation Program (ARTEP), are discussed. The author maintains that the enhanced training achievements in these programs are an essential element of combat training but concludes that the potential effectiveness of REALTRAIN has been diminished by the way the program has been implemented.