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The official historians of the British strategic air offensive described Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command's development in the spring and summer of 1944 as an operational "revolution." The present article explores aspects of that development in closer and critical detail, highlighting the organizational change employed to make operational experiments into standard operating procedure, the role of airborne control at the target (the master bomber), and related challenges in signals communication. It also examines closely some of the bombing data compiled and analyzed by the command's Operational Research Section. The article concludes that the "revolution" produced change sufficient to make the command a more effective bomber force, but a variety of factors limited further progress in the operational environment of 1944-45. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) training for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) military training. It discusses the possibility of how USAF pilots may not be ready for aircraft tactics, operators survived more in combat after attending these sessions, training from live flying more profitable and inculcating electronic cyber warfare effects.

Introduction: While combat readiness is a top priority for the U.S. Army, there is concern that behavioral health (BH) return to duty (RTD) practices may under-represent the number of soldiers available for deployment. Profiling, the official administrative process by which medical duty limitations are communicated to commanders, was recently found to be significantly under-reporting BH readiness levels in one Army Division. This is a safety issue in addition to a readiness problem, and underscores the importance of better understanding RTD practices in order to offer solutions. This study sought to categorize the information and tools used by Army BH providers in garrison to make decisions about duty limitations that can affect BH readiness.Materials and Methods: A qualitative approach was used for this study. Fourteen semi-structured interviews and three focus groups were conducted with a diverse convenience sample of Army BH providers in October 2015, resulting in input from 29 practitioners.Results: Through thematic analysis, it was discovered that profile decisions are driven first by safety of the soldier and secondarily by the needs of the unit. To facilitate their clinical decision-making, providers consider an array of data including standardized scales, unit mission, consultation with unit leadership, meetings with other providers, and, when appropriate, discussion with the friends and family of the soldier.Conclusions: If the military is to address the concern of under-reporting behavioral health readiness levels in garrison, it is critical to develop more predictability in treatment planning and reporting, as well as access to necessary data to make these clinical decisions. The interviews and focus groups revealed that while the technical process for initiating a profile does not vary, there is great disparity about the amount and type of information that is taken into consideration when making profile decisions. Categorization of the information that supports RTD decisions can lead to a better understanding of the process and inform leadership about ways to improve the accuracy of BH readiness reporting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article assesses the state of Japan's defense planning and readiness of Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), focusing on air and maritime capabilities. It highlights gaps among policy, force structure, and operational readiness. It argues that that the JSDF lacks the operational and tactical doctrines essential to enhancing its readiness in the air and maritime domains.

Background: Musculoskeletal complaints and injuries (MSCI) are common in military populations. However, only a limited number of studies have followed soldiers during international deployments and investigated the prevalence of MSCI during and at the end of their deployment. The aim was to describe the prevalence of MSCI in different military occupational specialties and categorise their most common tasks in terms of exposures to physical workloads during a six-month long international deployment in Afghanistan. Methods: Cross-sectional survey, including 325 soldiers (300 men), aged 20–62 participating in an international deployment in Afghanistan during the spring of 2012. Soldiers were clustered into different military occupational specialties: Infantry, Administration, Logistics, Logistics/Camp, Medical and Other. Data were collected through the use of the Musculoskeletal Screening Protocol at the end of the international mission. Results: Forty-seven percent reported MSCI during deployment, with 28% at the end. The most common locations of MSCI during the mission were lower back, knee, shoulders, upper back, neck and foot, while the knee and lower back prevailed at the end of the mission. Almost half of the soldiers who had MSCI reported affected work ability. The most common duties during the mission were vehicle patrolling, staff duties, guard/security duties, foot patrols and transportation. Soldiers reported that vehicle patrolling, staff duties and transportation were demanding with respect to endurance strength, guard/security duties challenged both maximum and endurance strength while foot patrolling challenged maximum and endurance strength, aerobic and anaerobic endurance and speed. Conclusions: MSCI during international deployment are common among Swedish soldiers. The results indicate the need to further develop strategies focusing on matching the soldiers’ capacity to the job requirements, with relevant and fair physical selection-tests during the recruitment process and proactive interventions targeting MSCI before and during deployment, in order to enhance soldiers’ readiness and promote operational readiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author emphasizes the role of the U.S. Naval War College in enhancing readiness and lethality among its students. To better prepare students of the College the course of study at the College was redesigned with the introduction of additional war fighting-focused studies, the College also provided greater focus on understanding present-day threats while improving combat readiness and the expansion of the Russia Maritime Studies Institute.

The article focuses on problem of resource allocation faced by the Afghanistan Air Force and improving Resource Management within the force. It mentions the Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense (MoD) is responsible for functions necessary to ensure operational readiness for the Afghanistan National Army (ANA); and impact of political corruption on the resource allocation process. It also mentions need for making changes in Afghanistan's financial and procurement processes for reducing corruption.

The most important component of any fighting army’s success is its established rear services. Unfortunately, as recently disclosed documents in the Russian Federation’s Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense [TsAMORF] bear witness, in the spring of 1943 during the preparation for the battle of Kursk, which became a fundamental turning point in the Great Patriotic War, the supply services of the Voronezh Front that was holding the southern shoulder of the Kursk salient were working poorly and seriously affected both the level of combat readiness and the morale of its personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

History has taught us that the threat of communicable diseases to operational readiness should not be underestimated. The unique operational challenges of a decade at war in Southwest Asia have left us with many new lessons about prevention and mitigation of disease. The successes of military immunization programs demonstrated the successful application of military science to modern combat. Historic maladies such as tuberculosis and malaria continue to challenge our Army health leadership while new challenges with diseases like Q fever and rabies led to questions about our preparedness. These conflicts also brought awareness of issues about the broader deployed community, and the often unique risks that arise when US service members interact more frequently with foreign militaries, local nationals, and third country nationals. Application of these lessons to predeployment training and integration into leadership decision-making will improve our ability to maintain force readiness in future confl icts and adapt Army policy to current evidence and intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2014, countries contributing to the East African Standby Force (EASF) conducted the last exercise to test the validity of the functioning of the force. The exercise heralded the full operationalisation of the force. This article discusses the attainment of full operational capability (FOC) of the EASF, one year before the full operationalisation of the African Standby Force. The main conclusion is that whilst the attainment of FOC of the force should be celebrated with the member states actually validating their troops and equipment contributions, there are outstanding challenges including ongoing crises in the region and lack of resources among others that it must overcome before it can actually be deployed in a conflict situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the mechanisms of G-induced stresses on the spinal structure of military pilots are well understood, less is known about relationships between the intensity of physical activity, fitness, occupational musculoskeletal symptoms, and the degree of resulting disabilities. During an aeromedical examination, Finnish military pilots answered a questionnaire on their flying experience, the occurrence of flight duty-related pain, the degree of resulting disabilities, and the intensity of physical activity they conducted. 195 males were selected for further analysis. They were divided into three groups, designated high G, low G, and HQ, according to their current flight duty profile. 93% of pilots who had passed fighter lead-in training reported flight duty-induced musculoskeletal disorders. The high-G group exhibited the highest aerobic capacity (p < 0.001) and muscular fitness scores (p < 0.001). The fittest individuals suffered markedly fewer disabilities than their less fit counterparts (p = 0.005). Flight hour accumulation among the subjects in the high-G group was associated (p = 0.010) with the occurrence of flight duty-induced disabilities. The fittest pilots flew aircraft that induce the heaviest accelerations. They also reported more musculoskeletal pain than the other pilots. Yet they seemed to experience fewer disabilities, which highlights the importance of physical training in the maintenance of operational readiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research about the importance of military training to enhance combat readiness of Russian Armed Forces. Topics mentioned include the level of military preparedness, ways on how to improve operational and mobilization training, list of tasks that military troops should focus on, and requirements in preparing troops for real combat.

After a number of events, during World War II in Belarus collaboration of the local people with the German occupation authorities took place. One of the most obvious episodes of collaboration was the establishment and the activity of the Belarusian National Defence. The armed unit was formed at the end of spring and in the beginning of summer 1944 through mobilization and was intended for armed combat with Soviet partisans and the Red Army. The article analyzes the process of establishing the unit, its numbers, the degree of combat readiness and participation in warfare. In summer 1944, after withdrawal of German forces from Belarus some of the soldiers of the Belarusian National Defence turned up at the Western front. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the author's insights on the fifth generation of combat fighter aircraft pilots in the U.S. Air Force (USAF). Topics mentioned include the cost for the needed combat capability, the history and status of the F-35 and F-22 program, and the measuring of the combat capability where less time on the ground means more time in fighting. It also mentioned the ratio of crew pilot and aircrafts in a fighter squadron and the suggestion to use the original program.

The article discusses the importance of the role of airfield ground support services in the combat readiness of aircraft operated by Air Force units. It also examines the structure and purpose of aviation complexes and the role of airfield towing services within the system of preparing equipment according to the specific operations of the aviation complex. It also presents recommendations for designs of towing vehicles to prepare the aviation complex against large-scale guided weapons attacks.

No evidence-based mechanism currently exists to inform U.S. Army clinicians of soldiers at risk of being found "Medically Not Ready" for combat duty. Historically, musculoskeletal conditions represent high-frequency medical problems among Army soldiers. We explored the feasibility of using centrally archived medical and administrative data on Army soldiers in the automated prediction of musculoskeletal-related Medically Not Ready soldiers who did not deploy. We examined 56,443 active duty U.S. Army soldiers who underwent precombat medical screening during March through December 2009 and in March 2010. Musculoskeletal problems were associated with 23.0% of nonreadiness cases in the study population. We used multivariable logistic regression in derivation cohorts to compute risk coefficients and cut points. We then applied these coefficients to covariates in validation cohorts, simulating predictions 2 to 3 months before their medical screenings. The analysis yielded c statistics ranging from 83 to 90%. The predictions identified 45 to 73% and 50 to 82% of the individual male and female outcome-positive soldiers, respectively, while obtaining 83 to 95% specificity. Our findings demonstrate the potential of Army data to create evidence-based estimates of nonreadiness risk. These methods could enable earlier patient referrals and improved management, and potentially reduce medically related nondeployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mission readiness is of paramount importance to Marine Corps commanders. Personnel medically unable to perform at full capacity negatively affect a unit's readiness and ability to accomplish mission objectives. A retrospective cohort study was designed to evaluate the impact of diseases and conditions per International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Revision 9 (ICD-9) classification of primary diagnosis on likelihood of progressing to Physical Evaluation Board (PEB) for U.S. Marines placed on Limited Duty. A total of 30,937 records belonging to 19,042 unique individuals were identified in the Medical Board Online Tri-Service Tracking System database over the study surveillance period. Approximately half (9,133) of all Marines placed on Limited Duty were eventually referred to PEB. After multivariate adjustment Marines with a primary ICD-9 diagnosis indicating a blood disorder (OR = 4.1, 95% CI 2.1-8.1) or nervous system disorder (OR = 3.3, 95% CI 2.8- 3.8) were at greater risk of progressing to PEB as compared to the lowest risk group, Marines with an orthopedic diagnosis. Occupational category, rank grouping, race/ethnicity, and ICD-9 category had statistically significant impacts of varying magnitude on the risk of progressing to PEB; no significant difference was found for sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Tobacco use among military personnel is associated with significant health care expenditures, lost productivity, and compromised combat readiness. The prevalence remains high among military personnel and may increase in high-risk situations such as deployment. We assessed the prevalence of tobacco use across the deployment cycle, changes in tobacco use (nonuse, continued use, initiation/harm escalation, cessation/harm reduction) during deployment, and the impact of deployment history on tobacco use. Method: Cigarette smoking, smokeless tobacco (ST) use, and dual tobacco use were evaluated among 278U.S. Air Force Security Forces personnel undertaking a 1-year deployment to a high-threat combat environment. Multinomial regression was used to examine prediction of tobacco use patterns both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Results: More than half (53%–63%) of all Security Forces used tobacco at all stages of the deployment cycle. Individual tobacco use trajectories showed significant differences in prevalence rates of initiation/harm escalation and cessation/harm reduction when comparing the transition from predeployment to the deployed environment versus returning to postdeployment status. Airmen who had deployed more than once previously had a higher likelihood of using ST use at predeployment and engaging in dual tobacco use during deployment. Conclusions: Findings suggest the potential benefit of targeted or universal interventions at each stage of the deployment cycle to reduce the onset, maintenance, or escalation of tobacco use behaviors in the U.S. military. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the manner in which the Swedish military élites assessed the new states of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland through the military attachés from a strategic point of view from 1919-1939. It provides a background of the concept of total war in relation to the Swedish military attachés' assessment of other states. It also looks at the military capacity of the Baltic armies.

Abstract: Introduction: The purpose of this research is to describe the leading circumstances of military vehicle crashes to guide prioritization and implementation of crash avoidance and/or warning technologies. Methods: A descriptive study using narrative text analysis on 3,944 military vehicle crash narratives. Crash data on drivers, from 2001 to 2006, were assembled from the U.S. Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center. Reviewers collected information on the circumstances of crashes and determined if vehicle technology could have prevented the crash. Results: Nearly 98% of the crashes were nonfatal; 63% occurred in the U.S. and 24% in Iraq. Among crash events where the direction of the impact was recorded, 32% were to the front of the vehicle and 16% involved a vehicle being rear-ended. Rollovers were mentioned in 20% of the narratives. Technology was determined to have the potential to prevent 26% of the crashes, with the forward collision warning system, rear end collision avoidance, emergency brake assistance, and rollover stability control system likely to have the greatest impacts. Conclusions: Some technologies available for civilian vehicles may prevent certain military crash circumstances. Impact on Industry: The results of this research are significant in light of ongoing global military operations that rely on military vehicles. Improving the preventive technology featured on military vehicles may be an effective strategy to reduce the occurrence of military crashes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]