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The government of Turkey has made a new military grant to the Macedonian Army, with a value of $750,000, for Turkish-made motorized military vehicles.
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Any military operation must be planned taking into consideration ”quantity” and ”quality” of forces. These forces must be ”set up” and organised and used in operations according to their ”combat power” at the specified place and time. Only if there is a correct analysis and “determination” of combat power these forces can have a chance to win
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Threat-based maritime security strategies, depending on nation and culture, geopolitics and political-military developments at a given moment, can be interpreted differently, and it is important to know the entire theoretical spectrum and the historical-causal evolution of concepts that are interdependent. The presence of an explicit link between maritime security, threats and geopolitics is measured by the unequivocal emergence of the concept of geopolitics and the certainty that threats affect maritime security. The direct influence of threats and geopolitical factors on maritime security objectives is measured by the emergence of risks to maritime geopolitical interests and geographical positions when it comes to maritime safety objectives.
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With the technologizing and modernization of the armed forces, the emergence of fuel-consuming self-propelled means of transport and weapons systems of all ammunition-consuming gauges, the logistical challenges were not delayed, the logistics footprint grew, the support of military operations involving resources more diversified, more voluminous and requiring an increasingly systematic and integrated approach to the concept of the operation as a whole.The logistics footprint in the military operation consists of the whole of the organizational entities, the resources managed by them and the activities carried out in order to achieve the logistic support of the fighting and the fighting support units so as to ensure the living conditions and the freedom of action necessary to achieve the objectives.
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During an operation, the logistic support necessary for the armed forces is realized according to the following functional areas of logistics: supply, movement and transportation, maintenance, medical support, infrastructure, campaign services, contracting, Host Nation Support and related fields.The field of campaign services is currently the most complex area of logistical support as it covers a wide range of services, it requires cooperation between military bodies and various institutions, entities involved in their ensuring, and it prompts logistics planning and leadership promptness in solving immediate problems that may arise.
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The inclusion of our country among NATO member countries has led to the restructuring and reshaping of the Romanian Army, starting with the abolition of the compulsory military service and the establishment of a professional army, leading to the modification of the functional requirements that the barracks infrastructure must respond to for the smooth functioning of the deployed structures. In this respect, a new conceptual approach is needed to bring about the systemic reconfiguration of all elements of infrastructure in order to provide the necessary facilities military structures. Infrastructure Project Management could describe the procedures and mechanisms for military commanders to draw up plans by military commanders to avoid addressing ad hoc or fragmentation of military infrastructure work to barracks in administration or that they use.
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The migration crisis of 2015 was accompanied by a wave of disinformation and fake news related to migrants, meant to influence the public perception of the phenomenon, and which serves Russia’s geopolitical interest: a divided European Union and split European societies with leaders whose legitimacy is called into question.
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In general, the doctrine for joint multinational operations establishes the set of notions and principles of employing theRomanian armed forces in the joint multinational operations. It presents the multinational operations to which Romania canparticipate as part of an alliance, coalition or other agreed commitment and highlights the joint organizational formationsneeded to coordinate land, air, maritime and special joint security operations (defense) in a multinational environment.It provides the necessary military guidance in the exercise of authority by commanders in the military theater of operations,directing the force-generation activity, planning, transferring authority, and executing the joint multinational operations. It iscompatible with the doctrines of multinational operations of the armed forces of Western NATO member states.In this context, the present paper aims to analyze the characteristics and physiognomy of the joint multinational operationsin which forces belonging to the Romanian Army can participate in the context of alliance or coalitions, given the specificityof the current operational environment.
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The connection between theory and the application of theoretical knowledge in the practice of military physical education,is realized in some situations with quite ambiguity and difficulty. The result of this syncope will be found immediately inthe training level of the trained persons. A cause of this syncope can be represented by leaving aside certain fundamentaltheoretical specialized knowledge, absolutely necessary for the educational act. Therefore, in the first part of this material,I will approach the training principles specific to the sub-domain of military physical education, in order to achieve aninterpretation, necessary both for their understanding and for their importance in the act of training in the specialized militarysystem. The second part of this material is dedicated to the classical methods of training in physical education. This materialaims at a reiteration of the two fundamentals of military physical education, providing a synthesis and, possibly, a supplementof the specialized military literature.
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In an increasingly connected world, critical infrastructures have become more vulnerable than ever to cyber securitythreats, whether they come from national states, criminal organizations or individuals. This new vulnerability stems fromfundamental changes in the technological systems of organizations (government and private). In this regard, the Virtual CriticalInfrastructure of any organization / nation represents an arena where security is absolutely imperative. Cyber protection hasbecome crucial in every sector of activity, and the absence of measures to protect critical infrastructures threatens to causehuge damage to the functioning of the company.
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The main aim of this paper is to initiate deeper discussion within the EDF about the nature and essence of mission command. Despite mission command not being a new concept for the EDF officers’ corps, and although the necessity of integrating the principles of mission command into the EDF leadership doctrine has been addressed at different command levels over the last ten years, there is still too much uncertainty as to how to best approach and describe this phenomenon. Based on the analysis of various scientific studies and examinations doctrines where mission command has been implemented, the author would argue that mission command should be understood as a command philosophy or a basic principle of a command philosophy. Shared understanding, trust, freedom of actions and decentralization are the main cornerstones of this philosophy. The implementation of mission command in the EDF cannot be progress by simply adopting some of the already existing concepts from other armies. The concept must rather be translated, and adapted into the existing cultural environment. The implementation of the new philosophy may even require changes in the existing command and organizational structure. To effectively make such changes, there must be two-sided approach: it must be enforced not only from the top-down, but also from the bottom-up. Moreover, an extensive analysis of the organizational culture of the EDF is also necessary. As every change creates an equal and opposite reaction to the change, a proper implementation strategy also becomes necessary.
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Seitsmeaastases sõjas (1756–1763) toimus 25. augustil 1758 Zorndorfi lähistel (Berliinist kirde suunas tänapäeva Brandenburgi liidumaa aladel) lahing Friedrich II juhitavate Preisi vägede ja Wilhelm von Fermori ülemjuhatuse all olevate Vene vägede vahel. Vene poole arvuline ülekaal viis selleni, et Preisi armee sattus lahingu käigus üha rohkem kitsikusse ning neid ähvardas lüüasaamine. Preisi kuningas saatis seepeale ühe käskjala reservis olevate üksuste ülema, kindralleitnant Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitzi juurde ja käskis tal oma ratsaväega viivitamatult sündmuste käiku sekkuda. Seydlitz aga, jälgides tiivapositsioonil lahingu kulgu, keeldus käsku täitmast. Kui Friedrich II sellest kuulis, saatis ta uue virgatsi koos tungiva käsuga: „Otsekohe rünnata!“.
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The objective of this research is to make proposals for the additional implementation of mission command principles at the battalion level based on an analysis of the mission command directives implemented by the Baltic Battalion The survey makes use of a combined research strategy wherein the methods of data collection are a survey questionnaire and document analysis. The documents analyzed were the operational orders of the Baltic Battalion. The survey was conducted during the Baltic Battalion’s three military exercises: Gungnir, and Sabre Strike, which were both carried out in the Republic of Latvia, and Trident Juncture, which was conducted in the Kingdom of Spain from April 2015 to November 2015. It was a longitudinal survey, and the principal component method was used for data analysis. In addition to the analysis of the principal components, the data from different stages of the survey was also compared using a t-test. The purpose of the t-test was to determine whether any of the changes were statistically relevant over time and to analyze the reasons for the changes as well. Document analysis of the Baltic Battalion’s operational orders was used to detect the presence of the characteristic components and distinctive features of mission command orders. From the results of the research it is evident that the Baltic Battalion experienced an overall decline in team trust. This was attributable to the fact that during the interim between exercises, some new, and relatively inexperienced soldiers joined the third maneuver company (50.5% of this group had held their position for less than three months). The newly arrived group had not taken part in the larger, previous exercises with the company and were not yet fully assimilated into their new environment. Therefore mutual trust between the team members had not developed to its fullest extent. Comparisons between the first and third exercises of the Baltic Battalion also show that leadership trust declined as well. This was ascribed to the arrival of five new section leaders during the second exercise. Three of the platoon leaders, a company sergeant major and an officer second in command, had just recently joined the third maneuver company. It can be concluded that the new leaders had not gained the team’s confidence yet. Based on the survey results it is clear that those in the second maneuver company who had been deployed together in the first exercise appreciated the commander’s risk-taking and innovativeness more than those who had not been in the company during the first exercise. The operational orders of the Baltic Battalion generally conformed to the format of mission command orders and no grave shortcomings were discernible. Considering the results of the present study, the authors would make the following proposals. First, when a new team is formed, or new team members are added, the leader should have more influence on the choice of the new members, and if possible ensure that they possess the necessary training. Leadership trust increases if these new members have extensive tactical knowledge and the skills to implement it. This is further augmented if they make the right decisions and are able to cope with stress during both training and combat. Second, there is a need to increase the mutual trust between leaders and subordinates in the second maneuver company. Trust makes possible the exchange of ideas, which is the foundation for innovativeness. In addition, the confidence gained by soldiers during peacetime extends to combat situations and does not change significantly over time. Third, when allocating command authority to various units, subordinates should be given enough freedom of action to fulfill the mission command requirements. Mission command doctrine stipulates that the wording of the mission of the operational order must be effect based.
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A. A. Svechin has stated that strategy is the art of combining preparations for war with grouping operations in order to achieve a goal determined by the war. Therefore, organizational learning is essential for armies in today´s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment. Furthermore, it is also extremely necessary if they hope to meet the requirements of future wars or armed conflicts. Therefore, organizational learning can be seen as a critical component in preparing for the next war, rather than for the previous one. According to Peter Senge2, the founder of the learning organization (LO) theory, in a LO people continually broaden their knowledge and skills in order to achieve the desired results. A LO integrates its people, processes and structures3. Thus, learning should be seen as a vital part of all army structures and processes, despite the fact that it is a personal and individual process. Since little attention has been devoted to the application of LO ideas and practices in the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF), the current study seeks to provide some suggestions for the Estonian National Defense College (ENDC) about developing its organizational learning capabilities. To reach this goal, the following research questions needed to be answered: 1. What are the weaknesses of organizational learning at the ENDC? 2. What are the strengths of organizational learning at the ENDC? 3. How can organizational learning at the ENDC be improved? After an extensive examination of the theoretical literature and multiple studies, the Army Learning Organization Questionnaire (ALOQ), was determined to be most suitable instrument for the study. The ALOQ was developed by the Australian Defense Science and Technology Organization from the highly regarded integrated learning organization model of Watkins and Marsick. It is comprised of eleven interrelated dimensions wherein learning occurs at similarly interrelated learning levels. These levels include: the individual, the team, the organizational and the global level. The questionnaire was translated and adapted from English into Estonian. On a six-point Likert scale the ratings from 245 respondents exceeded 3.0 for all of the dimensions. This shows that the ENDC follows rather robust learning organization practices and the results are similar to those of other government organizations from previous studies4. However, it must be kept in mind that these higher scores for LO dimensions were obtained from the first and secondyear cadets and students who have less knowledge of and, less experience with the ENDC and EDF organizational culture. Since the dimension that measures the encouragement of people towards a collaborative vision had the lowest scores, this area was identified as the main weakness towards developing a learning culture in the ENDC. In addition, the results presented differences in assessments between superiors and subordinates about the feedback to and from superiors. The dimension of strategic leadership had the highest scores and was identified as the main strength in developing learning culture at the ENDC. The results also revealed that highly educated and more experienced respondents tended to be more critical. This can actually be used as a strength to improve organizational learning. However, lack of feedback from superiors, and the opportunity to ask “why” questions from them, were nevertheless mentioned by subordinates, and should also be taken into consideration. In conclusion, the results present some valuable guidance for further developing organizational learning at the ENDC. The study suggests that leaders at all levels of the ENDC and EDF are attempting to foster personal mastery and direct the development of mental models, which is, according to the EDF’s protocols, one of the main tasks of the EDF during peacetime. This is to ensure readiness for military action in order to defend Estonia.
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Combat power and fighting power (Kriegs- und Kampftüchtigkeit) are terms that are obvious in the armed forces and therefore they are hardly mentioned in the regulations and manuals of the Bundeswehr. However, in the 1950s, when the Bundeswehr was being established, the main issue discussed was whether future German soldiers should be able to fight in combat or they should be trained to defend peace and democratic core values in accordance with the ideas of leadership development and civic education (Innere Führung). The ideas of Wolf Graf von Baudissin, the developer of the concepts of the Bundeswehr Innere Führung, clearly indicate that combat power and fi ghting power do not involve only the formal properties of a military organization, in other words its physical and material „hardware”. Rather, the above domains comprise the „software” of an organization, involving its norms, attitude and readiness. This means the readiness and willingness of an individual soldier for combat and the ability to keep fighting, if necessary, to the death. Thus these concepts entail the core values of an individual – both then and today. This is an important part in educating „a soldier with high values, determined in his goals, able to handle his weapon, and mentally ready to respond rapidly”.
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The concept of Revolution in Military Affairs periodically develops under the influence of technological or organizational innovations and determines the balance between fire and manoeuvre. In the historical context, it can be seen that Revolution in Military Affairs affects fire when triggered by technological innovations and affects manoeuvre when triggered by organizational innovations. This balance can be compared to the swing of a pendulum. The place of the pendulum determines the aims and the methods of contemporary battles. This continuous transformation affects the decision about whether the battles would be conducted by close combat with conventional manoeuvres or by using fire from distant places. This decision constitutes the centuries long argument between fire and manoeuvre. The contemporary debate of Revolution in Military Affairs can be seen as a continuity of this argument.
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War has been some major developments over time, the appearance of firearms, use energy and nuclear weapons or development vertical component of the war, using aviation and military satellites. Currently battlefield knows a new revolution by the growing use of unmanned aircrafts, known as drones or UAVs. Comparative studies of the use of UAVs in battlespace highlight that the US government deployed 150 “robotic weapons” in 2004 and amazing number of 12,000 in 2008. This indicates an increase by a factor of 80 in four years (although it is important to remember that most of these drones are unarmed). There is no doubt that drones will change the fact of war – soldiers were always in the technological race, but never were declared winners of a war before putting troops on the front line. Soldiers have been, are, and will always be at the frontline, although their number and role could be much different than they are now.
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The dissertation consists of the analysis of the criminal activity of the „Islamic State”toward Yazidis women. Religious and political reasons for the crimes committed on thisreligious minority will be presented. The authors will present, for example, among othersselected articles from the “Dabiq” magazine or the pamphlet entitled The questions andanswers on Hostages and Slaves. It was published in 2015 by an organization, in whichan interpretation of Islamic law with regard to justification for sexual slavery was madesubsequently. The authors will also refer to numerous reports of non-governmentalorganizations. The current situation of Yazidi women and the issue of bringing to justicethe perpetrators of the crime committed in Yazidi will be analyzed.
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The inspiration for the paper and the problem(s) that the paper ad-dresses: The necessity of improving the identification of firearms on the bases of the traces on the cartridge cases fired from firearms. The goals of the paper (scientific and/or social): The aim of this pa-per is to point out the importance of "Traces of the ammunition frame", the level of identification during the expertise of the shell casings, as well as providing the necessary repeatability of this type of traces. Also, the goal of the paper is to present to ballistics experts information and experiences on the traces that occur during the drawing-ejection of the cartridge cases after the firing from the pistol “Makarov” cal. 9 x 18 mm. We called these traces “Magazine Marks”, which contain very pronounced individual characteristics. The above mentioned marks (among other marks on the cartridge cases: Firing pin marks, breechface marks, ejector marks, extractor marks on the head of the cartridge cases, etc.) will help ballistics experts to draw the final conclusion on the identification of shells, i.e. firearms from which they were fired, especially in cases where some of these listed marks do not have prominent individual characteristics. Methodology/Design: In this paper, an analysis of the occurrence of the mentioned mark, its uniqueness, the repetition, the position of the mark in relation to other marks and possibilities related to the identification of the mentioned mark, i.e. of a part of the gun from which the mark arises, both individually and identification of firearms wholly. The methods used in this research are the analysis of the origin of the said trace, its uniqueness, repetition, its position in relation to other traces and the possibilities related to the identification of the said trace, ie the weapon from which it originates, both separately and the identification of firearms as a whole. , a comparative method, as well as statistical methods for processing empirical data. Research/the paper limitations: Limitations of this study, possibly, may result from the unavailability of all pistol models cal. 19 x 18 mm (9 mm Makarov). Results/findings: Magazine marks have not accidentally occurred, which are repeated on all cartridge cases, which are fired from pistols and models „Makarov“. Marks do not depend on the manufacturers of ammunition, they contain both general and individual characteristics, which are reproduced on all cartridge cases fired from the tested pistols and models. The research was conducted on a sample of 41 pistols from which a total of 147 bullets were fired. In the analyzed sample, in 100% of cases, the experts gave positive opinions. In the analyzed sample, in all ie. in 100% of examined and compared shells traces appear and repeat. General conclusion: In the analyzed samples, individual characteristics were observed on the shell casings, on the basis of which a positive identification of the firearm can be performed. The aforementioned marks, among other marks on the cartridge cases: firing pin marks, breechface marks, ejector marks, extractor marks on the head of the cartridge cases, etc.) will help ballistics experts to draw the final conclusion on the identification of cartridge cases, i.e. firearms from which they were fired, especially in cases where some of these listed marks do not have prominent individual characteristics. Research/the paper justifiability: The justification of the paper lies in the fact that it represents an original scientific work (based on original empirical research covering a period of seventeen (17) years), which as such is a useful source of information for experts dealing with ballistic expertise.
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The aim of this article is to analyze the impact of hybrid war in Syria on the status of the Kurds in the Middle East. To begin with, the Syrian War constitutes an independent variable of the Kurds’ position within the scope of this analysis. The ongoing warfare is considered as a determining variable due to several factors, including the changing approach of Bashar al-Assad's regime towards the Kurdish minority, the role of third parties implicated in the conflict, in particular Iran, Turkey and the US, as well as the geopolitical influence of the Islamic State’s aggression in Syria. Secondly, the article attempts to “gauge” or determine the status of the Kurds in the Middle East resulting from the abovementioned phenomena. Thirdly, in the context of the previous point, it is relevant to demonstrate the actions taken by the Kurds themselves in terms of their plans and objectives, their success against jihadists, and their relations with important local players and with the US. The following research questions are formulated in the course of the presented considerations: has the status of the Kurds in the region improved as a result of the ongoing warfare in Syria and have they eventually become a noteworthy actor in the conflict, or rather, have they been marginalized, with the problem of Kurdish autonomy in Syria deemed no longer relevant? Does the war in Syria imply the position of the Kurds in the Middle East, and is it significantly influenced by the rivalry of regional and extra-regional powers? The article investigates two research hypotheses. 1) The international position of the Kurds is significantly influenced by the involvement of regional powers as well as the United States and Russia in a hybrid war in Syria, which should be considered a manifestation of their geopolitical rivalry in the Middle East. 2) The involvement of the Kurds in combat against fighters from the so-called Islamic State caused a short-term increase in the international position of this minority. In the long term, the fight between Kurds and jihadists was instrumentally treated by the main "players" in the region as well as the United States and Russia and related to the implementation of their geopolitical interests.
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