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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Military life & institutions > General
This volume explores ethnicity and gender developments in relation
to the military.
Carl Phillip Gottleib von Clausewitz (1780-1831), Prussian general and military theorist, is most famous for his book On War, a work that has influenced numerous wartime leaders from Lenin to Henry Kissinger. Parkinson's biography of Clausewitz provides detailed examinations of the Napoleonic battles in which he participated and which shaped his theories of warfare. Parkinson describes Clausewitz's first experiences in combat as a twelve-year-old cadet in battles with France along the Rhine. The biography follows Clausewitz during the years of Napoleon's rise, when, disgusted with the Prussian King's refusal to fight, he joined the Russian army and witnessed Napoleon's defeat following the destruction of Moscow and several harrowing months of battle. The book also includes in-depth descriptions of the battles following Napoleon's return, in which Clausewitz put his theories into practice against Napoleon's marshals.
International demand for military crisis-management missions continues to grow and demand for troops continues to outstrip supply. Like other Western democracies, European Union member states, because of their wealth, relative military competence and commitment to human rights, bear a particular responsibility to expand the international community s capacity for action. But while the EU has succeeded in defining a complex military-technical and political-strategic framework to boost its role and that of its member states in crisis management, its performance so far has fallen well short of its ambitions. This paper analyses what the EU wants to be able to do militarily its level of ambition and contrasts this aspiration with the current reality. To explain the gap between the two, the paper examines national ambitions and performance across the EU and analyses their domestic determinants using the examples of Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom. The paper concludes by suggesting that the EU might need to strike a new balance between the inclusiveness and the effectiveness of its activities in this area if it wants to increase its military crisis-management performance and live up to its declared ambitions.
The campaign and commemorative medals of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps frame an interesting evolution in our country's military development and willingness to use this power on a worldwide basis. It traces their roots from our own Civil War to assuming the stature of the world's super power. This work provides an in depth overview of not only the history and development of each campaign medal, but also the historical significance of the events surrounding the establishment of each medal. Informative and insightful glimpses of some of the main characters in this history, like Dewey, Sampson. DeLong, Butler, Hanneken, Peary and Byrd are threaded through this work. The book traces the events and their corresponding medals through our current involvement in the Bosnia peacekeeping mission. The book also covers, in great detail, several of the more important commemorative medals which were often struck on a limited basis to account for the lack of appropriate official federal awards. In many cases, these commemorative medals reflect exacting craftsmanship and unusual design features when compared to the campaign medals. All medals are exquisitely photographed in color with the exception of a few of the rare commemorative medals, which are reproduced in black and white. The work also covers a number of interesting foreign awards which have accompanied the award of a number of U.S. campaign medals. This work, which is well organized and easy to read, proves to be an interesting and informative reference work for the collector of these Navy and Marine Corps medals. A value guide is included. Ed Emering is also the author of Orders, Decorations and Badges of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (available from Schiffer Publishing Ltd.).
The purpose of this study, commissioned by the Army, was to document the process by which the Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded from December 7, 1941, through September 1, 1948; to identify units in which African Americans served; to identify by name all black soldiers whose names were submitted for the medal and to document any errors in the processing of their nominations; and to compile a list of all black soldiers who received the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest award. Based on this work, in January 1997 President Clinton awarded seven African Americans the Medal of Honor. The authors were selected by Shaw University of Raleigh, North Carolina, to conduct this study under a U.S. Army contract.
This volume synthesises the latest scholarship on First World War veterans in post-war Britain and Ireland, investigating the topic through its political, social and cultural dynamics. It examines the post-war experiences of those men and women who served and illuminates the nature of the post-war society for which service had been given. Complicating the homogenising tendency in existing scholarship it offers comparison of the experiences of veterans in different regions of Britain, including perspectives drawn from Ireland. Further nuance is offered by the assessment of the experiences of ex-servicewomen alongside those of ex-servicemen, such focus deeping understanding into the gendered specificities of post-war veteran activities and experiences. Moreover, case studies of specific cohorts of veterans are offered, including focus on disabled veterans and ex-prisoners of war. In these regards the collection offers vital updates to existing scholarship while bringing important new departures and challenges to the current interpretive frameworks of veteran experiences in post-war Britain and Ireland.
For more than a decade, the Balkans have been a centre of crisis - armed conflicts have brought death, expulsion, destruction and untold suffering to the people. The postwar efforts of the West have failed to bring lasting stability and real progress so far. The Symposium at Basel University was an interdisciplinary event where complex issues were elucidated by historians, geographers, sociologists and political scientists. The event enabled East and West European scholars and their American counterparts to exchange their somewhat divergent views. The speakers covered a broad range of subjects: historical causes, aspects of postwar economic and social development as well as sociocultural consequences of the democratization process. Special attention was devoted to the situation of minorities, the refugee problem and the security situation in the fragile states of the West Balkans and also to the responsibility of the EU and USA for the general stagnation in the area. The Symposium was intended to illustrate differing interpretations of the events of the past ten years and to encourage discussion between speakers and participants at the event.
This compelling study presents the most comprehensive examination available of the role of religion in the army during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Through extensive analysis of official military sources, religious publications and personal memoirs, Michael Snape challenges the widely-held assumption that religion did not play a role in the British Army until the mid-Victorian period, and demonstrates that the British soldier was highly susceptible to religious influences long before the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny rendered the subject of wider public concern. In The Redcoat and Religion Snape argues that religion was of significant, even defining, importance to the British soldier and reveals the enduring strength and vitality of religion in contemporary British society, challenging the view that the popular religious culture of the era was wholly dependent upon the presence and activities of women. Students of British history, military history, and religion will all find this an insightful resource for their studies.
The essays presented in this issue provide an international overview of military-pedagogical thinking and acting. They reflect the sometimes close correspondence between the answers provided by military scholars to questions related to the content and function of military ethics and morale. These answers are so comprehensive as to suggest themselves as a starting point for further deliberations on military pedagogy but also in the fields of other applied pedagogic specialties. The authors who have contributed to this book make it clear, as a group, how the national defence of peace and freedom may be transformed into a pertinent international responsibility and competence for the safeguarding of world peace.
General Jacob L. "Jake" Devers (1897--1979) was one of only two officers -- the other was Omar C. Bradley -- to command an army group during the decisive campaigns of 1944--1945 that liberated Europe and ended the war with Nazi Germany. After the war, Devers led the Army Ground Forces in the United States and eventually retired in 1949 after forty years of service. Despite incredible successes on the battlefield, General George C. Marshall's "dependable man" remains one of the most underrated and overlooked figures of his generation. In this definitive biography, James Scott Wheeler delivers a groundbreaking reassessment of the American commander whose contributions to victory in Europe are topped only by General Dwight D. Eisenhower's. Wheeler's exhaustively researched chronicle of Devers's life and career reveals a leader who demonstrated an extraordinary ability to cut through red tape and solve complex problems. Nevertheless, Eisenhower disliked Devers -- a fact laid bare when he ordered Devers's Sixth Army Group to halt at the Rhine. After the war, Eisenhower's and Bradley's accounts of the generals' disagreements over strategy and tactics became received wisdom, to the detriment of Devers's reputation. An essential contribution to twentieth-century history, Jacob L. Devers provides a fresh and nuanced interpretation of the senior command during World War II and offers a new perspective on a highly accomplished soldier.
First published in 1976. This study is perhaps the most comprehensive, objective, and accurate analysis to date of the State Department's Foreign Service personnel system. Largely based on in-depth interviews of 330 Foreign Service officers ranging in rank from career minister to newly appointed officer, and extensively documented, the book examines the needs of the Foreign Service organization and its personnel and presents an analysis of the policies and procedures according to which it operates. Areas covered include recruitment, training, assignments, performance evaluation, promotions, and attrition. Also discussed in detail is the structure and functioning of the informal system of rules and regulations developed by Foreign Service officers; individuals use this system-which is outside of the prescribed channels--in attempting to influence their career development. Despite its specialized orientation, the study utilizes a methodology that can be applied to any large organization.
This volume explores ethnicity and gender developments in relation to the military. In some countries, the armed forces have a long history in responding to ethnic diversity, while elsewhere it has come up only recently as a policy issue. An even-handed representation of ethnic minorities in the military is recognized as crucial for enhancing its social legitimacy and professional quality. The same can be said about the integration of women in the military, which during a few decades across the board has grown into more than just another issue of personnel policies. Indeed with regard to gender, the symbolism and sensitivities surrounding core identities are at stake - as with the presence of gays and lesbians in the military. Written by experts in the field, the chapters cover fourteen countries around the world: the USA, Canada, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, South-Africa, Eritrea, India, Israel, Great Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. Taken together, the armed forces of these countries offer a fascinating mix of similarities and differences in the ways they try to manage cultural diversity. Cultural Diversity in the Armed Forces will be of interest to students and scholars of military studies, sociology, gender and political science.
Courage, perseverance, and dedication were hallmarks of the Civil War soldier. These qualities, along with their disarming humanness, have lent an enduring attraction to their story. In The Loyal, True, and Brave: America's Civil War Soldiers, readers will learn how the soldier's story has changed over the years, being told in different ways as passing generations introduced their own questions and interests. Steven Woodworth weaves together a variety of writings by historians and by Civil War soldiers themselves so that readers are presented with a lively, balanced picture of all the major aspects of the Civil War soldier's life. Woodworth presents the experiences of both Union and Confederate soldiers so readers gain equal perspective on the men who enlisted for North and South. The Loyal, True, and Brave contains detailed descriptions of every facet of the soldier's life, including enlistment, combat, hospitals, prison, and camp life. Included are writings by Civil War soldiers Abner R. Small, an officer in a Maine regiment; John C. Reed, a lawyer-planter from Georgia and member of the 8th Georgia; and German immigrant Johann Stuber of the 58th Ohio. Renowned historians Reid Mitchell, Bell I. Wiley, James M. McPherson, Earl J. Hess, and Gerald F. Linderman are also featured. Each chapter begins with an introduction by Woodworth, discussing the general topic of that chapter and the historiographical issues involved. These selections offer the best brief introduction available on Civil War soldiers and the historians who have written about them. The Loyal, True, and Brave is ideal for courses on the Civil War and Reconstruction, American nineteenth-century history, and American social and cultural history.
The Orders and Decorations of the "enemy" during the Vietnam War have remained shrouded in mystery for many years. References to them are scarce and interrogations of captives during the war often led to the proliferation of misinformation concerning them. To confuse the situation even more, these awards were bestowed by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), known then as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV), and the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF), and a myriad of political and local organizations. Covered ar those Orders and Decorations now considered official by the SRV, as well as many of the obsolete awards bestowed by the DRV and the NLF. It also discusses many of the commemorative, political and local awards. Includes value guide.
Deployment comes in many forms and serves many purposes. Any separation from loved ones is an emotionally difficult time for all concerned, especially when children are involved - but separation is now a modern day military reality. Those unfamiliar with the military may not understand the nuances of short term versus long-term deployments. Those that do rarely gain exposure to successful strategies for handling deployments when family, such as young children, disabled or other special circumstances, are also involved. As a result, military families must learn to adapt to long-distance relationships, as well as how to adjust and positively cope with separations for various training deployments and real-life exercises. The Deployment Toolkit: Military Families and Solutions for a Successful Long-Distance Relationship covers the basic challenges military families may face before, during, and after deployment. At times the added stresses of military life often make things seem overwhelming. Luckily, the military is a huge family with scores of support groups, both official and unofficial, to help families prepare for separation and the stresses associated with the long absences. Janelle Moore and Don Philpott provide an easily accessible self-help guide to dealing with and understanding deployment. The authors identify the different types of separations and deployments, emotional adjustments involved, and resources available to families in the military. The Deployment Toolkit is essential reading for those families who need a guide through the modern day reality of military deployment and separation.
What if you could combine the agility, adaptability, and cohesion of a small team with the power and resources of a giant organization? When General Stanley McChrystal took command of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq in 2003, he quickly realized that conventional military tactics were failing. The allied forces had a huge advantage in numbers, equipment and training - but none of the enemy's speed and flexibility. McChrystal and his colleagues discarded a century of conventional wisdom to create a 'team of teams' that combined extremely transparent communication with decentralized decision-making authority. Faster, flatter and more flexible, the task force beat back al-Qaeda. In this powerful book, McChrystal and his colleagues show how the challenges they faced in Iraq can be relevant to any leader. Through compelling examples, the authors demonstrate that the 'team of teams' strategy has worked everywhere from hospital emergency rooms to NASA and has the potential to transform organizations large and small. 'A bold argument that leaders can help teams become greater than the sum of their parts' Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit 'An indispensable guide to organizational change' Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs
Much has been written of the short-term experience of combat trauma. Almost nothing has been documented about how that trauma impacts individuals years after their first conflict experiences and into later life. Here, Johnson relates the stories of fifteen of his combat brothers to share with the world what their terror of four decades ago has done to them and how it affects them to this day. With candor and vivid detail, they reveal how their combat trauma symptoms still infect their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors on a daily basis. Those returning from battle now and their family and friends will find here a roadmap of what to expect from those suffering from PTSD as a result of combat. With this knowledge, today's veterans and those who love and care for them can tackle the issues and challenges so that symptoms may be minimized and addressed. Those who still carry these wounds will find that they are not alone, and that there are ways of dealing with the horror, no matter how long ago it may have been. Johnson concludes the book with resources for obtaining help and mending the spirit in the face of what can be debilitating thoughts and fears.
When four-star general John Rogers Galvin retired from the US Army after forty-four years of distinguished service in 1992, the Washington Post hailed him as a man "without peer among living generals." In Fighting the Cold War: A Soldier's Memoir, the celebrated soldier, scholar, and statesman recounts his active participation in more than sixty years of international history -- from the onset of World War II through the fall of the Berlin Wall and the post--Cold War era. Galvin's illustrious tenure included the rare opportunity to lead two different Department of Defense unified commands: United States Southern Command in Panama from 1985 to 1987 and United States European Command from 1987 to 1992. In his memoir, he recounts fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes about his interactions with world leaders, describing encounters such as his experience of watching President Jose Napoleon Duarte argue eloquently against US intervention in El Salvador; a private conversation with Pope John Paul II in which the pontiff spoke to him about what it means to be a man of peace; and his discussion with General William Westmoreland about soldiers' conduct in the jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia. In addition, Galvin recalls his complex negotiations with a number of often difficult foreign heads of state, including Manuel Noriega, Augusto Pinochet, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Ratko Mladic. As NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during the tumultuous five years that ended the Cold War, Galvin played a key role in shaping a new era. Fighting the Cold War illuminates his leadership and service as one of America's premier soldier-statesmen, revealing him to be not only a brilliant strategist and consummate diplomat but also a gifted historian and writer who taught and mentored generations of students.
Hundreds of thousands of military members are making the transition to civilian life each year. This transition is a move into unfamiliar territory and can be an extremely uncomfortable process. However, there are resources in place that can relieve much of the stress of the challenging situations that may arise. In Life After the Military: A Handbook for Transitioning Veterans, authors Janelle Hill, Don Philpott, and Cheryl Lawhorne-Scott collect all the information needed to settle into life after the military in one volume. The book discusses the many issues that transitioning veterans are faced with such as finding employment, going back to school, managing finances, special benefits available to veterans, and a host of other issues the transitioning veteran is likely to face when making the move to civilian life. It also discusses the emotional and psychological challenges that come with leaving the military and settling into life as a civilian. This book is essential for all who are transitioning out of the military, as well as their loved ones.
Through case studies from Europe and Russia, this volume analyses memorials as a means for the present to make claims on the past in the aftermath of armed conflict. The central contention is that memorials are not backward-looking, inert reminders of past events, but instead active triggers of personal and shared emotion, that are inescapably political, bound up with how societies reconstruct their present and future as they negotiate their way out of (and sometimes back into) conflict. A central aim of the book is to highlight and illustrate the cultural and ethical complexity of memorials, as focal points for a tension between the notion of memory as truth, and the practice of memory as negotiable. By adopting a relatively bounded temporal and spatial scope, the volume seeks to move beyond the established focus on national traditions, to reveal cultural commonalities and shared influences in the memorial forms and practices of individual regions and of particular conflicts.
Military reform has featured prominently on the agenda of many countries since the end of the Cold War necessitated a re-evaluation of the strategic role of the armed forces, and nowhere more publicly than in Russia. Not since the 1920s have the Russian Armed Forces undergone such fundamental change. President Boris Yeltsin and his successor Vladimir Putin have both grappled with the issue, with varying degrees of success. An international team of experts here consider the essential features of Russian military reform in the decade since the disintegration of the USSR. Fluctuations in the purpose and priorities of the reform process are traced, as well as the many factors influencing change. Chapters analyse the development of Russia's security policy, structural reform of the services, the social impact of military service and experience of military conflict in Chechnya. Critical evaluations of the impact of social change on the Russian Armed Forces' capabilities and expectations complement the analysis of the on-going debate. Russian Military Reform, 1992-2002 will prove invaluable to all those interested in civil-military relationships and international security as well as to students of military theory and practice.
Military reform has featured prominently on the agenda of many countries since the end of the Cold War necessitated a re-evaluation of the strategic role of the armed forces, and nowhere more publicly than in Russia. Not since the 1920s have the Russian Armed Forces undergone such fundamental change. President Boris Yeltsin and his successor Vladimir Putin have both grappled with the issue, with varying degrees of success. An international team of experts here consider the essential features of Russian military reform in the decade since the disintegration of the USSR. Fluctuations in the purpose and priorities of the reform process are traced, as well as the many factors influencing change. Chapters analyse the development of Russia's security policy, structural reform of the services, the social impact of military service and experience of military conflict in Chechnya. Critical evaluations of the impact of social change on the Russian Armed Forces' capabilities and expectations complement the analysis of the on-going debate. Russian Military Reform, 1992-2002 will prove invaluable to all those interested in civil-military relationships and international security as well as to students of military theory and practice.
This book has two main aims: firstly, to provide a rare, detailed description of the use of a psychoanalytically informed, reflexive research method to achieve an in-depth understanding of social phenomena; and secondly, to throw some much needed light onto the complex, intrapsychic and interpersonal influences that impact upon "military wives" who
Odyssey of a Bombardier is the illustrated Prisoner of War "log" that depicts the experiences of bombardier Richard M. Mason in German prison camps after his B-17 "Flying Fortress" was shot down by the Germans in France in 1944, the final year of World War II. The log follows Mason from the day his plane crashed until his liberation in April, 1945, and his return home to the United States. Included are such topics as medical treatment and rehabilitation for wounded prisoners of the Germans, life in Stalag Luft III, a difficult long march in an arctic winter to another camp, the travails of prisoners in the overcrowded, filthy camp at Moosburg, critical food shortages, and the arrival of General George Patton with the liberating forces. Mason was an amateur artist and illustrated his journal with moving depictions of prison life and comradeship. This book shows U.S. airmen demonstrating grace and courage under pressure and meeting every challenge that their imprisonment presented. |
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