‘Monkeys play by sizes’: the reconstruction of military hierarchy in Ghana's armed forces

Africa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 874-892
Author(s):  
Humphrey Asamoah Agyekum
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
Military Interventions ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Independence Era ◽  
Current Constellation ◽  
The Military ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
National Defence

AbstractGhana's post-independence era has been shaped by a series of coups and numerous attempted military interventions. While the involvement of the Ghana Armed Forces in politics has received widespread academic attention, the detrimental effects of these events on the military as an institution remain largely understudied. Using the coups of 1979 and 1981 as a point of departure, the article explores from an institutional perspective how the disruption of the everyday in the Ghanaian barracks resulted in the temporal breakdown of discipline and the collapse of military hierarchy. The article further examines the measures taken by the Provisional National Defence Council junta to rebuild and nurture hierarchy following its breakdown. It is also argued that restoration of hierarchy in the Ghanaian barracks called not only for an appeal to soldierly values, such as respect for rank and authority, but also for dramatic performances of authority and military hierarchy. The article depicts hierarchy in various settings, while exploring how the military order is expressed and lived in the current constellation. In short, the article not only illustrates a historical evolution, but also demonstrates that the maintenance of order and hierarchy in a closed institution such as the military is an ongoing and continuous negotiation process.

The National Defence College

2021 ◽  
pp. 162-198
Author(s):  
Vipul Dutta
Keyword(s):  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Military Officers ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Fresh Perspective ◽  
The Military ◽  
Jawaharlal Nehru ◽  
National Defence

The final chapter looks at the National Defence College (NDC) in Delhi that was inaugurated by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1960. It is the last of the military institutional creations designed to meet the training needs of senior ranking Indian officers. This chapter will contextualise the emergence of the NDC in the changing perceptions, roles and responsibilities of the Indian Armed forces. It will dwell at length on the post-independence cohort of senior Indian military officers that represented the ‘constituency’ of the NDC, and re-look at their subsequent assignments which symbolised a paradigm shift in the mandate of the armed forces, thereby offering a fresh perspective on the post-independence phase of the military institutional ‘Indianisation’.

scholarly journals Soldiers and ‘respect’ in complex conflicts: an Afghan case

2017 ◽  
pp. 3-21
Author(s):  
Cornelia Vikan
Keyword(s):  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Core Values ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Moral Problem ◽  
Moral Decision ◽  
Military Mission ◽  
The Military ◽  
International Security Assistance Force ◽  
Point Of Departure

This paper discusses the meaning of ‘respect’ in complex conflicts and aims to be a contribution to thinking about ethics in war along with the Just War tradition. The point of departure is the increased focus on soldiers as moral decision-makers in war, illustrated by the introduction of core values in the Norwegian Armed Forces. ‘Respect’ is one of these core values. However, it is not clear how we should understand ‘respect’ in this kind of context. I use a case where a group of Norwegian soldiers in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) sought the cooperation of a group of mujahedeen to solve the military mission of establishing security. As confidence between the parties grew, the soldiers became horrified witnesses to a practice of bacha bazi, where a young boy is dressed up for entertainment and sexually abused. My discussion of different perspectives of ‘respect’ in this specific context shows the importance of acknowledging the multitude of moral stakes in a moral decision-process instead of closing the eyes for a moral problem.

scholarly journals Bridging the Gap? Ex-Military Personnel and Military–Civilian Transition Within the Prison Workforce

2021 ◽  
pp. 0095327X2110398
Author(s):  
Jennifer Turner ◽  
Dominique Moran
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Prison System ◽  
Prison Staff ◽  
Protective Service ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Seamless Transition ◽  
The Military

Prior research into military–civilian transition has suggested that the Prison Service may be a popular destination for Armed Forces leavers, but the experience of former military personnel within the prison system as prison staff (rather than as Veterans in Custody) has so far been overlooked. As a result, we know very little about their route into prison work. This article reports on a UK study investigating the experience of prison personnel who have previously served in the military and presents the first set of empirical evidence addressing these critical questions. Whilst our findings mirror prevailing assumptions of a relatively seamless transition to post-military careers (and, in particular, those within Protective Service Occupations), few had intended a career in prison work specifically. Such trajectories may influence personal military–civilian transitions, as well as job performance in prison work and, by extension, the everyday lives of prisoners and other prison staff.

scholarly journals Warfare Ecology Approaches in Issues of Military Operations

Hadmérnök ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-101
Author(s):  
György Leskó
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Human Ecology ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Military Operation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
National Defence

The fulfilment of environmental protection requirements and social expectations has become a requirement in the field of military operations as well. Impacts that threaten the ecosystems increasingly occur during the activities of the armed forces and military operations. A recently created new field of science, the ecology of warfare, investigates the military, the support systems for the armed forces and national defence, and their relation to the environment as living systems above the level of the individual (like human ecology). Ecology of warfare examines habitats, the relationship between organisms and the environment in the military field. The capability-based, mission-based, coordinated (target, place and time) ability to use military forces has an impact on the ecology. The analysis of the place and role of military operations from the perspective of the ecology of warfare is an important, timely issue. In the study, the author analyses the tasks required for planning, organising and conducting a military operation and their relationship to environmental protection.

German and Soviet Military Doctrinal Innovation before World War II

2004 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 140-144
Author(s):  
Cynthia Roberts
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Detailed Comparison ◽  
Military Doctrine ◽  
World War ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The Military ◽  
Point Of Departure

In the lead-up to World War II, both Germany and the Soviet Union pursued important changes in military doctrine that proved crucial during the armed confrontation between the two countries in 1941–1945. Using a new book by the military historian Mary Habeck as a point of departure, this essay explains how the German and Soviet armed forces by the late 1930s had developed almost identical doctrines without extensively borrowing from each other. Although the doctrinal innovations that informed the German Blitzkrieg and the Soviet conception of “deep battle” have long attracted attention, Habeck's book is the first detailed comparison of the development of armored warfare in these two countries. Although the book does not provide a comprehensive explanation of the sources of innovation in military doctrine, it sheds a great deal of light on the revolutionary changes in German and Soviet military doctrines during the interwar years.

scholarly journals Major Conditions of Shooting Range Operation in Poland

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-104
Author(s):  
Józef GACEK ◽  
Bronisław MARCINIAK ◽  
Ryszard WOŹNIAK
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Field Training ◽  
Technical Requirements ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Expert Team ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Military ◽  
And Training ◽  
National Defence ◽  
Shooting Ranges

Under the "Authorisations of the Minister of National Defence" (latest - No. 57/MON dated 22 December 2014), a Permanent Expert Team operates at the Institute of Armament Technology of the Faculty of Mechatronics and Aerospace of the Military University of Technology (Warsaw, Poland), performing test shootings for the purpose of verifying the fulfilment of technical requirements to be met by garrison shooting ranges and their locations. During almost 20 years of its activity, the Team has conducted research studies under more than 325 civil law contracts concluded with operators of shooting ranges, numerous expert analyses and prepared specialist opinions for courts and prosecutor's offices, and participated in the creation of normative acts and documents, concerning - among others - provision of safety of the operated field training facilities, mainly garrison and training ground shooting ranges. The results of the Team's work have been used, among others, by the Ministry of National Defence (with the active participation of the Team) to prepare regulations of the Minister of National Defence concerning the technical conditions to be met by garrison shooting ranges and their locations. The first of these regulations was issued on 4 October 2001 (Polish Journal of Laws of 2001, no. 132, item 1479), and its latest revision on 15 December 2017 (Polish Journal of Laws of 2018, item 113). The paper presents selected results of studies of the Permanent Expert Team related to, among others, ensuring the safety of users of garrison and training ground shooting ranges, which form a part of the field training facilities of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, the Police, the Border Guard, the Customs Service, security companies, hunting and sports organisations. Of particular value are the conclusions and propositions of the Expert Team related to, for example: improvement of quality of the law created in Poland, concerning in particular training facilities; ensuring safety at shooting ranges during training with firearms of various types and calibres, utilising various types of ammunition; expert supervision over construction, acceptance and operation of shooting ranges; principles of safe operation of shooting ranges, ensuring longevity of the facilities, etc.

scholarly journals Democratisation of Defence Policies and Systems in Slovenia and Montenegro: Developmental and Comparative Aspects

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 713-741
Author(s):  
Iztok Prezelj ◽  
Olivera Injac ◽  
Anja Kolak
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Threat Perception ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Security Systems ◽  
Military Threat ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
The Military ◽  
National Defence

AbstractThe democratisation of national defence policies and systems plays a vital role in making any country more democratic. The democratic transition of this sector in Slovenia and Montenegro has experienced a challenging reform process and it is now time for reflection. This paper aims to identify the main characteristics and issues of the democratisation process in the field of national defence in both countries and, by comparing them, to look for key similarities and differences. The paper argues and confirms that the Slovenian and Montenegrin national defence and security systems were initially faced with serious post-socialist democratic deficits, but gradual democratisation then brought drastic improvements to the quality of their democracy. The process of joining NATO and the change from a military threat perception to a non-military threat perception created space for many reforms. Greatest steps forward in democratisation in both countries entailed nominating civilian defence ministers, having a reasonable number of civilian defence experts involved in the military business, establishing working parliamentary monitoring committees, reducing defence budgets and reallocating funding to other sectors. Progress was also observed in reducing the total number of soldiers, establishing a fully professional armed force, assuring that women in the armed forces were properly represented and increasing the deployment of soldiers to foreign stabilisation operations in a sign of becoming security providers.

scholarly journals The Military Dimension of Niger Delta Crisis and Its Implications on Nigeria National Security

SAGE Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 215824402092289
Author(s):  
Opeoluwa Adisa Oluyemi
Keyword(s):  
Niger Delta ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Military Interventions ◽  
Internal Security ◽  
Structural Framework ◽  
The Military

This article uses qualitative research method to obtain information from high-profiled respondents through verbal interaction in semi-structured interviews in addition to some secondary data to examine the military dimension of Niger Delta crisis and its implications on security sectors in Nigeria. The Nigerian militarized political system attests to the influence of long-term military rule in the country thereby the perpetual deployment of Nigerian armed forces to complement the duty of police in ensuring internal security has been found unassailable within Nigerian democratic governments. Consequently, there have been numerous cases of civilian casualties characterizing the historical record of these military interventions in which the case of Niger delta crisis has been no exception. This article finds it worthwhile to examine the outcomes of these military operations in Niger delta crisis over security sectors in Nigeria and finds them to be terrifically counterproductive. The result unveils the impracticality of military armed forces becoming instrumental in addressing economic and environmental insecurities of a state as well as the need to expand the agenda of security beyond the military armed forces. Theoretically, this article uses the Copenhagen School of Security Studies’ (CS) conceptualization of security sectors as conceptual and structural framework of the study.

scholarly journals The Nutritional Condition of the Spanish Soldier: “Spain. Nutrition Survey of the Armed Forces, a Report by the Interdepartmental Committee on Nutrition for National Defence 1958”

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12623
Author(s):  
Pedro Fatjó Gómez ◽  
Francisco Muñoz Pradas ◽  
Roser Nicolau Nos
Keyword(s):  
Armed Forces ◽  
Nutritional Condition ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Nutrition Survey ◽  
Military Population ◽  
Nutritional Profile ◽  
Nutritional Transition ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
National Defence

The study of the nutritional transition in Spain must combine sources concerning the health conditions and the nutritional profile of the population. Such an approximation to the issue is, as a rule, not possible until the two final decades of the 20th century. However, the report on the nutritional status of the Spanish army, undertaken by the American Interdepartmental Committee on Nutrition for National Defence (ICNND) in 1958, combines both approaches. The report is based on the medical examination of 10727 army drafts. First, the article contextualised the report’s sample geographically and demographically; second, it validated the variables used statistically; and third, it explored the relationship between the diseases diagnosed, the biomarkers yielded by blood and urine tests, and the diet. The main results were as follows: (a) the report confirmed that the military population under examination did not suffer from severe dietary shortcomings; (b) the sample presents a double bias, geographical (overrepresentation of southern provinces) and institutional (underrepresentation of the land forces).

scholarly journals A relevant ministry for the armed forces: An agenda for the South African National Defence Force chaplains praxis

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mnyalaza T. Masuku
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Church History ◽  
The South ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Military Chaplaincy ◽  
Historical Developments ◽  
The Military ◽  
National Defence

Chaplaincy in South Africa (SA) recently became an attractive ministry and research fields for both ministers and theologians, respectively, more especially since the dawn of democracy in 1994. The military chaplaincy has been flooded with applications and enquiries from ministers and leaders from religions other than Christianity who want to secure their space in the ministry to the SA armed forces. Individual churches are also joining the queue for enquiries. As SA is a multireligious nation, religions other than Christianity are also knocking at the door of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), claiming their right to be accommodated. For this reason, it is important for churches, other religious organisations, leaders, ministers and theological institutions or faculties to have knowledge of this unique world and its context, as well as the ministry dynamics and challenges involved. This will assist them in order to prepare appropriately in terms of shaping the curricula and qualifications of their ministers for effective ministry to the armed forces with special reference to the SANDF. This article investigates the dynamics of the military chaplaincy in relation to historical developments along similar chaplaincies globally, the nature of its ministry to the SA armed forces and the challenges posed by the ministry context (SANDF environment), and finally, it crafts and proposes a suitable curriculum for a relevant and effective ministry in the SANDF and the world.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article is located in the field of Missiology. However, it has interdisciplinary implications that affect disciplines such as Military Science, Sociology, Practical Theology and Church History, which all assist as building blocks towards a relevant ministry for the armed forces.

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