Our Armed Forces Respond to Terror at Home

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janice Laurence
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
Daniel W. B. Lomas

Chapter Six focuses on the Government response to Communism at home. Shaped by their wartime experiences of intelligence and security, it argues that the popular perception that Ministers were suspicious of the intelligence services, particularly the Security Service, is unfounded, based largely upon Labour folklore. In fact, rather than viewing MI5 with distain, even alarm, Ministers in the new government were aware of the need for an internal security body; any changes in the security apparatus were the result of the recommendations made by Sir Findlater Stewart, whose report of November 1945 is examined here for the first time. The chapter also looks at the development of Whitehall security procedures using the minutes and memoranda of the Committee on Subversive Activities (GEN 183). It argues that, as in the field of British policy towards Russia, domestic countermeasures measures against Communists in the civil service were hidden until the spring of 1948 after attempts at Anglo-Soviet rapprochement finally broke down. Despite the introduction and later expansion of vetting, Ministers sought to balance anti-Communist measures alongside the need for freedom of speech and liberty. Nowhere is this clearer than in discussions for domestic anti-Communist propaganda. While the Labour Party and other organisations had participated in the distribution of such material, IRD had no specific mandate to conduct its activities at home. However, after the outbreak of hostilities in Korea, Ministers authorised a domestic campaign aimed at influential sections of the British public, with the study looking at the early development of this campaign, revealing IRD’s domestic activities in education, industry and the armed forces.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Savita Butola ◽  
Sushma Bhatnagar ◽  
Fiona Rawlinson

Objectives: In India, Palliative care remains inaccessible, especially in remote areas. This study aimed at exploring the experience of caregivers related to arranging palliative care at home, for personnel and family members of an armed force. Materials and Methods: Qualitative study based on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with adult caregivers - either serving personnel or their dependent family members. Results: Lack of palliative care in rural areas makes arranging home care challenging for Indian caregivers, especially in armed forces. The families stay alone and personnel cannot be there to look after loved ones. Constraints of leave, financial and legal problems, frequent movement and social isolation disrupt care as well as family and community support systems, leading to psycho-social problems and stress for the serving personnel as well as families. Educating staff, integrating palliative care into existing medical services, coordinating with other agencies to increase awareness and provide care at home, access to opioids, timely leave, reimbursement of expenses, increased family accommodation, guidance about benefits, and considerate implementation of transfer policy can help mitigate some of their problems. Conclusion: These caregivers face physical exhaustion, psycho-social, financial, legal, and spiritual issues- some common to all rural Indians and others unique to the armed forces. Understanding their experiences will help the providers find solutions, especially in relation to the unique needs of the men in uniform.


Author(s):  
TANJA KREMŽAR KOVAČ

V prispevku je predstavljen pojav epidemije covida-19 v Republiki Sloveniji, s poudarkom na delovanju Slovenske vojske. Opisujemo odziv Slovenske vojske na epidemijo in postopke ter procese, ki jih je izvajala na svojih nalogah tako doma kot v mednarodnih operacijah in na misijah v tujini, ter omogočila dodatno podporo državi in državljanom pri spoprijemanju z novim virusom. Poudarek je na postopkih in procesih, vodenih v Vojaški zdravstveni enoti, za spremljanje epidemioloških razmer. Delovanje Slovenske vojske, ki se navezuje na delovanje njihovih zdravstvenih enot med epidemijo covid-19, primerjamo z nekaterimi drugimi oboroženimi silami. Ključne besede covid-19, epidemija, virus, Slovenska vojska, Vojaška zdravstvena enota. Abstract The article presents the phenomenon of the COVID-19 epidemic in the Republic of Slovenia with focus on the activities of the Slovenian Armed Forces. It describes the response of the Slovenian Armed Forces to the epidemic, and the procedures and processes applied as part of its missions at home and in international operations and missions abroad. These activities provided additional support to the state and its citizens in dealing with the new virus. The emphasis is put on the procedures and processes of the Military Medical Unit aimed at monitoring the epidemiological situation. Additionally, the epidemic-related activities of the Slovenian Armed Forces and its medical units are compared to the activities of several other armed forces. Key words COVID-19, epidemic, virus, Slovenian Armed Forces, Military Medical Unit


Author(s):  
Donald Abenheim ◽  
Carolyn Halladay

The German soldier and German politics in the second decade of the 21st century face the challenges of a deteriorating international system as well as the reappearance of integral nationalism at home and abroad. The security-building roles and missions of the German armed forces in the three decades since unity are being reoriented to alliance collective defense as well as security building amid great friction with sources near and far. These phenomena in their variety threaten the civic and multilateral tenets of German statecraft as well as fundamental military standards and defense organization since 1949, and in particular, since unification in 1990. Specifically, the constants of postwar German democratic civil–military relations—the citizen in uniform, both bound and empowered by Innere Führung, serving in arms in a force firmly located in European and alliance structures but with a low profile at home, undergirded by both legal and social preferences—have had to withstand multiple blows of late. Some of these blows have been a result of unintended consequences of various policies or nonpolicies articulated without sufficient regard for current context; some as a result of unforced errors by leaders relying on outdated assumptions; and some as intentional provocations amid a fraying political consensus. While the German defense establishment—civilian and uniformed—has thus far mostly mastered these circumstances, the strain on German democratic civil–military relations is unmistakable. Thus, Germany’s civil–military relations face the test that they have well surmounted in the past, that is, to have a good democracy and a good army at the same time. The Bundeswehr’s 2020 deployment amid the coronavirus crisis, alongside discussions about a corona dividend in times of exploding state deficits, seems to have boosted soldiers’ popularity, and thus has opened a new facet of civil–military relations. However, the Bundeswehr must be careful not to foster a self-image of camouflaged civilian service or to create an identity crisis of its Afghanistan veterans serving for months as attendants in retirement homes. The public debate and official reflection manifest at best a mediocre comprehension of the needs of the soldier and the imperative to find a usable past for soldiers asked to defend democracy against its many enemies, without falling prey to militarism and integral nationalism. Innere Führung remains the valid heritage of the German soldier, even—or perhaps especially—for those who are asked by duty and fate to risk their lives in combat.


1970 ◽  
pp. 11-19
Author(s):  
Charlotte Lindsey

Frequently today’s conflicts are internal - fought within a country between different ethnic or political groups of the same "nationality" - rather than international, fought  between countries and across borders. This has led to the  civilian population becoming increasingly "caught up" in  the conflict and/or targeted by the parties to the armed conflict as part of a deliberate strategy. War at home rather than abroad has had a major impact on women as members of the civilian population. Furthermore, women are increasingly taking up arms as members of the armed forces.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mavra Ahmed ◽  
Iva Mandic ◽  
Wendy Lou ◽  
Len Goodman ◽  
Ira Jacobs ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Introduction Diet has an impact on weight status, health, and physical performance. Assessing the usual at-home dietary intakes of military personnel can help ascertain their nutritional status before field training or operations. Preference for foods consumed on a routine basis can also impact the military’s preference for and consumption of field rations. Military personnel are limited by the inherent nature of the field rations and availability of calories and food types; and despite previous studies indicating a high acceptability of the field rations, it is unknown whether military personnel self-select the same number of calories when faced with a restricted list of field ration options as they would from their usual foods. Although field rations are intended to be nutritionally sufficient for standard military operations, there are limited data on the ad libitum intake of nutrients of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel from field rations in comparison to the military dietary reference intake (MDRI) recommendations, which establishes standards intended to meet the nutritional requirements of military personnel on duty. Thus, assessing the adequacy of their usual diets at home and longer-term sustenance on field rations in relation to MDRIs can provide insight on CAF personnel’s operational readiness. The objectives of this study were to describe and compare, in a convenience sample of CAF, their ad libitum nutrient intakes from the consumption of self-selected field rations at home with their usual home intakes and to compare both with MDRI recommendations. Materials and Methods Eighteen CAF participants weighed and recorded their dietary intake from the ad libitum consumption of field rations at home and their usual at-home diets. Both MDRIs and the Institute of Medicine’s dietary reference intake recommendations were used to assess the adequacy of intakes for each individual. Paired Student’s t-test or Wilcoxon-matched paired tests were used to compare nutrient intake levels between usual at-home diets and field rations consumed at home. Results Mean daily energy intakes were similar between ad libitum intakes from field rations (2,688 ± 619 kcal) and usual home diets (2,657 ± 580 kcal), although participants had significantly higher intakes of protein and fat from their home diets and higher intakes of carbohydrates from the field rations (P ≤ 0.05). Participants had less than the recommended intakes of some micronutrients (vitamins A and D, folate, calcium, magnesium, and potassium), from both their home diets and field rations, but adequate intakes of vitamin C and iron. Conclusions The results of this study showed no difference in energy intake between the consumption of field rations and home diets, with levels consistent with recommendations for individuals with average physical activity levels. The results also demonstrated less than the recommended intakes (in comparison with MDRIs) of some nutrients from both home diets and self-selected consumption of field rations, warranting further research into nutritional adequacy for operational readiness.


2021 ◽  
pp. 95-147
Author(s):  
Zoltan Barany

This chapter discusses issues germane to military sociology and focuses on explaining how sociocultural factors sap the effectiveness of Gulf armies. The first portion of the chapter is devoted to the social and regional backgrounds of enlisted members of the armed forces and explores the reasons for the introduction of mandatory military service in Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. The following section is dedicated to a comprehensive appraisal of the officer corps from cadets to generals, examining their career trajectories and education at home and abroad. The chapter then explores the age-old practice of Gulf rulers to utilize the services of contract soldiers (aka mercenaries) and foreign advisers. The chapter’s last part focuses on sociocultural issues from education to decision-making and the pervasive influence of tribalism.


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