In Afghanistan: Western and Soviet Methods of Counterinsurgency

The two-decade-long U.S.-led military mission in Afghanistan ended in August 2021 after a chaotic departure of the NATO troops. Power in Kabul transferred back to the Taliban, the political force the United States and its allies tried to defeat. In its failure to achieve a lasting change, the Western mission in Afghanistan is similar to that of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. These two missions in Afghanistan had many things in common, specifically their unsuccessful counterinsurgency efforts. However, both managed to achieve limited success in their attempts to impose their style of governance on Afghanistan as well. The current study compares and contrasts some of the crucial aspects of counterinsurgency operations conducted by the Soviet and Western forces during their respective missions, such as special forces actions, propaganda activities, and dealing with crucial social issues. Interestingly, when the Soviets withdrew in 1988, they left Afghanistan worse off, but the US-backed opposition forces subsequently made the situation even worse. On the other hand, the Western mission left the country better off in 2021, and violence subsided when power in the country was captured by the Taliban, which the United States has opposed.

How Algeria-Turkey Ambitious Strategic Rapprochement Will Affect France’s Sahel Policy?

President Macron did decide to withdraw French troops from the Sahel last summer, leaving only special forces based in north Mali, he stated that Operation Barkhane will end early in 2022. Nonetheless, Algiers’ decision to not allow French military planes to use Algeria’s airspace will create a direct impact on the military mission and France’s entire ‘war on terror in the Sahel. In Algeria, however, bold decisions toward a strategic rapprochement with Turkey were in the making. Even though the new authorities in Algiers were hesitant for such a foreign policy shift, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the internal political struggle, constitutional and institutional amendments in the aftermath of the peaceful Algerian 2019 Hirak needed to be put in place. However, the tenacious resistance of the Francophile and Arabophone-nationalists anti-Ottoman legacy, the well-off social class, and elite pro-France lobbies in Algiers and Paris held back President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s Administration from improving the relations between Algiers and Ankara. Meanwhile, the ambassadors from both countries have been pushing tirelessly for the success of the strategic rapprochement between these two states.

Postoperative Pernicious Malarial Crisis in Patient Coming Back from an Endemic Area

The case of a young Moroccan doctor who spent Four months in Congo as part of an international humanitarian military mission; he underwent surgery under spinal anesthesia for an anal fissure a week after being returned to Morocco, In the seventh-day postoperative period, acute renal failure with anuria set in, justifying the patient's transfer to an intensive care unit. Upon admission, on the eighth postoperative day, one day after readmission to the emergency room and was put on triple antibiotic therapy ,and liquid resuscitation was carried out immediately by infusion of saline isotonic solution and due to the non-improvement of the hemodynamic state after volume repletion, a vasoactive support was rapidly introduced at the initial dose of 0.2 ug / kg / min, the intravenous quinine was not immediately introduced in the emergency room because the initial thick, thin film and malaria blood smear carried out on admission were negative and the postoperative clinical context argued in favor of bacterial septic shock. A sepsis context not ruled out (blood cultures performed); a surgical revision the morning of his admission to the intensive care by under umbilical laparotomy, didn’t showed an intra-abdominal collection. Parallelly a thick film (30% of parasitized red blood cells) revealing P. falciparum, and blood smear were performed again and came back positive after a positive malaria antigen detection of specific IgMs in the indirect immunofluorescence, confirming the diagnosis. The mode of infection; is associated with the end of chemoprophylaxis rigorously followed up till Finally, the possibility of pernicious malaria aggravating the initial acute renal failure and hipocalcemia is also discussed.

Effectiveness evaluation of aerial reconnaissance in battalion force protection operation using the constructive simulation

The paper sets out the results of an experiment carried out using MASA SWORD simulator to verify the use of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) reconnaissance model during battalion force protection activities. The authors focus particularly on the first phase of the battle—enemy approaching and early reconnaissance. The reconnaissance was planned using the UAV reconnaissance model which is part of the Tactical Decision Support System (TDSS). The aim of the experiment is to verify the possibilities of using the UAV reconnaissance model for battalion-size unit force protection and to compare this model with ordinarily used tactical procedures. The experiment proves the hypothesis defined in the introduction and quantifies some defined variables. Based on the result of the experiment, it is possible to state that UAV reconnaissance has significant impact on the effectiveness of the military mission. Moreover, the simulation environment opens a wide range of possibilities for future research including multiple simulations of the scenario, comparison of achieved results in dependence on the set conditions and variable settings, tailoring tactics for the scenario at hand, and so on.

Getting to Grips with the Military

Venizelos, who took the position of War Minister himself, attached high priority to restoring discipline and strengthening the army, knowing that it would be tested in war within a few years. He favored appointments on merit, of the best men regardless of political affiliations, to high positions both in the army and in the administration. His first and most significant appointment was of staff officer Ioannis Metaxas, a dynamic royalist, as his ADC. He decided to bring back Crown Prince Constantine to the position of Inspector General of the army, though he knew that this would displease Zorbas and his former colleagues in the military league. Contrary to the views of the king and crown prince, Venizelos invited a French military mission and a British naval mission to Greece. The missions were generally successful in improving 8training, less so in procurement, where the British were unable to wean the Greek navy off its preference for large capital ships

Nationalism in the Balkans

This chapter deals with the period of military build-up and preparation for war against Turkey. An important factor was the outbreak of war between Italy and the Ottoman empire in autumn 1911, which weakened Turkey and was seen by the Balkan states as creating a new opportunity. Bulgaria and Serbia signed a treaty and military convention in March 1912. Venizelos, helped by Bourchier of The Times, proposed a similar treaty with Bulgaria, which following lengthy negotiations was signed in May 1912. The main issue to be resolved concerned the division of territory in the event of a successful war. Here Venizelos insisted that there should be no prior agreement on territory. In parallel with these developments the French continued the work of their military mission, and Venizelos and Metaxas had to resolve an awkward problem when the Crown Prince spoke disparagingly about the French mission. Naval procurements and ministerial appointments furthered the preparations for war.

Impact of Oral Health Status on Perceived Dental Problems Among Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Personnel

ABSTRACT Introduction Dental problems may have a great impact on military mission effectiveness, as such, evidence-based dental classification guidelines are required for minimizing the occurrence of dental problems. The aim of this study is to elucidate the independent contribution of each oral disease to the perception of dental problems among Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) personnel in order to make the dental classification guidelines more precise for the prediction of future dental problems. Materials and Methods Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel who were examined during the annual dental checkup in 2013 answered questions about the experience of dental problems within the last 12 months in 2014. The associations between the items of a dental checkup and the perception of dental problems were examined using multiple logistic regression analysis with a stepwise procedure to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs. Results The data of a total of 22,441 subjects were included in the analysis. Those who declared to have perceived dental problems within the last 12 months were 5,088 (22.7%). The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that personnel who had decayed teeth had a higher chance of experiencing dental problems than those who had no dental caries. Personnel whose periodontal disease was judged to be more severe in a dental examination had a greater OR for the perception of dental problems. Conclusion These results may become recommendations for operations in the JMSDF dental classification system.

A Chaplain’s Comprehensive Spiritual Assessment And Military Mission

Commanders expect their Chaplains to care for their Soldiers and their Families. Given the number of Soldiers and their Families, this responsibility can be daunting. Between 2007 and 2012, a comprehensive spiritual assessment was developed and used within the 98th Training Division, which was able to identify issues before they became debilitating problems. Approved by the Commanding Generals, this spiritual assessment was essential for Chaplains to find the Soldiers and their Families who needed care.