The Institution

Attention is devoted to the diffusion, terminology, and foundation of the institution of the gymnasium in Ptolemaic Egypt, including the possible link with the army and the evidence from archaeology. The chapter shows how gymnasia in Egypt were introduced both in the three poleis of the country as well as in villages, throughout the Ptolemaic period. It highlights the close connection that the institution had with military settlers but stresses how the gymnasium was not a military institution but rather the by-product of the settlers’ residence habits, promoted by Ptolemaic policies. Finally, it offers an account of the first and so far only archaeologically attested Hellenistic gymnasium of Egypt, recently uncovered in the village of Philoteris in the Arsinoite nome.

A versatile organisation: Mapping the military's core roles in a changing security environment

What roles are military institutions expected to play in today's rapidly changing security environment? How are they supposed to interact with the society they are tasked to protect? These questions have been posed by classical military sociologists as well as by a newer generation of scholars. Yet so far, a comprehensive mapping of the military's potential roles in contemporary society is missing. In this article we contribute to an update of this debate by providing a categorisation of the different roles and tasks that the military institution plays in current industrialised democratic states. We identify three core roles, each divided into subroles, by drawing on an extensive reading of 70 National White Papers and Security Strategies from 37 OECD member states: (collective) defence, collective security, and aid to the nation. We analyse how these roles and tasks influence recent configurations in civil-military relations. This study thereby contributes with: (1) a useful illustration of the military's shifting roles and tasks in contemporary society; (2) increased understandings of how the different roles impact civil-military relations and related to this; and (3) a practical starting point for further analyses of the military organisation's internal challenges related to its, at times, contradictory roles.

Ethical challenges faced by French military doctors deployed in the Sahel (Operation Barkhane): a qualitative study

Background French military doctors are currently deployed in the Sahel to support the armed forces of Operation Barkhane, in medical or surgical units. As well as supporting French soldiers, their other missions are diverse and complex: medical assistance to civilians and persons under control (PUC), advice to commanding officers. These tasks can create ethical dilemmas when decisions are forced upon doctors that may be in conflict with medical values or fundamental principles. Little is known about the specific dilemmas experienced by French military doctors in overseas operations. We therefore conducted a qualitative study among doctors and surgeons recently deployed to the Sahel to explore and better understand this question. Method Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 20 French military doctors or surgeons deployed since January 2016 in medical or surgical facilities in Mali and Chad. Results All interviewed doctors reported having faced several ethical dilemmas during missions. All reported dilemmas involved the treatment of civilians (while delivering community medical assistance) or of PUC. The dilemmas involved choices as to which patients to treat, the use of care as a means to an end by military authorities, and the level of care attainable in the absence of any possible hospital follow-up. Questions of delivering care at the risk of their own safety or the mission’s and of treating openly hostile patients were also brought up. Several dilemmas stemmed from the dual loyalty problem, namely the conflict between military doctors’ duty of care to patients and to the military institution, but this was not the only factor involved. Contextual factors (restricted resources and security constraints) and psychological factors (especially hostility towards the enemy) were also associated with many of the reported dilemmas. Conclusion This is the first reported study focusing on the ethical dilemmas encountered by French military doctors in overseas operations. It provides unique insights into their ethical experiences and should prove useful in improving operational training for healthcare personnel deployed on overseas missions.

FEATURES OF LEADERHIP COMPETENCY FORMATION IN PROFESIONAL TRAINING OF FUTURE COMMANDING OFFICERS

The publication exposes the outcomes of a research on topicality of leadership competency and leadership potential in the course of military students’ professional training at a technical university. Special attention is paid to analyzing the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine Standard on speciality 254 “Support of the Army (forces) for the first (bachelor’s degree) level of higher education”. The article highlights the outcomes of a pilot research on the basis of: the “Psychogeometrical test” projective methodology, the “Leader” test, and the authors’ questionnaire to determine the leadership potential. On the outcomes of analyzing the respondents’ answers, a low level of leadership potential development was determined, which attests to an insufficient communication level, cadets’ narrow world outlook on various issues, passivity, lack of skills in and unwillingness to demonstrate persistence. By 95 % of respondents’ answers, the importance of studying leadership disciplines at a military institution of a technical higher education establishment has been proved. The professional training improvement for future officers-leaders has been substantiated in the article.

Complicating Entanglements: Societal Factors Intruding in the Ghana Armed Forces’ Civil–Military Relations

Scholarly debates on civil–military relations often focus on how the military impacts society. Adding to the vast literature of civil–military relations, this article examines how socio-cultural practices and societal developments in the host society affect the military. Based on long-term ethnographic engagement with the Ghana Armed Forces, the piece presents empirical observations of how culturally informed practices, such as begging via proxies ( djuan toa), infiltrate the Ghanaian military barracks and affect the institutions’ functioning. The article illustrates how two additional elements, skewed recruitment practices and the politicisation of the rank and file, are used as tools by political factions, such as Ghana’s two most prominent parties the New Patriotic Party and National Democratic Congress, seeking to gain control over the Ghanaian military. The article analyses how these approaches contribute to undermining the armed forces’ discipline and military professionalism and consequently affect the military institution as a whole.

Political Change in Egypt and the Policies of Consolidating ‌Hegemony

The January 25, 2011 revolution that Egypt witnessed was the product of a political and social movement in an ancient civil society, which maintained this characteristic in a stable manner, despite successive bulldozing operations for centuries and extended decades. However, the revolution witnessed fundamental transformations, which led to a military coup in 2013. Repressive policies and practices to consolidate tyranny and authoritarianism, not only in the face of citizens, but also to establish dominance over the state's wealth and capabilities. In dealing with the January revolution, the Egyptian military adopted many policies and practices, whether in the first transitional phase supervised by the Military Council (from February 2011 to June 2012), or during the first year of President Mohamed Morsi's rule, in which he directed matters from The successor, the Military Council, or direct control after the coup of July 3, 2013, until January 2021, and the tasks, roles and functions carried out by the military institution during the ten years (under study) were divided between the policies of consolidating authoritarianism and tyranny, the legal codification of these policies, the systematic violation of rights and freedoms, and the policies of Hegemony and the total militarization of the economy to the extent of what can be called “state ownership,” and the reinforcement of the saying that Egypt is an “army with a state and not a state with an army.” In the face of these considerations, the duality of authoritarianism and the movement emerges, and the transformations and developments between them in Egypt during the ten years that passed after the January 2011 revolution. On political life in Egypt after the January revolution?

The Application of New Information Technologies in the Learning Process at a Military Educational Institution

В статье рассмотрена актуальная проблема использования новых информационных технологий в процессе обучения в вузе. Авторами раскрыты особенности применения современных информационных технологий в организации учебного процесса вузовского военного учебного центра при работе в удаленном режиме в период пандемии короновируса. Доказано, что наличие визуального (электронного) канала коммуникаций при использовании разнообразных технических средств и программ и создании глубинных электронных учебников позволяет по-новому организовать плановый учебный процесс в военных учебных центрах, повышая интенсификацию труда преподавателей и обучающихся без снижения уровня их подготовки. Использование компьютерных средств для передачи и отображения информации, реального моделирования разнообразных производственных и технологических процессов обслуживания и эксплуатации авиационной техники различных типов дает возможность осуществлять в полном объеме теоретическую и практическую подготовку специалистов инженерно-авиационной службы непосредственно на базе центра, исключая необходимость иметь в центре разнообразные, в том числе и современные, типы самолетов и вертолетов, агрегаты и узлы которых имеют лишь конструктивные различия, более детально изучаемые в ходе производственной практики в войсках. The article treats a relevant issue of using new information technologies in the process of education in higher education institutions. The authors of the article focus on the application of modern information technologies in the process of distance education at a military institution during the coronavirus pandemic. The article maintains that visual communication, various applications and software, electronic textbooks enhance teachers’ and students’ involvement in the educational process and ensure high-quality education. Centers, which are equipped with digitalized information processing systems and the systems of modeling various technological processes associated with the maintenance and operation of different aviation equipment, can ensure comprehensive aircraft engineering training (both theoretical and applied). As for the details of aircraft parts and components, they can be further learned during the army internship program.