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Copyright of Jurnal Wacana Politik is the property of Jurnal Wacana Politik (JWP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Self-harm and suicide behaviours are a major public health concern. Several factors are associated with these behaviours among military communities. Identifying these factors may have important implications for policy and clinical services. The aim of this review was to identify the risk and protective factors associated with self-harm and suicide behaviours among serving and ex-serving personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, Canadian Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force and New Zealand Defence Force. Methods: A systematic search of seven online databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Global Health, PsycINFO, PTSDpubs and CINAHL) was conducted alongside cross-referencing, in October 2022. Following an a priori PROSPERO approved protocol (CRD42022348867), papers were independently screened and assessed for quality. Data were synthesised using a narrative approach. Results: Overall, 28 papers were included: 13 from Canada, 10 from the United Kingdom, five from Australia and none from New Zealand. Identified risk factors included being single/ex-relationship, early service leavers, shorter length of service (but not necessarily early service leavers), junior ranks, exposure to deployment-related traumatic events, physical and mental health diagnoses, and experience of childhood adversity. Protective factors included being married/in a relationship, higher educational attainment, employment, senior ranks, and higher levels of perceived social support. Conclusion: Adequate care and support are a necessity for the military community. Prevention and intervention strategies for self-harm and suicide behaviours may be introduced early and may promote social networks as a key source of support. This review found a paucity of peer-reviewed research within some populations. More peer-reviewed research is needed, particularly among these populations where current work is limited, and regarding modifiable risk and protective factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conspiracy theories spread through social and other media often bringing easy explanations of events that cannot be easily explained. Beliefs in conspiracy theories may lead to simplified and radical viewpoints that can negatively influence one's behavior and actions. The paper analyzes the association between beliefs in popular conspiracy theories spread through social media and work performance using the results of an authors' test of conspiracy theories applied to a sample of 178 students of the Faculty of Military Leadership, University of Defence in Brno, Czech Republic. The students were selected as representatives of high-profile professions that should be trained to deal with potential disinformation and conspiracy theories. The assumption was that the students would be generally immune to the impact of conspiracy theories. The analysis did not confirm a hypothesis that individuals with top work performance are less prone to beliefs in conspiracy theories than individuals with solid/poor work performance. The findings confirm the necessity to systematically train people working in high-profile professions to work with available information and deal with potential disinformation and conspiracy theories. The findings are useful in the HR management practice of organizations that care about the professional qualities of their people and encourage further research on the origin, spread, and impact of conspiracy theories in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of threats and scenarios requires continuous performance improvements of ballistic protections for armed forces. From a modeling point of view, it is necessary to use sufficiently precise material behavior models to accurately describe the phenomena observed during the impact of a projectile on a protective equipment. In this context, the goal of this paper is to characterize the behavior of a small caliber steel jacket by combining experimental and numerical approaches. The experimental method is based on the lateral compression of ring specimens directly machined from the thin and small ammunition. Various speeds and temperatures are considered in a quasi-static regime in order to reveal the strain rate and temperature dependencies of the tested material. The Finite Element Updating Method (FEMU) is used. Experimental results are coupled with an inverse optimization method and a finite element numerical model in order to determine the parameters of a constitutive model representative of the jacket material. Predictions of the present model are verified against experimental results and a parametric study as well as a discussion on the identified material parameters are proposed. The results indicate that the strain hardening parameter can be neglected and the behavior of the thin steel jacket can be described by a modeling without strain hardening sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Gender Advisors (GENADs) have played a key role in the efforts of military organizations worldwide to integrate gender perspectives, and culture change, within the defence and security context. Military organizations, however, continue to face challenges in regard to diversity and inclusion, including limited representation of women and other diverse groups who do not fit the white male, masculine stereotype, and subtle and overt expressions of prejudice and stigma towards under-represented and marginalized groups. In such an organizational context, the integration of gender perspectives has faced challenges, and transformative culture change has remained elusive. In particular, the experience of GENADs suggests that there may be unique challenges to serving as "gender experts" within military organizations. This paper, therefore, examines the lived experience of GENADs within the context of military organizations, as illustrated by GENADs in the Canadian Armed Forces. Methods: We consider two qualitative studies on the lived experience of GENADs and focus on the shared theme of legitimacy of gender expertise at both individual and systemic levels. Results: This analysis highlights challenges that gendered power relations may pose for GENADs as individual change agents, and for systemic, transformative culture change, within existing military organizations, while reaffirming the importance of understanding the lived experience of GENADs in their pursuit of more equitable institutional and operational outcomes. Conclusion: Using social-psychological theories of tokenism, we consider more broadly what it means to be the gender person within masculinized military organizations and conclude with reflections on the potential contours of transformative culture change within the military context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Socioloski Pregled is the property of Srpsko Sociolosko Drustvo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article, titled "Editorial: Diversity, inclusion, and prejudice in the military," discusses the challenges faced by military organizations as they strive to include underrepresented populations, such as women and individuals with diverse gender and racial identities, within their ranks. The article highlights the importance of integrating more women in the military and addresses issues surrounding gender, combat, armed forces, and leadership. It also examines the experiences of minority group members in the military and the efforts to create more inclusive environments. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for further changes to improve diversity, inclusion, and reduce prejudice in the military. [Extracted from the article]

The purpose of the paper is to study the prerequisites and the process of the involvement of foreign mercenaries in the armed forces of the Cossack Hetmanate, the strategy and practical experience of their recruitment, and their role and significance in the processes of the regular army formation. The scientific novelty. For the first time, source reports on the recruitment and service of foreign soldiers in the Cossack Hetmanate army in the middle - the third quarter of the 17th century are cataloged. The regions of their origin, means and forms of enlistment, forms of payment, role in military conflicts, and organizational formation of the regular troops of the Cossack Hetmanate are determined. Conclusions. The prerequisite for the emergence of mercenaries in the armed forces of the Cossack Hetmanate was the need to create a regular army that would compensate for the shortcomings of the Cossack militia. The main form of manning of regular armies in early modern Europe was individual and group recruitment of professional foreign soldiers, who were maintained at the expense of the state budget. The first mercenary units appeared in the hetman's army in 1648-1649. They recruited Tatar cavalry units for money, thanks to which B. Khmelnytskyi had managed to achieve significant operational and tactical successes in the confrontation with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In parallel, attempts were made to recruit or acquire the so-called 'German' units from the Crown Army, armed and trained according to the canons of West European tactical standards, over to their side. The development of a regular army based on recruited contingents was continued during the hetmanship of I. Vyhovskyi, who increased the number of those troops and recorded their existence as an integral part of the hetman's army in the Treaty of Hadiach of 1658. Maintaining and expanding a regular army required significant financial expenditures and stable access to mercenary markets. In the context of the rivalry of East European states for military leadership, it was difficult for the Cossack Hetmanate to compete with them for access to external human resources. That led to the gradual abandonment of the 'German' model of organization and reorientation to cheaper and more accessible units of Balkan and Danubian mercenaries. With the disintegration of the Cossack Hetmanate into two sovereign hetmanates, the rivalry between the left- and right-bank hetmans further aggravated and complicated the struggle for control over the flow of military migrants. At the end of the 17th century that led to the curtailment of the practice of recruiting foreigners and a reorientation to internal resources for the reinforcement of mercenary troops - landless Cossacks, Cossack 'ochotnyky' (volunteers), and Zaporozhian Cossacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Personal Health Monitoring (PHM) has the potential to enhance soldier health outcomes. To promote morally responsible development, implementation, and use of PHM in the armed forces, it is important to be aware of the inherent ethical dimension of PHM. In order to improve the understanding of the ethical dimension, a scoping review of the existing academic literature on the ethical dimension of PHM was conducted. Methods: Four bibliographical databases (Ovid/Medline, Embase.com, Clarivate Analytics/Web of Science Core Collection, and Elsevier/SCOPUS) were searched for relevant literature from their inception to June 1, 2023. Studies were included if they sufficiently addressed the ethical dimension of PHM and were related to or claimed relevance for the military. After selection and extraction, the data was analysed using a qualitative thematic approach. Results: A total of 9,071 references were screened. After eligibility screening, 19 articles were included for this review. The review identifies and describes three categories reflecting the ethical dimension of PHM in the military: (1) utilitarian considerations, (2) value-based considerations, and (3) regulatory responsibilities. The four main values that have been identified as being of concern are those of privacy, security, trust, and autonomy. Conclusions: This review demonstrates that PHM in the armed forces is primarily approached from a utilitarian perspective, with a focus on its benefits, without explicit critical deliberation on PHM's potential moral downsides. Also, the review highlights a significant research gap with a specific lack of empirical studies focussing specifically on the ethical dimension of PHM. Awareness of the inherent ethical dimension of PHM in the military, including value conflicts and how to balance them, can help to contribute to a morally responsible development, implementation, and use of PHM in the armed forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influx of populism in Europe revived the values of illiberal, authoritarian government. This affects the democratic character of Civil–Military Relations (CMR) in the post-communist countries in particular. We analyzed the development of CMR in Czechia (1992–2022) under the influence of populism (2010–2022). Applying the CMR concept of the shared-democratic-values-perspective, our study provides empirical evidence that persistent shortcomings in formal institutional and informal socialization of Czech officers by values of democracy open a dangerous back door for spreading the values of military populism in the Czech Armed Forces. We argue that such development in the last 10 years has resulted into a formation of illiberal alliances between populist leaders and the military elite and poses a risk of the army being misused to politically support the authoritarian populist government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note illustrates some of the new roles that armed forces are taking on in developed countries, highlighting the structure, capabilities, and missions developed by the Spanish Military Emergency Unit (UME). The note describes some of these new roles assumed by UME, such as its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and shows, using official temporal and georeferenced data, the growing use of the military to support civilian authorities in response to natural disasters, man-made disasters, and other emergencies alike. In addition, we also analyze public opinion survey data to argue that this is helping to improve society's perception of the armed forces even in a country like Spain where, due to its recent history, a significant part of its population is reluctant to the military. In short, the military is taking on more emergency roles as needs arise and these new roles can help to improve its perception by citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the impact of armed conflict on services and outcomes related to maternal and reproductive health in North Wollo, Amhara, and Ethiopia by 2022. Methods: This study used an institutional and community-based exploratory design. Six focus group discussions and 44 in-depth interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals, administrators, women, and Non Governmental Organization workers. Each item was recorded in audio, verbatim transcription was made and converted into English. By using OpenCode version 4.03 thematic analyses was performed. Results: Three overarching themes were identified. The first theme was the inadequate standards of maternal and reproductive health services. This includes the breakdown of infrastructure, shortages of medicines and medical supplies, and the lack of sterility of available limited materials and procedures. The second theme was poor maternal and reproductive health status. It includes poor pregnancy, delivery, reproductive and fertility-related health outcomes. The last theme was the limited access to maternal and reproductive services. Conclusion: Armed conflicts have enormous effects on services and results related to the health of mothers and reproductive processes. Addressing these effects is essential for designing and implementing public health measures to improve services related to the health of mothers and the reproductive system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canada's defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, emphasizes the importance of leveraging Canada's diversity to strengthen the Canadian Armed Forces. Currently, women in the Canadian military are underrepresented across most elements and occupations, especially in the combat arms occupations, including among officers and non-commissioned personnel in combat units such as infantry, armored corps, artillery, and combat engineering. Research suggests that the benefits associated with the inclusion of women in combat arms occupations include an increase in collective intelligence, operational effectiveness, task cohesion, and diversity. This article explores the gender gap in the Canadian combat arms by examining the findings from two recent qualitative research studies on the perceptions of women in the Regular Force and Primary Reserve. The authors analyze female military personnel's perceptions of women serving in the combat arms, and the ways to increase their inclusion in the military. The key findings reveal the following themes on women's perceptions of servicewomen in the combat arms: great job for those who want it; challenging environment (e.g., working within a masculinized culture, necessary toughness, tokenism and the "Pink List," being treated differently, and family loyalty); unique challenges faced by women in combat roles; combat takes a toll on women's mental and physical health; and benefits of women's participation in multinational operations. The discussion highlights the need to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion, promote a culture change that fosters greater inclusion of women in the combat arms, and increase operational effectiveness through training and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With its unique characteristics and sui juris nature, the military justice system is designed specifically for the armed forces and operates independently from the civilian criminal justice system. The same applies in Malaysia, where the system also differs from the ordinary criminal justice system in several aspects, including the availability of appeals. While the Public Prosecutor and the accused in the civilian criminal justice system have the right to appeal against a court's decision, the right to appeal for the prosecution in a court-martial is absent. This study aims to examine the implication of the absence of the military prosecution appeal right in Malaysia, exploring its impact on fairness and effectiveness in relation to Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG Goal 16). The absence of the prosecution's right to appeal hinders their ability to seek justice in the military justice system and goes against SDG Goal 16, which promotes peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provides access to justice for all, and builds effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels. This study argues for the need to introduce a robust military prosecution appeal right in Malaysia's military justice system that would help promote peace, justice, and strong institutions. By addressing this gap, Malaysia can enhance the fairness and effectiveness of its military justice system, contributing to the broader objectives of sustainable development and justice for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In response to several high-profile cases of senior leaders in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) being accused of various forms of sexual and professional misconduct, the organization has committed to culture change. Drawing on the group engagement model and empirical evidence, we propose that CAFmembers' experience of thwarted belongingness reduces their capacity to show empathy, which in turn affects their support for culture change. Method: Participants were 139 Naval and Officer Cadets from the Royal Military College of Canada who were predominantly male (61%), between 18 and 21 years old (80%), and not members of a visible minority group (68%). Data was collected via an online self-report survey assessing thwarted belongingness, empathy, and attitudes toward culture change. Results: Whether participants experienced thwarted belongingness was not directly related to their level of support for culture change. Individuals' thwarted belongingness was indirectly and negatively associated with support for culture change, through its impact on empathy. Discussion: Taken together, the results demonstrate that cadets' experience of belongingness contributed to their level of empathy, which together predicted their support for culture change initiatives. Efforts to change the culture of the CAF may need to consider improving members' levels of belongingness and, by extension, their levels of empathy. Implications for inclusion efforts are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny (0035-9629) is the property of Adam Mickiewicz University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Military operating concepts are the mandatory starting point for the defence forces design and development. The Consolidated National Defence and the Integrated Joint Force, two operating concepts presented in the Military Strategy of Romania - 2021, provide the necessary vision for the transformation and adaptation of the Romanian Armed Forces and the joint force to the current and future realities of the operating environment. In this article the author presents some considerations related to the place, role and importance of operating concepts used by the armed forces of other states, accompanied by some examples and points of view that might help to better understand the terms, to develop and implement these concepts and their subsequent concepts, doctrines, and capabilities through which they are operationalized in the Romanian Armed Forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of E-L@tina is the property of E-L@tina. Revista Electronica de Estudios Latinoamericanos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article presents the compensation for victims of terrorist crime in the French and Jordanian legislation by conducting a comparative analytical study of the legal texts in the French and Jordanian legislation. It addresses this issue by clarifying the position of the French and Jordanian legislation on compensating the victims of terrorist crime. The article concludes that the French legislator approved legislative texts that help the victims of terrorist crime claim compensation based on the philosophy of social solidarity, however, the Jordanian legislation was completely different from the French legislation and devoid of any legislative texts that help the victims of terrorist crime claim compensation except for the provisions included in the Draft Law on Martyrs of the Jordanian Armed Forces and Security Corps Fund. In the last part of the article, the set of recommendations that would contribute to supporting the idea of compensating the victims of terrorist crime in Jordanian legislation is offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State-building process in Africa appears in different conditions to those experienced on other continents. It is primarily characterized by the presence of fixed borders. The article repurposes evolutionary and identitarian theories on the development of political communities for the African realities. It highlights the necessity to develop policies creating territorial division between the population of the state and the external environment and utilizing armed forces for the protection of the state against such an environment for the state-building process to succeed. In cases of Eritrea, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, three hypotheses are being tested with an outcome that state-building process connected to the creation of Nomos does not have to be violent but requires a connection of the armed forces to the society. Once the division between the Nomos and the hostis develops inside of the state, such entities are not able to develop power projection capabilities inside their borders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have described a divide between military and civilian culture, often focusing on the relationship between civilian communities and the Armed Forces and its veterans. Equally important are the families of military personnel. News media are an important source of information about military society for many U.S. civilians. This study examined how three types of news publications portrayed military families on Twitter between 2010 and 2020. News content was drawn from 21 outlets that cater to (1) general audiences, (2) military communities, and (3) military personnel. News outlets often associated military families with terms related to hardship, including substandard housing, financial problems, and other issues. In 1,052 posts, news outlets used five frames to describe military families: hardship, support, education, honor, and politics. General news outlets focused on politics, covering PR events staged by politicians. News outlets in military communities focused on support and providing readers resources to help navigate life in a military family. News outlets catering to military personnel focused on hardships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia's geographic location and position with its sovereign rights and territorial sovereignty from land, sea, and air geopolitically and geostrategically has a form of high vulnerability from traditional and non-traditional threats in violations of maritime territory and regional stability. This research aims to provide an analysis of defense resource empowerment strategies to support the Indonesia Armed Forces (TNI) main tasks in maintaining regional stability. this research is supported by the resource theory, defense theory, and stability theory approaches. The method used is qualitative descriptive statistics supported by SWOT analysis and analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Based on the results of the SWOT analysis, there are 15 internal factors in the form of strengths and 20 external factors in the form of opportunities. Of the 15 sub-items, the sub-item Foreign policy system, free and active from political aspects, is the most influential with a weight of 0.08. Meanwhile, for the obstacle/threat factor, there were 20 sub-items. The results of the SWOT and AHP analysis show that the steps for optimizing defense resources to support the main task of the TNI in resolving territorial violations are a diversification strategy, namely empowering all national resource forces for defense in resolving threats/obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates the intricacies of motivation and job satisfaction among military service members within the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) amidst various challenges. Employing an intrinsic–extrinsic framework, the study adopts a sequential mixed-method design. Interviews were conducted with 42 LAF service members, a Focus Group was convened with 12 LAF subject matter experts, and a survey was administered to 3880 LAF service members across the country. The findings underscore the significance of monetary rewards and praise as primary motivators. Notably, the expectation of rewards emerges as a crucial motivating factor closely linked to job satisfaction, while intrinsic factors exhibit comparatively lesser influence. Salary emerges as the foremost determinant of job satisfaction. Moreover, economic challenges, particularly the drastic decline in purchasing power, serve as a significant moderating factor, adversely impacting the relationship between motivation and job satisfaction. Health challenges, such as the scarcity and increased prices of medical supplies, also exert a negative moderating influence. Conversely, security challenges demonstrate no significant moderating impact. Insights gleaned from the Lebanese context emphasize the importance of offering competitive salaries and recognition programs, ensuring equitable compensation, designing reward systems aligned with performance expectations, regularly reviewing, and adjusting salary structures, providing comprehensive support for employees' physical and mental well-being, and fostering a secure work environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the Philippines’ evolving and changing grand strategies in confronting China’s maritime expansion in the South China Sea. From 2010 to 2016, under the Aquino administration, the Philippines challenged China’s extensive claim over the disputed waters by adopting a hard-balancing approach. In 2016, the succeeding Duterte administration pursued an appeasement policy; in 2018, it shifted to a limited hard balancing policy because of (a) continuing Chinese coercive actions against Armed Forces of the Philippines units in Philippines-occupied land features in the South China Sea and (b) China’s failure to deliver on its promised public investments in the country’s infrastructure building programme. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr initially adhered to his predecessor’s strategy of limited hard-balancing. Seeing no change in China’s stance on the maritime issue, he resorted to a hard-balancing policy. He has vigorously supported the steady modernisation of the Philippine military and strengthened the country’s defence ties with the United States and other like-minded security partners while maintaining cordial diplomatic and economic relations with China. This article argues that the Philippines’ evolving grand strategy has the following elements: (a) Admitting that China’s maritime expansion is the quintessential threat to Philippine national security; (b) pursuing a policy of maintaining the status quo in the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea; (c) acknowledging the urgency to shift the focus of the Philippine military from internal security to territorial defence; and (d) fostering its alliance with the United States and its security partnerships with other American allies and partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the experiences of immigrants in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the challenges they face in terms of immigration and integration. The research team conducted interviews with immigrant soldiers, highlighting the importance of social relations and social capital in their military careers. The study reveals different pathways to joining the CAF and discusses the difficulties faced by white, English-speaking military personnel who immigrated to Canada. The text also emphasizes the need for better support and more transparent recruitment processes to promote diversity in the CAF. Overall, the article provides insights into the experiences of immigrant soldiers and the factors that shape their military careers. [Extracted from the article]

• A novel super eagle optimization algorithm termed SEOA is proposed. • The superiority of SEOA is verified by comparing with state-of-the-art intelligent algorithms. • A new three-dimensional ball security corridor planning method for fixed-wing UAVs is presented. • The proposed SEOA is applied to solve the ball path planning problem. • The quality of the SEOA based path planning results is better than other approaches. In modern warfare, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a vital military force. Planning feasible paths for UAVs has become an essential part of forming autonomous attack systems. Aiming at the task requirements of fix-wing UAVs, this paper proposes a ball security corridor planning method by combining the ball Said-Ball curve and a novel super eagle optimization algorithm (SEOA). Firstly, the ball security corridor planning model is established by taking the center curve and radius function of the ball Said-Ball (BSB) curve as the flight path and security boundary. It not only considers the smoothness of the flight path, but also reserves enough security range to avoid cumulative errors. Then, a novel super eagle optimization algorithm is proposed to solve the established model with higher accuracy and efficiency. It simulates the hunting process of virtual super eagles with intelligent thinking. For super eagles, two patterns are designed for determining prey at different stages to avoid premature convergence. An information sharing strategy is also introduced to balance the exploitation and exploration abilities. For prey, they can choose orderly and emergency strategies based on emotional function to escape capture to speed up the convergence of SEOA. According to the results of solving the test function in CEC2017, the SEOA has smaller average rank compared to other flying animal-based algorithms and recent popular algorithms. For the solving successful rate, the SEOA reaches 82.7586% and 89.6552%, respectively. Additionally, the results of Wilcoxon rank-sum test statistically prove that the SEOA is a newly developed intelligent optimization method with significantly higher accuracy. Finally, the SEOA is used to solve the established model by optimizing the positions and radii of control balls of BSB curves. Experimental results in three complex simulation scenes show that the flight corridors obtained by SEOA outperform those generated by other algorithms in overall fitness values. This indicates a more rational optimization in flight altitude, distance, smoothness, and security range. Its faster convergence speed can ensure higher efficiency in planning a security corridor satisfying constraints and requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent events have made it much more likely that the United States (U.S.) and its allies could wage an unconventional warfare campaign in a future international armed conflict. Should this occur, the conflict will--between many of the States involved--be governed by the most controversial portions of Additional Protocol I, including Article 44's rules limiting the need for partisans to wear uniforms. While the U.S. is not a Party to Additional Protocol I, U.S. practitioners cannot ignore the Protocol. By understanding how the Protocol applies to Parties, the U.S. will see many benefits, including increased protections for friendly partisans, and incur necessary costs, including limits on its ability to try enemy fighters. Failure to understand the protocol, however, will undermine the combatant immunity enjoyed by the U.S. Armed Forces and their allies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective cooperation of countries engaged in peacekeeping missions depends on many conditions and factors, including a common working language and a set of standards among military forces participating in peacekeeping operations. This article provides an overview of previous studies on the development of military discourse and English for the military. It demonstrates that linguistic compatibility is essential for achieving operational alongside technical interoperability. The study explores the international peacekeeping discourse to ensure the complete linguistic compatibility of Ukrainian peacekeeping units with their allies. It offers a profound analysis of English peacekeeping documentation maintained according to UN and NATO standards, outlining their basic features and usage. It reveals various types of military texts, exploring their functional purposes that indicate semantic features and linguistic characteristics essential for effective communication in peacekeeping missions. The research suggests an in-depth examination of the structure of military texts, providing further analysis aimed at developing the military sublanguage and standardizing Ukrainian military terminology. The results of this study can serve as a groundwork for future investigations of different aspects of international peacekeeping discourse, being particularly useful for military translators and other specialists involved in multinational peacekeeping operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced militaries worldwide to join the fight. Numerous (e.g., British or Czech) armed forces seized the opportunity to propagate their domestic pandemic mitigation activities to improve their public image. However, defense budgets are usually cut first in times of crisis. Such cuts, or the mere threat of them, can have severe strategic and national security ramifications. This research, both exploratory and explanatory, investigates how military crisis-relief activities and their online propagation can muster public support against austerity cuts. It employs mixed-methods analyses of more than 160,000 posts and comments from the Czech Army's Facebook page case study from January 2011 to January 2021. The study concludes that the Army's propagation of information about its participation in pandemic mitigation induced positive feelings significantly more than the other content. Moreover, despite unpopular measures (e.g., lockdowns and policing), the Army's efforts mobilized online public opposition to the austerity cuts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While noncommissioned officers (NCOs) are hailed as the "backbone" of the world's armed forces, relatively little scholarly attention has been paid to them compared with the officer corps. NCOs have been at the margins of social scientific literature, largely because of Huntington's officer-centric concept of the military profession, which was based on a sharp division of roles and which excluded NCOs as well as reservists and soldiers. This article holds that the officer–NCO relationship is not a functional, timeless universal in military organizations and thus merits scholarly attention. The (re)introduction of NCO-style "Specialist Officers" in the Swedish Armed Forces is used to highlight how organizational and technological factors affect the division of labor between officers and NCOs and the text ends with a call for comparative research efforts on the category of NCOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolution of the regional security environment determined the change of perspective in the elaboration of the military strategies regarding the threats faced by Romania. This retrospective analysis aims to highlight, on the one hand, the dynamics of the main threats to Romania as a result of the trends of the regional security environment, starting with the first military strategy after joining NATO until the present, and, on the other hand, to emphasise the imprint produced at the strategic level as a complementary document to the Romanian National Defence Strategy. Thus, the purpose of this research is to emphasise the amplification and complexity of threats over time as a result of the tightening of the security environment, a fact that highlights the current interdependence of threats and their transformation from autonomous elements into aspects that can no longer be analysed, in the present, in functional isolation. Likewise, the retrospective analysis also emphasises Romania's role within the North Atlantic organisation, starting with the implementation of NATO strategic concepts within the national military strategies. If, at the beginning of 2007, Romania identified itself as a state concerned with aligning with NATO standards regarding the transformation processes of the Romanian Armed Forces, in 2016, Romania appeared as a credible state within the Alliance, and in the 2022 NATO Strategic Concept, Romania had a special strategic importance in the context of the war in Ukraine in the Black Sea region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estado & Comunes, revista de politicas y problemas publicos is the property of Instituto de Altos Estudios Nacionales (IAEN) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Scientific Journal of the Military University of Land Forces is the property of Gen. Tadeusz Kosciuszko Military Academy of Land Forces and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Russia's premeditated armed aggression against Ukraine began on February 2014 with a military operation by the Russian Armed Forces to seize part of Ukraine's territory - the Crimean peninsula - and then provoke a war in Donbas. On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine after that the Russian President announced the start of a so-called „special military operation" under the pretext of carrying out the so-called „demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine". The Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defence forces and Ukrainian citizens thwarted the Kremlin's plans to launch a „blitzkrieg", seize Kyiv and key cities and change the government in Ukraine. This study presents some aspects of Ukrainian legislation related to the war against Ukraine since 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study delves into the vital missions of the armed forces, encompassing the defense of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and support for civil institutions. Commanders grapple with crucial decisions, where accountability underscores the imperative for reliable field intelligence. Harnessing artificial intelligence, specifically, the YOLO version five detection algorithm, ensures a paradigm of efficiency and precision. The presentation of trained models, accompanied by pertinent hyperparameters and dataset specifics derived from public military insignia videos and photos, reveals a nuanced evaluation. Results scrutinized through precision, recall, map@0.5, mAP@0.95, and F1 score metrics, illuminate the supremacy of the model employing Stochastic Gradient Descent at 640 × 640 resolution: 0.966, 0.957, 0.979, 0.830, and 0.961. Conversely, the suboptimal performance of the model using the Adam optimizer registers metrics of 0.818, 0.762, 0.785, 0.430, and 0.789. These outcomes underscore the model's potential for military object detection across diverse terrains, with future prospects considering the implementation on unmanned arial vehicles to amplify and deploy the model effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the contemporary history of the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) from peacekeeping to the most recent update to Canadian defence policy, highlighting their historical roles and contemporary challenges. It discusses the evolving purpose of the CAF, which has shifted from conventional defence to supporting and reinforcing a western-led international order. It explores issues such as defence spending, procurement challenges, peacekeeping endeavors, veterans' support, diversity and inclusion within the CAF. Moreover, it explores emerging threats in cyber, space and Arctic domains, including the rise of artificial intelligence threats, and emphasises the need for Canada to adapt its defence strategies accordingly. Specific focus is given to changes in Canadian defence policy in Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE) released in 2017, and Our North, Strong and Free released in 2024. Ultimately, the article offers a critical assessment of Canada's military role in the context of evolving global challenges and societal values, highlighting the recent policy shift towards expanding national and international defence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the consistency of working length control in hand instrumentation and engine-driven rotary files Wave One by comparing their pre and post-instrumentation working lengths. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jun to Dec 2019. Methodology: A total of 90 mandibular first molars were selected. Two groups were drawn with 45 mesio buccal canals each. The First-Group was prepared with manual K-files, whereas the second group had rotary instrumentation using the WaveOne system. Pre and post-preparation working lengths were noted. Results: The mean pre-operative (18.5±1.03mm) and post-operative (18.15±1.09mm) working lengths of manually prepared and WaveOne prepared canals (18.8±3.43mm and 18.7±3.25mm respectively) presented statistically significant loss of post-operative working lengths. The comparison of the two groups gives a statistically significant result in manual preparation, showing a greater loss of working length as compared to canals prepared with WaveOne rotary files. Conclusion: Manual instrumentation causes a greater loss of working length by straightening the canal more than engine-driven WaveOne rotary files postoperatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]