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The voices of women with a military partner are often unheard in research on military deployments and their aftermath, even though partners are seen as key pillars of support to military veterans, both by military institutions and society. Research on the experiences of partners is usually done from a clinical or psychological perspective, studying (secondary) traumatization, moral injury, or/and the consequences of living with someone suffering from PTSD. However, how partners themselves assign meaning to military deployments is often overlooked. We engage with this paradox by empirically studying organized group return trips to Bosnia. Recent developments indicate that military organizations gain more interest in partners' experiences – at least on paper. Since 2023, the Dutch government has granted hundreds of Dutchbat 3 veterans (those stationed in Srebrenica in 1995) and their partners the opportunity to return to Bosnia, as a gesture of recognition and care. We analyse the role of veterans' partners in changing hegemonic narratives on return trips to Bosnia, and add a gendered perspective to this field of research. While military discourses on the return trip mainly focus on improving the wellbeing of veterans, our research shows that partners are pertinent to invoking repair of the suffering experienced. Recognition entails renewing social relationships. By applying a relational approach, we show the return trips' potential to renew conversations between couples. However, we also demonstrate that attempts to counter hegemonic narratives often result in a confirmation instead of a transformation of earlier acquired perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality is core for all organisations, particularly training departments. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design, the researchers aimed to investigate leaders' attitudes and commitment to quality management of training within corps training units within the South African (SA) Army. In the quantitative study, 229 respondents were distributed a survey instrument. At the same time, 49 participants who completed the survey instrument also partook in focus group interviews at six of the SA Army's corps training units. Merged findings of both datasets confirmed that quality management of training was adversely affected by higher-level (formation and SA Army headquarters) leaders within the SA Army and that corps training unit officers' attitudes affected their commitment to quality management of training adversely, which also affected the quality management of training in corps training units adversely. This research may benefit other organisations; by changing leaders' undesirable attitudes, commitment may improve, and overall quality management of training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We adopt a tripart approach in describing the human-centred challenges with human–swarm interaction. First, the results of large-N laboratory studies will be discussed which found evidence of trust biases (e.g. system-wide trust (SWT)), uncertainties regarding appropriate control strategies and timing, and inaccuracies of perceived swarm reliability. Second, the results of a small-N subject-matter expert study will be discussed, highlighting evidence for component-specific trust (CST) and will highlight concerns from expert operators regarding: understanding appropriate inputs for swarm control, transfer of control, general transparency for swarms including the need for understanding why errors might occur and concerns regarding the effects of command latency. Third, human-centred challenges from the use of swarms in the real world will be discussed. These challenges include lessons learned regarding human–swarm interfaces, the intense challenges of logistics when using swarms in the real world, and otherwise hidden challenges of using swarms for real-world scenarios such as the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) OFFensive Swarm-Enabled Tactics (OFFSET) programme and the use of swarms for monitoring operations for the Air Force Marathon. This article will close with a brief discussion of the opportunity space within human–swarm interaction if the research community is able to close the gap on these human-centred challenges. This article is part of the theme issue 'The road forward with swarm systems'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bolshevik government of Russia intervened militarily in northern Iran after World War I, while at the same time, the British expanded their military activities in southern Iran by establishing the 'Southern police'. This research, using a descriptive-analytical method, examines the performance of the Bolsheviks and the Southern police, and their treatments towards Iranians during this period, and compares and contrasts them. The main question of the research concerns the distinctions that exist in the operational methods of the Bolsheviks and the Southern police in Iran. The findings indicate that the Bolsheviks, apparenlty, sought to create convergence with Iranians; however, in practice, they placed greater emphasis on promoting and disseminating their ideology. Instead of paying attention to the national and religious demands of Iranians, they did not shy away from direct military interventions and economic and social violations. In contrast, the British attempted to secure their interests by recruiting loyal Iranian forces within the framework of the Southern Police and by gaining the support of local tribes and governors in southern provinces, while trying to minimize their direct military intervention.This research shows that both sides addressed internal issues in Iran with different approaches: the Bolsheviks emphasized ideological influence, while the British sought to exert greater control over the situation through cooperation with local forces and establishing security structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snipers have gained increasing prominence in modern warfare and insurgencies, both in actual combat and in military propaganda. Research on snipers, however, has remained largely limited to their strategic role in Western professional armed forces. This article provides the first in-depth analysis of the strategic and cultural dimensions of sniper propaganda of non-state armed groups. Focusing on the prominent case of the Islamic State (IS), this study draws from military and cultural-historical research and a wide range of primary sources to examine how IS used the figure of the sniper in its audiovisual propaganda. The findings indicate that snipers, as represented by IS, combined the roles of heroic mujahidin, authentically Islamic warriors, and appealing game heroes. As such, they embodied some of IS's core beliefs and values and served as a strategic propaganda asset during the period of the group's decline in Syria and Iraq (2015–2017). The article concludes that through the figure of the sniper, IS attempted to present itself as an enduring power in a potentially enticing and empowering manner. These findings complement existing research on sniping and IS, while opening new avenues for investigating insurgency warfare and propaganda representations more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the significant advances in deep generative models for image and video synthesis, Deepfakes and manipulated media have raised severe societal concerns. Conventional machine learning classifiers for deepfake detection often fail to cope with evolving deepfake generation technology and are susceptible to adversarial attacks. Alternatively, invisible image watermarking is being researched as a proactive defense technique that allows media authentication by verifying an invisible secret message embedded in the image pixels. A handful of invisible image watermarking techniques introduced for media authentication have proven vulnerable to basic image processing operations and watermark removal attacks. In response, we have proposed a semi-fragile image watermarking technique that embeds an invisible secret message into real images for media authentication. Our proposed watermarking framework is designed to be fragile to facial manipulations or tampering while being robust to benign image-processing operations and watermark removal attacks. This is facilitated through a unique architecture of our proposed technique consisting of critic and adversarial networks that enforce high image quality and resiliency to watermark removal efforts, respectively, along with the backbone encoder-decoder and the discriminator networks. This allows images shared over the Internet to retain the verifiable watermark as long as facial manipulations or any other Deepfake modification technique is not applied. Thorough experimental investigations on SOTA facial Deepfake datasets demonstrate that our proposed model can embed a \(64\) -bit secret as an imperceptible image watermark that can be recovered with a high-bit recovery accuracy when benign image processing operations are applied while being non-recoverable when unseen Deepfake manipulations are applied. In addition, our proposed watermarking technique demonstrates high resilience to several white-box and black-box watermark removal attacks. Thus, obtaining state-of-the-art performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia is the property of Publikasi Indonesia 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.)

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a disease caused by several Fusarium species, notably, F. culmorum and F. graminearum. These pathogens adversely affect the technological and sanitary qualities of cereal grains, particularly durum wheat. Under favorable environmental conditions and in susceptible varieties, these Fusarium species can significantly reduce both the quantity and quality of crops. This study evaluated the pathogenicity of the two Fusarium species (FC2006 and FG2008) in the growth of durum wheat coleoptiles. The plant material included four commercially grown parental varieties (G9, G10, G11, G12) and eight breeding lines (G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G7, G8). In vitro tests revealed that both Fusarium species significantly reduced the coleoptile growth across the studied varieties and lines (p ≤ 0.001). The control test had an average coleoptile length of 37.87 mm. In contrast, seeds inoculated with FC2006 had an average length of 0.62 mm, and those inoculated with FG2008 had only 0.064 mm. Although there was a slight difference in aggressiveness between the two species, it was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Some variability was also noted in the responses of the durum wheat varieties and lines. The G8 genotype showed remarkable behavior in both isolates, with an average length of 1.83 mm for FC2006 and 0.4 mm for FG2008. The other genotypes showed total inhibition of coleoptile growth (0 mm). These findings highlight the importance of conducting further research on the defense mechanisms of durum wheat against Fusarium and assessing the local varieties' pathogenicity to better explore the interactions between these pathogens and durum wheat genotypes under in vitro conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threat of spoofing interference has posed a severe challenge to the security application of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). It is particularly urgent and critical to carry out in-depth defense research on spoofing interference. When combined with the inertial navigation system (INS), the GNSS/INS integrated navigation system offers distinct advantages in the field of anti-spoofing technology research, which has garnered significant attention in recent years. To summarize the current research achievements of GNSS/INS integrated navigation anti-spoofing technology, it is necessary to provide an overview of the three core technical aspects of spoofing attack principles and implementation strategies, spoofing detection, and spoofing mitigation. First, the principles and implementation strategies of spoofing interference attacks are introduced, and different classifications of spoofing interference attacks are given. Then, the performance characteristics and technical points of different spoofing detection and spoofing mitigation methods are compared and analyzed, and the shortcomings and challenges in the current development of GNSS/INS anti-spoofing technology are pointed out. Finally, based on the summary and shortcomings of the existing technology, a prospect for the future development of GNSS/INS integrated navigation anti-spoofing technology is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin of the 'Carol I' National Defence University / Buletinul Universitatii Nationale de Aparare 'Carol I' is the property of Carol I National Defence 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.)

This article shares excerpts from the playscript Unload, which brings to life research on military veterans and the lived experience of civilians carrying trauma. Co-developed by veterans, artists, researchers, and counsellors, the play follows a veteran's journey to overcome challenges in and out of uniform and sees him guide a civilian friend through unspoken grief that has been haunting him for decades. This research-based play artistically synthesizes extensive data collected from focus groups, interviews, and surveys conducted with veterans, artists, counsellors, and audiences involved in a five-year research project. This article begins by situating the research-based play within the literature on theatre and empathy. Then, alongside excerpts from the playscript, the authors, who were co-writers of the script and members of the cast, offer insights gleaned from the performance of Unload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Western military organizations face an increasingly complex landscape of threats and challenges from immense changes in the international security situation. At the same time, they are experiencing still more political and societal demands. Designing and implementing policies to meet these numerous and multifaceted demands call for effective, efficient, and legitimate public administration. Public administration research in military organizations is scarce. This article explores how critical characteristics of military organizations impact policy design and implementation within these organizations. Based on a systematic review of contemporary literature on specific military characteristics, the study identifies critical characteristics of military organizations related to structure, culture, profession, leadership, and management. Furthermore, strengths and challenges related to policy design and implementation in a military context are analyzed and discussed. The article argues that military organizations must scrutinize and strengthen their policy design and implementation efforts. Lastly, the article points to future research agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the hydrodynamic characteristics of a rim-driven thruster (RDT) behind the hull of an underwater vehicle are investigated. The studied underwater vehicle is the benchmark DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) suboff model, with and without full appendages. In order to verify and validate the numerical model, a grid sensitivity analysis is made for the AFF-1, AFF-8 and the ducted propeller cases, respectively. Then, the resistance and pressure distribution over the surface of the suboff with and without appendages are compared with available experimental measurements and good correlations were observed. As for the propeller, a well-studied ducted propeller, the 19A duct in combination with Ka-47 blades, is employed, and the numerical results exhibit a close relationship with the available experimental data under a wide range of advance coefficients. Afterwards, the self-propulsion characteristics of the suboff models propelled by RDTs using different duct configurations are studied, more specifically, the unsteady effects of the flow field induced by the interactions between propeller and hull under various working conditions. The results indicate that due to the influence of the hull, the RDTs operate in different working conditions compared to open water and exhibit distinct hydrodynamic characteristics. Moreover, the duct profile can have a significant effect on the unsteady pressure fluctuations in the flow field, especially in the vicinity of the propeller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To synergise civil and military research, their separation should be abandoned and the so-called 'civil clauses' still enshrined in the statutes of many German universities should be reconsidered. Together with its European partners, the German government should establish joint development and procurement processes for the military. Key technologies must be systematically identified and promoted in order to avoid unilateral dependencies in these technology areas that could weaken military security. In order to counter the lack of skilled personnel, the Bundeswehr should train soldiers in such a way that they can use the knowledge they have acquired during their military service in civilian life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Advancements in information technology have facilitated information exchange practices within the Military Health System (MHS), enabling "systems of systems" approaches that broaden and coordinate the set of capabilities available to enhance patient outcomes. This is applicable for MHS modeling and simulation (M&S) applications as well. Learning from successful approaches applied in current interoperability solutions used in the military helps to ensure interoperability practices yield trusted compositions of simulations. Materials and Methods The use of formal methods provides the rigor necessary to unambiguously communicate these approaches across the MHS community. Here, 3 formal methods are proposed to ensure the harmonization of models and alignment of M&S data needed for simulation interoperability for MHS applications. Results To clarify considerations relevant for establishing simulation interoperability, the proposed formal methods are examined within a notional example of an injury sustained because of blast exposure. The first method applies the principles of semiotics, addressing the coding of information via syntax and semantics, to understand how to align and transform data across simulations within a composition. The second method applies the concepts of well-specified co-simulations, and the use of different techniques, tools, and algorithms to address the composition and synchronization of M&S components. The third method applies the mathematical branch of model theory to codify expert knowledge about concepts, assumptions, and constraints to ensure conceptual alignment within the simulation composition. Conclusions Biomedical research must contend with complexity inherent to computational human body modeling, enlisting expert knowledge from multiple domains supporting the development of cross-disciplinary research tools that resolve research foci and associated differences in underlying theories, methods, and applied tools. This is closely related to the broader context of digital engineering for military systems engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oblique collision and reflection of a detonation wave can lead to extremely high pressure and considerable dynamic load mixing in the resulting product, which has been a focus of research in detonation and defense applications. In this paper, the relationships among wave velocity, mass velocity, pressure, and the specific volume of detonation products (DPs) under overdriven detonation (ODD) conditions are analyzed. Additionally, the equations of state (EOS) of the ODD are calibrated by using real-coded genetic algorithms combined with experimental Hugoniot strong detonation data, and the effects of different DPs on pressure accuracy are assessed. Accordingly, a dynamic evolution model of detonation wave interactions in a collision zone is established, and theoretical calculations of regular and Mach reflections occurring after the interactions of typical condensed explosive [such as PBX9501 (95% HMX, 2.5% Estane, 2.5% BDNPA/F)] detonation waves are carried out. The results show that the overpressure Hugoniot data and the isentropic expansion line can be better fitted by using the JWL (Jones–Wilkins–Lee) + γ equation than other EOSs, and the deviation of the calculated pressure and the height of the Mach stem from the experimental value is within 5%. Additionally, a formula is derived for the slow-variable function k(ξ) by combining the improved Whitham method and the JWL + γ EOS, and a propagation law is obtained for the detonation wave interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks constitute a formidable threat, obstructing access to legitimate internet services and disrupting the seamless provision of services by organizations. Despite extensive research dedicated to developing defense mechanisms against DDoS attacks, their persistence remains a challenge. The majority of research in DDoS defense can be categorized into attack detection, mitigation, and prevention. Notably, defense strategies falling within the purview of attack detection and mitigation are reactive in nature, often activated after some level of damage has already occurred. In addition, the terms "detection" and "mitigation," maintain consistent meanings in the literature. However, the term "prevention" in the context of DDoS attacks has been associated with varying interpretations in the literature. This paper undertakes a comprehensive review of techniques labeled as "prevention" in the realm of DDoS attacks. In addition, because prevention techniques do not have a standard meaning in the literature, we further classify these techniques into Ideal Prevention, True Prevention, and Partial Prevention. By scrutinizing these techniques and their implications, we shed light on the complexity of mitigating DDoS threats effectively. In particular, we advocate for increased focus on True Prevention techniques, emphasizing the need for dynamism, computational efficiency, scalability, and practical deployability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article constitutes an addition to the scant literature on military boredom. It offers a close reading of field reports written by Swedish military chaplains during the Second World War and seeks to explore the lived experience of waiting for war. It analyses how the military inactivity of Swedish soldiers were depicted and how it was thought to impact morale and motivation. This article showcases how military boredom may be studied through archival research and how the study of boredom as a military phenomenon benefits from an exploration of various kinds of experiences, on as well as (far) off the battlefield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy load carriage is a common task for military personnel and can lead to undue physical and mental fatigue. The purpose of this study was to assess effects of load carriage on cognitive function (CF) and the role individual characteristics play in CF responses. Anthropometrics/body composition, demographics, and Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) scores were gathered from 47 Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets. Cadets’ CF was assessed through the concentration task grid (CTG) before (preruck), immediately after (postruck), and 3 weeks after (follow-up) a 16.09- to 19.31-km ruck march. Hierarchical linear modeling was used, with a, 0.05. The final model revealed growth, or improvement, in CF from preruck to postruck with growth decelerating, but still improved, at follow-up. The load carriage bout improved CF in most cadets, with average growth from 5.67- to 7.20-grid squares found. However, postruck CF did not return to the same level as a controlled follow-up (9.69). Sex (2.46, female), familiarity with the CTG (1.99), ACFT total scores (0.009), and relative ruck mass (20.09) were all significant predictors of postruck CF. Army Combat Fitness Test scores (0.008) were also significant predictors of the slope between preruck and postruck, such that an ACFT score 59 points above average would result in a 1-grid square greater improvement in CF postruck. The significance of ACFT scores, lower relative ruck mass, and familiarization highlights the importance physical and mental preparation for desirable CF outcomes after occupational tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For military leaders, military values and virtues are important psychological prerequisites for successful leadership and for ethical and moral military behavior. However, research on predictors of military values and virtues is scarce. Given this background, we investigated whether Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), resilience, and vulnerable narcissism might be favorably or unfavorably associated with military values and virtues, and whether vulnerable narcissism could moderate the association between the OCB-by-resilience-interaction, and military virtues. Methods: A total of 214 officer cadets (mean age: 20.75 years; 96.8% males) of the Swiss Armed Forces (SAF) volunteered to take part in this cross-sectional study. They completed a booklet of self-rating scales covering dimensions of military values and military virtues, OCB, resilience, and vulnerable narcissism. Results: Higher scores for military virtues were associated with higher scores for military values, OCB, and resilience, and with lower scores for vulnerable narcissism. Multiple regression models showed that higher scores for OCB and resilience were associated with military values and virtues. Vulnerable narcissism moderated the association between military virtues, and the OCB-by-resilience-interaction: the higher the vulnerable narcissism, the more the OCB-by-resilience-interaction was associated with lower scores for military virtues. Conclusions: Among cadets of the SAF, the associations between military values, military virtues, OCB, and resilience were highly intertwined, while vulnerable narcissism appeared to attenuate the association between military virtues, OCB, and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Injury epidemiology research with military populations typically utilizes data obtained through medical chart review (MCR) or injury self-reports (ISRs). MCR data will not capture musculoskeletal injury (MSKI) data for which medical care was not sought, which is common during military recruit training. Injury self-report is affected by issues with recall, especially for MSKIs perceived as less severe. U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) recruits participate in an intense 13-week recruit training program during which they are susceptible to MSKIs. The purpose of the current analysis was to utilize a novel statistical method, the capture-recapture (CRC) technique, to account for the undercounting inherent in MSKI data sources and estimate the ascertainment-corrected cumulative incidence of MSKIs during USMC recruit training. Materials and Methods Data for the current study were derived from a larger study, the USMC Gender-Integrated Recruit Training Study, which was initiated to provide data-driven recommendations to increase gender integration in USMC recruit training. The estimated cumulative incidence of MSKIs during 13-weeks of USMC recruit training was calculated from the 2 sources of MSKI data (MCR, ISR) and using CRC analysis. Medical charts were reviewed to extract data about MSKIs that occurred during recruit training. Self-reported MSKI data for the same period were obtained from recruits at the end of recruit training. MSKIs were classified according to their anatomical location and type. The Chapman modification of the Lincoln-Peterson estimator was utilized to conduct the CRC analysis. Results Medical chart review and ISR MSKI data were available for 464 USMC recruits (age: 19.1 ± 1.9 years; gender: men 70.0%). The observed 13-week cumulative incidence of MSKI in the sample was 21.8% in the MCR and 28.4% in the ISR, while the CRC incidence was much higher (62.0%). The MCR and ISR ascertainment were 35.1% and 45.9%, respectively, while the overall ascertainment or completeness of MSKI data when 2 sources were used was moderate (65.0%). When stratified by MSKI anatomical location, the overall ascertainment varied by anatomical location of the MSKI. It was highest for lower extremity MSKIs (64.8%), but lower for upper extremity (38.9%) and spine (33.3%) MSKIs. The overall ascertainment also varied by MSKI type; it was highest for sprain (55.1%), followed by strain (54.8%), and the pain/spasm/ache (43.3%). Conclusions This was the first study to utilize the CRC technique to access the ascertainment-corrected incidence of MSKIs among USMC recruits. There was significant undercounting in both sources of the data analyzed, and the extent of undercounting varied by both MSKI anatomical location and type. When 2 sources of data were utilized simultaneously, the percent of CRC-estimated MSKIs observed from 2 sources of data was more complete. There is a need for further application of the CRC technique to MSKI data in military populations to provide a more complete assessment of MSKIs. Identification of modifiable factors that influence completeness of MSKI data obtained during military recruit training is also warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article responds to the analysis about the Spanish Emergency Military Unit in the research note by Pérez et al. in Armed Forces & Society, which emphasizes the efficiency of the Spanish Emergency Military Unit and how it has enhanced the image of the Spanish Armed Forces. We believe that a more critical understanding of the development of this military unit is necessary, as its deployment pitfalls and the literature on civil–military relations were neglected. Consequently, four policy traps are identified: response to civilian emergencies has become a central task of the armed forces rather than an auxiliary role; behind the pragmatism of its employment, there is potential for a worsening of civil–military relations, as highlighted by the scholarly literature; there are serious inefficiencies in its organizational design, related to human and financial resources; and image improvement is an illusion, strongly conditioned by political cleavages, with potential long-term counterproductive results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Romanian Journal of Information Technology & Automatic Control / Revista Română de Informatică și Automatică is the property of National Institute for Research & Development in Informatics - ICI Bucharest 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 Safety & Security Sciences Review / Biztonságtudományi Szemle is the property of Obuda 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.)

Copyright of Bulletin of the 'Carol I' National Defence University / Buletinul Universitatii Nationale de Aparare 'Carol I' is the property of Carol I National Defence 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.)

Copyright of Theatralia is the property of Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts 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 effectiveness created a growth in political science literature. However, this work focused overwhelmingly on continental warfare. China's rise highlights naval warfare. Do the central findings of the literature hold for war at sea? We explore this question by comparing naval and land combat patterns via a new dataset on interstate surface naval battles fought between 1649 and 1988. We find essential differences deriving from the contrasting nature of the sea and land as military environments, which have made naval outcomes more sensitive to materiel, quicker, and more one-sided. There are, however, also important similarities involving material–nonmaterial interactions. These features pose important implications for policy on future anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) warfare in East Asia, the balance of investment in skill and materiel in naval resource allocation, and research on military effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The architecture of software‐defined network (SDN)enhances the openness of the network by separating the control and forwarding functions, but the centralized SDN control form is susceptible to distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. In this paper, entropy value and back‐propagation neural network (BPNN) were applied to the DDoS attack detection of SDN, and then the two detection algorithms were simulated in MATLAB software and compared with the K‐means algorithm. The results showed that in the face of four DDoS attacks, SYN Flood, ACK Flood, UDP Flood and ICMP Flood, the BPNN‐based DDoS detection had higher accuracy and less detection time; the switch that adopted the BPNN‐based DDoS detection algorithm adjusted the traffic ratio back to normal level faster when facing DDoS attacks, reducing the impact on other switches and maintaining the traffic stability of the network. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, confrontations in cyberspace are becoming increasingly fierce, and network attacks and defenses have become the main form of confrontation between parties in cyberspace. The maximum benefit can be obtained by using scientific decision-making. Traditional network attack and defense research mainly focuses on the relationship between network attackers and network defenders, but more is need to explain the benefits of the evolution of network attacks and defenses. Given this, this paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model among network attackers, network defenders, and government regulators, analyzes the evolutionary stability of each participant's strategy choice, discusses the influence of each element on the tripartite strategic choices, and further analyzes the stability of the equilibrium point of the tripartite evolutionary system. The research results show that (1) the timely supervision of the network by the government supervision department is conducive to enhancing the construction of network security and has strategic significance for the security of cyberspace; (2) the network defense department can obtain more effective defense measures when being attacked by the network; (3) the network defense party can analyze the strategic defense requirements that are more in line with its own benefits. Finally, we use Matlab2021a to conduct simulation analysis, verify the effectiveness of the evolutionary game model under different initial conditions, and put forward reasonable suggestions for network defenders and government regulators according to the conclusions of the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the challenges inherent to conducting ethnography in all-encompassing institutions and presents strategies for equity-oriented research in such restrictive settings. All-encompassing institutions are organizations that have no separation between home, work, and play, with forms of surveillance, power imbalances, and control that create logistical and ethical challenges for ethnographers. Building on feminist orientations to qualitative inquiry, the author shares vignettes from her research in a military institution to introduce four strategies for ethnography in these contexts. The strategies are: (a) adopting a participant-centered approach; (b) attending to power dynamics; (c) negotiating consent and confidentiality; and (d) engaging participants in research presentation. These strategies are applicable to ethnographers across contexts looking to meaningfully engage interlocutors in research generation and presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges that military adolescents face, including frequent relocations, pose potential risks to their identity development. The central aim of this study is to understand the impact that frequent relocations have on the identity development of highly mobile military adolescents. Military adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18 years were interviewed. An interpretive phenomenological design was employed to inform the interview and analytic approach. An inductive approach using humanistic interpretation through Hermeneutic circles was conducted. Four overarching themes were identified, including self-perception in the world, building relationships, overwhelming emotions, and fostering healthy transitions. Several subthemes developed and gave rise to common adolescent experiences. Military adolescents facing frequent relocations experience a series of identity crises that are often masked in daily life and kept secret from peers and family. Healthy transitions require the adolescent and family to openly and repeatedly explore the impact of relocations on the inner and social life of adolescents. This study calls for future research on the military adolescent-provider relationship to explore how to better help meet the needs of this population from a health care standpoint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently there has been media speculation about Japan's move away from pacifism towards a more active role in global conflict, focusing on the war in Ukraine. The lack of military infrastructure and research and development in Japan since World War II have also had a profound impact on a lack of preparedness for COVID 19 vaccines, as the infrastructure needed was often linked to military development. We discuss how such changes have resulted in a desire for a buildup of military development including vaccine development in Japan. These changes, should they take place, will signify a shift away from the post-war period as Japan develops a new global role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction/purpose: The military environment is characterised by high-risk operations and activities that require a comprehensive understanding of safety knowledge to ensure personnel’s well-being and effectiveness. Indirectly, this scenario illustrates the military’s need to prioritise adequate safety and health management within their environment, just like other organisations. The current scientometric review aims to analyse research trends related to safety knowledge within military environments. Methods: This review utilised ScientoPy and VOSviewer to comprehend the nature of collected datasets from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases. Results: The scholarly publication “Proceedings - IEEE Military Communications Conference MILCOM” is renowned for its extensive coverage of safety knowledge research for military environments. The keyword “emergency preparedness” has significantly impacted the thematic content of scholarly safety knowledge for the past three decades, from 1990 to 2023, as previous researchers used it most frequently. Based on overlay visualisation mapping, the current review demonstrates that the terms “emergency,” “COVID-19,” and “risk management” have been accorded greater significance since 2020. Conclusion: This study provides a thorough and worldwide perspective on the crucial subjects of safety knowledge in military settings. It is aimed at potential readers and researchers interested in better understanding these concepts and conducting more rigorous research on military safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research publication is often challenging for prospective authors but necessary for them to introduce their research, contribute to the conversation in their field, and advance their field of study. In this article, editors of Defense Acquisition Research Journal (ARJ) offer advice to defense acquisition professionals aspiring to publish in Defense ARJ and point out some caveats in the research publishing process. The editors also explain what kind of articles the journal publishes and summarize how to produce a strong submission. This article discusses Defense ARJ’s guidelines for contributors in more detail, explains the structure and style submissions should follow, and explains the peer review process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obsolescence in Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems is a challenge that often frustrates practitioners. Obsolescence challenges require solutions many times over the life cycle [...]

This Research Agenda is intended to make researchers aware of the topics that are, or should be, of particular concern to the broad defense acquisition community in the government, academic, [...]

The unique jobs, exposures, and deployments in the military generate questions regarding cancer risks; however, incidence rates alone from retrospective observational studies provide limited information. Incorporating screening rates, staging, and mortality rates allows a more comprehensive perspective regarding cancer risk in the military. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the current instability within the European security landscape, militaries are seeking new ways to grow and counter emergent threats. However, there is a rarity of armed forces addressing logistics growth within literature. Thus, this paper investigates growth concepts that can enable military forces develop, conduct, and grow logistics to achieve its operational objectives. The paper undertakes extant literature analysis of three relevant theories of growth as a means to review for comprehending organizational growth. The relationships between logistics and three growth theories as well as industry growth practices are analysed. Argues that the development of the concept of logistics growth in the military require support not just from established growth theories but also from long-standing industrial practice in order to fully develop the best strategic-fit growth concept for the military. Nine propositions reflecting antecedent relationships amongst theoretical variables for growth are developed. Study serves as a point of departure for further research on military growth in general and military logistics growth in particular and provides military leaders with disciplinary options for evaluating logistics growth strategies for achieving operational objectives and goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Based upon experimental literatures to simulate many newly developed systems and analyzed and compared the physical properties and NIR absorption of the materials for supplying future research reference into military camouflage clothing. Aims: This project aimed to explore composite fiber/cotton/colorant materials that possess the characteristic of anti‐near‐infrared radiation (NIR) reflectance and their further application in military combat uniforms to achieve the aim of personnel camouflage and concealment. Materials and Methods: Materials Studio (MS06 version), Gaussian 09 software, and the GULP program were adopted for simulation and computation in this study. Results and Discussion: The physical absorption of the dyes and nylon 66/ cotton exhibited the same trend from large to small in the order NCIBu > NCD > NCIG > NCT > NCA. All systems had good colorfastness except for the NCA, NCD, and NCT systems. The colorfastness of the dual‐dye systems was better than that of the single‐dye systems; in particular, the colorfastness of the NCIG‐138T and NCIBu‐12D systems. The six layered NCT, NCIBu, NCIBu‐12D, NCIG‐138T systems exhibited excellent reflectivity in the NIR region. Conclusions: The NCIBu‐12D and NCIBu‐138D systems, with a weight percentage of 2/49/49%, exhibited the best performance in our simulation. These achievements could be helpful in terms of informing actual experiments in order to perfect the design of military clothing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Like civilian health systems, the United States Military Health System (MHS) confronts challenges in achieving the aims of reducing cost, and improving quality, access, and safety, but historically has lacked coordinated health services research (HSR) capabilities that enabled knowledge translation and iterative learning from its wealth of data. A military–civilian academic partnership called the Comparative Effectiveness and Provider-Induced Demand Collaboration (EPIC), formed in 2011, demonstrated early proof-of-concept in using the MHS claims database for research focused on drivers of variation in health care. This existing partnership was reorganized in 2015 and its topics expanded to meet the need for HSR in support of emerging priorities and to develop current and HSR capacity within the MHS. Materials and Methods A Donabedian framework of structure, process, and outcomes was applied to support the project, through a core of principal investigators, researchers, analysts, and administrators. Within this framework, new researchers and student trainees learn foundations of HSR while performing secondary analysis of claims data from the MHS Data Repository (MDR) focusing on Health and Readiness, Pediatrics, Policy, Surgery, Trauma, and Women's Health. Results Since 2015, the project has trained 25 faculty, staff, and providers; 51 students and residents; 21 research fellows across multiple disciplines; and as of 2022, produced 107 peer-reviewed publications and 130 conference presentations, across all five themes and six cores. Research results have been incorporated into Federal and professional policy guidelines. Major research areas include opioid usage and prescribing, value-based care, and racial disparities. EPIC researchers provide direct support to MHS leaders and enabling expertise to clinical providers. Conclusions EPIC, through its Donabedian framework and utilization of the MHS Data Repository as a research tool, generates actionable findings and builds capacity for continued HSR across the MHS. Eight years after its reorganization in 2015, EPIC continues to provide a platform for capacity building and knowledge translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The ability of military clinicians to conduct military medical research is often limited because of competing priorities and a lack of research mentorship. The Clinician-Scientist Investigator Opportunity Network (CSION) was developed with the intent of training clinicians how to engage in requirements-driven research within the DoD. Materials and Methods Three to five academic medical faculties were selected from a pool of applicants each year to participate in a 2-year research fellowship. To be eligible for the CSION program, applicants had to meet the following criteria: (1) Completed residency graduate medical education training, (2) not be currently enrolled as a graduate medical education trainee, and (3) obtained permission from their department leadership to focus 25% of their duty hours on CSION participation to include didactic and research efforts. The remaining 75% of fellows' time was dedicated to clinical duties. Monthly didactics, intensive mentorship, and consistent support were offered to each fellow by the CSION leadership team. Metrics were recorded to include both research and clinical productivity. Results Between January 2019 and December 2022, 12 CSION fellows graduated from the program (four in the class of 2020, three in 2021, and five in 2022). From 2019 to 2021, the 12 CSION fellows initiated 204 research protocols, generated 489 publications/presentations, and secured 33 research grants. All graduates of the program remain active in clinical research with multiple graduates currently assigned to research positions. Conclusions The CSION research education program is a 2-year additional duty research fellowship producing clinician-scientists conducting military-relevant medical research and publications and may be considered a low-cost/highly efficient alternative to achieve the reported benefits of the MD–PhD tract. The expansion of the CSION program may improve the quality of military medical research and health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the literature theorizing military social order, embodiment, and resistance in IR. The military institution is known to resist change, and much research have been devoted to challenges to the gendered order of the military. One area that has received little attention, however, is the reluctance of many militaries in the West to facilitate veganism during service in spite of the increasing demand for vegan food options, diversity, and sustainability. Drawing on research on the military social order and gender theory, I conduct an unpacking of conflicting elements and representations of military and vegan bodies, and theorize this reluctance as institutional resistance. Typically, the military does not offer motivations for its stance – which makes it difficult to detect and counter. As a consequence, vegans are silenced and excluded, not facilitated to enter the military. This is a challenge to increasing attempts at governing sustainability and diversity in the military. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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