Combatant Socialization and Norms of Restraint: Examining Officer Training at the U.S. Military Academy and Army ROTC

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew M. Bell
Keyword(s):  
Officer Training ◽  
Military Academy ◽  
Army Rotc ◽  
The U.S

Combatant socialization and norms of restraint: Examining officer training at the US Military Academy and Army ROTC

2021 ◽  
pp. 002234332110108
Author(s):  
Andrew Bell
Keyword(s):  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Officer Training ◽  
Military Academy ◽  
Army Reserve ◽  
Civilian Protection ◽  
Us Military ◽  
The Us ◽  
Reserve Officer Training Corps ◽  
Army Rotc

Can armed groups socialize combatants to norms of restraint – in essence, train soldiers to adopt norms of international humanitarian law on the battlefield? How can social scientists accurately measure such socialization? Despite being the central focus of organizational and ideational theories of conflict, studies to date have not engaged in systematic, survey-based examination of this central socialization mechanism theorized to influence military conduct. This study advances scholarly understanding by providing the first comparative, survey-based examination of combatant socialization to norms of restraint, using surveys and interviews with US Army cadets at the US Military Academy (USMA), Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), and active duty Army combatants. Additionally, to better understand ‘restraint’ from combatants’ perspective, this study introduces the concept of the ‘combatant’s trilemma’ under which combatants conceptualize civilian protection as part of a costly trade-off with the values of military advantage and force protection. Survey results hold both positive and negative implications for socialization to law of war norms: military socialization can shift combatants’ preferences for battlefield conduct. However, intensive norm socialization may be required to shift combatants’ preferences from force protection to civilian protection norms. Study findings hold significant implications for understanding violence against civilians in conflict and for policies to disseminate civilian protection norms in armed groups worldwide.

Civilian, ROTC, and Military Academy Undergraduate Attitudes toward Homosexuals in the U.S. Military

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten G. Ender ◽  
David E. Rohall ◽  
Andrew J. Brennan ◽  
Michael D. Matthews ◽  
Irving Smith
Keyword(s):  
Military Academy ◽  
Attitudes Toward Homosexuals ◽  
Undergraduate Attitudes ◽  
The U.S

Transitional Leadership

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas G. Bradbeer
Keyword(s):  
Korean War ◽  
Second World War ◽  
World War ◽  
Military Academy ◽  
Chief Of Staff ◽  
The Korean War ◽  
Eighth Army ◽  
Second World ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
The U.S

Matthew B. Ridgway was an influential American airborne commander during the Second World War and led United Nations forces during the Korean War. A 1917 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Ridgway served multiple tours in Latin America and Asia as a junior and mid-grade officer. A protégée of General George Marshall, he commanded the Eighty-Second airborne division during the invasions of Sicily, Italy, and France. During the Battle of Bulge and the invasion of Germany, he served as commander of the newly created Eighteenth Airborne Corps. Years later, during the Korean War, Ridgway transitioned from a staff position as a deputy to Army Chief of Staff Lawton Collins to become commander of the Eighth Army in Korea, and then commander of all U.N. forces in the Korean theatre. Ridgway's career, especially his leadership during the two wars, provides insights on the officer skills needed to effectively transition to different levels of command.

scholarly journals 0228 Sleepiness And Fatigue In Cadets At The U.S. Military Academy: Preliminary Results From A 10-year Follow-on Study

SLEEP ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A93-A94
Author(s):  
Nita Lewis Shattuck ◽  
Lawrence G Shattuck ◽  
Panagiotis Matsangas
Keyword(s):  
Military Academy ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
The U.S

The Benefits and Liabilities of Risk-Taking Propensity and Confidence at the U.S. Military Academy

2020 ◽  
pp. 0095327X2097337
Author(s):  
Hillary S. Schaefer ◽  
Andrew G. Farina ◽  
Dave I. Cotting ◽  
Eliot S. Proctor ◽  
Cheveso L. Cook ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Social Identity Theory ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Military Academy ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Risk Takers ◽  
The Military ◽  
The U.S

The military environment presents an intersection between a setting featuring unavoidable risk and individual risk-taking propensity; prior work suggests risk-takers have positive and negative outcomes here, and messaging about risk-taking in the military is mixed. The current study used social identity theory to examine how self-reported risk propensity related to three identities/outcomes among cadets at the U.S. Military Academy: attributes of an archetypal “Model Soldier” (physical and military excellence), “Model Student” (grade point average, service positions, and behavior), and Military Values (bravery, duty, and resilience). Structural equation modeling demonstrated that risk-taking was positively related to our Model Soldier and Military Values identities but negatively associated with being a Model Student. Additionally, high-risk-taking cadets were viewed by peers and instructors as confident but prone to judgment, self-discipline, and insight difficulties, suggesting overconfidence among risk-takers. Quantified as a difference between confidence and self-discipline, judgment, and insight, overconfidence mediated the relationship between risk-taking and the three identities, suggesting overconfidence drives both positive and negative associations with risk-taking. Military and leadership implications are presented.

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