Originally Posted by
120mm
Social History of Military Technology at ICOHTEC
One of the first ideas that pops into my mind, is how the concept of "elite" and "special forces" lends a certain machismo to those who practice the trade. I could explore how those within the various elite military communities use "combat fashion" to reinforce these ideas (to include the Special Forces "Truths".) I could also explore how others imitate the "combat fashion" to borrow their mystique; how both children and adults pose as SF in gameplay (airsoft and paintball) and how adults "pose" as SF personnel, even those adults with legitimate military careers, as well as those who have never been in the military, to the point of breaking the law in order to be mistaken as a SF "operator."
Hollywood goes to war: Fad, Fashion and the Star system in today's American Elite Units
Abstract: Strating in the 1920's, Hollwood produced a system of role-emulation. "the Star system", that was designed to draw in movie goers. This social system has since exapted out from Hollywood and has become a staple in American culture. One example of this, is the increasing prevalence of imitation of Elite military units - the "stars" of the military. From "the Green Berets" of the 1960s to "THe Unit" of today, the star system has had a profound effect on how the military is viewed.
Something like that? Actually, it's a really neat idea which has, to my mind, some interesting effects. For one thing, the focusing on "Elite" units comes at the expense of "non-Elite" units. I'm thinking here about the concept of "pride" which goes back to our discussions on regimental heritage. Another corollary is that the Star system has had a nasty tendancy to produce an amost superhero-esque set of expectations, which is antithetical to the sense of "dutiful individualism" that used to be a hallmark of both the US and all Anglo-derived cultures.
There are also some other interesting spin-offs. For example, there is a time expectation inherent such that the "stars" should be able to do the impossible in a couple of days. Another spin-off is in the almost knee jerk reaction to new problems - let's create a "new" elite unit to handle this particular problem (didn't the Nazi's do that in WWII?).
At any rate, that could be a really interesting paper.
Originally Posted by
120mm
I would also love to do a piece on modern Russian R&D/marketing of their military technology. As I stated earlier, I believe that some Russian combat equipment is fatally flawed in modern combat terms, but they persist in attempting to build and sell the best "kitchen toilet" in the world. And, amazingly, some countries are actually buying them....
Unfortunately, I do not know if I have the time and resources to do that one. References would be tough, I fear.
<wry grin>. Jane's would probbaly be your best source, at least for something that might approach an objective standard. At the same time, however, it would also be useful to take a look at the costs. After all, if I can get 5 T72's for the price of 1 M1A and I'm using them mainly against people armed with AKs, what the frak? The T72's will certainly do the job.
Marc
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