Combat Participation

[Bill Moore]

Agree with the jist of the counter arguments, but still wanted to see if there were any studies out there or if this assertion was largely urban legend (which it appears to be).

Further agree with Fuchs that the variables that shape whether or not culture will produce warriors (which I believe it largely based on socio-political factors, since they tend to create the mythologies and social norms, read expectations) vary over time. While the Germans may have been great warriors during WWII, there is little indication that is the case today.

This is an important topic for our efforts to develop effective security forces in partner nations. We can continue to run them our force production processes we have developed and then field equipped security forces with the right technical training (I don't think we do these as well as we could), but they key to success is engraining the fighting spirit. That can't come from us (I don't think), but rather their leadership. It doesn't do any good to field forces that won't take the fight to the enemy. Probably need a social-anthrologist to tell us where we need to connect the dots.

[Firn]

This is an important topic for our efforts to develop effective security forces in partner nations. We can continue to run them our force production processes we have developed and then field equipped security forces with the right technical training (I don't think we do these as well as we could), but they key to success is engraining the fighting spirit. That can't come from us (I don't think), but rather their leadership. It doesn't do any good to field forces that won't take the fight to the enemy. Probably need a social-anthrologist to tell us where we need to connect the dots.

This raises an interesting topic. Tradition in the Alps at least had it that the formations were formed by specific regions. The Italian Alpini as well as the German and Austrian mountain divisions were raised that way. This made for formations with usually very considerable tenacity even against the odds. Fuchs already raised the example of Narvik. Of course the same system was also used in a lot of different places and regions.

Given that Afghanistan has very strong regional traits, using it might knit tighter Afghan units with possibly greater combat participation by the individual soldiers. After all you don't want to perform badly in front of your third cousin or your mate from the next village. It is no magic wand and has quite some drawbacks, but it might be a risk worth to be taken.

An now I wonder just how the Afghan army recruits


Firn