Exporting professionalism: US efforts to reform the armed forces in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, 1916–1933

Why did the United States, a country notorious for supporting coups and military dictatorships in Latin America during the Cold War, seek to depoliticize security forces in the Caribbean basin during the early twentieth century? Drawing from primary sources, I argue that this emphasis on military non-partisanship abroad stemmed from Progressive Era reforms popular at home. These reforms, which stressed bureaucratic efficiency via nonpartisan expertise, had become institutionalized within the US military and State Department and then channelled into the imperial administration of Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. The State Department and Marine Corps attempted to replace local partisan armies with the kind of professional, nonpartisan armed forces that the US's own military had come to exemplify. That these civil-military reform efforts ultimately backfired should serve as a reminder of the difficulties inherent in using military interventions to transform coercive apparatuses and their societies.     

The missing dimension: IDF special operations forces and strategy in the Second Lebanon War

In the course of the 2006 Lebanon War the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) employed special operations forces (SOF) for raids against Hizb'allah's command and control structure. This article argues that a faulty conceptualization of the value of special operations and misguided expectations determined by the new IDF concept of operations impacted adversely on the employment of SOF for this kind of operations. Both these elements contributed in turn to substantially degrade SOF performance in the context of the war.     

现代管理科学在消防部队政治工作中的应用

运用现代管理科学理论考量公安消防部队政治工作管理,就会发现:公安消防部队政治工作管理中还存在一些不容忽视的问题,导致问题产生的原因比较复杂。要提高公安消防部队政治工作管理水平,我们必须针对问题及其原因,树立现代管理的科学理念,敢于突破陈旧落后的管理方法和手段,努力健全管理体制和运行机制,不断完善管理法规建设。     

加强和改进警卫部队思想政治工作的几点思考

思想政治工作是政治建设中最核心的内容。在新的历史条件下,对警卫部队思想政治工作提出了新的更高的要求,思想政治工作必须不断改革创新,准确把握内在的特点规律,增强时代感、针对性、实效性和主动性。     

新形势下消防部队后勤财务管理工作探析

针对经济发展、社会进步给新时期消防部队的财务工作带来的一系列新问题、新机遇、新挑战,从加强经费管理、科学理财、抓好后勤队伍建设等方面对如何搞好消防部队现代化后勤财务管理工作进行了论证。     

公安院校边防管理专业突发事件应急演练之实践探索

公安院校边防管理专业培养的人才必须对边境地区突发事件具有综合处置能力,突发事件应急演练则是培养学员突发事件处置能力的有效途径。从突发事件应急演练的几个方面进行实践探索,以期对人才培养提供一定借鉴。     

基层公安警卫部队精细化管理初探

目前,精细化管理理念已深入人心,并广泛运用于社会各行各业。在公安警卫部队推行精细化管理有着重要的现实意义。结合杭州公安警卫部队实际,对公安警卫部队精细化管理的基本特征：和步骤,公安警卫部队精细化管理的重要环节等进行探讨。     

公安现役部队遂行非战争军事行动训练规律

公安现役部队遂行非战争军事行动训练规律,是指客观存在于部队训练诸要素之间的本质的必然联系.其主要包括：任务牵引、理论先导、科技强训、以人为本、训战结合规律.认识部队军事训练规律、遵循军事训练规律,对于加强公安现役部队军事训练工作,提高部队军事训练盾量,不断推动部队军事训练发展,具有重要的现实意义.     

The Deployment of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in Iraq and Public Trust Among Different Ideological Groups

This paper investigates how public trust in the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) changed after 2004 when it was sent to Iraq in support of the USA. Because Japan’s Constitution clearly prohibits the use of military forces unless for self-defense purposes, public opinion was divided. I find that liberals’ distrust in the JSDF grew after the deployment in Iraq relative to moderates. Somewhat surprisingly, the trust among conservatives also declined relative to moderates after the deployment in Iraq.