Abstract This study introduces a machine learning (ML)-based detection framework that is configured with windowed or panoramic settings on a single, cost-efficient 360-degree passive camera for use in autonomous military unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). Active sensor fusion systems are often costly and easily detectable. However, this study explores a passive method that boosts stealth and reduces complexity. The detection framework partitions the panoramic image to focus on localised or global scene views depending on task demands, optimising both inference resolution and processing efficiency. A dataset of CV90 and BMP-2 combat vehicles was collected and used to train and test SSD ResNet50, Faster R-CNN ResNet50 and EfficientDet D1 models within this configuration architecture. Experimental results showed that EfficientDet D1 in windowed configuration yielded the highest static detection accuracy, while Faster R-CNN in windowed configuration outperformed other models in live field deployment. The complete system was integrated into the Laykka UGV platform and assessed at Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL 6) in representative mission-relevant environmental conditions. The results underscore the feasibility of integrating passive sensors and ML in autonomous expandable UGV systems.

Abstract This essay is a reflection on the challenges faced by military academies, while developing in naval and officer-cadets, the ‘singular mindset’ required to prepare them for the professional responsibility awaiting them as future officers of the armed forces. As vocational schools, the main purpose of military academies is to train leaders of the armed forces with a comprehensive training and education programme, including, in most countries today, university studies. The choice of a specific academic discipline is of less importance, as there is no single or unique way to become an officer. The most important thing is that the education provided at military academies leads to the development of critical thinking rooted in a solid general culture at the service of the profession of arms.

Abstract Sweden and Finland have a long history of cooperation in military training, pooling resources to educate officers for NATO crisis response and United Nations (UN) peace operations. Key exercises like the Combat Joint Staff Exercise (CJSE) and VIKING (VK) are essential for training officers to handle complex conflict environments. Despite their success, the current evaluation framework for these exercises lacks specificity and reliability, leading to general and insufficiently detailed assessments. This article reviews the existing evaluation methods used in CJSE and VIKING, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. It identifies issues, such as unclear objectives and insufficient criteria, which result in gaps and overlaps in evaluator reports. To address these problems, this article proposes a new evaluation framework based on Kirkpatrick’s criteria, incorporating specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related (SMART) training objectives (TOs) subdivided into specific training objectives (STOs) and microlearning objectives (MLOs). This new approach aims to provide a more detailed and aggregable evaluation, supporting timely decision-making by exercise directors and control centres.

Abstract Specialist officers (SOs) (OR 6–9) are a key category of the Swedish Armed Forces (SAF). This study aimed to identify factors affecting the recruitment and retention of this key category. A longitudinal study design was chosen; interviews comprising a cohort of 20 persons were conducted during three successive years. A part of the analysis focussed on the development of organisational commitment over time. The major findings included that high organisational commitment counteracted negative factors such as low wages and limited career opportunities. However, there was serious concern regarding the long-term prospects of military employment. Overall, high affective commitment was found to be the most important contributing factor, even extending to those leaving the military. SOs were largely content with their choice of career; they considered the work as tactic officers (OF) as bureaucratic and unattractive.

Abstract Crisis management (CM) operations and organisations may face internal, external and hybrid threats (HTs) against their information and/or personnel. This research looks at how selected European Union (EU), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and national perspectives address internal, external and global HTs and influence, even warfare, and maps some relevant strategies to prepare against them in a CM context. Strategies to fight against HTs include relevant political debate and decision-making, integration of EU- and national-level security into critical infrastructure and regular preparedness exercises. Responses to HTs call for relevant technical, situational awareness and problem-solving skills. This research shows how collaboration and situation understanding can assist in detecting and responding to possible cyber and HTs against CM operations. This study examines how collaboration and understanding the situation assist in detecting and responding to HTs to CM operations. There is evidence that information exchange and collaboration are important elements in the fight against hybrid influence and war. Combating misinformation through public education campaigns can support both the civilian and military elements of CM operations. Specific training can be designed to counter aggressive propaganda and disinformation efforts against personnel in CM operations. This maintains one’s initiative and trust in the aims of the mission.

Abstract This study employs Erwin Panofsky’s iconographic analysis to decode the 2021 US Army recruiting campaign ‘The Calling’, situating it against the historical backdrop of military recruitment since the all-volunteer force’s inception. Panofsky’s framework allows for a dissection of the campaign’s layered narrative and its animated aesthetics, which notably diverge from prior campaign’s emphasis on the warrior archetype. The analysis progresses from a description of visual and narrative element’s (pre-iconography), to an investigation of symbolic meanings (iconography), culminating in an interpretation of underlying societal attitudes (iconology). ‘The Calling’ reimagines military enlistment as a heroic pursuit, echoing the superhero genre’s origin stories, and emerges as a response to waning interest in military careers. The campaign targets the zeitgeist of the young American population, offering a sense of heroism as compensation in a challenging recruitment climate marked by a robust economy and low unemployment. By presenting service as a ‘calling’, the Army navigates the complex terrain of contemporary cultural values, seeking to resonate with potential recruits on an ideological level, particularly within race and gender minority communities.

Abstract In this article, I propose a new contribution to the field of comparative analysis of state conventional military capabilities. First, I review perspectives of other scholars on the merits of comparing capabilities, arguing that the most accessible insights lie in evaluating the signals sent by state arsenals rather than in predicting conflict outcomes judging from state armament. Second, I present the Conventional Firepower Potential Indexing (CFPI) method and demonstrate that coding for tactical role and degree of technological sophistication enables previously unfeasible estimative comparisons of deterrent signalling value. Finally, I apply CFPI analysis to the conventional arsenals of the United States and the four states named in that country’s most recent National Defense Strategy (China, Russia, North Korea and Iran), deriving conclusions that would be elusive without accessible comparative analysis.

Abstract This study examined whether the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006 affected the United States (US) Coast Guard performance characteristics with respect to incident response. The periods analyzed consisted of a decade before versus a decade after implementation of the legislation. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the p-value approach (p < 0.05), six hypotheses were tested to determine whether statistically significant differences in response attributes existed during the 10 years before versus the 10 years following the passing of the legislation. Four significant hypothesis-testing outcomes represented differences in the number of incidents, incident responses, cumulative lives lost, and lives lost after notification.

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Abstract This study investigated the moderating role of intrinsic motivation for military studies on the relationship between academic self-efficacy and change in perceived military competence. We present two concurrent hypotheses based on theoretical interaction effects of intrinsic motivation. Data from 245 cadets from three military academies revealed a positive relationship between self-efficacy and an increase in perceived military competence only for cadets with lower levels of intrinsic motivation. This suggests that, with lower intrinsic motivation, beliefs about one’s capabilities to organize and take courses of action to attain certain goals may make a crucial difference in cadets’ compliance to exert effort to increase their military competence. In contrast, self-efficacy seems less important for increased perception of military competence in cadets with higher intrinsic motivation. These cadets probably increase their military competence mainly as a result of the pleasure they gain when engaging in educational activities. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.