The Effectiveness of Military Organization

Millett, Allan R.; Murray, Williamson; Watman, Kenneth H.

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511778254.004

Cited by 15 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…For soldiers with high resolve, exposure to fratricidal coercion may increase alienation from authorities who threaten, or impose, these 19 Lyall (2020, 41-62); Rozenas, Talibova and Zhukov (2023); Henn and Huff (2021). 20 See, for example, Millett and Murray (1988); Posen (1993); Biddle (2004); Talmadge (2015); McNerney et al (2018). 21 Rozenas, Talibova and Zhukov (2023).…”

Section: Fratricidal Coercion and Soldier Compliancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Fratricidal Coercion in Modern War

Lyall,

Zhukov

2023

Preprint

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Armies as diverse as the Red Army, Syrian Arab Army, and the Islamic State have turned their weapons against their own soldiers to force them to fight. There is little systematic evidence on how this fratricidal coercion affects battlefield performance. We argue that such practices generate compliance through fear, compelling soldiers with variable levels of resolve to conform to a uniform standard of battlefield behavior. First, coercion keeps some reluctant soldiers on the battlefield. This reduces rates of desertion, disappearances, and premature surrender, but increases deaths and injuries, as these reluctant warriors now find themselves in harm's way. Second, fratricidal coercion lowers the resolve of more committed soldiers, leading to lost battlefield initiative, and fewer acts of bravery. We test our claims using a mixed-method strategy, drawing on (1) monthly panel data on 1,048 Soviet Rifle Divisions in 1941--45, built from millions of declassified personnel files; (2) a paired comparison of two Rifle Divisions at the Battle of Leningrad (1941); and (3) 526 land battles (1939--2011) to assess generalizability. We find that fratricidal coercion reduces battlefield flight but increases casualties and suppresses initiative.

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Section: Fratricidal Coercion and Soldier Compliancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…On process tracing within matched pairs, see Lyall 2015. 27 See, for example,Bartov (2001);Millett and Murray (1988);Reese (2011).…”

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confidence: 99%

Fratricidal Coercion in Modern War

Lyall,

Zhukov

2023

Preprint

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War and disintegration, 1914–1950

Eloranta¹,

Harrison²

2010

The Cambridge Economic History of Modern Europe

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Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts

Fitzsimmons

2012

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Scott Fitzsimmons argues that small mercenary groups must maintain a superior military culture to successfully engage and defeat larger and better-equipped opponents. By developing and applying competing constructivist and neorealist theories of military performance to four asymmetric wars in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, he demonstrates how mercenary groups that strongly emphasize behavioral norms encouraging their personnel to think creatively, make decisions on their own, take personal initiative, communicate accurate information within the group, enhance their technical proficiency and develop a sense of loyalty to their fellow fighters will exhibit vastly superior tactical capabilities to other mercenary groups. Fitzsimmons demonstrates that although the victorious mercenary groups occasionally had access to weapon systems unavailable to their opponents, the balance of material capabilities fielded by the opposing military forces had far less influence on the outcome of these asymmetric conflicts than the culturally determined tactical behavior exhibited by their personnel.

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The Effectiveness of Military Organization

Cited by 15 publications

References 33 publications

Fratricidal Coercion in Modern War

Fratricidal Coercion in Modern War

War and disintegration, 1914–1950

Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts

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