This chapter uses a case study of the combat interactions of a British infantry platoon in Afghan... more This chapter uses a case study of the combat interactions of a British infantry platoon in Afghanistan to address some of the fundamental arguments about cohesion and the relationship between its components in modern professional forces. Specifically, it deconstructs two different battlefield experiences to give some clear examples of how cohesion in a professional infantry platoon is ultimately generated through a complex array of practices, interactions, and identities that include drills and training, emotional bonds, and political motivations. Decisively, the chapter expands on the most recent cohesion literature to argue that, far from simply relying on the cold execution of professional skills, successful combat performance is inextricably intertwined with the intense emotions of love, pride, and shame.
Supplemental Material, Annex_Method for The Changing Nature of Reserve Cohesion: A Study of Futur... more Supplemental Material, Annex_Method for The Changing Nature of Reserve Cohesion: A Study of Future Reserves 2020 and British Army Reserve Logistic Units by Patrick Bury in Armed Forces & Society
The last two decades have witnessed a rapid rise in the use, size and capability of many western ... more The last two decades have witnessed a rapid rise in the use, size and capability of many western Special Operations Forces (SOF). A response to the global jihadist threat, the growing presence, prominence and technology-enabled lethality of SOF in conflict zones has resulted in increased scholarly attention. Some have argued that their rise is indicative of important and ongoing changes in the character of war itself. One of the most influential of these works is Steven Niva's study of the transformation of US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) Task Forces in Iraq. Niva argues that JSOC (more accurately its Task Force 714 Command Headquarters, henceforth TF714) was forced to adopt a networked organizational structure to counter Al-Qa'ida in Iraq (AQI). For Niva, this transformation provided evidence of a shift towards ‘counter-net’ and ‘chaoplexic’ forms of warfare conceptualized by Bousquet in this journal. This article uses new primary and secondary sources to critiqu...
There is growing evidence that simultaneous to the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), a less o... more There is growing evidence that simultaneous to the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), a less obvious, but equally profound, Revolution in Military Logistics (RML) has occurred that shapes and underpins western military effectiveness. However, there has been no conceptualisation of this RML nor its wider effect on Western force structures. This article addresses this gap in the security literature. Using an interdisciplinary literature review and case studies, it makes two central contributions: first, it details how western military logistics systems and practises have transformed following post-Fordist principles in the last two decades. In doing so, second, it contributes a major new conceptual framework to the military logistics and security studies literature. Finally, the implications of these processes for military effectiveness are examined, with the conclusion asserting that the cumulative effect of this post-Fordist RML has potentially increased western militaries' strategic vulnerability.
In this article, Patrick Bury and Michael Chertoff argue that the re-emergence of near-peer compe... more In this article, Patrick Bury and Michael Chertoff argue that the re-emergence of near-peer competition and the increasing complexity and pace of events in the next decade mean that Western services must improve their strategic intelligence collection, analysis and information exchange to focus on increasing strategic threats. Simultaneously, the continuing evolution of terrorism will require counterterrorism intelligence to also adapt.◼
Rapoport's conceptualization of the last, religious wave of four global waves remains highly ... more Rapoport's conceptualization of the last, religious wave of four global waves remains highly influential. But it, and other typologies, have placed too little emphasis on the influence of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the evolution of global jihadist activities. This article makes two new contributions by developing both a new ICT-based typology for understanding jihadist evolutions, and by focusing on successful attacks. Our central argument is that ICTs’ impact on global jihadism has facilitated dramatic transformations of its strategy, organization and tactics since the 1990s, and that these can be understood as four overlapping iterations. ‘Jihadism 1.0’ describes the hierarchical, top-down directed and overseas financed and trained terrorist organizations that conducted iconic attacks at the turn of the millennium. Jihadism has since evolved into ‘Jihadism 2.0’ and then ‘Jihadism 3.0’. Jihadism 2.0 recognizes that a number of smaller, coordinated atta...
The British Army Reserve, and in particular its logistics component, is currently undergoing prof... more The British Army Reserve, and in particular its logistics component, is currently undergoing profound organisational transformation as part of the Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) program. Yet, to date there has been no sustained quantitative analysis of perceptions of cohesion, readiness and morale in the Army Reserve. Moreover, there has been little quantitative examination of FR20's impact to date. This paper addresses these gaps in the literature by undertaking an examination of the above variables using survey data from a representative sample of AR logistics soldiers collected longitudinally. It finds that cohesion is highly important in explaining variance in perceptions of readiness and morale, and that perceptions of cohesion, readiness and morale are relatively high in the force. Nevertheless, the data indicates that FR20 has failed to increase these significantly over time. Similarly, it finds that confidence in FR20 delivering increased military capability is also declining. These findings are important for understanding FR20's impact to date and future trajectory.
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Papers by Patrick Bury