Mercenaries in asymmetric conflicts / Scott Fitzsimmons.

"In Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts, Scott Fitzsimmons argues that small mercenary groups must maintain a superior military culture to successfully engage and defeat more numerous 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 than other mercenary groups. Fitzsimmons also 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"-- Provided by publisher

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Print version record.

Cover ; Mercenaries in Asymmetric Conflicts; Title; Copyright; Contents; Tables; Figures; Acknowledgements; Introduction ; Theories and Concepts; Military Performance; The Normative Theory of Military Performance; Neorealist Combat Balance Theory; Methodology; Organization of the Book; 1 The Normative Theory of Military Performance; THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS: CONSTRUCTIVISM; THE CORE LOGIC OF THE NORMATIVE THEORY OF MILITARY PERFORMANCE; How Norms Influence Tactical Behaviour; The Role of Norms in the Normative Theory of Military Performance.

The Role of Military Effectiveness in the Normative Theory of Military PerformanceThe Role of Military Performance in the Normative Theory of Military Performance; HYPOTHESES AND PREDICTIONS OF THE NORMATIVE THEORY OF MILITARY PERFORMANCE; Specific Predictions Regarding the Relationship between Military Culture and Military Effectiveness; Tactical Innovation; Decision-Making Patterns; Military Intelligence and Dissemination of Information; Use of Hand-Operated Weapons; Use of Ground Combat Vehicles; Air-to-Ground Attacks; Maintenance; Combat Engineering; Unit Cohesion.

Broad Predictions Regarding the Relationship between Military Culture, Military Effectiveness, and Military PerformanceCONCLUSION: ASSESSING THE THEORY'S PREDICTIONS; 2 Neorealist Combat Balance Theory; CORE ASSUMPTIONS OF NEOREALIST COMBAT BALANCE THEORY; Material Combat Balances; Dyadic Combat Balances of Fielded Material Capabilities; Permissive Structural Factor; Combatants Behave Optimally; HYPOTHESES AND PREDICTIONS OF NEOREALIST COMBATANT BALANCE THEORY; CONCLUSION: ASSESSING THE THEORY'S PREDICTIONS; 3 5 Commando Puts Down the Simba Rebellion.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ON THE SIMBA REBELLIONTHE NORMATIVE THEORY OF MILITARY PERFORMANCE; The Norms of Military Effectiveness; Creative Thinking; Decentralized Decision-Making; Personal Initiative; Free Transmission of Accurate Military Information; Technical Proficiency; Group Loyalty; How Well Did the Normative Theory of Military Performance Predict the Dynamics of Conflict in the Congo?; Tactical Innovation; Decision-Making Patterns; Military Intelligence and Dissemination of Information; Use of Hand-Operated Weapons; Use of Ground Combat Vehicles; Air-to-Ground Attacks; Maintenance.

Combat EngineeringUnit Cohesion; Broad Prediction of the Theory: The Mercenaries Should Have Defeated the Simbas; NEOREALIST COMBAT BALANCE THEORY; The Balance of Personnel; The Balance of Anti-Infantry Weapons; The Balance of Ground Vehicles/Anti-Vehicular Weaponry; The Balance of Aircraft/Anti-Aircraft Weaponry; Why Did Neorealist Combat Balance Theory Fail in This Case?; CONCLUSION; 4 Callan's Mercenaries Are Defeated in Northern Angola; HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ON THE ANGOLAN CIVIL WAR; THE NORMATIVE THEORY OF MILITARY PERFORMANCE; The Norms of Military Effectiveness; Creative Thinking.

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