Background The world of work is rapidly changing, and military organisations are no exception. Military organisations are increasingly subject to political and public scrutiny. At the same time, various treaties and codes of conduct have placed greater accountability on soldiers and military leaders for their actions during times of peace and combat. The transformation of the roles which military organisations fulfil, as well as the way in which soldiers and military leaders are to conduct themselves, led to the relatively recent introduction of the term ‘New Wars'. The new war construct encapsulates models, theories and approaches which stand in stark contrast to those of traditional warfare and has not yet received much attention from scholars in the field of leadership. In an attempt to respond to the various contextual factors encompassing a modern approach to warfare, military leaders need to adopt new, i.e. more contextually relevant, approaches and strategies in order to accomplish the desired outcomes of various crucial missions within a changed context. Aim of the research study The aim of the present research study was, therefore, to identify a new leadership theory, model and/or approach, which will be better suited to a changing military landscape. In order to achieve this aim, a novel view on leadership, i.e. virtuous leadership, was suggested. It is argued here that virtuous leadership will enhance military performance within a modern operational environment. In the present study, the direct and indirect relationship between virtuous leadership, new war practices and military performance was investigated. Research design and method Given the dearth of literature in this field of study, an exploratory research design was employed to gain insights pertaining to the proposed relationship between Virtuous Leadership, New Wars and Military Performance. A composite questionnaire consisting of items responded to on Likert-type response scales, and open-ended questions were designed to measure the constructs under investigation. Qualitative data from open-ended questions, as well as quantitative data from close-ended questions, was, therefore, collected, i.e. a mixed-method approach was employed to collect data. The data was further collected crosssectionally, i.e. at a given point in time from a convenient or non-probable sample of military personnel (n=138). Data analysis Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were calculated to summarise sample statistics and determine the strength and direction of the relationship between variables of interest, respectively. The PROCESS procedure (Hayes, 2018) was further employed to estimate the mediating effect of new war practices on the relationship between virtuous leadership and military performance. Results The statistical analyses revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between virtuous leadership and military performance; virtuous leadership and new war practices; as well as between new war practices and military performance. The results further revealed a statistically significant direct and indirect, i.e. a partially mediated, relationship, i.e. that new war practices significantly mediated the relationship between virtuous leadership and military performance. Findings Virtuous leadership is positively attributed to positive organisational outcomes. These research findings suggest that military organisations could enhance desired organisational outcomes by incorporating virtuousness with other leadership approaches for optimum military performance. Contribution Based on these findings of the current study, the military leadership theory has hopefully been enriched with new construct and insights. It is therefore recommended that virtuous leadership should be part of leadership training from the junior level in order to shape desired military conduct within and beyond the organisational premises. Qualitative insights suggested that military leaders demonstrated outstanding communication skills, military professionalism, compassion and exemplary leadership throughout peacekeeping deployment. However, most soldiers cited competence, emotional intelligence, courage and fairness as attributes that require further development to enhance leadership effectiveness in a new war context.

Performance appraisal has been well established as an important management tool for improving individual and organisational performance, and has attracted considerable research interest over the past fifty years. Many previous studies of performance appraisal have been conducted either in laboratory settings, or have tended to focus narrowly on raters and/or the appraisal process, or of necessity have excluded from consideration the group dynamics prevalent in large organisations. Additionally, although it has long been recognised that the purpose of performance appraisal can affect ratings, little appears to have been done in situ on performance appraisal as a part of a complex personnel management system. One consequence of this approach has been a degree of uncertainty on the utility of laboratory and other findings to working appraisal systems. Moreover, previous examinations have focused on civilian organisations even though military organisations have an equally long history of using performance appraisal for a range of purposes. Using a sample (N = 577) of senior air force officers from three adjacent rank levels, this study examined the relationships between performance appraisal rating leniency, the perceived causes of leniency, and two personnel selection processes based on appraisal data. Rating leniency was perceived to be widespread, and was found to be associated with a lack of confidence (or mistrust) in several aspects of the performance appraisal system and related officer selection processes. While officer groups did not show any practically significant differences in perception of the prototype of the ideal commander (the leader), raters used a range of prototypes for estimating officers' promotion potential and suitability for command. Officers from one employment specialisation tended to stand apart in their view of the appraisal system and personnel selection processes, and the lower ranking officers surveyed tended to be more critical of the performance appraisal system and selection processes than were the higher ranking officers. In terms of selection process outcomes, 21.7% of officers were not satisfied with the management and leadership style of their commander, and officers at the lower organisational levels were found to be significantly (p<.005) more satisfied with their commander that those at the highest level. Satisfaction was found to be predicted by a multiple regression equation (R2=.72, p<.001), with the elements of the equation reinforcing the importance of a human-relations orientation for effective leaders. This study suggests that the behaviour of a working performance appraisal system can be predicted by established theory and that a model of system effectiveness may be possible, embracing rating errors, rating format, reliability factors (such as dyadic quality and period of observation), criterion validity of the appraisal instrument, and rater trust in the system. Additionally, this study suggests that upwards appraisal may be a useful input to the process for selecting leaders, if only to indicate which appraisal dimensions are perceived by subordinates to be important.

Bakgrund &amp; syfte: Europa befinner sig sedan femton månader tillbaka i en förändrad säkerhetspolitisk verklighet. Mot bakgrund av Rysslands invasion av Ukraina, som katalyserade Sveriges medlemsansökan till försvarsalliansen NATO, får mänsklig och teknisk beredskap på landets regementen betydligt större betydelse i internationell kontext de kommande åren. Studiens primära syfte är att utvärdera det fysiska stridsvärdet hos värnpliktskullen 2022/2023 på Norrbottens Flygflottilj i relation till nuvarande gränsvärden för Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), ett batteri som tillämpas regelbundet i US-amerikanska armén, och belysa eventuella skillnader mellan befattningsutbildningarna flygbassäkerhet, flygunderhåll, markunderhåll och sjukvård. Det sekundära syftet är att undersöka i vilken utsträckning kroppssammansättning korrelerar med fysisk prestation inom urvalsgruppen. Metod: Tvärsnittsstudie med 24 värnpliktiga, där 15 män och 9 kvinnor genomförde en bioimpedansmätning och ACFT innehållande sex delmoment som syftar till att mäta soldatens förmåga att utföra skarpa tjänsterelaterade uppgifter. Potentiella skillnader mellan prestationen på gruppnivå undersöktes medels ANOVA; en korrelationsanalys med variablerna relativ fettmassa, BMI, relativ och absolut muskelmassa genererade värden för samband med uppnådda totalpoäng. Resultat: Av studiens 24 deltagare presterade 22 över gränsen för hög fysisk kravprofil, med en testdeltagare under gränsen för godkänt och ytterligare en inom spannet för betydande fysisk kravprofil. Uppnådda totalpoäng visade varierande resultat mellan befattningsutbildningarna, dock utan att ANOVA visade någon signifikant skillnad. Korrelationsanalysen visade på svaga värden för samtliga variabler kopplade till kroppskomposition för samband med prestation i testbatteriet. Slutsats: Baserat på populationen i denna studie visar svenska värnpliktiga på ett högt stridsvärde och får anses fysiskt likvärdiga i internationellt sammanhang, vilket är lovande för en integration i NATOs strukturer. Dock behövs studier i större skala för att dra några generella slutsatser kring beredskap på svenska förband då detta arbete är begränsat till ett regemente i Norrbotten. / Objective: Over the past fifteen months, Europe has had to adjust to a fundamentally altered political reality. Against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Sweden’s subsequent application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, human and technical readiness at Swedish regiments will gain much greater significance internationally during the coming years. The study’s primary objective is to assess physical combat readiness among recruits at Norrbotten Air Base (class of 2023) guided by cut-off values established for the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), and highlight possible differences in performance between the military occupational specialties avionic mechanic, critical care nursing, helicopter repairer, military police, and wheeled vehicle mechanic. The secondary objective is to analyze to which extent body composition correlates with physical performance for this group. Method: Twentyfour recruits, 15 male and 9 female, participated in this cross-sectional study consisting of a body composition scan and the ACFT, comprising six events designed to assess a soldier’s ability to efficiently execute combat-related tasks. Possible differences between occupational specialties were analyzed using ANOVA; relative fat mass, BMI, relative and absolute muscle mass were analyzed for correlation with participants’ total scores. Result: All but two participants achieved total scores beyond the cut-off value for heavy physical duty. One participant did not reach a level for pass, another scored within the bracket for significant physical duty. Total scores varied within and between occupational specialties, though ANOVA showed no significant difference between groups. Correlation analysis generated low values for all body composition variables when matched with performance in the ACFT. Conclusion: Based on the sample in this study, Swedish recruits display a high level of physical combat readiness, which is promising for a future integration into the NATO structure. Studies with greater sample sizes are needed to draw nation-wide conclusions.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / This study will examine the statistical effects of varsity athletics on Naval Academy Midshipman performance. Academic performance averages, military performance averages, conduct grade, and honor violation are analyzed with respect to Midshipmen participating in varsity athletics versus non-varsity athletics. Using hierarchical regression analysis, the expectation is that varsity athletes make up the upper-echelon of the Brigade of Midshipmen than non-varsity athletes. In the analysis however, no statistical significance is discovered with respect to varsity athletics, and that, consequently, varsity athletes perform to the same degree as non-varsity athletes. The results further outline the need for better prediction measures of Midshipman Performance. / Lieutenant, United States Naval Reserve

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / It is unknown if the Summer Seminar program, which gives rising high school seniors a six-day look at Naval Academy life, has resulted in a more successful midshipman. While not previously discussed in literature, there are an abundance of studies on civilian recruiting and orientation programs, as well as realistic job previews and expectation-lowering procedures. Based on this literature, it is theorized that Summer Seminar program participation will be positively correlated to increased graduation rates and increased academic cumulative quality point ratings, as well as increased military and physical performance. This hypothesis was tested using multiple hierarchical regressions on population data obtained from the Classes of 1997 through 2003. Success is defined using seven dependent variables organized by academic, military, and physical performance. The key independent variable is participation in the Summer Seminar program, while eleven other independent variables control for demographics, selection criteria, and proven indicators of success. Participation in the Summer Seminar program had a significant relation to increased graduation rates, increased academic cumulative quality point ratings, increased military cumulative quality point ratings, and increased physical readiness test scores. This study concludes that the Summer Seminar program makes a unique contribution to midshipman success at the Naval Academy. / Lieutenant, United States Navy