Sweden's government says in the bill 2008/09: 140 that military service should be suspended and replaced with a system based on voluntary recruitment. In the essay, I will make an argument analysis of the parliamentary debate on the bill from the 12th of June 2009 with the following questions: On what is the different side’s argument based on? Are the arguments essentially and factually substantiated? Is there a clear political party tendency among the for-/counter arguments? The method is a "Pro et contra" analysis, a logical systematization of the arguments. The analysis will take start in the headline; Conscription should be suspended in favour of a voluntary system based on contract employed soldiers. The presentation of arguments in the analysis will be guided by the chronological order. The main argument against the bill is a belief that this system will generate greater costs. Furthermore, results from studies performed on other countries that have recently changed from compulsory military service to contract employed soldiers shows difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff in a voluntary system. Moreover it is noted that the increase in battle readiness that this new system means, would be completely unjustified in view of prevailing threats against Sweden. Finally, it is argued that the common support is at risk when Sweden's defence affairs no longer become an obligation for every individual to contribute. The arguments for the bill believe that we need forces that are fit to use and available, to meet the new threats that is emerging and in which Sweden's participation in international missions is the focal point. The conflict in the debate is based mostly in the ideological distinctions and as a result of these also economic contradictions. As a direct consequence of this, most of the arguments are not substantiated with facts. However, there is traceability to arguments that historically have been used to justify the introduction of either of the systems. There is a clear party political tendency in the debate. Government parties stay united and the opposition parties are slightly more dispersed in their argumentation but still against the bill.

This is to my knowledge the first time a ten-year follow-up study of salivary cortisol concentrations measured by immunoassays in relation to posttraumatic symptoms according to the Impact of Event Scale (IES) is made. The study was performed on 78 Swedish UN soldiers after a 6-months mission in the former republic of Yugoslavia. Follow-up investigations were performed six months, twelve months and ten years after their return to Sweden. Morning and evening salivary cortisol concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme-linked immunoassay (EIA) and subjective posttraumatic avoidance and intrusion symptoms were measured with the IES (see Appendix I).   This study concerns the methodological description of the EIA for determination of salivary cortisol and the comparison of the results from all three follow-up investigations. Post-traumatic stress symptoms according to IES (intrusion subscale and total score) increased significantly over ten years of time. There was an significant interrelationship between the change in both morning and evening salivary cortisol concentrations, measured with immunoassays, and changes in self-rated posttraumatic intrusive symptoms, according to IES, during ten years follow-up, after a six months mission in Bosnia in the way that salivary cortisol concentrations showed a tendency to decrease over ten years of time in subjects with a higher IES score. The rise in morning salivary cortisol, from awakening until 30 minutes later, was significantly correlated with the ratings of posttraumatic stress symptoms according to the IES ten years after the mission.

Military personnel are faced with having to move every three to four years, making it extremely difficult to build any equity in a home when they are forced to refinance their loan every time they buy and sell their home. This continuous churn of home loans over a 20 year career, results in military personnel ending their career with little equity in a home because they have primarily only paid the high interest portions of the loans to financial institutions and any equity gained from rising home prices is offset by closing costs. This research will review the current approaches to housing for military personnel, develop the stakeholders needs, propose new approaches to meet these needs, analyze these new approaches and identify the recommended new approaches. The major players in military home purchases have been the service member, Department of Defense, local real estate services, and financial institutions. Local real estate services and financial institutions are currently the groups benefiting from the churn of homes by service members so they have no obvious incentive to change. The research will break down the resources of each of these players and align them with new approaches to real estate. The new approaches listed below will establish the need for large property management/developers that have purchasing powers within the real estate markets similar to Wal-Mart/Sams Club within the consumer goods market. With the military base realignment and closure almost complete, Department of Defense looking to get out of the housing business and the military clearly at a low manning level, the markets are now primed for this transformation. New approaches include planned communities that are built specifically for military personnel and owned by the corporation. These communities can be strategically located near the bases (real estate values are often low adjacent to military bases), constructed according to the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rate for each location, constructed for frequent resident moves, service contracts for maintenance, utilities maintained by corporation and then billed directly to residents, community center geared toward spouse and military activities and key business (veterinarian, pet boarding, video store, coffee shops, restaurants, military gear store, etc). If the corporation owned 2000 houses, there would be 4000 members with 30 year loans to maintain the equity for the homes.

Thesis (M.A.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Jonathan Grant, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of History. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 16, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 47-06, page: 3557. Adviser: John R. Herbold. Includes bibliographical references.

<p><bold>Abstract</bold></p><p>More than 300,000 soldiers have returned from Southwest Asia (i.e., Iraq and Afghanistan) with combat-related mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) associated with exposure to improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Despite less visible physical injuries, these soldiers demonstrate varying levels of physical and cognitive symptoms that impact their post-mTBI family reintegration. The existing literature acknowledges post-mTBI changes in the injured individual affect family functioning; however, post-injury family functioning, such as coping and adaptation, has not been explored. The intent of this dissertation is to explore the problems and challenges of military family reintegration following mTBI.</p><p>Nine soldiers with mTBI and their spouses participated for a total of 27 interviews. Both joint and separate individual interviews were conducted to explore their post-mTBI family reintegration experiences. Participants included active duty soldiers with mTBI who were between 2 and 24 months post-deployment and their civilian spouses. Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory methodology was used to collect and analyze the data. This dissertation study consists of three papers, each of which explored experiences that surround family reintegration following mTBI.</p><p>The first paper is a comprehensive literature review, examining commonly reported mTBI signs/symptoms, and the impact of these symptoms on the injured individuals and their families. The findings also suggest that psychological distress symptoms such as depression and anxiety are common in injured individuals and their</p><p>families after mTBI. The second paper explores the family reintegration processes of post-mTBI soldiers and their spouses. The majority of participants interviewed, both soldiers and their spouses, indicated that symptoms such as irritability, memory loss, and cognitive deficit affected their family reintegration. Some participants reported they had accepted the changes and were working toward a new normal, whereas others indicated these changes were unacceptable and continued their efforts to resume pre-injury functioning.</p><p>The third paper examined the experiences of soldiers and their spouses about seeking treatment for mTBI-related symptoms. The majority of interviewed soldiers and their spouses indicated that a delayed diagnosis, difficulty accessing mental health care, and having to navigate an unfamiliar military healthcare system were their biggest challenges. Post-mTBI soldiers experienced significant disruption due to mismatched expectations among themselves and other family members concerning their post-injury capabilities. More research is needed in order to develop effective post-injury rehabilitation programs for soldiers with mTBI and their families.</p> / Dissertation

Framing tactics are used to structure a situation in an attempt to establish a “favorable climate” for influence. Framing can be used to influence the military or society to make decisions that are in your best interest (i.e. Jackie Robinson’s allowance into major league baseball and the desegregation of the Armed Services) by structuring the issues at hand. The military may be faced with several options; however, introducing social influence tactics will alter his/her idea of what they believe to be their set course of action. Successful framing tactics are evident in how the military desegregated itself breaking from its long tradition of racial separation of decades past. Framing will present the military an optional course of action. This course of action is not desirable for some, but most will benefit from it, due to the fact that homosexuals will not be subjugated, scrutinized, or discharged for their sexual orientation. The idea behind this framing tactic is to have the military choose option A on their own accord. This thesis will explore the relevance of the Jackie Robinson situation and how it relates to the current military actions towards “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and to determine how social influence tactics were employed to achieve the desired result. There are several examples ranging from desegregation of African-Americans into the military to the current acceptance of gays into the military.

This study has presented a history of the early development, design, and construction of the Marion, Indiana Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers. A general history of the institution of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers provides the context for the establishment of the Marion Home. A historical review of the selection of the Marion site, its layout plan, design and construction of buildings, and landscape design between 1888 and 1900 was then provided. The development of the Marion Home is next compared with the 1890's developmental history of the Central Branch in Dayton, Ohio and the first ten years of the Danville, Illinois Branch in order to assess commonalities and differences in construction among three homes during the same period. In the conclusion, the evidence suggests that the layout and architectural design of three homes had many similarities during the 1890s and the turn of twentieth century. / Department of Architecture

The Great War was in many ways a conflict defined by technology. The rapid advancements in technology over the decades leading up to 1914 coupled with the outdated tactics employed by all sides created the stalemate of Trench Warfare. Improvements to the existing technology, the addition of new technology, as well as an evolution in tactics led to the breakout, and eventual Allied victory, of 1918. These changes in tactics and technology significantly affected the lives of frontline soldiers. This thesis asks if the tactical and technological changes, in the final two years of the war, were reflected in diaries and memoirs of Canadian soldiers serving at the front. The diaries and memoirs of the soldiers do reflect many of the changes found in the secondary sources. Surprisingly, however, the primary sources often provide more detail about how these weapons were employed by the Germans. Unless the soldier in question was directly involved in their use, or was witnessing a spectacular event, accounts of Canadian artillery, machine gun and poison gas use are often short and lacking in detail.

Inaug.-Diss.--Heidelberg. / Vita. Bibliography: p. 98-105.