Soldier system : systematic safety
other
Safety and survivability are among the hardest to interpret concepts in the military. The difficulty is that virtually any military activity reflects on safety. The most productive way to improve safety, highly valued by a peacekeeping nation, is not easily identified. In a top down approach, we consider phases in a conflict, topics in each phase, models to quantify safety and behaviour as an individual expression of safety. Each phase in a conflict can be managed to reduce risk and in particular set favourable conditions for the next phase. Scientists have constructed models that quantitatively describe specific processes like with operational research, combat models and vulnerability models. However, some relevant areas have not been covered: the effects of covert operations and PsyOps in the early phases, or the effect of CiMiC and relations management in the late stages. Still these are critical activities when considering safety over the lifetime of a conflict. With the advent of soldier systems the way we think has become more systematic itself, resulting in attempts to broaden the modelling of effects (such as inclusion of peace building activities of dismounted troops). Thinking in terms of capabilities reveals that survivability is a resultant, rather than a resource, unlike the other capabilities. As a consequence, there is no independent way to improve survivability. This is clearly demonstrated when body armour is considered. Weight deteriorates mobility, while physical exhaustion and false sense of safety undermine C4I. Apparently some work needs to be done to account for behaviour in safety research.
Een analyse van conflicten laat zien dat survivability het best gediend is met het scheppen van gunstige voorwaarden voor de volgende fase in het conflict. Een kwalitatief model laat zien welke gevolgen maatregelen hebben voor survivability en welk onderzoek daarbij succesvol is geweest.
TNO Identifier
13177
Source title
Proceedings Personal Armour System Symposium (PASS) Kijkduin 6-10 september
Editor(s)
Bree, J.L.M.J. van
Pages
45 - 54
Files
To receive the publication files, please send an e-mail request to TNO Repository.