Military culture and operational
effectiveness
Joseph Soeters
Netherlands Defence Academy/Tilburg University
What is culture?

“Software of the mind”… that can be seen at the
collective level of families, schools, organizations, regions
and states (continents?)

Language, values, practices, norms…
Three perspectives on culture:

Integration (national anthem in a stadium)

Differentiation (symphonic orchestra)

Fragmentation (jazz orchestra)
Military culture is specific as to:

Communal life (with fairly strict norms)

Hierarchy (line-organization)

Discipline (functional; ceremonial)

Development from coercive bureaucracy to enabling
bureaucracy (a.o. via “mission oriented command”)
Research in 19 Western academies shows:

There is one supranational military culture stressing the
importance of the institution and power distance

The characteristics of the national military cultures follow
the civilian organizations’ organizational cultures in their
own nations (e.g. Italy, but also UK)
Military culture is also a Janusian culture:

The
organization (in HQs, in garrison, during
training and exercises)

The
organization (when the heat is on, during
crisis and action; when life is at stake)
Differences in “hot” cultures?
Reflex vs Reflection?

Achilles – warrior – emotional – enemy-oriented –
revenge – lack of modesty - abstract – simplification killing as a practice ->

Odysseus – adventurer – cool – population-oriented –
forgiving – modest - practical (métis) – complexity killing as an exception ->

BUT no time for suckers!!!
Two times three cases:




Northern Ireland versus Moluccan troubles (NL
Odysseus outperforms UK Achilles)
Gorazde versus Srebrenica (UK Achilles outperforms NL
sucker)
Helmand versus Uruzgan (NL Odysseus outperforms UK
Achilles)
These cases underline the validity of the NUSULF-theory
African peacekeeping in Africa:
“Odysseus on a shoestring”?

In general, limited resources (logistics etc.)…

But, feelings of bonding, sharing, mutual respect vis a vis
the population in host-nation (Pan-Africanism?) -> African
brothers & sisters…

Despite cultural and language-related problems, African
soldiers master Swahili, Arabic and connected languages
(Zulu, Xhosa…), and grasp the meaning of rituals,
practices and politics in Africa….
Question:

Can non-Western armed forces teach the international
military world and each other a lot (for instance as to
modesty, being practical, maintaining a careful balance
between closeness and distance)?
Remaining questions:


Will women be able to improve conflict resolution and
military effectiveness (like Jane Adams, dr. E. Johnson, the
white sheet movement)?
How can we make today’s armed forces’ cultures adopt
‘reflective’ instead of ‘reflex’ characteristics?