Polemos Vol 2, Issue 1-2 (3-4) January

The paper makes an attempt to reconstruct the planning, organizing and conducting of the VIHOR Operation, one of the first offensive operations of the Croatian Army during the National War (December 1991). This operation ended unsuccessfully, and the 102nd Brigade suffered several dozen casualties. On the basis of avaible published data and an analysis of the basic elements of planning, organizing and conducting of the operation, it is suggested that the main reasons for the debacle of the VIHOR operation lie in the very grave objective and subjective circumstances encountered on almost all front lines in Croatia during the period in which this operation was prepared and conducted; a lack of readiness among both the troops and their command structure to prepare and conduct a complex operation of crossing a major river on the move; the lack of basic and special military skills needed for an operation of this kind; and other factors, such as the misjudgement of some key factors of this operation, especially of the combat readiness of the 102nd Brigade to conduct an operation of this kind, the lack of responsibility of the higher echelons of command, and the lack of discipline.

Biljana Vankovska-Cvetkovska

ARMY AND PEACE AFTER THE COLD WAR: IN SEARCH OF A NEW MISSION FOR THE ARMY

The main consideration of this paper is the change of nature of the world order, and the difficulties arising from the transformation of war into conflict. The paper attempts to research the effects these changes inflict on the army. The coming of the postmodern era brings new challenges for both the state and the army. Thus it is considered important to redefine the army's traditional mission. Posmodern conflicts and a change from 'enemy' risks to non-military threats include many duties for which the conventional armies are ill-prepared. At the end of the Cold War era security agendas presented them with a large number of non-military tasks, such as peacekeeping, peacemaking, natural disasters management, and humanitarian interventions. It is to be expected that the greatest challenge will be connected to the switch from training for war to training to prevent war, or, more precisely, to prevent conflict. The situation is even more complex from the perspective of post-Communist states. While these states face the difficulties of social transition, their armies are not in an enviable position, facing, at present, several challenges: they still have to develop their identities, legitimacies and strategic perspectives. Since the primary mission of former Communist armed forces was aimed at performing internal social control functions (i.e., defending the regime from its internal enemies) all these armies face great challenges of acquiring new roles and new tasks.

Warren Switzer

FRAMING BOSNIA: NEW MARSHALL PLAN NEEDED

Since the conclusion of the Balkan War of 1991-1995, the world has observed an uneasy armistice in Bosnia. Plainly, military forces can "win" conflicts and police an armistice, but they cannot make peace. Without significant progress in the civilian part of the effort, the military portion ultimately is meaningless. In its struggle for survival, Bosnia is like other states; no state survives without a viable economy. Unless Bosnia's social machinery is engaged in successfully crafting and maintaining peace, the current armistice will persist. There is the need for extensive external assistance and a coherent plan of administering that assistance. However, it is unclear that the assistance being provided is sufficient in type or amount. More telling is the absence of any recognizable organization or plan that can bring coherence and precedence to the current situation. Bosnia must have an economic renaissance to survive, and that requires protracted, coherent assistance following a proven model. What Bosnia needs is a modern equivalent of the Marshall Plan.

Muradif Kulenović

NECROPHILIA AND THE GENERALS

Necrophilia as a psychiatric subject is not well researched in Croatia. Thus, the author pays particular attention to the term itself, and the ways in which necrophilia is encountered in human behaviour. War is the leading subject of the paper, since it is at this time that people particularly exhibit pathological behaviour patterns and other kinds of otherwise hidden negativities. Death and life are at their closest - and most terribly distant - in wartime. The author suggests that everything that transpires in the areas of destruction, violence, aggression and other kinds of human conflict is almost always based on the intimate needs of the individual. The more powerful, the more terrifying they are, and the weaker, the more vicious, and prone to radically bizarre crimes. The panorama of this paper produces cases, accidents and other forms of wartime events dominated by death, which vividly and brutally depict human hatred. The work as a whole carries a warning that crime should be prevented, which is possible if necrophiliac tendencies of the leaders are seen as such ahead of time.

Vjekoslav Afrić

SIMULATION MODELS

Between a theoretically analytic approach in training for professional activity and an efficient professional activity there is an educational space which in modern education belongs to models and simulations. Models and simulations are today used in industry, science and education, like techniques for exploration or teaching techniques that reproduce actual events and processes under terms of testing.
The technology for prognostication of complex dynamic phenomenon's is based on three types of inner base work in various models of human and other complex interactions and those are: Invariants , Growth Curves, Cyclic Waves. Each of those different forms can be dominant in the foretelling in a given model or time. The use of simulation techniques in experimental purposes allows explorers to make exotic experiments or demonstration without the use of rare materials or expensive technology, and the use of simulation models like educational techniques allows students to act in vital, realistic situation without the catastrophic consequences to which their bad decisions would lead to.
Foretelling simulations convinced the Military top of the U. S, that success in war campaigns could be achieved with minimum loss if an air campaign op large proportions is used. So we don't find it awkward that today in dozens of U. S. army bases pilots and other compete in simulated battles connected together in a military system called SIMNET. Simulations become the most important tactical tools to conquer the future, as we want it. The trouble with models is that their construction is never locked, that is that their creation is an infinite process.
Models must be constantly remodeled and fed with new data. Research of educational consequences of simulation has shown that simulations are more efficient in the transfer of knowledge the more realistic they are. If we want to better our educational processes what we need to develop is not simulation models but the making of simulation models.

Pjer Šimunovic

RUSSIAN ARMY IN CHECHNYA: A STUDY OF COMBAT MORALE

This study analyzes the key aspects of the Russian Army morale during the Chechnya war. It seeks to name the main morale-defining factors, their signs, interactions and effects on combat effectiveness, and the conduct, duration and outcome of the war. While attempting to shed light onto the constitutive elements of the morale and its importance in this specific case, the study also strives to consider this case from a wider standpoint of wartime combat morale in general. The first task is to determine the nature of morale and construct an applicable analytic framework to effectively research the issues of wartime morale. The study suggests that a whole string of factors contributed to the breakdown of the Russian Army's morale during its Chechnya travail, which morale had already been deeply shaken.

James J.Sadkovich

OFF TO A SHAKY START: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM YUGOSLAVIA'S DISSOLUTION?

Author analyse ways on which international community reacted on Yugoslavia's dissolution and methods which are used in conflict resolution, with aim to define problems which occur when state disintegrates. Major influence on creating of picture about former Yugoslavia had media and flawed analysis, which created fault picture about situation in field. Also, mayor players, sa EU, OSCe and NATO during the crisis management process were primary lead by their internal reasons, not by intention to help victims of the conflict.
Author considers corporative culture which prevaile in western organizations and countries, their metodhs and techniques used in former Yugoslavia including crisis management mechanisms. He also analyse wrong approach in using such methods in sorrounding which doesn't act by patterns of corporative culture.

Slavko Haluzan

COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTI-INFANTRY LANDMINES: EXPERIENCES FROM THE CROATIAN NATIONAL WAR

In the Croatian National War both sides were using landmines. The experiences of Croatian forces during their endgame combat operations show that enemy mines did not have a crucial role in the outcome, and that the advancing troops were neither stopped nor significantly slowed down due to landmines.

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