Analyzing a culture from a military standpoint requires an understanding of the contemporary operating environment (COE) and its variables. “The DOD officially defines an operational environment (OE) as ‘a composite of the conditions, circumstances, and influences that affect the employment of military forces and bear on the decisions of the unit commander’” (Department of the Army, 2004). The variables of COE are political, military, economics, social, information, infrastructure, physical environment, and time. Known by the acronym PMESII-PT, these variables form an operational environment for commanders to use while planning. To understand the country known as Saudi Arabia, three variables are required. First, the political landscape …show more content…
Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy ruled by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. He ascended the throne in January 2015. Other major political figures include the crown prince, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and the defense minister, son of King Salman, Mohammed bin Salman. Power struggles between these individuals “creates an aura of instability” despite the crown prince’s increases in military spending and internal security to combat violent extremism (Mustafa, 2015). The government of Saudi Arabia also contains legislative and judicial branches. These branches hold very little independence from the throne because members are appointed by royal decree and the King must ratify all actions taken. As such, much of the power in Saudi Arabia rests in the hands of King Salman, his son, Mohammed bin Salman, and the crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef. This power includes control of the economy as well as the …show more content…
Currently, the government of Saudi Arabia controls the economy by limiting foreign investors and regulating business within its borders. Oil accounts for the majority of the country's income, accounting for 90 percent of export revenue and 80 percent overall (“Saudi Arabia,” n.d.). Prices over $105 per barrel is required for the budget to remain balanced. The current drop in oil prices places a strain on the Saudi Arabian economy; expansion into the bond market somewhat eases this strain (“Saudi Arabia,” n.d.). A McKinsey Global Institute report states that Saudi Arabia can double its GDP and create millions of jobs by changing its economy from a government centric style to “a more market-based approach” (Al-Kibsi et al., 2015). "Despite cuts and financial challenges, ongoing internal and external concerns are driving an increase in defense spending” (Hedges, as quoted by Mustafa, 2015). The last half decade has seen the defense budget of Saudi Arabia growing at a rate of 19 percent a year (Mustafa, 2015). This shows that the military, despite the economic downturn, continues to play an important role in the Saudi Arabian
As the incoming brigade commander, LTC (P) Owens, I see the critical leadership problem facing the 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT) is the inability or unwillingness of Colonel Cutler to lead and manage change effectively. In initial talks with Col Cutler and in reviewing the brigade’s historical unit status reports, the 4th ABCT performed as well as can be expected in Afghanistan, but as the onion was peeled back there are numerous organizational issues that were brought to the surface while I walked around and listened to the soldiers of the 4th ABCT, in addition to reviewing the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) report. One of the most formidable tasks of a leader is to improve the organization while simultaneously accomplishing
...in technology and tactics have made Special Forces units more reliable. For example, the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and the incident with the Somali pirates of the coast of Somalia show the capabilities of today’s Special Forces. The author asserts that, in the future the United States will shift away from major combat operations. These large engagements have proven to be costly in lives and treasure. For that reason, she infers that the US Military will choose the “go small, go long” model for future engagements in the Middle East. Special operation forces are uniquely suited for this model. Their conspicuous nature and low cost make them politically and strategically ideal. The author also suggests that future large scale operations may look like the conflicts in Libya and Somalia rather than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Salmoni, D. B. A., & Holmes-Eber, D. P. (2008).Operational culture for the warfighter: Principles and applications. (p. Foreward). Quantico, Virginia: Marine Corpse University.
Individuals from various cultures can easily distinguish differences in traits by making comparisons to their own. These differences make up the fundamentals of a society’s way of life. The rules that most individuals abide by comprise the framework of a culture. Culture is the shared beliefs and social norms of a country or area that are different from other places. In the country of Iran, an abundance of diversity defines their culture. Using the United States Army’s operations variables, this paper will define the culture of Iran by analyzing the environmental, political, religious, and military operational variables, as well as their military conflicts with the United States.
Iraqi culture has one of the world’s most ancient history of culture to date. The country of Iraq has dealt with numerous changes throughout the years ranging from war, economy downfall, and environment changes. Many of the issues that arose had to do with the power and decision making of the former President, Saddam Hussein. The country of Iraq is located north of the Persian Gulf and its population is equivalent to that of California. This paper will discuss the economy in Iraq, as well as the Iraqi culture and their military.
The United States Military Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (HOA) is a geographical region that encompasses the countries of Djibouti, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, and neighboring Yemen. Each country in the region houses many culturally unique distinctions to include groups, which comprise the HOA area of operation. Specifically one of these culturally unique groups originates out of Yemen. The country of Yemen, according to a 2004 census, has reached almost 20 million people (UNDP, 2010). Over 45% of the population lives on less than $2.00 U.S. a day (UNDP, 2010). The poverty-stricken people in Yemen have shaped a cultural group that in essence contains the majority of the Country’s population. The purpose of this thesis is to illustrate the current Yemen culture shaped by the effects of poverty on the people of Yemen. These effects span a wide array of problematic issues predicated on three major topics. The effects of poverty on the people of Yemen include severe health problems spanning a majority of the region, the decay of the Country’s political infrastructure, and the growing support of terrorist organizations in the region. The dilemmas in Yemen did not solely originate internally. Yemen is host to some 91,587 (as of 2007) refugees from Somalia (CIA, 2011). The wake of events perpetuated by the effects of poverty on the people of Yemen, left unchecked, will continue to erode with significant and lasting negative effects on the entire HOA Area of Responsibility (AOR) to include local, regional, and U.S. interests.
Readiness is of the utmost importance with training being the most significant aspect that contributes to Readiness. Each Soldier needs an individual training plan. The plan should take the Soldier from enlistment to discharge or retirement. It is each Soldiers responsibility to be proficient in their field craft. This includes being fit mentally and physically, and trained to win in a complex world. It is the responsibility of the NCO to train these Soldiers. Unit training plans will address the readiness and resilience of individual Soldiers to ensure their fitness to accomplish their mission. Units must conduct realistic training at the individual, squad, platoon and company levels focused on Mission Essential Tasks (METs) for their
Air Force Special Operations The United States of America is a powerful and well known force throughout the world. It has become a superpower of nations in just about three hundred years, being one of the newest nations in existence today. Its military reaches out into several countries in the globe and holds a presence as a peacekeeper and wielder of democracy. Of the US military’s five branches, the Air Force is the ruler of the skies, keeping control of the earth’s aerospace. Without the Air Force Special Operations, the military could not complete operations as effectively or efficiently as it potentially could.
In today’s operational environments, the U.S. Army is facing a range of problems and mission sets that are arguably more complex than previously encountered. Forces face an array of demands that encompass geo-political, social, cultural, and military factors that interact in unpredictable ways. The inherent complexity of today’s operations has underscored the need for the Army to expand beyond its traditional approach to operational planning. In March 2010 in FM 5-0: The Operations
In fact, occasional protests occurred particularly in the Shiite east of the country. But the regime successfully used its rich resources to keep the country stable. The revenues from the oil sector allowed Saudi Arabia to offer concessions that helped to depoliticize strategic sectors of society, and to finance and increase security and intelligence forces. When protests occurred in other Arab states, the government immediately imposed a nationwide ban on demonstrations. King Abdullah also announced a vast subsidy program. Furthermore, the royal family received a valuable support from the influential Council of Senior Islamic Scholars which said that demonstrations are not compatible with Islam and therefore declared a ban on protests.
Saudi Arabia, under Aristotle’s categorization, is an oligarchy even though Saudi Arabia has a monarch (King Abdullah). This is because the royal family, the descendants of King Abd Al-Aziz who died in 1953 leaving 40 sons (Raphaeli, 2003), has such a great sphere of influence in the governance and control of the country. This matches Aristotle’s definition of oligarchy as ‘the many’, the people, are ruled by ‘the few’, the Saudi Arabian royal family, with ‘the few’ benefiting and working in self interest (Heywood, 2007). This form of governance has major implications for the people of Saudi Arabia and its durability will be tested in the future, particularly in reference to the current upheavals occurring throughout the Middle East.
Both countries have nearly identical scores in the dimension of masculinity. This exhibits the driving cultural forces of competition and achievement, with success held in high regard over other values. With Uncertainty Avoidance, the country is once again polarized. With the USA's relatively low score, the culture exhibits acceptance for new ideas with an emphasis on innovation and toleration. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Saudi Arabia maintains rigidity in belief systems and acceptable behaviors and ideas, valuing security over uncertainty.
Saudi Arabia, the leader of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Companies), maintains a powerful position in negotiations with the U.S. and other countries. Its vast supply of oil directly effects per barrel pricing and is a unique bargaining tool in international politics. But Saudi Arabia is no ordinary country in today's world. Its borders are governed by a royal family of nearly 30,000 individuals, all of which share most of the wealth and almost all of the power. Its people, with foreign exceptions, are wholly Islamic and many practice the faith with a frightening sense of devotion. And despite the immense revenue generated by its oil reserves, part of its population still lives in absolute poverty. Although recently it has seen immense change, it is still a country fair behind the progressive world.
Saudi Arabia’s capital market is considered to be young compared to other financial markets in the region. Saudi financial markets have been developing slowly because most enterprises in the country are either government owned or family-owned, most of which was funded through state budget, and as a result reduced the need for financing. In the recent past, Saudi Arabia has focused on a careful measurement for structural developments and regulatory changes. However, different phases of historical development of the capital market which can be classified into three phases; pre-industrialization phase, post industrialization phase and growth phase that sparked changes and shaped the kingdom 's capital market on
However, you need to understand the situation in Saudi Arabia first. The way people drive in Saudi Arabia is insane. I mean, imagine that all cars are not following the traffic laws. You can go as fast as the car goes and you wouldn't be stopped at all. Leading to the deaths of nineteen people every day on the country’s roads.