Persuasive Memorandum Essay

Under Armor has built up itself as an exceptionally effective games wear brand, the purpose behind its prosperity is the way that items fabricated by U.A are structured with full comprehension of an athlete’s needs. The U.A’s marked store at Annapolis has all the earmarks of being exceptionally mainstream among sports devotees as it offers them a novel chance to encounter the whole scope of U.A’s items 2 The business partners at the Annapolis store are a profoundly educated group, and have an inside and out information on U.A’s broad product offering. By and by our business partners are profoundly fit for helping clients in picking the correct item for an expected reason, anyway there is a need to retrain our business group so that notwithstanding tending to the clients planned reason, they can decide the clients state of being or body type and suggest an item that in a perfect world suits the client. For what reason does U.A need to retrain its Sales Associates? No two people can ever be same so an item that suits one person’s body type may not really suite the others body type. For example when a client requests a couple running shoe, our business partners will be equipped for demonstrating them the total scope of running shoes, and afterward let the client take his pick. So as to ensure consumer loyalty it is fundamental to decide the clients foot type, regardless of whether he/she has a supinator, pronator or unbiased curved foot 3. This information will enable the deals to partner to suggest a shoe that is destined to give ideal fit and boost execution. Similarly different items, for example, internal wear need to affirm to the wearer’s state of being so as to guarantee an ideal fit and solace, subsequently a retraining program is required to build up these abilities among our business partners. Focal points of the retraining program The retraining project will increase the value of the Under Armor brand, individuals will start to distinguish the brand as one that genuinely helps competitors in accomplishing prevalent execution. Consumer loyalty levels may increment, since when clients are given an item that suits both their need and their body type, there is only from time to time space for grumblings. The retraining system will make the business partner increasingly sure and help them to build their insight base, and get familiar with recently presented item classes, for example, footwear which was propelled in April 2006 4. The idea of giving significant level specialized help to purchasers will fill in as an expansion to the company’s U.S.P’s (Unique Selling Points), this may prompt increment in company’s retail deals. Significant Concerns identified with the retraining program An essential concern identified with the retraining program is that, it will impact the tasks over a few offices. Modification and up degree of the current item preparing project will require worked together exertion from item plan office and the preparation division thus this may impact typical tasks of the item structure office, anyway the benefits of the retraining system will far exceed minor burdens that will be experienced during the time spent actualizing this thought. Worries about the preparation program hampering the store tasks can be dealt with by isolating the business partners into most extreme number of little clumps, this will guarantee that adequate staff is accessible at the store while each bunch thus experiences serious item preparing. It is trusted that the retraining project will help in production of a profoundly talented deals power fit for furnishing the clients with a remarkable shopping experience.

Customers Switching Behavior Essay Example for Free

Clients Switching Behavior Essay Connections and people bank exchanging conduct Abstract We look at the job of connections among people and their banks in deciding bank exchanging conduct. Utilizing information from a study poll from an irregular example of bank clients in the United States, we find that the factors estimating the different elements of a relationship fundamentally bring down a people inclination to switch banks. These incorporate the length of a people relationship with her bank, regardless of whether she has had issues with her bank previously, and parts of the nature of the administration relationship. An advancement of the present paper lies in joining fund/monetary parts of relationship with the different elements of administration quality relationship by and large as determinants of a people inclination to switch banks. The characteristics catching whether an individual feels that her bank is responsive, is sympathetic and is solid to her needs, are largely altogether adversely corresponded with her penchant to switch banks. Our outcomes show exactly how connections may help in constraining bank exchanging conduct and convey a solid message to banks about the significance of connections in holding faithful clients. Our discoveries likewise underscore the interconnectedness of apparently unique orders to all the more likely comprehend the conduct and dynamic of people and their banks. Creator Keywords: Bank exchanging; Relationships

The Secret to Your College Essay Success is in the Stars! - College Essay Advisors Admissions Essay Experts

The Secret to Your College Essay Success is in the Stars! - College Essay Advisors Admissions Essay Experts The Secret to Your College Essay Success is in the Stars! The Secret to Your College Essay Success is in the Stars! The Common Application went live earlier this month, so  you already know the task it is going to ask of you: use 650 words to describe yourself and make the various college admissions officers fall head-over-heels, rom-com style in love with you and your delightful youness.  YIKES!  What’re you gonna do?  What’re you gonna do??  WHAT’RE YOU GONNA DO??  Should you relentlessly ask your magic eight ball for advice, and sometimes ask the same question multiple different ways hoping that will change the totally random answer you get?  Should you sacrifice tributes of stress, tears, and panic to the gods of college admissions?  No.  Don’t do any of those things.  However, a peek at your horoscope might be just the thing! Talking about yourself can be a little uncomfortable if you’re not used to it.  What do you say?  Do you even know HOW to talk about yourself for 650 words?  If you’re drawing a blank on ways to describe yourself, look to the starsseriously.  Whether you subscribe to astrology or not, horoscopes almost always give a list of positive and negative adjectives to describe the sign (eg. Leo, Virgo, Gemini, etc.) and then a description of how that sign behaves in certain situations.  Read through it briefly, laugh about its startling accuracies (or inaccuracies, as the case may be), and take note of the helpful things.  â€œAmbitious, loyal, confident, and generous?  Why yes, I AM all of those things and as a matter of fact, if I wasn’t so ambitious that one time I never would have gotten that award!” And just like that, you have rediscovered a gem of a story to write about! Give it a go and check out your horoscope here, here, or here! Want essay help on demand? Watch our video series! Read our guide  to the 2015-16 Common App Essay. Looking for more personal essay examples? Check out the last spotlight. About Lydia HogarthView all posts by Lydia Hogarth »

About Thomas Jefferson actions - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 612 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/10/31 Category People Essay Level High school Topics: Thomas Jefferson Essay Did you like this example? Thomas Jefferson is a Virginian native, whom served in the Virginia government before becoming president. He then became sectary of state, later becoming Vice President under John Adams in 1793. He then became the third president of the United States after the election of 1800. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "About Thomas Jefferson actions" essay for you Create order Thomas Jefferson had many positive and negative contributions during his term as president. The Negative contribution Thomas Jefferson had during his term as president as the Embargo Act of 1807. The United States inflicted this embargo on trading with foreign countries as a way to call attention to war. This was mostly directed toward Britain and France while the Napoleonic War was happening. Jefferson thought the embargo would be an honest substitute for war. Instead of harming more men and destroying more property, he could protect the respect of the country and flag. He also thought this would persuade France and Britain to take America seriously and respect their rights. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison made this act up based off of Republican beliefs that refused trading between Britain and the United States would prove a point. This act refused any type of American trade, which naturally caused many economic issues within the United States. This Embargo Act was not very popu lar either in the congresss eyes. Thomas Jefferson thought the people of America would go along with this act out of patriotism. If they did not follow this act it would seem as if they did not agree with the president, making them lack patriotism and love for their country. Jeffersons act was an expensive failure, and most still do not know the positive outlook it had on America still to this day. Not only was it a cost effecting failure, it caused export profits to plummet now more than ever. In just one year, the profits went down eighty-six million, and over twenty thousand were left jobless. As the water ways became vacant, many if not most did too. This resulted in million-dollar boats sitting in the harbors rotting, also being a cost affecting failure on Jeffersons part. Though the harbor areas were affected in a major way, the United States as a whole suffered. The farmers of America, mostly of the south, could no longer sell their crops due to the ban of international trading. The embargo was not just a money wasting act, it caused a lack of unity within the American people. All together it was a failure diplomatically and economically. The Embargo Act only lasted two years before the congress abolished it. Only three days prior to president Thomas Jeffersons last days, it was repealed. After the economic stress it caused America, congress restored a new act in replace of it. This act was called the Non-Intercourse Act, this restored trade with all nations except Britain and France. The Embargo Act had little to no positive consequences for America, and at the end of Jeffersons term he knew this. His comment toward his retirement support this, Jefferson said, Never did a prisoner, released from his chains, feel such relief as I shall on shaking off the shackles of power. By the end of the Embargo Act, new president Madison asked congress for the declaration to go to war. The congress did declare war upon Britain. Another example of why this act was a negative concept, and ironically it was used to call attention to war and it ended up causing one. Though Thomas Jefferson did have many positive projects he was a part of including the Louisiana Purchase and The Declaration of Independence, being a man in power he had his share of negative ideas, and the Embargo Act just happened to be one.

What Is True Love - 1377 Words

What is True Love? Looking at the world today, it can be hard to recognize love. There is anger all over the world ranging from the government to terrorists. America’s news feed is filled with events of hate and devastation. CNN’s top stories include events of bombing and shootings on top of many different acts of hate. A most recent incident on CNN’s top stories list, is the Ohio nightclub shooting that took place on March 26th, killing one (Croft et. al). These reported incidents make it difficult for people to see any love. Often times news reports include information about events, including how many deaths are reported, if any, and reasons the event occurred. What people do not see is the responders and volunteers who help and comfort†¦show more content†¦Melissa was just expecting a hug and to move on with her life. But one hug turned into a nightmare as Robert pulled out knives and continued to stab Melissa thirty-two times leaving gashes all over her face and head. Melissa recalls hearing a girl call emergency services and help arriving. That night the most horrific thing happened to Melissa but little did she know something beautiful would come out of it. Cameron Hill, with fire and rescue, responded to Melissa’s attack and helped save her life. It was not until about nine months after Melissa’s attack that she began to share her story. The very first time she told her story Cameron was in the audience and they made a connection. It was not much longer when Cameron asked Melissa to dinner at the fire station. Without hesitation, Melissa went to dinner with her heroes. That dinner led to Cameron and Melissa’s first date and they say they have been inseparable ever since (Finley, â€Å"Live to Tell: One Last Hug†). Cameron Hill: I m crazy in love with Melissa Dohme. Melissa Dohme: Is this really like this fairytale that I think it might be? Cameron Hill: Never met anybody like her. Melissa Dohme: To me he s like Prince Charming. Cameron Hill: I would like to spend the rest of my life with her. Melissa Dohme: I love him. I love him. Melissa and Cameron’s love lead to their engagement and tying the knot on March 4th, 2017. Cameron showed love for Melissa as a stranger. He laterShow MoreRelatedWhat is True Love?612 Words   |  2 PagesLove; the feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection(Dictionary). Love is indeed a magical force of attraction that takes time to develop and requires much more than just a strong attraction. Knowing this, love at first sight is simply not possible, and this can be proven by a variety of reasons. For one the demands of a human go beyond the matter of appearance. More importantly it is important to know that the power behind true love takes time to form and is impossible to form withinRead MoreWhat Is True Love?1847 Words   |  8 PagesWhat is true love? Is love defined by the college athlete towards his or her sport, or the teenagers to video games, or the love of a mother towards their child? According to Krishna Sechadri, â€Å"Love could be considered as a collection of activities associated with the acquisition and retention of emotions needed to survive and reproduce.† For this reason, humans need love in order to survive. Moreover, love is a feeling reproduced by the neurotransmitters in our brain; thus, this means that humanRead M oreWhat is the Definition of True Love? Essay1328 Words   |  6 PagesI wanna love you and treat you right; I wanna love you every day and every night: Well be together with a roof right over our heads; Well share the shelter of my single bed; Well share the same room, yeah! - for Jah provide the bread. Is this love - is this love - is this love - Is this love that Im feelin?--- Bob Marley. Bob Marley wrote and sang about love just like hundreds of people before him. His idea of true love was sharing with someone in orderRead MoreWhat Are The Examples Of True Love In The Princess Bride737 Words   |  3 PagesThe Princess Bride undermines the cheesy ideals of classic fairytales while celebrating true love? Westley’s reinvention of himself throughout the movie? Is the young boy a spoiled brat? Is life â€Å"unfair†? What are the examples of true love in the movie? True love isn’t how it seems, it always has issues and doesn’t go the way you wanted it to all the time. Westley goes from a farm boy to a life saver. He never gives up, and overcomes everything that is in his path. The young boy is spoiled and doesn’tRead MoreWhat Does True Love Really Feel Like?812 Words   |  4 Pagesforgotten what it s like to be treated like a human being. We’ve shaped most of this generation to forget about true emotions. We ask the question â€Å"What does true love really feel like?† We as a society throw the word †Love† around so much, that to some of us that word has just as much meaning as any other word in the dictionary.That word could be also lacking in someone s life. It would’ve been over a year since that person has had that word, that sentence spoken to them â€Å"I love you†. It’sRead MoreA Valediction : Forbidding Mourning1178 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is love? ( An analysis of the messages from A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning ) What is the definition of love? Importantly, what comprises love? One can speculate on what it means to be in love; though, often it takes the actual experience to know. While, there are many theories on what true love is, and how one knows their love is pristine. No one elaborates better on what true love is than John Donne. A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning by John Donne expresses what true love consistsRead MoreRomeo and Juliet, Tragedy or Romance791 Words   |  3 PagesRomance? What determines what a true love story is? Many events in Romeo and Juliet make the audience question whether or not they are truly in love or are just blinded by a false or not true version of a not so deep feeling. Romeo and Juliet is a famous love story but it stands out compared to other love stories. Romeo and Juliet continue to be a true love story to this day. They are married at a young age and differentiate from other love stories, it’s still considered to be true love, though someRead MoreSonnet 116 by William Shakespeare1002 Words   |  4 PagesThere is a constant theme of love found consistently within many forms of literature. The reoccurring theme of love is indicated within two poems, Sonnet 116 written by Shakespeare and Cinderella by Anne Sexton. Love is like a diamond, extremely rare and difficult to find. Shakespeare and Anne Sexton surpassed many other author’s in being able to capture the theme of love in their pieces of literature. Sonnet 116, written by Shakespeare, is one of the most popular love poems to this day. The poemRead MoreMetaphors In Sonnet 116724 Words   |  3 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s â€Å"Sonnet 116† illustrates an image of what true love is and what it  is not. Through the use of imagery, the speaker defines love as unchanging and persevering, but  if it isn’t, then it can’t be considered true love. Although this may be true, the speaker concludes  that if he is wrong and is proven so, then his idea of love is false and no man has ever loved.    The speaker begins by saying, â€Å"Let me not to the marriage of true minds / Admitimpediments† (1-2). 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A Game of Thrones Chapter Fifty-three Free Essays

Bran The Karstarks came in on a cold windy morning, bringing three hundred horsemen and near two thousand foot from their castle at Karhold. The steel points of their pikes winked in the pale sunlight as the column approached. A man went before them, pounding out a slow, deep-throated marching rhythm on a drum that was bigger than he was, boom, boom, boom. We will write a custom essay sample on A Game of Thrones Chapter Fifty-three or any similar topic only for you Order Now Bran watched them come from a guard turret atop the outer wall, peering through Maester Luwin’s bronze far-eye while perched on Hodor’s shoulders. Lord Rickard himself led them, his sons Harrion and Eddard and Torrhen riding beside him beneath night-black banners emblazoned with the white sunburst of their House. Old Nan said they had Stark blood in them, going back hundreds of years, but they did not look like Starks to Bran. They were big men, and fierce, faces covered with thick beards, hair worn loose past the shoulders. Their cloaks were made of skins, the pelts of bear and seal and wolf. They were the last, he knew. The other lords were already here, with their hosts. Bran yearned to ride out among them, to see the winter houses full to bursting, the jostling crowds in the market square every morning, the streets rutted and torn by wheel and hoof. But Robb had forbidden him to leave the castle. â€Å"We have no men to spare to guard you,† his brother had explained. â€Å"I’ll take Summer,† Bran argued. â€Å"Don’t act the boy with me, Bran,† Robb said. â€Å"You know better than that. Only two days ago one of Lord Bolton’s men knifed one of Lord Cerwyn’s at the Smoking Log. Our lady mother would skin me for a pelt if I let you put yourself at risk.† He was using the voice of Robb the Lord when he said it; Bran knew that meant there was no appeal. It was because of what had happened in the wolfswood, he knew. The memory still gave him bad dreams. He had been as helpless as a baby, no more able to defend himself than Rickon would have been. Less, even . . . Rickon would have kicked them, at the least. It shamed him. He was only a few years younger than Robb; if his brother was almost a man grown, so was he. He should have been able to protect himself. A year ago, before, he would have visited the town even if it meant climbing over the walls by himself. In those days he could run down stairs, get on and off his pony by himself, and wield a wooden sword good enough to knock Prince Tommen in the dirt. Now he could only watch, peering out through Maester Luwin’s lens tube. The maester had taught him all the banners: the mailed fist of the Glovers, silver on scarlet; Lady Mormont’s black bear; the hideous flayed man that went before Roose Bolton of the Dreadfort; a bull moose for the Hornwoods; a battle-axe for the Cerwyns; three sentinel trees for the Tallharts; and the fearsome sigil of House Umber, a roaring giant in shattered chains. And soon enough he learned the faces too, when the lords and their sons and knights retainer came to Winterfell to feast. Even the Great Hall was not large enough to seat all of them at once, so Robb hosted each of the principal bannermen in turn. Bran was always given the place of honor at his brother’s right hand. Some of the lords bannermen gave him queer hard stares as he sat there, as if they wondered by what right a green boy should be placed above them, and him a cripple too. â€Å"How many is it now?† Bran asked Maester Luwin as Lord Karstark and his sons rode through the gates in the outer wall. â€Å"Twelve thousand men, or near enough as makes no matter.† â€Å"How many knights?† â€Å"Few enough,† the maester said with a touch of impatience. â€Å"To be a knight, you must stand your vigil in a sept, and be anointed with the seven oils to consecrate your vows. In the north, only a few of the great houses worship the Seven. The rest honor the old gods, and name no knights . . . but those lords and their sons and sworn swords are no less fierce or loyal or honorable. A man’s worth is not marked by a ser before his name. As I have told you a hundred times before.† â€Å"Still,† said Bran, â€Å"how many knights?† Maester Luwin sighed. â€Å"Three hundred, perhaps four . . . among three thousand armored lances who are not knights.† â€Å"Lord Karstark is the last,† Bran said thoughtfully. â€Å"Robb will feast him tonight.† â€Å"No doubt he will.† â€Å"How long before . . . before they go?† â€Å"He must march soon, or not at all,† Maester Luwin said. â€Å"The winter town is full to bursting, and this army of his will eat the countryside clean if it camps here much longer. Others are waiting to join him all along the kingsroad, barrow knights and crannogmen and the Lords Manderly and Flint. The fighting has begun in the riverlands, and your brother has many leagues to go.† â€Å"I know.† Bran felt as miserable as he sounded. He handed the bronze tube back to the maester, and noticed how thin Luwin’s hair had grown on top. He could see the pink of scalp showing through. It felt queer to look down on him this way, when he’d spent his whole life looking up at him, but when you sat on Hodor’s back you looked down on everyone. â€Å"I don’t want to watch anymore. Hodor, take me back to the keep.† â€Å"Hodor,† said Hodor. Maester Luwin tucked the tube up his sleeve. â€Å"Bran, your lord brother will not have time to see you now. He must greet Lord Karstark and his sons and make them welcome.† â€Å"I won’t trouble Robb. I want to visit the godswood.† He put his hand on Hodor’s shoulder. â€Å"Hodor.† A series of chisel-cut handholds made a ladder in the granite of the tower’s inner wall. Hodor hummed tunelessly as he went down hand under hand, Bran bouncing against his back in the wicker seat that Maester Luwin had fashioned for him. Luwin had gotten the idea from the baskets the women used to carry firewood on their backs; after that it had been a simple matter of cutting legholes and attaching some new straps to spread Bran’s weight more evenly. It was not as good as riding Dancer, but there were places Dancer could not go, and this did not shame Bran the way it did when Hodor carried him in his arms like a baby. Hodor seemed to like it too, though with Hodor it was hard to tell. The only tricky part was doors. Sometimes Hodor forgot that he had Bran on his back, and that could be painful when he went through a door. For near a fortnight there had been so many comings and goings that Robb ordered both portcullises kept up and the drawbridge down between them, even in the dead of night. A long column of armored lancers was crossing the moat between the walls when Bran emerged from the tower; Karstark men, following their lords into the castle. They wore black iron halfhelms and black woolen cloaks patterned with the white sunburst. Hodor trotted along beside them, smiling to himself, his boots thudding against the wood of the drawbridge. The riders gave them queer looks as they went by, and once Bran heard someone guffaw. He refused to let it trouble him. â€Å"Men will look at you,† Maester Luwin had warned him the first time they had strapped the wicker basket around Hodor’s chest. â€Å"They will look, and they will talk, and some will mock you.† Let them mock, Bran thought. No one mocked him in his bedchamber, but he would not live his life in bed. As they passed beneath the gatehouse portcullis, Bran put two fingers into his mouth and whistled. Summer came loping across the yard. Suddenly the Karstark lancers were fighting for control, as their horses rolled their eyes and whickered in dismay. One stallion reared, screaming, his rider cursing and hanging on desperately. The scent of the direwolves sent horses into a frenzy of fear if they were not accustomed to it, but they’d quiet soon enough once Summer was gone. â€Å"The godswood,† Bran reminded Hodor. Even Winterfell itself was crowded. The yard rang to the sound of sword and axe, the rumble of wagons, and the barking of dogs. The armory doors were open, and Bran glimpsed Mikken at his forge, his hammer ringing as sweat dripped off his bare chest. Bran had never seen as many strangers in all his years, not even when King Robert had come to visit Father. He tried not to flinch as Hodor ducked through a low door. They walked down a long dim hallway, Summer padding easily beside them. The wolf glanced up from time to time, eyes smoldering like liquid gold. Bran would have liked to touch him, but he was riding too high for his hand to reach. The godswood was an island of peace in the sea of chaos that Winterfell had become. Hodor made his way through the dense stands of oak and ironwood and sentinels, to the still pool beside the heart tree. He stopped under the gnarled limbs of the weirwood, humming. Bran reached up over his head and pulled himself out of his seat, drawing the dead weight of his legs up through the holes in the wicker basket. He hung for a moment, dangling, the dark red leaves brushing against his face, until Hodor lifted him and lowered him to the smooth stone beside the water. â€Å"I want to be by myself for a while,† he said. â€Å"You go soak. Go to the pools.† â€Å"Hodor.† Hodor stomped through the trees and vanished. Across the godswood, beneath the windows of the Guest House, an underground hot spring fed three small ponds. Steam rose from the water day and night, and the wall that loomed above was thick with moss. Hodor hated cold water, and would fight like a treed wildcat when threatened with soap, but he would happily immerse himself in the hottest pool and sit for hours, giving a loud burp to echo the spring whenever a bubble rose from the murky green depths to break upon the surface. Summer lapped at the water and settled down at Bran’s side. He rubbed the wolf under the jaw, and for a moment boy and beast both felt at peace. Bran had always liked the godswood, even before, but of late he found himself drawn to it more and more. Even the heart tree no longer scared him the way it used to. The deep red eyes carved into the pale trunk still watched him, yet somehow he took comfort from that now. The gods were looking over him, he told himself; the old gods, gods of the Starks and the First Men and the children of the forest, his father’s gods. He felt safe in their sight, and the deep silence of the trees helped him think. Bran had been thinking a lot since his fall; thinking, and dreaming, and talking with the gods. â€Å"Please make it so Robb won’t go away,† he prayed softly. He moved his hand through the cold water, sending ripples across the pool. â€Å"Please make him stay. Or if he has to go, bring him home safe, with Mother and Father and the girls. And make it . . . make it so Rickon understands.† His baby brother had been wild as a winter storm since he learned Robb was riding off to war, weeping and angry by turns. He’d refused to eat, cried and screamed for most of a night, even punched Old Nan when she tried to sing him to sleep, and the next day he’d vanished. Robb had set half the castle searching for him, and when at last they’d found him down in the crypts, Rickon had slashed at them with a rusted iron sword he’d snatched from a dead king’s hand, and Shaggydog had come slavering out of the darkness like a green-eyed demon. The wolf was near as wild as Rickon; he’d bitten Gage on the arm and torn a chunk of flesh from Mikken’s thigh. It had taken Robb himself and Grey Wind to bring him to bay. Farlen had the black wolf chained up in the kennels now, and Rickon cried all the more for being without him. Maester Luwin counseled Robb to remain at Winterfell, and Bran pleaded with him too, for his own sake as much as Rickon’s, but his brother only shook his head stubbornly and said, â€Å"I don’t want to go. I have to.† It was only half a lie. Someone had to go, to hold the Neck and help the Tullys against the Lannisters, Bran could understand that, but it did not have to be Robb. His brother might have given the command to Hal Mollen or Theon Greyjoy, or to one of his lords bannermen. Maester Luwin urged him to do just that, but Robb would not hear of it. â€Å"My lord father would never have sent men off to die while he huddled like a craven behind the walls of Winterfell,† he said, all Robb the Lord. Robb seemed half a stranger to Bran now, transformed, a lord in truth, though he had not yet seen his sixteenth name day. Even their father’s bannermen seemed to sense it. Many tried to test him, each in his own way. Roose Bolton and Robett Glover both demanded the honor of battle command, the first brusquely, the second with a smile and a jest. Stout, grey-haired Maege Mormont, dressed in mail like a man, told Robb bluntly that he was young enough to be her grandson, and had no business giving her commands . . . but as it happened, she had a granddaughter she would be willing to have him marry. Soft-spoken Lord Cerwyn had actually brought his daughter with him, a plump, homely maid of thirty years who sat at her father’s left hand and never lifted her eyes from her plate. Jovial Lord Hornwood had no daughters, but he did bring gifts, a horse one day, a haunch of venison the next, a silver-chased hunting horn the day after, and he asked nothing in return . . . nothing b ut a certain holdfast taken from his grandfather, and hunting rights north of a certain ridge, and leave to dam the White Knife, if it please the lord. Robb answered each of them with cool courtesy, much as Father might have, and somehow he bent them to his will. And when Lord Umber, who was called the Greatjon by his men and stood as tall as Hodor and twice as wide, threatened to take his forces home if he was placed behind the Hornwoods or the Cerwyns in the order of march, Robb told him he was welcome to do so. â€Å"And when we are done with the Lannisters,† he promised, scratching Grey Wind behind the ear, â€Å"we will march back north, root you out of your keep, and hang you for an oathbreaker.† Cursing, the Greatjon flung a flagon of ale into the fire and bellowed that Robb was so green he must piss grass. When Hallis Mollen moved to restrain him, he knocked him to the floor, kicked over a table, and unsheathed the biggest, ugliest greatsword that Bran had ever seen. All along the benches, his sons and brothers and sworn swords leapt to their feet, grabbing for their steel. Yet Robb only said a quiet word, and in a snarl and the blink of an eye Lord Umber was on his back, his sword spinning on the floor three feet away and his hand dripping blood where Grey Wind had bitten off two fingers. â€Å"My lord father taught me that it was death to bare steel against your liege lord,† Robb said, â€Å"but doubtless you only meant to cut my meat.† Bran’s bowels went to water as the Greatjon struggled to rise, sucking at the red stumps of fingers . . . but then, astonishingly, the huge man laughed. â€Å"Your meat,† he roared, â€Å"is bloody tough.† And somehow after that the Greatjon became Robb’s right hand, his staunchest champion, loudly telling all and sundry that the boy lord was a Stark after all, and they’d damn well better bend their knees if they didn’t fancy having them chewed off. Yet that very night, his brother came to Bran’s bedchamber pale and shaken, after the fires had burned low in the Great Hall. â€Å"I thought he was going to kill me,† Robb confessed. â€Å"Did you see the way he threw down Hal, like he was no bigger than Rickon? Gods, I was so scared. And the Greatjon’s not the worst of them, only the loudest. Lord Roose never says a word, he only looks at me, and all I can think of is that room they have in the Dreadfort, where the Boltons hang the skins of their enemies.† â€Å"That’s just one of Old Nan’s stories,† Bran said. A note of doubt crept into his voice. â€Å"Isn’t it?† â€Å"I don’t know.† He gave a weary shake of his head. â€Å"Lord Cerwyn means to take his daughter south with us. To cook for him, he says. Theon is certain I’ll find the girl in my bedroll one night. I wish . . . I wish Father was here . . . â€Å" That was the one thing they could agree on, Bran and Rickon and Robb the Lord; they all wished Father was here. But Lord Eddard was a thousand leagues away, a captive in some dungeon, a hunted fugitive running for his life, or even dead. No one seemed to know for certain; every traveler told a different tale, each more terrifying than the last. The heads of Father’s guardsmen were rotting on the walls of the Red Keep, impaled on spikes. King Robert was dead at Father’s hands. The Baratheons had laid siege to King’s Landing. Lord Eddard had fled south with the king’s wicked brother Renly. Arya and Sansa had been murdered by the Hound. Mother had killed Tyrion the Imp and hung his body from the walls of Riverrun. Lord Tywin Lannister was marching on the Eyrie, burning and slaughtering as he went. One wine-sodden taleteller even claimed that Rhaegar Targaryen had returned from the dead and was marshaling a vast host of ancient heroes on Dragonstone to reclaim his father’s throne. When the raven came, bearing a letter marked with Father’s own seal and written in Sansa’s hand, the cruel truth seemed no less incredible. Bran would never forget the look on Robb’s face as he stared at their sister’s words. â€Å"She says Father conspired at treason with the king’s brothers,† he read. â€Å"King Robert is dead, and Mother and I are summoned to the Red Keep to swear fealty to Joffrey. She says we must be loyal, and when she marries Joffrey she will plead with him to spare our lord father’s life.† His fingers closed into a fist, crushing Sansa’s letter between them. â€Å"And she says nothing of Arya, nothing, not so much as a word. Damn her! What’s wrong with the girl?† Bran felt all cold inside. â€Å"She lost her wolf,† he said, weakly, remembering the day when four of his father’s guardsmen had returned from the south with Lady’s bones. Summer and Grey Wind and Shaggydog had begun to howl before they crossed the drawbridge, in voices drawn and desolate. Beneath the shadow of the First Keep was an ancient lichyard, its headstones spotted with pale lichen, where the old Kings of Winter had laid their faithful servants. It was there they buried Lady, while her brothers stalked between the graves like restless shadows. She had gone south, and only her bones had returned. Their grandfather, old Lord Rickard, had gone as well, with his son Brandon who was Father’s brother, and two hundred of his best men. None had ever returned. And Father had gone south, with Arya and Sansa, and Jory and Hullen and Fat Tom and the rest, and later Mother and Ser Rodrik had gone, and they hadn’t come back either. And now Robb meant to go. Not to King’s Landing and not to swear fealty, but to Riverrun, with a sword in his hand. And if their lord father were truly a prisoner, that could mean his death for a certainty. It frightened Bran more than he could say. â€Å"If Robb has to go, watch over him,† Bran entreated the old gods, as they watched him with the heart tree’s red eyes, â€Å"and watch over his men, Hal and Quent and the rest, and Lord Umber and Lady Mormont and the other lords. And Theon too, I suppose. Watch them and keep them safe, if it please you, gods. Help them defeat the Lannisters and save Father and bring them home.† A faint wind sighed through the godswood and the red leaves stirred and whispered. Summer bared his teeth. â€Å"You hear them, boy?† a voice asked. Bran lifted his head. Osha stood across the pool, beneath an ancient oak, her face shadowed by leaves. Even in irons, the wildling moved quiet as a cat. Summer circled the pool, sniffed at her. The tall woman flinched. â€Å"Summer, to me,† Bran called. The direwolf took one final sniff, spun, and bounded back. Bran wrapped his arms around him. â€Å"What are you doing here?† He had not seen Osha since they’d taken her captive in the wolfswood, though he knew she’d been set to working in the kitchens. â€Å"They are my gods too,† Osha said. â€Å"Beyond the Wall, they are the only gods.† Her hair was growing out, brown and shaggy. It made her look more womanly, that and the simple dress of brown roughspun they’d given her when they took her mail and leather. â€Å"Gage lets me have my prayers from time to time, when I feel the need, and I let him do as he likes under my skirt, when he feels the need. It’s nothing to me. I like the smell of flour on his hands, and he’s gentler than Stiv.† She gave an awkward bow. â€Å"I’ll leave you. There’s pots that want scouring.† â€Å"No, stay,† Bran commanded her. â€Å"Tell me what you meant, about hearing the gods.† Osha studied him. â€Å"You asked them and they’re answering. Open your ears, listen, you’ll hear.† Bran listened. â€Å"It’s only the wind,† he said after a moment, uncertain. â€Å"The leaves are rustling.† â€Å"Who do you think sends the wind, if not the gods?† She seated herself across the pool from him, clinking faintly as she moved. Mikken had fixed iron manacles to her ankles, with a heavy chain between them; she could walk, so long as she kept her strides small, but there was no way for her to run, or climb, or mount a horse. â€Å"They see you, boy. They hear you talking. That rustling, that’s them talking back.† â€Å"What are they saying?† â€Å"They’re sad. Your lord brother will get no help from them, not where he’s going. The old gods have no power in the south. The weirwoods there were all cut down, thousands of years ago. How can they watch your brother when they have no eyes?† Bran had not thought of that. It frightened him. If even the gods could not help his brother, what hope was there? Maybe Osha wasn’t hearing them right. He cocked his head and tried to listen again. He thought he could hear the sadness now, but nothing more than that. The rustling grew louder. Bran heard muffled footfalls and a low humming, and Hodor came blundering out of the trees, naked and smiling. â€Å"Hodor!† â€Å"He must have heard our voices,† Bran said. â€Å"Hodor, you forgot your clothes.† â€Å"Hodor,† Hodor agreed. He was dripping wet from the neck down, steaming in the chill air. His body was covered with brown hair, thick as a pelt. Between his legs, his manhood swung long and heavy. Osha eyed him with a sour smile. â€Å"Now there’s a big man,† she said. â€Å"He has giant’s blood in him, or I’m the queen.† â€Å"Maester Luwin says there are no more giants. He says they’re all dead, like the children of the forest. All that’s left of them are old bones in the earth that men turn up with plows from time to time.† â€Å"Let Maester Luwin ride beyond the Wall,† Osha said. â€Å"He’ll find giants then, or they’ll find him. My brother killed one. Ten foot tall she was, and stunted at that. They’ve been known to grow big as twelve and thirteen feet. Fierce things they are too, all hair and teeth, and the wives have beards like their husbands, so there’s no telling them apart. The women take human men for lovers, and it’s from them the half bloods come. It goes harder on the women they catch. The men are so big they’ll rip a maid apart before they get her with child.† She grinned at him. â€Å"But you don’t know what I mean, do you, boy?† â€Å"Yes I do,† Bran insisted. He understood about mating; he had seen dogs in the yard, and watched a stallion mount a mare. But talking about it made him uncomfortable. He looked at Hodor. â€Å"Go back and bring your clothes, Hodor,† he said. â€Å"Go dress.† â€Å"Hodor.† He walked back the way he had come, ducking under a low-hanging tree limb. He was awfully big, Bran thought as he watched him go. â€Å"Are there truly giants beyond the Wall?† he asked Osha, uncertainly. â€Å"Giants and worse than giants, Lordling. I tried to tell your brother when he asked his questions, him and your maester and that smiley boy Greyjoy. The cold winds are rising, and men go out from their fires and never come back . . . or if they do, they’re not men no more, but only wights, with blue eyes and cold black hands. Why do you think I run south with Stiv and Hali and the rest of them fools? Mance thinks he’ll fight, the brave sweet stubborn man, like the white walkers were no more than rangers, but what does he know? He can call himself King-beyond-the-Wall all he likes, but he’s still just another old black crow who flew down from the Shadow Tower. He’s never tasted winter. I was born up there, child, like my mother and her mother before her and her mother before her, born of the Free Folk. We remember.† Osha stood, her chains rattling together. â€Å"I tried to tell your lordling brother. Only yesterday, when I saw him in the yard. ‘M’lord Stark,’ I called to him, respectful as you please, but he looked through me, and that sweaty oaf Greatjon Umber shoves me out of the path. So be it. I’ll wear my irons and hold my tongue. A man who won’t listen can’t hear.† â€Å"Tell me. Robb will listen to me, I know he will.† â€Å"Will he now? We’ll see. You tell him this, m’lord. You tell him he’s bound on marching the wrong way. It’s north he should be taking his swords. North, not south. You hear me?† Bran nodded. â€Å"I’ll tell him.† But that night, when they feasted in the Great Hall, Robb was not with them. He took his meal in the solar instead, with Lord Rickard and the Greatjon and the other lords bannermen, to make the final plans for the long march to come. It was left to Bran to fill his place at the head of the table, and act the host to Lord Karstark’s sons and honored friends. They were already at their places when Hodor carried Bran into the hall on his back, and knelt beside the high seat. Two of the serving men helped lift him from his basket. Bran could feel the eyes of every stranger in the hall. It had grown quiet. â€Å"My lords,† Hallis Mollen announced, â€Å"Brandon Stark, of Winterfell.† â€Å"I welcome you to our fires,† Bran said stiffly, â€Å"and offer you meat and mead in honor of our friendship.† Harrion Karstark, the oldest of Lord Rickard’s sons, bowed, and his brothers after him, yet as they settled back in their places he heard the younger two talking in low voices, over the clatter of wine cups. † . . . sooner die than live like that,† muttered one, his father’s namesake Eddard, and his brother Torrhen said likely the boy was broken inside as well as out, too craven to take his own life. Broken, Bran thought bitterly as he clutched his knife. Is that what he was now? Bran the Broken? â€Å"I don’t want to be broken,† he whispered fiercely to Maester Luwin, who’d been seated to his right. â€Å"I want to be a knight.† â€Å"There are some who call my order the knights of the mind,† Luwin replied. â€Å"You are a surpassing clever boy when you work at it, Bran. Have you ever thought that you might wear a maester’s chain? There is no limit to what you might learn.† â€Å"I want to learn magic,† Bran told him. â€Å"The crow promised that I would fly.† Maester Luwin sighed. â€Å"I can teach you history, healing, herblore. I can teach you the speech of ravens, and how to build a castle, and the way a sailor steers his ship by the stars. I can teach you to measure the days and mark the seasons, and at the Citadel in Oldtown they can teach you a thousand things more. But, Bran, no man can teach you magic.† â€Å"The children could,† Bran said. â€Å"The children of the forest.† That reminded him of the promise he had made to Osha in the godswood, so he told Luwin what she had said. The maester listened politely. â€Å"The wildling woman could give Old Nan lessons in telling tales, I think,† he said when Bran was done. â€Å"I will talk with her again if you like, but it would be best if you did not trouble your brother with this folly. He has more than enough to concern him without fretting over giants and dead men in the woods. It’s the Lannisters who hold your lord father, Bran, not the children of the forest.† He put a gentle hand on Bran’s arm. â€Å"Think on what I said, child.† And two days later, as a red dawn broke across a windswept sky, Bran found himself in the yard beneath the gatehouse, strapped atop Dancer as he said his farewells to his brother. â€Å"You are the lord in Winterfell now,† Robb told him. He was mounted on a shaggy grey stallion, his shield hung from the horse’s side; wood banded with iron, white and grey, and on it the snarling face of a direwolf. His brother wore grey chainmail over bleached leathers, sword and dagger at his waist, a fur-trimmed cloak across his shoulders. â€Å"You must take my place, as I took Father’s, until we come home.† â€Å"I know,† Bran replied miserably. He had never felt so little or alone or scared. He did not know how to be a lord. â€Å"Listen to Maester Luwin’s counsel, and take care of Rickon. Tell him that I’ll be back as soon as the fighting is done.† Rickon had refused to come down. He was up in his chamber, redeyed and defiant. â€Å"No!† he’d screamed when Bran had asked if he didn’t want to say farewell to Robb. â€Å"NO farewell!† â€Å"I told him,† Bran said. â€Å"He says no one ever comes back.† â€Å"He can’t be a baby forever. He’s a Stark, and near four.† Robb sighed. â€Å"Well, Mother will be home soon. And I’ll bring back Father, I promise.† He wheeled his courser around and trotted away. Grey Wind followed, loping beside the warhorse, lean and swift. Hallis Mollen went before them through the gate, carrying the rippling white banner of House Stark atop a high standard of grey ash. Theon Greyjoy and the Greatjon fell in on either side of Robb, and their knights formed up in a double column behind them, steel-tipped lances glinting in the sun. Uncomfortably, he remembered Osha’s words. He’s marching the wrong way, he thought. For an instant he wanted to gallop after him and shout a warning, but when Robb vanished beneath the portcullis, the moment was gone. Beyond the castle walls, a roar of sound went up. The foot soldiers and townsfolk were cheering Robb as he rode past, Bran knew; cheering for Lord Stark, for the Lord of Winterfell on his great stallion, with his cloak streaming and Grey Wind racing beside him. They would never cheer for him that way, he realized with a dull ache. He might be the lord in Winterfell while his brother and father were gone, but he was still Bran the Broken. He could not even get off his own horse, except to fall. When the distant cheers had faded to silence and the yard was empty at last, Winterfell seemed deserted and dead. Bran looked around at the faces of those who remained, women and children and old men . . . and Hodor. The huge stableboy had a lost and frightened look to his face. â€Å"Hodor?† he said sadly. â€Å"Hodor,† Bran agreed, wondering what it meant. How to cite A Game of Thrones Chapter Fifty-three, Essay examples

Disrespect of Human Rights Essay Example For Students

Disrespect of Human Rights Essay Disrespect of Human Rights Essay The American community, especially in the wake of the atrocities on September 11th, has been wholly absorbed by images broadcast on network television. Unfortunately, many issues have been fully discounted. I feel that at least one issue must be addressed to a larger extent on a national level. The violation of human rights abroad should be given more attention, especially in civil conflicts. I feel that this moral issue is central to many of the deepest interests of the American public. The loss of the United States seat on the United Nations Department of Human Rights brought some focus into this arena as journalists dismissed the removal as contradictory, unjust, and flat out ignorant. They somewhat addressed human rights concerns, but did not deal directly with any regimes. The main brunt of the argument was the United States should be allowed to come back. That debate has cooled, while the coverage of human rights has cooled even more. Publications such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International give excellent coverage of these abuses. Unfortunately, they are solely limited to their respective websites and are only occasionally referenced by national media source like CNN. Nearly everyone in America can remember at least one human rights violation in their time: Tiananmen Square, the Hutu/Tutsi massacres, or even Slobodan Milosevics ethnic cleansing in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. It seems that the whole array of human rights issues is universally overlooked, but especially by American television broadcasting companies. I feel the violence in Zimbabwe under the ruthless, power hungry Robert Mugabe must be more publicly discussed. Also, there are violations in Angola, Sierra Leone, Cuba, China, Mexico, Brazil, and even the American prison system. I feel a simple catch phrase must be remembered: Humans abroad are being massacred and do not even have some of the most fundamental rights. I concede, as Michael Ignatieff of Harvard University writes, that individualism inside America has probably shaped my views on human rights. Many Middle Eastern regimes are critical of the issue of human rights as a universal norm. However, as Ignatieff continues, human rights are still necessary worldwide to protect individuals from the abuses of group authority. As an individual, I realize that I cannot cause sweeping policy changes. I do not expect a sweeping protest as a result of increased attention nor immediate action by the Congress. Some may see my views as extremist or overly idealistic. However, I still feel it is imperative to address these concerns. I feel that paying more attention to human rights abuses and the lack of human rights in many governments, including the United States itself must be a priority. I feel it is imperative to address this issue on a national level. Not everyone is removed from the issue of human rights abuses, but I still feel that the greater part of America is inadequately aware of the basic status quo of the their fellow world citizens. Violations of human rights deserve far more than simple attention, but attention is certainly a start. A coincidental article was written by Ignatieff in the New York Times a day after I published this essay: Is the Human Rights Era Ending? Michael Knight, February 4th 2002 emailprotected Copyright 2001 MikeKnight.com All rights reserved. .

Calvin College Essay Essay Example

Calvin College Essay Essay I have a vision of what my college experience will look like. It is a montage of college scenes pulled from books, movies, and my university tours. I see guitar-accompanied picnics and Converse sneakers crunching through leaves on a sidewalk. I see countless chai lattes turning into empty cups during late night essay writing, during which I’m simply adorned in a hoodie and headphones. I see the magic bond that forms between two nervous freshmen roommates as they spontaneously belt out a song in tune with the radio. When I walked through the picturesque Calvin campus, I could truly envision myself in Converse sneakers on my way to conquer an essay with a chai latte and headphones at the ready. I don’t know whether college will look like that or not, but I hope to balance the challenges and rigors of learning, with enthusiasm and a sense of community. I hope that I will have the opportunity to love life, and show love toward others, at Calvin. I am drawn to the intimate campus and dedicated staff at Calvin College because it reminds me of the school in which I grew up. We will write a custom essay sample on Calvin College Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Calvin College Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Calvin College Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Rudolf Steiner is a small, unique school that has encouraged me to explore, pursue my passions everyday, show responsibility toward my community, and have a familial relationship with my peers. I was encouraged to appreciate music, art, travel, language, and to revel in the triumphs that are possible when a community comes together to share their gifts and talents. It is this creative spirit and sense of loyalty that I hope to bring to Calvin. I want to grow in character as well as in my academics. I want to feel inspired, and to inspire others. Film is my passion and it is my goal to capture enchanting moments, from the purity of a dance silhouetted by a melting sunset, to the quiet elegance of an artist who is surrounded by the bustle of life and yet completely alone with a sketchbook. For me, there are few things more satisfying than being able to portray to my friends the love and beauty that I see in them. I also hope to utilize skills and ideas learned in my Youth Leadership Team experience, and apply them to my Calvin experience. On my church Mission Trip, I was moved by the verse Timothy 4:12 regarding youth and behavior, which is good advice for college students. I am committed to embracing the weightlessness of my youth, while setting a strong and noble example in character. This is what I hope to continue at Calvin. I know that college will be full of challenges and that it may not match my cinematic depiction. I am confident, however, that if I keep my friends close, pursue my passions, and stay in touch with my faith, I will carve out a future that inspires me and touches others in a positive way.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Essays

Blue Cross Blue Shield Essays Blue Cross Blue Shield Essay Blue Cross Blue Shield Essay The Changing Face of Blue Cross Blue Shield Betty Bogart Kaplan University Author Note Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Betty Bogart, Student, Kaplan University, 1801 East Kimberly Road, Davenport IA 52807. The Changing Face of Blue Cross Blue Shield Since their founding as individual companies in the early 20th century, Blue Cross Blue Shield has grown to become one of the largest insurance companies in the United States. Blue Cross coverage for hospital care and Blue Shield coverage for physician visits grew to national coverage separately before merging to form the Association we know today. In 1929 Justin Ford Kimball developed a program to cover teachers for hospital treatment. It guaranteed them 21 days of hospital care for $6 dollars per year. This program was later extended to encompass other employee groups first in Dallas then nationally. The program became Blue Cross. The first Blue Cross Baby was born in a hospital in Dunham, North Carolina. This was the first birth in America to be covered by a health insurance certificate that included maternity benefits. In 1939 the American Hospital Association adopted the Blue Cross symbol for plans meeting certain requirements. The ties with the AHA were severed in 1970. In the early 20th century employers in mining and lumber camps of the Pacific Northwest developed a plan to cover employees by paying monthly fees to bureaus composed of groups of physicians. Officially the first Blue Shield Plan was implemented in California in 1939. The plan grew and was adopted by the Associated Medical Care Plan, a group of nine separate plans. Later the plan was renamed the National Association of Blue Shield Plans. Both programs grew to national coverage as the need for medical insurance continued to grow with industry. The two companies merged to form Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association in 1982. At the time the company was defined as coverage under social welfare plans and was thus tax exempt. In 1986 the tax reform act labeled the company a 501(m) organization which would be subject to federal taxation with special tax benefits under IRC 833. Following this change, BCBSA changed its policies to allow its licensees to be for-profit corporations. In 1984 the nation’s first heart transplant covered by Blue Shield Association was performed in Stanford University Hospital. This would pave the way for BCBSA to create the Blue Cross and Blue Shield National Transplant Network which would become the Blue Quality Centers for Transplant. Today it includes 60 transplant centers nationwide and covers transplants for heart, lung, kidney, pancreas, bone marrow, and stem cell. In the mid 1990’s the Balanced Budget Act added the Medicare+Choice program. This allowed beneficiaries multiple health plans to choose from. By 2000, BCBSA processed the majority of Medicare claims. These claims alone totaled over 163 billion. In 2003 over 88 million Americans were covered by BCBSA liscensees. Today 38 companies comprise the BCBSA system which provides coverage for nearly 100 million people including all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Nationwide over 95% of hospitals and over 90% of professional providers contract directly with BCBSA companies. Coverage through BCBSA now includes the largest privately underwritten health insurance contract in the world. The FEP (Federal Employment Program) covers more than 5 million federal government employees, dependants, and retirees. The world of health care is an always changing one and BCBSA is no different. From starting as two separate small programs to growing into a leader in health care and technology, this association is an excellent example of how far the industry has grown and how far we’ve advanced in this country and as humans in general. From transplant research and technology to Medicare, BCBSA continues to stay at the head of the field in all aspects. From their humble origins of trial programs, Blue Cross and Blue Shield have always been on the cutting edge of new health care and technology. As one of the largest insurance Associations in the United states, BCBSA has continued to improve the quality of health care in the United States. Advancements such as Blue Cross Blue Shield National Transplant Network and Technologies Evaluation Center have proven the companies’ drive to continually improve health care in the United States. The biggest concern I have for the future of health care would be affordability. Some families still live paycheck to paycheck barely scraping by and the spiraling cost of health care and health insurance remains out of reach for them. Veterans and elderly benefits are cut to maintain cost while leaving some unfortunates behind. Un-insured people in America was a staggering 50 million in 2010 leading most to believe that something must be done to keep health insurance and health care affordable to everyone. No one should have to suffer without a physician’s care simply due to lack of insurance. References Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association ( bcbs. com/about-the-association) Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (http://bcbsil. com/) Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Program (http://fepblue. org/) CNN Money (http://money. cnn. com/) Scott P. Serota, CEO Blue Cross and Blue Shield ( bcbs. com/about-the-association/officers/scott-serota. html)

Penology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Penology - Essay Example In a bid to understand what happens in prisons, various authors have participated in various writing. Penology was started in the early 40s with Donald Clemmer publishing the prison Community. The work elicited discussions and in 1958, Gresham Sykes published the society of captives, and lately, Ben Crewe’s The Prison Society. This paper seeks to show how the works of the last two authors confirm that prison is a place of order despite the prisoners outnumbering the guards. Adaptation is so strong that anyone who gets used to a particular habit or place will eventually start living as per the requirements of that place. According to Crewe (2009), adaptation is one of the reasons prisons have order yet the number of prisoners tend to more than the guard’s. Psychologically, the prisoners get acquainted to the regulations, and even though there is some form of resistance at the beginning, there tends to be acceptance once it is evident there is no escape route (Lubin and Schneider, 2009; Crewe and Bennett, 2012). That is to say, the prisoners might at first have self-denial on the reality of the prison, as time goes by it becomes apparent that they will not leave until the right time. Consequently, the psychological change occurs causing the prisoners to accept the fate, leading to observing the rules of the facility (Chantraine, 2004; Lerman, 2013). Similarly, Sykes (2007) noted that when the prisoners adapt to the situation, a relationship and interaction starts. For instance, prisoners are often released to carry out various activities including exercising in the yard, watching television, attend religious activities among others, and these activities help in bonding a relationship with the guards. The result sees the prisoners find no reason warranting an escape, and this helps them adopt the prison as another home. Ricciardelli (2014) who noted that once the prisoners accept the prison as another home, there lacks a need to seek an escape

HOLLYWOOD MELODRAMA IN EUROPEAN FILMS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HOLLYWOOD MELODRAMA IN EUROPEAN FILMS - Essay Example After 1960, European cinema took itself to a new level by addressing to new and better class audiences. It also started deviating from the paradigm set by Hollywood regarding classical narrative cinemas. Melodrama first appeared in Hollywood during the era of pre- Hollywood silent cinema. During those times, it was equated with the subcategory of ‘woman’s film’ which invited female criticism on women’s ‘subaltern’ status. During the decade from 1970- 1980, European cinematic discourse took a different turn. It paved the way for â€Å"revalorization of the affective†. Through her works, Linda Williams led the way. This new way required placing of emotions in a broad category. She is also credited for taking the melodramatic genre beyond family melodramas or women – centric stories. As compared to European movies, the melodramatic movies of Hollywood contained â€Å"semiotic, psychoanalytic or ideological structures†. Melodra matic movies, in opinion of (LANDY, 1991, p. 19- 20) carried different interpretations. Groups supporting different film movements differ in opinions. In most parts of the Western Europe, as well as in Hollywood, realist melodramatic movie gained popularity. Society and social issues were the chief subjects of these movies. Melodrama, as a theatrical genre of Hollywood emphasizes more on subjectivity of emotions over social commentary. Everything related to emotions is externalized and presented in form of gestures (Deleuze and the cinemas of performance: powers of affection, 2008, p. 71). Music has played one of the most important roles when it comes to theatrical melodramas of nineteenth century. This tradition has remained unchanged even in twenty -first century. Thus, present day melodramatic movies bear subtle impression of traditional functions and conventions of music (Reay, 2004, p. 6). Conventions of Hollywood melodrama In European movies Since 1920, European cinema has set for an enterprise to have an individual identity and disassociate itself from Hollywood. Though the goal was achieved to a certain degree by countries like Germany, France and Italy, European cinema could never come out fully from Hollywood domains (Dyer and Vincendeau, 1992, p. 8). Chief notions of melodramas in Hollywood are- art is primarily used for criticism, domestic tragedy is a sub- genre of melodrama, virtuous characters suffer throughout the discourse it s worth noticing that, degree or possibility of suffering does not depend on person’s nature. Also, absolute happiness portrayed through characters are not practical in certain cases as in real life sufferings are inevitable. Lastly, the main character represents the entire population having similar problem. He or she stands for a whole mass seeking to change the course of actions or an entire system. Before ceasing its existence, melodrama in European film was deeply influenced by generic iconographies of Hollywoo d. General subject matters, perceived from a broader point of view were considered for producing melodramas. Hollywood’s influence could then be felt in European cinemas as the producers and directors made use of conventional Hollywood devices like â€Å"peplum files, historical swashbucklers, biblical epics and exotic adventure. All these were modifies and conditioned according to

Revolution in Military Affairs

Revolution in Military Affairs CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"The Ultimate Determinant in War is the Man on the Scene with the Gun.† Rear Admiral J. C. Wylie, USN. 1. The notion of military revolutions grew from Soviet writing of the 1970s and 1980s. Early studies talked of a Military Technical Revolution (MTR), which is the impact of a new technology on warfare, but this quickly evolved into the more holistic concept of â€Å"Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA)†, which encompasses the subsequent transformation of operations and organization. Most analysts define a RMA as a discontinuous increase in military capability and effectiveness arising from simultaneous and mutually supportive change in technology, systems, operational methods, and military organizations†[1]. Another definition is, RMA â€Å"is a major change in the nature of warfare brought about by the innovative application of new technologies which, combined with dramatic changes in military doctrine, operational and organizational concepts, fundamentally alters the character and conduct of military operations†[2]. 2. A revolution in military affairs involves big changes that occur relatively quickly and which tend to spread beyond the profession of arms into the realm of foreign policy. Historical examples include the onset of the telegraph and the rail-road in the last century, the changes surrounding in direct artillery fire, motor vehicles (including tanks), and aircraft in the first half of this century, and the advent of nuclear weapons nearly one half century ago. Now, the information revolution has paved the way for the present revolutionary transformations in warfare[3]. 3. Famous futurists like Alvin Toffler and Heidi Toffler have quoted that, â€Å"a military revolution, in its fullest scene, occurs only, when an entire society transforms itself, forcing its armed forces to change at every level simultaneously from technology and culture to organization, strategy, tactics, training, doctrine and logistics†[4]. 4. However a difficulty arises in understanding the current debate over the RMA because some use the term as referring to the revolutionary technology itself that is driving change, while others use the term as referring to revolutionary adaptations by military organizations that may be necessary to deal with the changes in technology or the geopolitical environment, and still others use the term to refer to the revolutionary impact of geopolitical or technological change on the outcome of military conflicts, with specific reference to the political and economic context of globalisation , regardless of the nature of the particular technology or the reaction of the participants to the technological change[5]. The difference in terms of reference leads to different suggested alternatives. 5. The first perspective focuses primarily upon changes in the nation-state and the role of an organised military in using force. This approach highlights the political, social, and economic factors worldwide, which might require a completely different type of military and organisational structure to apply force in the future. Authors such as RANDs Sean J. A. Edwards (advocate of Battle Swarm tactics), Carl H. Builder and Lt. Col. Ralph Peters emphasized the decline of the nation-state, the nature of the emerging international order, and the different types of forces needed in the near future. 6. The second perspective most commonly assigned the term RMA highlights the evolution of weapons technology, information technology, military organization, and military doctrine among advanced powers. This System of Systems perspective on RMA has been ardently supported by Admiral William Owens[6], former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who identified three overlapping areas for force assets. These are intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, command, control, communications and intelligence processing, and precision force to enable Dominant Battlefield Knowledge (DBK). Advanced versions of RMA incorporate other sophisticated technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), nanotechnology, robotics, and biotechnology. Presently the RMA debate is focussed on network-centric warfare which is a doctrine that aims to connect all troops on the battlefield. 7. Finally, the third concept is that a true revolution in military affairs has not yet occurred or is unlikely to. Authors such as Michael OHanlon and Frederick Kagan, point to the fact much of the technology and weapon systems ascribed to the contemporary RMA were in development long before 1991 and the flashy Internet and information technology boom. Several critics point out that a revolution within the military ranks might carry detrimental consequences, produce severe economic strain, and ultimately prove counterproductive. Such authors tend to profess a much more gradual evolution in military affairs, as opposed a rapid revolution†. 8. Moreover there is also considerable disagreement over the causes[7], the conditions that are necessary for them to occur, their consequences for warfare and the international system more broadly and, of course, over whether a particular development does or does not qualify for the label. Where one draws the line for what counts as an RMA will depend on the restrictiveness or permissiveness of ones definition of the concept. 9. Whatever the interpretation is, an RMA should fundamentally affect strategy and the role of the military in the international system, leading to a qualitative shift in what war is and how it is conducted. It should be a period of great acceleration of change that has far greater consequences than routine revolution, and which therefore demands specific attention. 10. But what is essential is that the ramifications of the RMA need to be understood not only by military officers but also by strategy planners, both military and civil. The military has to contend with information and space warfare, in addition to land, sea and air. The strategy planners, on the other hand, have to consider the economic, political, military and information aspects in their policy and decision making. CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY 1. A few of the types of RMAs of importance in the yesteryears and presently in vogue today include combined- system RMAs (a collection of military systems put together in new ways to achieve a revolutionary effect), single-system RMA (single technology, nuclear fission/ fusion, drove the revolution) and an† integrated-system RMA† (various systems, when joined with their accompanying operational and organizational concepts, will become integrated systems). 2. RMAs have risen from various sources, with manybut not allof them technological. Societal change has also contributed to a military revolution during the wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, in which the levee en masse allowed for the creation of larger, national armies. Statement of the Problem 3. To study the likely impact of embracing the ongoing information driven RMA on organizational structure, doctrinal precepts, tactical technological developments and the changes necessitated for effective implementation of this RMA. The lessons learnt by the US Army in this regard will serve as a useful guide. Justification 4. The description of the revolution in military affairs is neither definitive nor conclusive. The discussion is intended primarily to stimulate thinking in unique and more meaningful ways about how warfare in the twenty-first century may be fundamentally different than it is today and, of equal importance, evaluating what we should be doing now to prepare ourselves for that eventuality. 5. A number of changes must occur if any military is going to compete successfully on the battlefields of the future. There must be a change in outlook i.e. change in the way about preparing for the future. The military must nurture an attitude that supports free thinking and accepts honest mistakes, encourages experimentation, rewards risk takers, and makes provisions for starting over. As an organization, the military must break out of the box, consider alternative futures, think the unthinkable and let go of the conventional modes of operation. Statement of Objectives 6. While all concepts proposed by RMA analysts may be relevant, the issue needs deliberation in a more professional manner. That includes even the US by their own admission. The understanding of the various ramifications of RMA by the strategy planners as well as military officers would lead to certain questions: (a) What does RMA mean in the Indian context and what are its practical implications? (b) With RMA powered by the recent explosion in IT and keeping in mind our strength in this field how far ahead can we go and achieve the much-touted concepts of RMA? (c) What national posture do we need to adopt how should our national doctrine be formulated on RMA to include the three services, bureaucrats and other agencies responsible for national security? (d) Is reorganisation of the armed forces essential so as to respond and adapt to the organisational challenge posed by the emergence of Information Technology? Would it really meet the desired effect of flattening the organisation and shortening the various channels of command? (e) What should the pace of conduct of customised training for the Indian Armed Forces in the field of information warfare and operations be? Scope 7. The scope of this dissertation shall be limited to the impact of IT on RMA and changes required in view of the variance in views regarding RMA. The various implications on the Indian Armed Forces especially the army shall be analysed in detail to include various imperatives in the strategic, operational, tactical, administrative, organisational and training realms. Hypothesis 8. The present ongoing RMA has been ushered in by Information Technology. However there are varied views of analysists regarding the changes that would be necessitated for effectively embracing this RMA. This coupled with fixed mindsets has led to problems in effectively embracing the current RMA. In analyzing the changes required in the Indian context lessons can be drawn from the processes employed by the US Army, the first force to take steps in this direction. Limitations of the Research 9. An in-depth research on the subject would need face-to-face interaction with the various authorities in charge of national security i.e. the Armed Forces, bureaucrats, police, paramilitary and intelligence agencies. Owing to constraints limited information has been gained through seminars and discussions. Compulsions of confidentiality have also limited the depth of research. Methods of Data Collection 10. Most of the material has been collected primarily through secondary sources, i.e. various books, periodicals and magazines from the DSSC Library. Tertiary sources like various journals and reviews have also been referred to. Bibliography is attached as appendix. The other major source has been the Internet with the sites accessed listed at the end of bibliography. Organisation of the Dissertation 11. This study has been organised into a number of chapters as under:- (a) Chapter I Introduction. In Chapter I, the importance of understanding the various connotations of RMA has been brought out. (b) Chapter II Methodology. It covers the Statement of the Problem, Scope and Methodology of carrying out research for the dissertation. (c) Chapter III Current RMA Its Impact. This chapter covers the facets on which the current RMA is premised. (d) Chapter IV An Overview of Enablers Required for Initiating/ Implementing RMA. This chapter covers the imperatives for implementing RMA. (e) Chapter V Impact of RMA, Problems Caused Changes Required in Organisational Structure. (f) Chapter V I- Impact of RMA, Problems Caused Changes Required in Technological, Tactical Doctrinal Aspects. (g) Chapter VII- Impact of RMA, Problems Caused Changes Required in Training Aspects. (h) Chapter VIII- Case Study on Implementation of Current RMA by US. (j) Chapter IX- Relevance to India. (k) Chapter X- Conclusion (l) Bibliography. CHAPTER III CURRENT RMA ITS IMPACT 1. The current RMA includes the new tools and processes of waging war like Information Warfare (IW), Network Centric Warfare (NCW), Integrated Command and Control (C4ISR), System of Systems, all powered by IT[8]. The status of information has been raised from being raw material for intelligence to a level where it is now accepted as a tool, or even a new medium for war fighting. Information superiority has led to attainment of decision superiority. The lethality of information power is like any other power. Op Iraqi Freedom launched on 19 March 2003 was a major success essentially due to receipt of information in a short time frame. Establishing information dominance over ones adversary will become a major focus of the operational art[9] in the future. 2. The United States has led and maintains a significant advantage in the development of information- based technologies. This advantage is well grounded in U.S. military capabilities[10]. The roots of the U.S. militarys information-based RMA have been decades in the making. As information-based technologies and capabilities continue to mature, they have become much less expensive, and by their very nature, can be rapidly incorporated by other military forces to enhance their capabilities. 3. Information superiority consists of the integration of offensive and defensive information operations. Improved intelligence collection and assessment, as well as modern information processing and command and control capabilities, are at the heart of the current RMA[11]. With such enhanced capabilities nations will be able to respond rapidly to any conflict. Forces will achieve a state of information superiority, in near real-time, which will be pervasive across the full spectrum of military operations, enabling the force commander to dominate any situation. Velocity of battles would be speeded up causing a collapse of enemys command and control structures causing a rout essentially due to shortening of own OODA loop[12]. 4. The capabilities of the present RMA have yielded transformation of weapon systems, military organizations and operations through the integration of Information Technologies. When information technologies are integrated into a coherent system that includes modern weapon systems operated by highly trained personnel, they provide force multipliers to military formations[13], allowing them to perform more complex manoeuvres, to fire accurately at longer range and to experience a higher degree of situational awareness compared to their opponents. Information warfare can be anything from striking headquarters or communications systems with conventional weapons, hacking computer systems, conducting propaganda and psychological operations, or even to committing atrocities to instill panic in the enemys population. Dynamics of the Current RMA. 5. The current RMA is driven by three primary factors[14] i.e. rapid technological advance compelling a shift from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, the end of the Cold War and a decline in defence budgets. The transition is forcing a change in the way the military services are organized, how they are supplied, how they procure weapons and how they are managed, and, most importantly, how they think and fight. The extent to which the U S Armed Forces have accepted these changes, however, has been remarkable, particularly given that the draw downs, relocations, reorganizations and other fundamental alterations to the way they operate began immediately following a victory of immense proportions in the Gulf War; a victory which confirmed the tremendous progress made in rebuilding the services, especially the Army, after the Vietnam War. The Army is not only restructuring as it downsizes, it also is changing the very way it thinks about war. 6. The development of computers, satellites, and imagery has been occurring at an astounding rate, and there is no indication that this will slow down in the foreseeable future. The inference is that the future military will expand the ability to collect, evaluate and disseminate information relevant to the battlefield at a rate far greater than now. According to Libicki, future precision strike capabilities will mean that, to be seen on the battlefield is to be killed†. 7. Gen Shalikashral of the US Army realising the current RMAs importance gave the concept of â€Å"Joint Force 2010†[15]. This concept is basically aimed at giving a frame work for the application of RMA by US forces by 2010 to achieve â€Å"Full Spectrum Dominance† or total dominance. This concept is based on four pillars:- (a) Dominant Manoeuvre. It implies an operation from various dispersed points all focusing on one target. Dominating manoeuvre will deploy the right forces at the right time and place to cause the enemys psychological collapse and complete capitulation. (b) Precision Engagement. This means the engagement of the target with extreme precision by PGMs from land or sea platforms. For this accurate data collection about the target is very important to make the engagement effective. (c) Full Dimensional Protection. This is the ability to protect the forces including plans from any damage. This enhances the scope of what has to be protected. (d) Focussed Logistics. It means reducing the logistic load to only the essential requirement in shortest possible time, at the fastest speed and in the correct quantity. The RMA also enables to calculate precisely what is required, how much is required and where required. 8. The current rate of change suggests that state of the art in any technological context will be an extremely short-lived phenomenon[16], particularly with respect to the technologies that were key to the success of Desert Storm including space systems, telecommunications systems, computer architectures, global information distribution networks, and navigation systems. Future revolutions will occur much more rapidly, offering far less time for adaptation to new methods of warfare. The growing imperative in the business world for rapid response to changing conditions in order to survive in an intensely competitive environment is surely instructive for military affairs. Corporations repeatedly have to make major changes in strategy to accommodate the full implications of technologies, which have already existed many years. 9. Exploiting the Information Age. The armed forces must develop the essential competences in personnel to exploit new technologies and systems to the full and to ensure that leaders have the right skills to deliver and integrate information projects successfully. To help meet these requirements, there is a need to develop information age skills for everyone joining the armed forces. Efforts should also be made to increase opportunities [17] for personnel already serving besides increasing IT awareness training during initial training. 10. Many analysts agree on one important fact that the current revolution in military affairs seems to have at least two stages[18]. In the drive to limit military casualties, stand-off platforms, stealth, precision, information dominance, and missile defence are the first stage. The second may be robotics, nonlethality, pyschotechnology, and elaborate cyber defence. The revolution in military affairs may see the transition from concern with centres of gravity to a less mechanistic and more sophisticated notion of interlinked systems. 11. The armed forces no longer have to request scientists to develop a specific technology for possible military use. Quite likely, it will be the scientists who would be chasing military planners prodding them to use technologies that can now be converted to weapons much quicker than before through computer simulation, cutting development and production cycles dramatically[19]. CHAPTER IV An Overview of Enablers Required for INITIATING/ Implementing RMA 1. An analysis gives rise to the three dimensions of the RMA required for a nation to effectively implement it. First is the conscious decision on the part of a state to acquire all or portions of what might be termed an RMA complex. Second is the ability to acquire or develop the systems that constitute RMA-type technologies. Last, and perhaps most important, is the ability, organizationally and operationally, to adapt technologies in ways that bring into being the full military potential of an RMA. 2. Even though the revolution in military affairs has attracted some brilliant thinkers, systematic strategic discourse remains rare. Except for Andrew Krepinevich[20] and Jeffrey Cooper, few writers have attempted to place the current RMA in its broader theoretic and historic context. Moreover, the fact of change may be most dramatically manifested in combat, but historically the most profound RMAs are peacetime phenomena. Militaries are driven to innovate during peacetime by the need to make more efficient use of shrinking resources, by reacting to major changes in the security environment[21]. 3. Both the Tofflers, who identify only two historical military revolutions, and Krepinevich, who distinguishes ten since the 14th century, are suggestive of implementing RMA through major and minor revolutions in military affairs as under:- (a) Minor Revolutions. Minor revolutions in military affairs tend to be initiated by individual technological or social changes, occur in relatively short periods (less than a decade), and have their greatest direct impact on the battlefield. Minor revolutions in military affairs can be deliberately shaped and controlled. A minor revolution in military affairs driven by military applications of silicon-chip technology is already underway and the next minor revolution will be driven by robotics and psycho technology. (b) Major Revolutions[22]. Major revolutions in military affairs are the result of combined multiple technological, economic, social, cultural and/or military changes, usually occur over relatively long periods (greater that a decade), and have direct impact on strategy. Major revolutions cannot be deliberately shaped and controlled. The world is potentially at the beginning of one. 4. Enablers for revolutions in military affairs appear to follow a cyclical pattern with initial stasis followed by initiation, critical mass, consolidation, response, and return to stasis. Revolutions in military affairs can be initiated by one breakthrough power or by a group. In the modern security system, revolutions in military affairs are usually inspired by outright defeat or by a perception of inferiority or decline versus a peer or niche opponent. Revolutions in military affairs have a point of critical mass when changes in concepts, organizations, and technology meld. Once recognized, every revolutionary breakthrough generates responses. Responses to revolutions in military affairs can be symmetric or asymmetric; asymmetric responses may be more difficult to counter. 5. The greatest advantage for the breakthrough power lies in the period immediately following critical mass; thus, there may be a temptation to initiate conflict before responses can be effective. All revolutions in military affairs have a culminating point [23], at which innovation and change slow or stop, determined by the interaction between the revolutionary breakthrough and the responses, followed by a consolidation phase This may occur when leaders become satisfied with the military balance and will no longer risk radical change. It may also occur when costs of change are thought to outweigh the benefits of further expenditure. During the consolidation phase, superior training and leadership may be the only ways to achieve superior relative combat effectiveness against symmetric responses. 6. At times, a single state can initiate revolution by recognizing how to effectively combine various evolutionary developments, new ideas, and technology. Napoleonic France and the Mongols of Genghis Khan were examples of single state breakthroughs. At other times, there can be a collective breakthrough as when the European powers of the mid-19th to early 20th centuries combined industrialization, railroads, improved metallurgy and explosives, the telegraph, barbed wire, concrete, improved methods of government funding, nationalism, breech loading, rifled artillery and small arms, steam-driven, armoured ships, internal combustion engines, radio, increased literacy and public health, improved explosives, and the machine gun. 7. Always, though, the essence of the revolution is not the invention of new technology, but discovery of innovative ways to organize, operate, and employ new technology. Revolutions in military affairs begin when the potential latent in technological, conceptual, political, economic, social, and organizational changes that have occurred or are occurring is recognized and converted to augment combat effectiveness. In pre-modern, heterogeneous security systems, revolution was often initiated by states outside the system or on its periphery. Sometimes their advantage accrued from superior morale, training, organization, leadership, strategy, or tactics. 8. In the modern, communications-intensive security system, revolutions in military affairs have most frequently been initiated by a state within the system[24]. This is because fundamental change of any kind is difficult, even frightening; those who unleash revolution never know exactly where it will take them. Uncertainty as to the eventual outcome means that political and military leaders satisfied with their states security situation will seldom run the risks of revolution. Usually, then, only real or imagined danger can provide the spark. 9. Initiation of a revolution requires revolutionaries. RMAs are led by armed forces that tolerate and, at the appropriate time, empower visionaries. The decision to do this is a vital juncture in military revolutions. In the past, only a peer competitor could offer enough of a threat to empower military visionaries and dispel the miasma of inertia and petrified thinking. This may be changing. The military role in implementing innovative ideas is crucial. As one observer noted, â€Å"many important wartime technical innovations such as the tank, proximity fuse, and microwave radar, and organizational innovations such as new doctrines for submarine warfare and strategic targeting functions for American bombers, were pursued at the initiative of military officers or with their vigorous support.† What may be key to â€Å"winning the innovation battle† is a professional military climate, which fosters thinking in unconstrained fashion about future war. The other critical re quirement is the ability and willingness of relatively junior officers who are now out in the field and fleet to think about the future. They are likely to be in closer touch with new and emerging technologies, which have potential military application. As operators, they are aware of the operational and organizational problems that they must deal with daily and hence are prime clients for possible solutions[25]. Further, an offensive concept is vital for the implementation of RMA. 10. The most successful revolutionary states turn military advantage into economic and political dominance, but the transition is difficult. Being the first to understand or implement a RMA does not guarantee even military victory. A breakthrough state or coalition which clearly understands the RMA but which fails to develop an appropriate, balanced, strategy can-and usually will-lose to a state or coalition, which lags in understanding but possesses superior strategic prowess[26]. History is littered with breakthrough military states which ultimately failed, whether those of Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, or Imperial and Nazi Germany. 11. The course of the current RMA is not preordained. Key policy decisions made now will both affect the pace of revolution and the shape of the 21st century force that emerges from it. Perhaps the most fundamental choice of all concerns the enthusiasm with which developed nations should pursue the current minor RMA and the extent to which it should shape force development. Often this is not even considered due to the traditional approach to technology. Technology is respected, almost deified. There are sound historical reasons for this. During its formative period, many nations suffered from chronic shortages of skilled labour, thus forcing reliance on labour-saving technology. Eli Whitney, Robert Fulton, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and thousands of other entrepreneurs and inventors harnessed technology in the name of efficiency. Reflecting this legacy, many nations have often evinced an unreflective trust in the ultimate benefit of technology. However, a reasonable case can be made that too vigorous pursuit of the current minor RMA is undesirable or dangerous, that the costs and risks outweigh the expected benefits. Budget constraints and the changing nature of global presence provide the broad context within which redesign of any military will unfold. However, it is to the technological factor, in the present era that basic judgments about force structure changes are attributed to[27]. 12. The utility of the current RMA[28], with its stress on precision, standoff strikes, falls off dramatically toward the poles of the military/technology spectrum. Opponents at the low end of the spectrum tend to operate in widely dispersed fashion and emit a limited electronic signature, thus complicating targeting. Their organization is often cellular, making decapitation difficult. If they are insurgents, they intermingle with the population. It is also important for successful implementation of RMA, the organizational enabler i.e. all important commanders, must be ingrained in military doctrine and practice failing which the RMA is not guaranteed to take hold throughout todays defense organizations. Second, unless the rational basis for the strategy is translated into an overarching vision, the RMA faces obstacles in the form of powerful, change-resistant bureaucratic forces[29]. 13. Enablers for RMA [30] need to be constantly viewed under the effect of the following:- (a) The political context. This is the breeding ground of war, and hence warfare. (b) The strategic context. The strategic context expresses the relationship between political demand and military supply, keyed to the particular tasks specific to a conflict. (c) The social-cultural context. Social-cultural trends are likely to prove more revealing at an early stage of the prospects for revolutionary change in warfare than missile tests, defense contracts, military maneuvers, or even, possibly, and some limited demonstration of a novel prowess in combat. (d) The economic context. Though wars are rarely waged for economic reasons, warfare is economic behaviour, interalia, just as it is, and has to be, logistical behaviour also. (e) The technological context. Warfare always has a technological context, but that context is not always the principal fuel for revolutionary change. (f) The geographical context. Military revolution keyed to the emerging exploitation of a new geographical environment has beckoned both the visionary theorist and the bold military professional. Imperatives for Effective Implementation of RMA[31] 14. Certain desirable features for implementation of RMA are:- (a) Design of a RMA force structure that would effectively use technology. (b) Technological development Revolution in Military Affairs Revolution in Military Affairs CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"The Ultimate Determinant in War is the Man on the Scene with the Gun.† Rear Admiral J. C. Wylie, USN. 1. The notion of military revolutions grew from Soviet writing of the 1970s and 1980s. Early studies talked of a Military Technical Revolution (MTR), which is the impact of a new technology on warfare, but this quickly evolved into the more holistic concept of â€Å"Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA)†, which encompasses the subsequent transformation of operations and organization. Most analysts define a RMA as a discontinuous increase in military capability and effectiveness arising from simultaneous and mutually supportive change in technology, systems, operational methods, and military organizations†[1]. Another definition is, RMA â€Å"is a major change in the nature of warfare brought about by the innovative application of new technologies which, combined with dramatic changes in military doctrine, operational and organizational concepts, fundamentally alters the character and conduct of military operations†[2]. 2. A revolution in military affairs involves big changes that occur relatively quickly and which tend to spread beyond the profession of arms into the realm of foreign policy. Historical examples include the onset of the telegraph and the rail-road in the last century, the changes surrounding in direct artillery fire, motor vehicles (including tanks), and aircraft in the first half of this century, and the advent of nuclear weapons nearly one half century ago. Now, the information revolution has paved the way for the present revolutionary transformations in warfare[3]. 3. Famous futurists like Alvin Toffler and Heidi Toffler have quoted that, â€Å"a military revolution, in its fullest scene, occurs only, when an entire society transforms itself, forcing its armed forces to change at every level simultaneously from technology and culture to organization, strategy, tactics, training, doctrine and logistics†[4]. 4. However a difficulty arises in understanding the current debate over the RMA because some use the term as referring to the revolutionary technology itself that is driving change, while others use the term as referring to revolutionary adaptations by military organizations that may be necessary to deal with the changes in technology or the geopolitical environment, and still others use the term to refer to the revolutionary impact of geopolitical or technological change on the outcome of military conflicts, with specific reference to the political and economic context of globalisation , regardless of the nature of the particular technology or the reaction of the participants to the technological change[5]. The difference in terms of reference leads to different suggested alternatives. 5. The first perspective focuses primarily upon changes in the nation-state and the role of an organised military in using force. This approach highlights the political, social, and economic factors worldwide, which might require a completely different type of military and organisational structure to apply force in the future. Authors such as RANDs Sean J. A. Edwards (advocate of Battle Swarm tactics), Carl H. Builder and Lt. Col. Ralph Peters emphasized the decline of the nation-state, the nature of the emerging international order, and the different types of forces needed in the near future. 6. The second perspective most commonly assigned the term RMA highlights the evolution of weapons technology, information technology, military organization, and military doctrine among advanced powers. This System of Systems perspective on RMA has been ardently supported by Admiral William Owens[6], former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who identified three overlapping areas for force assets. These are intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, command, control, communications and intelligence processing, and precision force to enable Dominant Battlefield Knowledge (DBK). Advanced versions of RMA incorporate other sophisticated technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), nanotechnology, robotics, and biotechnology. Presently the RMA debate is focussed on network-centric warfare which is a doctrine that aims to connect all troops on the battlefield. 7. Finally, the third concept is that a true revolution in military affairs has not yet occurred or is unlikely to. Authors such as Michael OHanlon and Frederick Kagan, point to the fact much of the technology and weapon systems ascribed to the contemporary RMA were in development long before 1991 and the flashy Internet and information technology boom. Several critics point out that a revolution within the military ranks might carry detrimental consequences, produce severe economic strain, and ultimately prove counterproductive. Such authors tend to profess a much more gradual evolution in military affairs, as opposed a rapid revolution†. 8. Moreover there is also considerable disagreement over the causes[7], the conditions that are necessary for them to occur, their consequences for warfare and the international system more broadly and, of course, over whether a particular development does or does not qualify for the label. Where one draws the line for what counts as an RMA will depend on the restrictiveness or permissiveness of ones definition of the concept. 9. Whatever the interpretation is, an RMA should fundamentally affect strategy and the role of the military in the international system, leading to a qualitative shift in what war is and how it is conducted. It should be a period of great acceleration of change that has far greater consequences than routine revolution, and which therefore demands specific attention. 10. But what is essential is that the ramifications of the RMA need to be understood not only by military officers but also by strategy planners, both military and civil. The military has to contend with information and space warfare, in addition to land, sea and air. The strategy planners, on the other hand, have to consider the economic, political, military and information aspects in their policy and decision making. CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY 1. A few of the types of RMAs of importance in the yesteryears and presently in vogue today include combined- system RMAs (a collection of military systems put together in new ways to achieve a revolutionary effect), single-system RMA (single technology, nuclear fission/ fusion, drove the revolution) and an† integrated-system RMA† (various systems, when joined with their accompanying operational and organizational concepts, will become integrated systems). 2. RMAs have risen from various sources, with manybut not allof them technological. Societal change has also contributed to a military revolution during the wars of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, in which the levee en masse allowed for the creation of larger, national armies. Statement of the Problem 3. To study the likely impact of embracing the ongoing information driven RMA on organizational structure, doctrinal precepts, tactical technological developments and the changes necessitated for effective implementation of this RMA. The lessons learnt by the US Army in this regard will serve as a useful guide. Justification 4. The description of the revolution in military affairs is neither definitive nor conclusive. The discussion is intended primarily to stimulate thinking in unique and more meaningful ways about how warfare in the twenty-first century may be fundamentally different than it is today and, of equal importance, evaluating what we should be doing now to prepare ourselves for that eventuality. 5. A number of changes must occur if any military is going to compete successfully on the battlefields of the future. There must be a change in outlook i.e. change in the way about preparing for the future. The military must nurture an attitude that supports free thinking and accepts honest mistakes, encourages experimentation, rewards risk takers, and makes provisions for starting over. As an organization, the military must break out of the box, consider alternative futures, think the unthinkable and let go of the conventional modes of operation. Statement of Objectives 6. While all concepts proposed by RMA analysts may be relevant, the issue needs deliberation in a more professional manner. That includes even the US by their own admission. The understanding of the various ramifications of RMA by the strategy planners as well as military officers would lead to certain questions: (a) What does RMA mean in the Indian context and what are its practical implications? (b) With RMA powered by the recent explosion in IT and keeping in mind our strength in this field how far ahead can we go and achieve the much-touted concepts of RMA? (c) What national posture do we need to adopt how should our national doctrine be formulated on RMA to include the three services, bureaucrats and other agencies responsible for national security? (d) Is reorganisation of the armed forces essential so as to respond and adapt to the organisational challenge posed by the emergence of Information Technology? Would it really meet the desired effect of flattening the organisation and shortening the various channels of command? (e) What should the pace of conduct of customised training for the Indian Armed Forces in the field of information warfare and operations be? Scope 7. The scope of this dissertation shall be limited to the impact of IT on RMA and changes required in view of the variance in views regarding RMA. The various implications on the Indian Armed Forces especially the army shall be analysed in detail to include various imperatives in the strategic, operational, tactical, administrative, organisational and training realms. Hypothesis 8. The present ongoing RMA has been ushered in by Information Technology. However there are varied views of analysists regarding the changes that would be necessitated for effectively embracing this RMA. This coupled with fixed mindsets has led to problems in effectively embracing the current RMA. In analyzing the changes required in the Indian context lessons can be drawn from the processes employed by the US Army, the first force to take steps in this direction. Limitations of the Research 9. An in-depth research on the subject would need face-to-face interaction with the various authorities in charge of national security i.e. the Armed Forces, bureaucrats, police, paramilitary and intelligence agencies. Owing to constraints limited information has been gained through seminars and discussions. Compulsions of confidentiality have also limited the depth of research. Methods of Data Collection 10. Most of the material has been collected primarily through secondary sources, i.e. various books, periodicals and magazines from the DSSC Library. Tertiary sources like various journals and reviews have also been referred to. Bibliography is attached as appendix. The other major source has been the Internet with the sites accessed listed at the end of bibliography. Organisation of the Dissertation 11. This study has been organised into a number of chapters as under:- (a) Chapter I Introduction. In Chapter I, the importance of understanding the various connotations of RMA has been brought out. (b) Chapter II Methodology. It covers the Statement of the Problem, Scope and Methodology of carrying out research for the dissertation. (c) Chapter III Current RMA Its Impact. This chapter covers the facets on which the current RMA is premised. (d) Chapter IV An Overview of Enablers Required for Initiating/ Implementing RMA. This chapter covers the imperatives for implementing RMA. (e) Chapter V Impact of RMA, Problems Caused Changes Required in Organisational Structure. (f) Chapter V I- Impact of RMA, Problems Caused Changes Required in Technological, Tactical Doctrinal Aspects. (g) Chapter VII- Impact of RMA, Problems Caused Changes Required in Training Aspects. (h) Chapter VIII- Case Study on Implementation of Current RMA by US. (j) Chapter IX- Relevance to India. (k) Chapter X- Conclusion (l) Bibliography. CHAPTER III CURRENT RMA ITS IMPACT 1. The current RMA includes the new tools and processes of waging war like Information Warfare (IW), Network Centric Warfare (NCW), Integrated Command and Control (C4ISR), System of Systems, all powered by IT[8]. The status of information has been raised from being raw material for intelligence to a level where it is now accepted as a tool, or even a new medium for war fighting. Information superiority has led to attainment of decision superiority. The lethality of information power is like any other power. Op Iraqi Freedom launched on 19 March 2003 was a major success essentially due to receipt of information in a short time frame. Establishing information dominance over ones adversary will become a major focus of the operational art[9] in the future. 2. The United States has led and maintains a significant advantage in the development of information- based technologies. This advantage is well grounded in U.S. military capabilities[10]. The roots of the U.S. militarys information-based RMA have been decades in the making. As information-based technologies and capabilities continue to mature, they have become much less expensive, and by their very nature, can be rapidly incorporated by other military forces to enhance their capabilities. 3. Information superiority consists of the integration of offensive and defensive information operations. Improved intelligence collection and assessment, as well as modern information processing and command and control capabilities, are at the heart of the current RMA[11]. With such enhanced capabilities nations will be able to respond rapidly to any conflict. Forces will achieve a state of information superiority, in near real-time, which will be pervasive across the full spectrum of military operations, enabling the force commander to dominate any situation. Velocity of battles would be speeded up causing a collapse of enemys command and control structures causing a rout essentially due to shortening of own OODA loop[12]. 4. The capabilities of the present RMA have yielded transformation of weapon systems, military organizations and operations through the integration of Information Technologies. When information technologies are integrated into a coherent system that includes modern weapon systems operated by highly trained personnel, they provide force multipliers to military formations[13], allowing them to perform more complex manoeuvres, to fire accurately at longer range and to experience a higher degree of situational awareness compared to their opponents. Information warfare can be anything from striking headquarters or communications systems with conventional weapons, hacking computer systems, conducting propaganda and psychological operations, or even to committing atrocities to instill panic in the enemys population. Dynamics of the Current RMA. 5. The current RMA is driven by three primary factors[14] i.e. rapid technological advance compelling a shift from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, the end of the Cold War and a decline in defence budgets. The transition is forcing a change in the way the military services are organized, how they are supplied, how they procure weapons and how they are managed, and, most importantly, how they think and fight. The extent to which the U S Armed Forces have accepted these changes, however, has been remarkable, particularly given that the draw downs, relocations, reorganizations and other fundamental alterations to the way they operate began immediately following a victory of immense proportions in the Gulf War; a victory which confirmed the tremendous progress made in rebuilding the services, especially the Army, after the Vietnam War. The Army is not only restructuring as it downsizes, it also is changing the very way it thinks about war. 6. The development of computers, satellites, and imagery has been occurring at an astounding rate, and there is no indication that this will slow down in the foreseeable future. The inference is that the future military will expand the ability to collect, evaluate and disseminate information relevant to the battlefield at a rate far greater than now. According to Libicki, future precision strike capabilities will mean that, to be seen on the battlefield is to be killed†. 7. Gen Shalikashral of the US Army realising the current RMAs importance gave the concept of â€Å"Joint Force 2010†[15]. This concept is basically aimed at giving a frame work for the application of RMA by US forces by 2010 to achieve â€Å"Full Spectrum Dominance† or total dominance. This concept is based on four pillars:- (a) Dominant Manoeuvre. It implies an operation from various dispersed points all focusing on one target. Dominating manoeuvre will deploy the right forces at the right time and place to cause the enemys psychological collapse and complete capitulation. (b) Precision Engagement. This means the engagement of the target with extreme precision by PGMs from land or sea platforms. For this accurate data collection about the target is very important to make the engagement effective. (c) Full Dimensional Protection. This is the ability to protect the forces including plans from any damage. This enhances the scope of what has to be protected. (d) Focussed Logistics. It means reducing the logistic load to only the essential requirement in shortest possible time, at the fastest speed and in the correct quantity. The RMA also enables to calculate precisely what is required, how much is required and where required. 8. The current rate of change suggests that state of the art in any technological context will be an extremely short-lived phenomenon[16], particularly with respect to the technologies that were key to the success of Desert Storm including space systems, telecommunications systems, computer architectures, global information distribution networks, and navigation systems. Future revolutions will occur much more rapidly, offering far less time for adaptation to new methods of warfare. The growing imperative in the business world for rapid response to changing conditions in order to survive in an intensely competitive environment is surely instructive for military affairs. Corporations repeatedly have to make major changes in strategy to accommodate the full implications of technologies, which have already existed many years. 9. Exploiting the Information Age. The armed forces must develop the essential competences in personnel to exploit new technologies and systems to the full and to ensure that leaders have the right skills to deliver and integrate information projects successfully. To help meet these requirements, there is a need to develop information age skills for everyone joining the armed forces. Efforts should also be made to increase opportunities [17] for personnel already serving besides increasing IT awareness training during initial training. 10. Many analysts agree on one important fact that the current revolution in military affairs seems to have at least two stages[18]. In the drive to limit military casualties, stand-off platforms, stealth, precision, information dominance, and missile defence are the first stage. The second may be robotics, nonlethality, pyschotechnology, and elaborate cyber defence. The revolution in military affairs may see the transition from concern with centres of gravity to a less mechanistic and more sophisticated notion of interlinked systems. 11. The armed forces no longer have to request scientists to develop a specific technology for possible military use. Quite likely, it will be the scientists who would be chasing military planners prodding them to use technologies that can now be converted to weapons much quicker than before through computer simulation, cutting development and production cycles dramatically[19]. CHAPTER IV An Overview of Enablers Required for INITIATING/ Implementing RMA 1. An analysis gives rise to the three dimensions of the RMA required for a nation to effectively implement it. First is the conscious decision on the part of a state to acquire all or portions of what might be termed an RMA complex. Second is the ability to acquire or develop the systems that constitute RMA-type technologies. Last, and perhaps most important, is the ability, organizationally and operationally, to adapt technologies in ways that bring into being the full military potential of an RMA. 2. Even though the revolution in military affairs has attracted some brilliant thinkers, systematic strategic discourse remains rare. Except for Andrew Krepinevich[20] and Jeffrey Cooper, few writers have attempted to place the current RMA in its broader theoretic and historic context. Moreover, the fact of change may be most dramatically manifested in combat, but historically the most profound RMAs are peacetime phenomena. Militaries are driven to innovate during peacetime by the need to make more efficient use of shrinking resources, by reacting to major changes in the security environment[21]. 3. Both the Tofflers, who identify only two historical military revolutions, and Krepinevich, who distinguishes ten since the 14th century, are suggestive of implementing RMA through major and minor revolutions in military affairs as under:- (a) Minor Revolutions. Minor revolutions in military affairs tend to be initiated by individual technological or social changes, occur in relatively short periods (less than a decade), and have their greatest direct impact on the battlefield. Minor revolutions in military affairs can be deliberately shaped and controlled. A minor revolution in military affairs driven by military applications of silicon-chip technology is already underway and the next minor revolution will be driven by robotics and psycho technology. (b) Major Revolutions[22]. Major revolutions in military affairs are the result of combined multiple technological, economic, social, cultural and/or military changes, usually occur over relatively long periods (greater that a decade), and have direct impact on strategy. Major revolutions cannot be deliberately shaped and controlled. The world is potentially at the beginning of one. 4. Enablers for revolutions in military affairs appear to follow a cyclical pattern with initial stasis followed by initiation, critical mass, consolidation, response, and return to stasis. Revolutions in military affairs can be initiated by one breakthrough power or by a group. In the modern security system, revolutions in military affairs are usually inspired by outright defeat or by a perception of inferiority or decline versus a peer or niche opponent. Revolutions in military affairs have a point of critical mass when changes in concepts, organizations, and technology meld. Once recognized, every revolutionary breakthrough generates responses. Responses to revolutions in military affairs can be symmetric or asymmetric; asymmetric responses may be more difficult to counter. 5. The greatest advantage for the breakthrough power lies in the period immediately following critical mass; thus, there may be a temptation to initiate conflict before responses can be effective. All revolutions in military affairs have a culminating point [23], at which innovation and change slow or stop, determined by the interaction between the revolutionary breakthrough and the responses, followed by a consolidation phase This may occur when leaders become satisfied with the military balance and will no longer risk radical change. It may also occur when costs of change are thought to outweigh the benefits of further expenditure. During the consolidation phase, superior training and leadership may be the only ways to achieve superior relative combat effectiveness against symmetric responses. 6. At times, a single state can initiate revolution by recognizing how to effectively combine various evolutionary developments, new ideas, and technology. Napoleonic France and the Mongols of Genghis Khan were examples of single state breakthroughs. At other times, there can be a collective breakthrough as when the European powers of the mid-19th to early 20th centuries combined industrialization, railroads, improved metallurgy and explosives, the telegraph, barbed wire, concrete, improved methods of government funding, nationalism, breech loading, rifled artillery and small arms, steam-driven, armoured ships, internal combustion engines, radio, increased literacy and public health, improved explosives, and the machine gun. 7. Always, though, the essence of the revolution is not the invention of new technology, but discovery of innovative ways to organize, operate, and employ new technology. Revolutions in military affairs begin when the potential latent in technological, conceptual, political, economic, social, and organizational changes that have occurred or are occurring is recognized and converted to augment combat effectiveness. In pre-modern, heterogeneous security systems, revolution was often initiated by states outside the system or on its periphery. Sometimes their advantage accrued from superior morale, training, organization, leadership, strategy, or tactics. 8. In the modern, communications-intensive security system, revolutions in military affairs have most frequently been initiated by a state within the system[24]. This is because fundamental change of any kind is difficult, even frightening; those who unleash revolution never know exactly where it will take them. Uncertainty as to the eventual outcome means that political and military leaders satisfied with their states security situation will seldom run the risks of revolution. Usually, then, only real or imagined danger can provide the spark. 9. Initiation of a revolution requires revolutionaries. RMAs are led by armed forces that tolerate and, at the appropriate time, empower visionaries. The decision to do this is a vital juncture in military revolutions. In the past, only a peer competitor could offer enough of a threat to empower military visionaries and dispel the miasma of inertia and petrified thinking. This may be changing. The military role in implementing innovative ideas is crucial. As one observer noted, â€Å"many important wartime technical innovations such as the tank, proximity fuse, and microwave radar, and organizational innovations such as new doctrines for submarine warfare and strategic targeting functions for American bombers, were pursued at the initiative of military officers or with their vigorous support.† What may be key to â€Å"winning the innovation battle† is a professional military climate, which fosters thinking in unconstrained fashion about future war. The other critical re quirement is the ability and willingness of relatively junior officers who are now out in the field and fleet to think about the future. They are likely to be in closer touch with new and emerging technologies, which have potential military application. As operators, they are aware of the operational and organizational problems that they must deal with daily and hence are prime clients for possible solutions[25]. Further, an offensive concept is vital for the implementation of RMA. 10. The most successful revolutionary states turn military advantage into economic and political dominance, but the transition is difficult. Being the first to understand or implement a RMA does not guarantee even military victory. A breakthrough state or coalition which clearly understands the RMA but which fails to develop an appropriate, balanced, strategy can-and usually will-lose to a state or coalition, which lags in understanding but possesses superior strategic prowess[26]. History is littered with breakthrough military states which ultimately failed, whether those of Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, or Imperial and Nazi Germany. 11. The course of the current RMA is not preordained. Key policy decisions made now will both affect the pace of revolution and the shape of the 21st century force that emerges from it. Perhaps the most fundamental choice of all concerns the enthusiasm with which developed nations should pursue the current minor RMA and the extent to which it should shape force development. Often this is not even considered due to the traditional approach to technology. Technology is respected, almost deified. There are sound historical reasons for this. During its formative period, many nations suffered from chronic shortages of skilled labour, thus forcing reliance on labour-saving technology. Eli Whitney, Robert Fulton, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and thousands of other entrepreneurs and inventors harnessed technology in the name of efficiency. Reflecting this legacy, many nations have often evinced an unreflective trust in the ultimate benefit of technology. However, a reasonable case can be made that too vigorous pursuit of the current minor RMA is undesirable or dangerous, that the costs and risks outweigh the expected benefits. Budget constraints and the changing nature of global presence provide the broad context within which redesign of any military will unfold. However, it is to the technological factor, in the present era that basic judgments about force structure changes are attributed to[27]. 12. The utility of the current RMA[28], with its stress on precision, standoff strikes, falls off dramatically toward the poles of the military/technology spectrum. Opponents at the low end of the spectrum tend to operate in widely dispersed fashion and emit a limited electronic signature, thus complicating targeting. Their organization is often cellular, making decapitation difficult. If they are insurgents, they intermingle with the population. It is also important for successful implementation of RMA, the organizational enabler i.e. all important commanders, must be ingrained in military doctrine and practice failing which the RMA is not guaranteed to take hold throughout todays defense organizations. Second, unless the rational basis for the strategy is translated into an overarching vision, the RMA faces obstacles in the form of powerful, change-resistant bureaucratic forces[29]. 13. Enablers for RMA [30] need to be constantly viewed under the effect of the following:- (a) The political context. This is the breeding ground of war, and hence warfare. (b) The strategic context. The strategic context expresses the relationship between political demand and military supply, keyed to the particular tasks specific to a conflict. (c) The social-cultural context. Social-cultural trends are likely to prove more revealing at an early stage of the prospects for revolutionary change in warfare than missile tests, defense contracts, military maneuvers, or even, possibly, and some limited demonstration of a novel prowess in combat. (d) The economic context. Though wars are rarely waged for economic reasons, warfare is economic behaviour, interalia, just as it is, and has to be, logistical behaviour also. (e) The technological context. Warfare always has a technological context, but that context is not always the principal fuel for revolutionary change. (f) The geographical context. Military revolution keyed to the emerging exploitation of a new geographical environment has beckoned both the visionary theorist and the bold military professional. Imperatives for Effective Implementation of RMA[31] 14. Certain desirable features for implementation of RMA are:- (a) Design of a RMA force structure that would effectively use technology. (b) Technological development