WHY THEY FIGHT: Combat Motivation in the Iraq War

Abstract

Since World War II, studies have argued and conventional wisdom has claimed that soldiers fight for each other. Cohesion, or the bonds between soldiers, traditionally has been posited as the primary motivation for soldiers in combat. Recent studies, however, have questioned the effects of cohesion on unit performance. This monograph reviews the combat motivation literature and then analyzes findings from interviews conducted during the recent Iraq War. By examining the perspectives of Iraqi Regular Army prisoners of war, U.S. troops, and embedded media, the monograph argues that unit cohesion is indeed a primary combat motivation. The report also notes that, contrary to previous studies of U.S. soldiers, notions of freedom, democracy, and liberty were also voiced by soldiers as key factors in combat motivation. The monograph concludes that soldiers continue to fight for each other, but today's soldiers are also sophisticated enough to grasp the moral concepts of war. The report suggests that this is a result of the transformation of the Army from a fledgling all-volunteer experiment to a truly professional force.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA416596

Entities

People

  • Leonard Wong
  • Raymond A. Millen
  • Terrence M. Potter
  • Thomas A. Kolditz

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artillery
  • Civil War
  • Combat Operations
  • Department Of Defense
  • Electronic Mail
  • Employment
  • Iraqi-War
  • Management Personnel
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Prisoners Of War
  • Psychology
  • Second World War
  • Social Psychology
  • Training
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.