Rod Thornton
Biographic Data
| ID | 3922499 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rod Thornton |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rod |
| FAMILY NAME | Thornton |
| SIGNATURE | THORNTON R |
| AFFILIATIONS | King's College London |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9566-8956 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 64 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1947 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2022 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Learning the lessons of Covid-19: Homeland resilience in the United Kingdom - is it now time for both a dedicated civil defense organization and a paramilitary force
The United Kingdom’s homeland resilience capacity is poor. The COVID-19 pandemic proved this. Back in 2019, the UK had been labeled as the best prepared country in the world for a pandemic. And yet, by 2020, and once COVID-19 had struck, the UK became “unequivocally” the hardest hit country in Europe – particularly in terms of excess mortality. In this article it is argued that the UK’s continental neighbors coped better than the UK because they …
Problems with the Kurds as proxies against Islamic State: Insights from the siege of Kobane
The siege of the northern Syrian town of Kobane was lifted in January 2015. The Kurdish defenders there had triumphed against Islamic State (IS). The conflict then moved on. It moved on, though, with the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western powers having adopted, almost by default, the Kurds as proxy fighters in this conflict. The Kurds, however, are a divided and fractious nation spread across three states and historically famous…
Russian Military Modernization: Cause, Course, and Consequences
At a time when most Western militaries are contracting and making room for budgetary cuts, the Russian military is going in the opposite direction. Anxious to make its defense capabilities more relevant to the contemporary security environment, the Russian political leadership has pushed for its military to modernize. But many substantial hurdles stand in the way
Counterterrorism and the neo-liberal university: Providing a check and balance
This article considers the relationship between counterterrorist security agencies and universities in the United Kingdom. Normally, the two would rarely come into contact. However, with recent government demand that more be done to deal with the threat of radicalisation on campuses, an increased link has developed between security agencies and universities. But when such agencies engage with universities, their activities must be challenged and …
Afghanistan: A War Zone Revisited
Organizations at War in Afghanistan and Beyond. By Abdulkader H. Sinno. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2008. 336 pp., $35.00 hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-0801446184). Sinno's excellent book is sobering. It is, in essence, an account of both the failure of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and of the likely future failure of the current US/NATO adventure in the same turbulent corner of the world. No foreign intervention, according to Sinno's …
Minimum Force’: A reply to Huw Bennett
Conclusion: The Way Forward
If this collection has shown anything, it is that today's counter-insurgency (COIN) operations are not unique; they are not simply of their time and of their place. The likes of Iraq and Afghanista
Countering Arab Insurgencies: The British Experience
The military forces of several powers, most notably those of the US and Britain, are currently engaged in counter-insurgency campaigns against Arab opponents in Iraq. Given this, and the likelihood that the Middle East will continue to be an area where Western forces will be operationally active, this article looks at what insights can be gained from an examination of past experience; that is, how British forces dealt with Arab insurgencies durin…
Getting it Wrong: The Crucial Mistakes Made in the Early Stages of the British Army's Deployment to Northern Ireland (August 1969 to March 1972)
This article considers the way in which a military force committed to a ‘stabilization’ operation can, through its own mistakes, actually make that mission much more difficult than it need be. The British Army was committed to a peace support task in Northern Ireland in 1969 but the errors made by those within its ranks went a long way in moving that task away from one of peace support to one of countering a fully fledged insurgency. Through an e…
Fourth generation: A ‘new’ form of ‘warfare’
With The Sling and the Stone Colonel Hammes has written a work that has much to commend it. He displays an understanding of a current threat to Western societies and military organizations. He puts
The British Army and the Origins of its Minimum Force Philosophy
This article considers why the British Army of today holds to the conviction that its peace support operations be conducted with an emphasis on the concept of minimum force. Evidence is presented here to show that the origins of this concept lie in two particular historical determinants: first, the moral parameters set by a religious sentiment refined through interaction with Victorian sensibilities; and, second, the pragmatic necessities of impe…
A welcome ‘revolution'? The British Army and the changes of the strategic defence review
(2003). A welcome ‘revolution'? The British Army and the changes of the strategic defence review. Defence Studies: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 38-62
The role of peace support operations doctrine in the British Army
This article examines the role of military doctrine in the post‐Cold War period, focusing on the rationale behind the British Army's production of Wider Peacekeeping. This publication was nothing if not controversial. For why should an army, traditionally chary of doctrine for combat tasks in a ‘normal’ security environment, rush into producing such a doctrine for operations that it, in any case, called ‘nothing new'? Indeed, many in the Army tre…
Cultural barriers to organisational unlearning: The US army, the ‘zero‐defects’ culture and operations in the post‐cold war world
Much intellectual effort in the post‐Cold War US Army has been put into examinations of how best to conduct MOOTW and urban warfare. One of the main problems for the Army in this respect is the fact that these operations require a good deal of initiative to be displayed by troops at the lowest command levels. This has not normally been forthcoming. There is, in the Army, a ‘zero‐defects’ culture that is stymying the necessary initiative. Only whe…
The Aircraft Commander in Commercial Air Transportation
The Aircraft Commander in Commercial Air Transportation The Aircraft Commander in Commercial Air Transportation. By M. S. Kamminga. The Hague, Martinus Nijhoff, 1953. viii+184 pp. Bibliog. Index.912′ ′×614′ ′ . Glds. 10. R. H. Thornton R. H. Thornton Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar International Affairs, Volume 30, Issue 1, January 1954, Page 76, https://doi.org/10.2307/2608443 Published: 01 January 1954
Nationalisation in Practice, the Civil Aviation Experiment
Nationalisation: Administrative problems inherent in a State‐owned enterprise
The British Army and the Origins of its Minimum Force Philosophy
This article considers why the British Army of today holds to the conviction that its peace support operations be conducted with an emphasis on the concept of minimum force. Evidence is presented here to show that the origins of this concept lie in two particular historical determinants: first, the moral parameters set by a religious sentiment refined through interaction with Victorian sensibilities; and, second, the pragmatic necessities of impe…
Minimum Force’: A reply to Huw Bennett
Getting it Wrong: The Crucial Mistakes Made in the Early Stages of the British Army's Deployment to Northern Ireland (August 1969 to March 1972)
This article considers the way in which a military force committed to a ‘stabilization’ operation can, through its own mistakes, actually make that mission much more difficult than it need be. The British Army was committed to a peace support task in Northern Ireland in 1969 but the errors made by those within its ranks went a long way in moving that task away from one of peace support to one of countering a fully fledged insurgency. Through an e…
Counterterrorism and the neo-liberal university: Providing a check and balance
This article considers the relationship between counterterrorist security agencies and universities in the United Kingdom. Normally, the two would rarely come into contact. However, with recent government demand that more be done to deal with the threat of radicalisation on campuses, an increased link has developed between security agencies and universities. But when such agencies engage with universities, their activities must be challenged and …
Russian Military Modernization: Cause, Course, and Consequences
At a time when most Western militaries are contracting and making room for budgetary cuts, the Russian military is going in the opposite direction. Anxious to make its defense capabilities more relevant to the contemporary security environment, the Russian political leadership has pushed for its military to modernize. But many substantial hurdles stand in the way
Learning the lessons of Covid-19: Homeland resilience in the United Kingdom - is it now time for both a dedicated civil defense organization and a paramilitary force
The United Kingdom’s homeland resilience capacity is poor. The COVID-19 pandemic proved this. Back in 2019, the UK had been labeled as the best prepared country in the world for a pandemic. And yet, by 2020, and once COVID-19 had struck, the UK became “unequivocally” the hardest hit country in Europe – particularly in terms of excess mortality. In this article it is argued that the UK’s continental neighbors coped better than the UK because they …
Problems with the Kurds as proxies against Islamic State: Insights from the siege of Kobane
The siege of the northern Syrian town of Kobane was lifted in January 2015. The Kurdish defenders there had triumphed against Islamic State (IS). The conflict then moved on. It moved on, though, with the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western powers having adopted, almost by default, the Kurds as proxy fighters in this conflict. The Kurds, however, are a divided and fractious nation spread across three states and historically famous…
The role of peace support operations doctrine in the British Army
This article examines the role of military doctrine in the post‐Cold War period, focusing on the rationale behind the British Army's production of Wider Peacekeeping. This publication was nothing if not controversial. For why should an army, traditionally chary of doctrine for combat tasks in a ‘normal’ security environment, rush into producing such a doctrine for operations that it, in any case, called ‘nothing new'? Indeed, many in the Army tre…
Countering Arab Insurgencies: The British Experience
The military forces of several powers, most notably those of the US and Britain, are currently engaged in counter-insurgency campaigns against Arab opponents in Iraq. Given this, and the likelihood that the Middle East will continue to be an area where Western forces will be operationally active, this article looks at what insights can be gained from an examination of past experience; that is, how British forces dealt with Arab insurgencies durin…
Fourth generation: A ‘new’ form of ‘warfare’
With The Sling and the Stone Colonel Hammes has written a work that has much to commend it. He displays an understanding of a current threat to Western societies and military organizations. He puts
A welcome ‘revolution'? The British Army and the changes of the strategic defence review
(2003). A welcome ‘revolution'? The British Army and the changes of the strategic defence review. Defence Studies: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 38-62
Cultural barriers to organisational unlearning: The US army, the ‘zero‐defects’ culture and operations in the post‐cold war world
Much intellectual effort in the post‐Cold War US Army has been put into examinations of how best to conduct MOOTW and urban warfare. One of the main problems for the Army in this respect is the fact that these operations require a good deal of initiative to be displayed by troops at the lowest command levels. This has not normally been forthcoming. There is, in the Army, a ‘zero‐defects’ culture that is stymying the necessary initiative. Only whe…
Nationalisation: Administrative problems inherent in a State‐owned enterprise
Nationalisation: Administrative problems inherent in a State‐owned enterprise
Nationalisation in Practice, the Civil Aviation Experiment
The Aircraft Commander in Commercial Air Transportation
The Aircraft Commander in Commercial Air Transportation The Aircraft Commander in Commercial Air Transportation. By M. S. Kamminga. The Hague, Martinus Nijhoff, 1953. viii+184 pp. Bibliog. Index.912′ ′×614′ ′ . Glds. 10. R. H. Thornton R. H. Thornton Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar International Affairs, Volume 30, Issue 1, January 1954, Page 76, https://doi.org/10.2307/2608443 Published: 01 January 1954
The role of peace support operations doctrine in the British Army
This article examines the role of military doctrine in the post‐Cold War period, focusing on the rationale behind the British Army's production of Wider Peacekeeping. This publication was nothing if not controversial. For why should an army, traditionally chary of doctrine for combat tasks in a ‘normal’ security environment, rush into producing such a doctrine for operations that it, in any case, called ‘nothing new'? Indeed, many in the Army tre…
Cultural barriers to organisational unlearning: The US army, the ‘zero‐defects’ culture and operations in the post‐cold war world
Much intellectual effort in the post‐Cold War US Army has been put into examinations of how best to conduct MOOTW and urban warfare. One of the main problems for the Army in this respect is the fact that these operations require a good deal of initiative to be displayed by troops at the lowest command levels. This has not normally been forthcoming. There is, in the Army, a ‘zero‐defects’ culture that is stymying the necessary initiative. Only whe…
A welcome ‘revolution'? The British Army and the changes of the strategic defence review
(2003). A welcome ‘revolution'? The British Army and the changes of the strategic defence review. Defence Studies: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 38-62
The British Army and the Origins of its Minimum Force Philosophy
This article considers why the British Army of today holds to the conviction that its peace support operations be conducted with an emphasis on the concept of minimum force. Evidence is presented here to show that the origins of this concept lie in two particular historical determinants: first, the moral parameters set by a religious sentiment refined through interaction with Victorian sensibilities; and, second, the pragmatic necessities of impe…
Fourth generation: A ‘new’ form of ‘warfare’
With The Sling and the Stone Colonel Hammes has written a work that has much to commend it. He displays an understanding of a current threat to Western societies and military organizations. He puts
Conclusion: The Way Forward
If this collection has shown anything, it is that today's counter-insurgency (COIN) operations are not unique; they are not simply of their time and of their place. The likes of Iraq and Afghanista
Countering Arab Insurgencies: The British Experience
The military forces of several powers, most notably those of the US and Britain, are currently engaged in counter-insurgency campaigns against Arab opponents in Iraq. Given this, and the likelihood that the Middle East will continue to be an area where Western forces will be operationally active, this article looks at what insights can be gained from an examination of past experience; that is, how British forces dealt with Arab insurgencies durin…
Getting it Wrong: The Crucial Mistakes Made in the Early Stages of the British Army's Deployment to Northern Ireland (August 1969 to March 1972)
This article considers the way in which a military force committed to a ‘stabilization’ operation can, through its own mistakes, actually make that mission much more difficult than it need be. The British Army was committed to a peace support task in Northern Ireland in 1969 but the errors made by those within its ranks went a long way in moving that task away from one of peace support to one of countering a fully fledged insurgency. Through an e…
Afghanistan: A War Zone Revisited
Organizations at War in Afghanistan and Beyond. By Abdulkader H. Sinno. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2008. 336 pp., $35.00 hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-0801446184). Sinno's excellent book is sobering. It is, in essence, an account of both the failure of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and of the likely future failure of the current US/NATO adventure in the same turbulent corner of the world. No foreign intervention, according to Sinno's …
Minimum Force’: A reply to Huw Bennett
Counterterrorism and the neo-liberal university: Providing a check and balance
This article considers the relationship between counterterrorist security agencies and universities in the United Kingdom. Normally, the two would rarely come into contact. However, with recent government demand that more be done to deal with the threat of radicalisation on campuses, an increased link has developed between security agencies and universities. But when such agencies engage with universities, their activities must be challenged and …
Russian Military Modernization: Cause, Course, and Consequences
At a time when most Western militaries are contracting and making room for budgetary cuts, the Russian military is going in the opposite direction. Anxious to make its defense capabilities more relevant to the contemporary security environment, the Russian political leadership has pushed for its military to modernize. But many substantial hurdles stand in the way
Problems with the Kurds as proxies against Islamic State: Insights from the siege of Kobane
The siege of the northern Syrian town of Kobane was lifted in January 2015. The Kurdish defenders there had triumphed against Islamic State (IS). The conflict then moved on. It moved on, though, with the United States, the United Kingdom, and other Western powers having adopted, almost by default, the Kurds as proxy fighters in this conflict. The Kurds, however, are a divided and fractious nation spread across three states and historically famous…
Learning the lessons of Covid-19: Homeland resilience in the United Kingdom - is it now time for both a dedicated civil defense organization and a paramilitary force
The United Kingdom’s homeland resilience capacity is poor. The COVID-19 pandemic proved this. Back in 2019, the UK had been labeled as the best prepared country in the world for a pandemic. And yet, by 2020, and once COVID-19 had struck, the UK became “unequivocally” the hardest hit country in Europe – particularly in terms of excess mortality. In this article it is argued that the UK’s continental neighbors coped better than the UK because they …
Political science (15 works) · Law (11 works) · Law (10 works) · Military History and Strategy (10 works) · Computer Science (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · History (5 works) · Politics (5 works) · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East (5 works) · Engineering (4 works)