U S Army

South Atlantic Conflict of 1982 U S Army

This research uses the South Atlantic conflict as a case study of land forces and an analysis of the issues of cohesion, bonding, and combat effectiveness. Based on a review of the literature and pertinent research on cohesion and combat effectiveness, the author derived a short scale that measures cohesion variables affecting combat effectiveness. This 24-item scale consists of four major categories: Societal Factors, Organizational Bonding, Vertical Bonding, and Horizontal (Peer) Bonding. Based on extensive fieldwork interviews with enlisted personnel and officers of the British forces and the Argentine Army, the author uses the model as a framework for analyzing this conflict in relation to combat effectiveness. The author found that cohesive units had more success on the battlefield and endured deprivations of climate and supply better than noncohesive units. Cohesion affects all aspects of combat effectiveness and is indeed a "force-multiplier." Implications of the 1982 South Atlantic Conflict for U. S. manpower planners are discussed.