Military Pedagogy and the Postmodern Transformation of Soldiership'

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Military Pedagogy and the Postmodern
Transformation of Soldiership. Inquiring into the
Action Competence, Identity, and Ethics Prof,
Dr Jarmo Toiskallio Finnish National Defence
College 46th annual conference of
the International Military Testing Association
Brussels 27.10.2004
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What does the military transformation mean?
people in the military should learn to think in
new ways and to develop capabilities that make
it possible to adapt quickly and effectively to
new challenges and unexpected circumstances and
situations.
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What does the military transformation mean?

• to transform the military culture
• to transform the organizations and their
  capabilities
• to transform the capabilities of individuals

• Culture
• ways of acting
• ways of thinking
• ways of valuing
• ways of life

What do these statements mean at the
human/pedagogical level of education and
training?
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We need new theoretical constructs and
frameworks in order to deeply understand the
military transformation. Especially there seems
to be a profound need for a new thinking at the
human level of education and training.
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• Contents of my presentation
•  
• The concepts of soldiership
• (2) Military pedagogy a frame of reference and
  a definition
• (3) Postmodern situation

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• PRELIMINARY DEFINITIONS
• Soldiership
• - to be a soldier, a human being in uniform in
  the armed forces.
• Postmodern
• Our contemporary social and cultural situation
  (Information society,
• Post-industrial society, Risk society)
• Military pedagogy (MPED)
• art and science of military education and
  training
• theory of soldiership (how to understand and
  produce it)
• Action competence (as the core concept of MPED)
• capacity to be able to act, now and in the
  future, and to be
• responsible for ones action (Action
  Handlung in German language)
• not only the actions of individuals but also the
  collective
• and historically continuous action in the
  meaning of ethos and
• collective identity.

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SOLDIERSHIP
Professional skills, physical fitness, mental
capacities
Cultural, social, and political contexts
Values and identities
Person in the World
Organizational and technological structures
Who will be our future soldiers?
With what kind of identities, ethics, and motives?
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• Why MPED as a Science?
• There is an ever-lasting need to further our
  understanding
• about the relations of military education and
  training
• to
• the changing nature of societies, cultures and
  ways of life
• the changing nature of crises, wars, battles,
  and peace
• operations
• the developments of weapon systems as well as
  the
• information and communication technologies.

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MPED inquires into the philosophies, cultures,
visions, aims, methods, and technologies of
military education and training as well as the
learning and growth of people.
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Action Competence is the core construct of
MPED (1) it highlights the intentional,
conscious, personal, and experiential nature of
learning (2) as practical wisdom it is the
corner stone for situation awareness,
deliberation, self-efficacy, social coherence,
decision-making, and responsibility.
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The Ontological Frame of Reference for Action
Competence
SPIRIT (Ethical existence)
Praxis (action)
Human beig as an embodied subject
RELATIONS (Social existence)
BODY (Physical existence)
MIND (Mental existence)
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SPIRIT (Ethical existence)
Human beig as an embodied subject
RELATIONS (Social existence)
BODY (Physical existence)
MIND (Mental existence)
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ACTION COMPETENCE
Ethical
Praxis (action)
Physical
Identity
Social
Psychical
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Nature of the Future World (Crises, Wars,
Battles, PSOs)
How to define Objectives for
Learning and Growth?
Conception of Aims
How to Construct Optimal Environments
for Learning and Growth?
Self- Conception

• Who are the
• Trainees/Students?
• Where are
• They Coming
• from?
• Society
• - Culture

Conception of Humans
Conception of Methods
What are the Methods Available?
How to Develop the Action Competence of people?
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Nature of the Future World (Crises, Wars,
Battles, PSOs)
Postmodernity ?

• Who are the
• Trainees/Students?
• Where are
• They Coming
• from?
• Society
• - Culture

Conception of Humans
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Postmodern world/situation (postmodernity)
Societies and ways of life are getting
increasingly commodified, individualised,
diverse and flexible. Postmodernity is much
more about high technology and individualism than
collective participation and communal
values. People are restless sensation-seekers
and demand direct involvement. The world is
not seen as a fixed entity, but as fragmented and
dedifferentiated.
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Postmodern world/situation (postmodernity)
Societies and ways of life are getting
increasingly commodified, individualised,
diverse and flexible. Postmodernity is much
more about high technology and individualism than
collective participation and communal
values. People are restless sensation-seekers
and demand direct involvement. The world is
not seen as a fixed entity, but as fragmented and
dedifferentiated.
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• Research projects are needed
• Is there anything that connects people together
  in the contemporary
• nations? (National spirit? Strong values?)
• Can we talk any more about collective
  identities?
• Are there any common experiences that identify
  age-groups/generations?

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ACIE Research Centre for Action Competence,
Identity, and Ethics Coordinated by the
Finnish National Defence College, Department of
Education
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ACIE is a multidiciplinary network. ACIE
aims to develop the views about human beings as
agents in contexts of security and military
education and training.
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Identity, Ethics, and
Soldiership ACIE
Publications, No 1, November 2004   Preface New
Human Challenges and Possibilities of the
Military Major General (ret) Aarno
Vehviläinen, Finland   Introduction Prof, Dr
Jarmo Toiskallio   1 Responsibilities of the
Future Soldier and Military Leader How is
Military Ethics Today? Brigadier General, Dr
Edwin R. Micewski, National Defense Academy,
Austria   2 Professional Ethics for Professional
Soldiers A Philosophical Study Prof, Dr Timo
Airaksinen, University of Helsinki, Finland   3
When the Foundations of our Security are Shaken.
On the birth of neo-terrorism Prof, Dr Reijo E.
Heinonen, University of Joensuu, Finland   4
Euro-Military Identity as Core Element of
Soldierly Spirit Prof, Dr Wolfgang Royl,
Bundeswehr University Munich, Germany  
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5 Soldiership without Existence The Changing
Socio-Psychological Culture and Environment
of Military Decision-Makers Prof, Dr Aki-Mauri
Huhtinen, National Defence College, Finland   6
Action Competence Approach to the Transforming
Soldiership Prof, Dr Jarmo Toiskallio   7
Cognitive Readiness Preparing for the
Unexpected Dr J. Dexter Fletcher, Institute
of Defense Analysis, USA   8 The Bioparadigm in
Educational Laboratories Prof, Dr Mauri
Ylä-Kotola, University of Lapland, Finland Prof,
Dr Juha Suoranta, University of Joensuu,
Finland