Volume 2 l Issue 4 l July - Dec 2024
Rabdan
Academy's Impact
A glimpse into the intellectual vibrancy of
Rabdan's community
Bi-annual Newsletter l Volume 2 l Issue 4 l July - Dec 2024
I am so delighted to be given the opportunity to welcome you
to this edition of Rabdan Academy newsletter. It is indeed a
pleasure for me to see the outstanding outputs of Rabdan
Academy Faculty members to be presented in this newsletter. I
am impressed of the amount of hard work and efforts done to
make this achievement a success. This newsletter contains
research activities outputs in terms of publications and
possible patents filing which are indicators of excellent
performance. Reading through this newsletter you will discover
that sensitive areas such as Security, Safety, Defense,
Emergency preparedness and Crisis management (SSDEC)
were covered by qualitative and quantitative research
approaches.
In this edition the latest selected success stories in research
and innovation are highlighted to give readers the chance to
view Rabdan Academy research throughput. This is not the end
of our research activities deliverables, there are many others
achievements to share with you in the next near future. The
publication of this newsletter will be on periodic intervals, the
next publication will carry attractive and significant
dissemination of Rabdan Academy research performance.
We hope you enjoy this edition of our newsletter and we also
encourage you to keep in touch for the next editions.
Division Director’s
Message
Dr. Naji Mohammed Al Seiari
Division Director -
Research and Innovation &
Interim Dean of Faculty
Page 5 - 7
Defence
Policing
Emergency and Crisis
Management
Researches on
Page 5
Full article published in: Defence Studies | 2024
To read more
Dr. Ji-Jen Hwang
Associate Professor
Defense and Security Program
Rabdan Academy
This study investigates the behaviour patterns of four key roles within
Army units – policy initiators, policymakers, implementers (or
supervisors), and policy beneficiaries – during the development of new
policies, defined by the Army as those significantly diverging from
previous practices.
The research finds that when policymakers and implementers align with
initiators and adopt a policy beneficiary-centred approach throughout
planning, execution, and evaluation, there is a positive correlation with
the policy’s long-term sustainability. Conversely, when policymakers
operate within an authoritarian or hierarchical culture, focusing on the
demands of initiators rather than addressing the needs of the policy
beneficiaries, the policy outcomes often fall short. Through in-depth
interviews with senior officers and surveys of Army personnel regarding
policies that promote voluntary activities for soldiers, the study identifies
these roles and analyzes their dynamics. Statistical methods, including
T-tests, R programming (Central Limit Theorem, Monte Carlo Method),
and decision tree analysis, validate the hypotheses. The study’s findings
contribute to existing literature by offering a “gear model” centered on
policy beneficiaries, providing a practical framework for future policy
development. This model underscores the importance of considering all
roles in policy formulation to ensure effective and sustainable outcomes.
Research & Innovation
Newsletter
Volume 2 l Issue 4 - 2024
Reforming Military Organisational Culture:
An Empirical Study of the Army in Taiwan
Page 6
Full article published in: War in History | 2024
On 1 September 1940, the Italian Navy established the Command
of the Atlantic Submarine Group in Bordeaux. Between that date
and the signing of the armistice on 8 September 1943, 32 Italian
submarines sank 109 ships, amounting to a total of 593,864 tons
– representing 5.9 per cent of the successes achieved by U-boats
in the Atlantic. While Italy’s overall contribution to the Battle of the
Atlantic was peripheral, effective naval diplomacy between the two
nations bolstered the Axis naval position, complicating Allied
merchant shipping operations and causing significant, though not
decisive, losses of personnel and equipment.
The contribution of Italian submarines to the Battle of the Atlantic
may appear marginal in isolation. However, when viewed through
the lens of effective naval diplomacy and coalition warfare, their
role becomes more significant. The collaboration between the
Kriegsmarine and the Regia Marina, though imperfect, helped
sustain the Axis war effort in the Atlantic for longer than would
have otherwise been possible, complicating Allied logistics and
inflicting meaningful, though not decisive, losses.
Research & Innovation
Newsletter
Volume 2 l Issue 4 - 2024
To read more
Effective Naval Diplomacy: German–Italian
Submarine Cooperation in the Atlantic, 1939–41
Dr. Massimiliano Fiore
Assistant Professor
Homeland Security Program
Rabdan Academy
Page 7
Full article published in: Marine Policy | 2024
To read more
Dr. Ash Rossiter
Associate Professor
Defense and Security Program
Rabdan Academy
The risks associated with near total global economic reliance on the
undersea
telecommunication
cable
network
is
increasingly
acknowledged by scholars and government officials worldwide. Recent
disruptive
incidents
affecting
seabed
infrastructure—including
cables—have served only to highlight the network’s vulnerability. This
article examines how fast-paced technological developments in
uncrewed undersea vehicles (UUVs) will affect the security of this
critical infrastructure.
To that end, this research article asks what advantages this frontier
technology offers to those seeking to harm the cable network, and, from
the opposite perspective, for those concerned about protecting it. The
conclusions offered by this article will arm policymakers and other
interested parties with greater knowledge about the emerging impact of
UUVs on the security of seabed infrastructure and the undersea
telecommunication cable network more specifically.
Research & Innovation
Newsletter
Volume 2 l Issue 4 - 2024
Cable Risk and Resilience in the Age of Uncrewed
Undersea Vehicles (UUVs)
Page 8
Full article published in: International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence | 2024
Targeted killings have been a polarizing political issue since the first lethal drone strike was
conducted in 2002. In the last decade, literature has debated the merits of targeted killing in
international conflicts. There has been significant legal and ethical controversy over the conduct of
signature strikes, in which individuals are targeted for displaying behaviors or activities that are
consistent with participation in hostilities. This study examines the ethics of signature strikes from
the perspective of intelligence-based targeting, focusing on the ethical implications of targeting
individuals based on behavioral patterns.
It argues that the ethical conduct of signature strikes is contingent on the veracity of
intelligence-based models that are used to identify and validate signature behaviors. It concludes
that, although the practice of signature strikes has been mixed, signature strikes can be ethical when
robust models of participation in hostilities are used.
Research & Innovation
Newsletter
Volume 2 l Issue 4 - 2024
Signature Strike and the Ethics of Targeted Killing
Dr. Ruxandra Vlad
Assistant Professor
Homeland Security Program
Dr. John Hardy
Assistant Professor
Research Section
To read more
Page 5 - 7
Defence
Policing
Emergency and Crisis
Management
Researches on
In 2020 the Saif Bin Zayed Academy for Security & Policing Sciences in the United Arab Emirates created
a Police Virtual Training Centre, known as the Abu Dhabi Police Virtual Training Centre. Since their
inception they have internally developed more than 12 virtual reality simulations. This includes a
Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Virtual Reality (VR) Training Program. Delivered to both police
officers and civilian employees the CPR VR replicates a realistic cardiac arrest incident. The purpose of
this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this VR simulation. This is achieved by using a quantitative
survey methodology to test the knowledge acquired from two groups who received CPR training using
VR and a second who received it using traditional classroom tuition. Results are compared inferential
statistics and identified no significant difference in test outcomes, indicating the VR simulation is safe.
In addition, we surveyed both groups regarding their views and perspectives of the training environment
and we used the presence scale for virtual reality to test the degree of immersion, environmental fidelity
and for negative impacts. Correlational analysis identified a strong link between the immersive nature of
VR, and levels of engagement and realism. Negative effects of discomfort and disorientation were
strongly correlated with one another but were not linked to the level of immersion. The findings are
discussed in the context of potentially using VR to supplement or replace existing police CPR training,
and the wider considerations regarding developing VR within policing.
Volume 2 l Issue 4 - 2024
Paige Keningale
Lecturer,
Policing & Security Program
Page 10
Full article published in: Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice | 2024
Examining the effectiveness of a police developed
cardio-pulmonary resuscitation virtual reality
training program
Dr. Eric Halford
Assistant Professor
Policing & Security Program
Research & Innovation
Newsletter
To read more