自信的力量
在任何战斗情况下，战略优势和更大的火力都是很方便的. But never underestimate the difference that confident soldiers can make in defeating the enemy – even against extraordinary odds.
Imagine for a second that you are part of a ground combat unit that is fighting the enemy in a forest not too far from where you are now. 当你隐藏在一个小堤坝后面时，一辆敌人的主战坦克进入了你的视野. In a split second you have to decide whether to open fire with the powerful anti-tank weapon you’re carrying or to keep your head down and do nothing.
你是做什么的??
自战争开始以来，士兵们就面临着这样或那样的情况. 他们是否应该冒险从相对安全的藏身之处冒出来，与敌人交战并消灭敌人? 或者他们应该因为害怕失败和个人危险而退缩，让机会从身边溜走?
不管是一个士兵, 一个营或一个旅, that decision to put oneself on the line and fight assertively often comes down to one key factor: confidence. 一个对训练有信心的士兵, 他的设备, 他的领导人, 而他的战友更有可能冒险与敌人交战. They will have greater faith in their combat skills – and trust in their ability to accurately 读 the situation. 因此，他们在任何情况下都更有可能成功.
同样的规则适用于整个军队. 一个国家的武装部队对自己和支持他们的组织有信心吗, 他们可以取得非凡的成果. 他们甚至可以无视胜算，以更强大的火力击败对手, 要塞:更强的战略位置或更多的军队.
反之亦然. 军队由单兵和单位组成, 没有自信的小队和团队会丢掉巨大的战略优势. 虽然这听起来可能违反直觉, trying to avoid the enemy out of fear of getting hurt can also be a fatal strategy for individual soldiers in the battlefield. 就像他们在美式橄榄球中说的，如果你退缩，你只会伤得更重.
你不必回溯战争史，就能看到行动中的信心因素. The US-led coalition that took on Iraq in the Gulf War in 1991 was significantly outnumbered in terms of troops, 坦克和火炮. 然而，他们比伊拉克反对派专业得多，训练有素得多. 这要归功于信心的结合, 聪明的战术和空中优势, 联军打败了伊拉克军队，解放了科威特.
那么，是什么因素造就了自信的士兵呢? 武装部队如何确保充分利用这一决定性因素? 以及缺乏自信会发生什么?
培训和准备
训练对于建立自信的重要性怎么强调都不为过. 在激烈的战斗中, 伴随着军火爆炸, 人们的死亡和压力, 自信的士兵会立刻回想起他们在训练中学到的东西.
Well-trained soldiers have a firm understanding of their own role in battle situations and how they need to cooperate and collaborate with their comrades. They understand that they are part of part of a hierarchy and need to take orders and to pass on information and instructions to team members.
Confident solders will have a solid grasp of strategy and will have trained extensively on each of their weapons to the point where assembly, 瞄准敌人, 而且开火是完全自动的. 这种武器的自信只来自于重复和反复的练习. 正如新兵训练营的老话所说, 你不只是训练，直到你把它做好, 你要训练到不会出错为止.
士兵们也将准备在必要时与敌人进行肉搏战. 训练的另一部分是身体健康. 准备最充分的士兵身体都很健康, 经过艰苦训练的. 而战斗经验是进入战斗前的奖励, 士兵们也可以为这种声音做好准备, 气味，视觉和压力的战斗区域通过现实模拟. 这增强了他们的自尊，让他们相信自己有能力应对真正的战斗.
真正可靠的武器
如果一个士兵不相信他的武器能可靠地发挥作用，他就不愿意使用它. 同样的道理, 一个对武器有积极体验的士兵会更愿意冒险, 主动出击，积极对抗敌人.
什么样的属性创造了这种信任? 好的武器必须要有用武之地. 一种由地面作战部队携带的无后坐力步枪系统，如 十大正规博彩网站评级的carl - gustaf®，需要重量轻，耐用，便于携带通过战场. 它需要准确和有效, 而且非常简单，炮手和副炮手可以在嘈杂的环境下操作, 紧张的环境. Another key attribute is robustness and the ability to bounce back from the knocks and scrapes common in combat.
It almost goes without saying that a weapon should operate reliably and be powerful enough to perform the required task. 坦克杀伤武器，就像我们的 NLAW系统, 应该完全能够摧毁各种主战坦克，用户可能会遇到. The user should never doubt that if he or she uses the weapon correctly it will perform the function that is designed for.
Weapons that inspire confidence typically also have the ability to ‘gracefully degrade’ and continue functioning even if some damage is sustained. 例如, 如果武器的电子瞄准具因撞击而失效, 应该有一个备用的铁瞄准具，这样用户就可以继续射击并与敌人交战.
John (JC) Knight is a retired 美国海军陆战队步兵武器官(炮手) who now serves as Saab’s business development lead for USMC 地面战斗 activities. 他比大多数人更了解对武器的信心如何影响战场上的结果.
JC tells the story of how knowing he could rely on his weapons helped turn the tide of a skirmish during active duty. “当我在阿富汗的时候, 塔利班武装伏击了一个车辆检查站，有两名特种部队人员, 一个海军陆战队员和几个阿富汗人. 我有15或16名海军陆战队员和我一起对付大约30个对手. 他们有数量上的优势，也有高地. So, what I did was roll into an adjacent cornfield with my lights blacked out until we were about 250 metres away. 他们既没听到也没看到我们来了. 我不相信我们当时拥有的火箭推进榴弹, 但我相信我的机枪. 所以，我们用6挺M20机枪和3挺M2机枪向他们开火. 交火持续了一个半小时，我们向塔利班投掷了铅弹. 最后，我们赢了. 这表明当你真正信任你的武器时，你能取得什么成就.”
“在某个战场上, 一名25岁的中尉和一名20岁的二等兵负责最后一百码的外交."
JC补充说，正确的武器可以激励普通人做出非凡的事情. “在某个战场上, 一名25岁的中尉和一名20岁的二等兵负责最后一百码的外交. 他们需要简单，易于使用，有效的工具来覆盖最后的一百码. 可靠，坚固，准确，轻便.”
正确的策略
策略对自信有多重要? 考虑一下, 罗马军队是有史以来最成功的军事力量之一. Roman soldiers were rightfully confident heading into battle thanks to being trained in sophisticated tactics that helped them consistently defeat their opponents
在经典的三列阵型中，罗马士兵排成三列前进, 在战友倒下时填补空缺. 使用“龟甲”队形, 一群罗马人会将他们的盾牌排成一排，形成一个顶部和前部都有盾牌的有盖群体. 与此同时, 楔形的结构使得罗马人可以像斧头劈木头一样劈开敌人的队伍. These sophisticated strategies filled the hearts of enemies with d读 and gave individual Roman soldiers supreme confidence heading into battle.
今天，隶属于一支懂得战略重要性的军队同样重要. Soldiers who know their superiors are clear tactical thinkers who rely on modern strategic approaches are likely to feel more confident than those who are forced to implement outdated, 无效的策略.
相信你的同志
相信自己的能力是一回事. But knowing you can depend on your brothers at arms in the heat of battle provides a whole new level of confidence. 了解同伴的士兵是有能力的, 他们的武器训练有素, and will back them up in a fire fight will operate more collaboratively and be prepared to take more risks to win the day.
“你需要相信自己, 相信你的设备, 相信你左右两侧的兄弟姐妹."
JC Knight解释道, “你需要相信自己, 相信你的设备, 相信你左右两侧的兄弟姐妹. 当你处于一种没有信任和兄弟情谊基础的情况下, 伤亡人数将会上升. You might lose soldiers because instructions weren't clear or weren’t understood and there wasn't a relationship built on trust. 你将不得不在战场上牺牲你的正直, 你会犯错误, 最终, 这导致人们受伤，甚至更糟的是死亡.”
良好的领导
即使有出色的武器和有凝聚力的团队, 如果士兵不信任他们的领导，他们就会缺乏信心. 另一方面, inspiring leaders who provide role models to those under them and who don’t ask others to do what they wouldn’t do themselves, 能提高军队的信心并取得非凡的成果吗.
第二次世界大战期间指挥美国第七军的乔治·巴顿将军就是一个很好的例子. Patton publicly argued that the most important attribute in any soldier was self-confidence and he took actions to boost the morale and self-trust of the men who served under him. 坚信“在转椅上做不出好的决定”, 巴顿经常到前线去，使自己成为敌人的靶子. 他接受了新的技术和战略，并取得了更多的成果, 在更短的时间内, 他是二战中伤亡人数最少的将军.
JC Knight评论, “如果指挥官和高级士兵愿意分担痛苦，情况就会大不一样. 如果你让列兵和中尉去巡逻, 当你看到军士长在车里和他们一起出去时，你的精神就会振奋起来. 这表明他们愿意走出去，做他们要求他们的人做的同样的事情.”
正义的事业
信心的最后一个因素是对正义事业的信念. 虽然最近的历史已经表明，宣传和虚假新闻在制造虚假叙事方面是多么强大, 相信自己事业的军队会更有信心. Knowing that you are fighting to free your country from tyranny or to help oppressed people gives soldiers something to cling to when things get tough in the field.
那么，关键的收获是什么?
现代武装部队总是以拥有更大的火力为目标是有道理的, 寻找战术优势，运用最先进的技术. 但信心和自信的作用永远不应被忘记. By investing in the right training and weapons and by building strong bonds of trust between troops and leadership, 可以获得一个重要的优势，扭转战局.