Demobilization
Encyclopedia
Demobilization is the process of standing down a nation's armed forces
from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war
, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary. The opposite of demobilization is mobilization
.
In the final days of World War II
, for example, the United States
Armed Forces developed a demobilization plan which would discharge soldiers on the basis of a point system that favoured length and certain types of service. The British armed forces were demobilized
according to an 'age-and-service' scheme.
The phrase demob happy refers to demobilization and is broadly applied to the feeling of relief at imminent release from a time-serving burden, such as a career. In Russian language it is known as dembel and has become a certain tradition in the Soviet and post-Soviet Armed Forces. An American equivalent is "short-timer's disease" (a play on "Alzheimer's disease"), comparable to "senioritis
" among United States high-school students.
Armed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
from combat-ready status. This may be as a result of victory in war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, or because a crisis has been peacefully resolved and military force will not be necessary. The opposite of demobilization is mobilization
Mobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. The word mobilization was first used, in a military context, in order to describe the preparation of the Prussian army during the 1850s and 1860s. Mobilization theories and techniques have continuously changed...
.
In the final days of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, for example, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Armed Forces developed a demobilization plan which would discharge soldiers on the basis of a point system that favoured length and certain types of service. The British armed forces were demobilized
Demobilization of the British Armed Forces after World War II
thumb|right|upright|A page from the official demobilization handbook, Release and Resettlement, which allowed British servicemen to calculate their 'release group number.'...
according to an 'age-and-service' scheme.
The phrase demob happy refers to demobilization and is broadly applied to the feeling of relief at imminent release from a time-serving burden, such as a career. In Russian language it is known as dembel and has become a certain tradition in the Soviet and post-Soviet Armed Forces. An American equivalent is "short-timer's disease" (a play on "Alzheimer's disease"), comparable to "senioritis
Senioritis
Senioritis, from the word senior plus the suffix -itis , is a colloquial term used in the United States and Canada to describe the decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school, college and graduate school careers."I have a bad case of...
" among United States high-school students.