ABSTRACT

How military withdrawals are handled matters – they are no mere adjunct to military operations. Studies in such fields as history, strategy, conflict resolution, and policy-related analysis highlight the significant symbolic, political, and practical consequences of the mishandling of the withdrawal of military forces from a theatre of operations. The British military withdrawal from East Malaysia (Borneo) has never before been examined. But its significance as a case study extends beyond this. British military operations in East Malaysia were highly successful and so it might logically be supposed that the withdrawal of military forces at the cessation of the conflict would be a straightforward exercise worthy of little comment. This article demonstrates, however, that behind the scenes the withdrawal was for British decision-makers acutely problematic. In the end, Britain struggled to construct a withdrawal process that would reconcile often competing political and military imperatives. Borneo illustrates that military withdrawals therefore can also be extremely challenging even in the context of a successful military operation. As Borneo illustrates, military withdrawals are strategic acts, and even in apparently benign circumstances they are much more than just a postscript to a war.

摘要

军事撤退的处理方式很重要–它们不仅是军事行动的附属条件。在历史，战略，冲突解决以及与政策相关的分析等领域的研究突显了错误地从军事行动区撤军的重大象征，政治和实际后果。从未对英军从东马（婆罗洲）撤军进行过检查。但是，作为案例研究的意义远不止于此。英国在东马的军事行动非常成功，因此从逻辑上可以认为，在冲突结束后撤军是一项直接的举动，值得一提。本文演示了，但是，在幕后撤军对于英国决策者来说是个严重的问题。最后，英国努力建立撤退程序，以调和经常相互竞争的政治和军事势力。婆罗洲说明，因此即使在成功的军事行动中，撤军也可能是极具挑战性的。正如婆罗洲所说明的那样，军事撤军是战略行动，即使在表面上是良性的情况下，军事撤军也不仅仅是战争的后记。