What drives soldiers to risk death on the battlefield? Scholars have suggested that battlefield participation is driven by ideology, coercion, and cohesion while overlooking the importance of confidence in tactical success. On contemporary battlefields, training in effective, modern-system tactics will increase initial confidence and create a positive feedback loop of battlefield participation and combat effectiveness. I test this theory through the as-if random assignment of Peshmerga (Kurdish soldiers) to modern-system training by Western countries. One third of the Peshmerga had no formal training, one third had non–modern-system training from other Peshmerga, and one third had been trained in the modern-system. While non–modern-system training slightly increased unit confidence, it did not impact battlefield participation; coalition training in modern-system tactics dramatically increased confidence and, more importantly, led to higher levels of self-reported battlefield participation

中文翻译：

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现代系统训练对库尔德士兵战场参与的影响

是什么驱使士兵在战场上冒着生命危险？学者们认为，战场参与是由意识形态、胁迫和凝聚力驱动的，而忽略了信心对战术成功的重要性。在当代战场上，有效的现代系统战术训练将增加最初的信心，并形成战场参与和战斗力的正反馈循环。我通过将 Peshmerga（库尔德士兵）随机分配到西方国家的现代系统训练来验证这一理论。三分之一的自由战士没有接受过正规训练，三分之一接受过其他自由战士的非现代系统训练，三分之一接受过现代系统训练。虽然非现代系统训练略微增加了部队的信心，但并没有影响战场参与；