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Scott Fitzsimmons argues that small mercenary groups must maintain a superior military culture to successfully engage and defeat larger and better-equipped opponents. By developing and applying competing constructivist and neorealist theories of military performance to four asymmetric wars in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, he demonstrates how mercenary groups that strongly emphasize behavioral norms encouraging their personnel to think creatively, make decisions on their own, take personal initiative, communicate accurate information within the group, enhance their technical proficiency and develop a sense of loyalty to their fellow fighters will exhibit vastly superior tactical capabilities to other mercenary groups. Fitzsimmons demonstrates that although the victorious mercenary groups occasionally had access to weapon systems unavailable to their opponents, the balance of material capabilities fielded by the opposing military forces had far less influence on the outcome of these asymmetric conflicts than the culturally determined tactical behavior exhibited by their personnel.

Mercenary troops --- Mercenaries (Soldiers) --- Troops, Mercenary --- Armies --- Non-state actors (International relations) --- Soldiers --- Foreign enlistment --- Private military companies --- History --- Angola --- Congo (Democratic Republic) --- Anghūlā --- Colónia de Angola (Portugal) --- Estado de Angola (Portugal) --- Narodnai︠a︡ Respublika Angoly --- People's Republic of Angola --- Portugiesisch Westafrika --- Portuguese West Africa --- Province d'Angola (Portugal) --- Província de Angola (Portugal) --- R.P.A. --- Republic of Angola --- República de Angola --- República Popular de Angola --- République populaire d'Angola --- RPA --- Volksrepublik Angola --- Angola (Revolutionary government in exile, 1962-1975) --- Congo (Kinshasa) --- Congo (Leopoldville) --- Congo DR --- Democratic Republic of Congo --- Democratic Republic of the Congo --- Demokraticheskai︠a︡ Respublika Kongo --- DR Congo --- DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) --- DRK (Demokraticheskai︠a︡ Respublika Kongo) --- Kongo --- RD Congo --- R.D. Congo --- RDC (République démocratique du Congo) --- Republic of Congo (Leopoldville) --- Republic of the Congo (Leopoldville) --- République démocratique du Congo --- République du Congo (Leopoldville) --- Belgian Congo --- Zaire --- History, Military --- Social Sciences --- Political Science

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