## Abstract
Military sociology, or more precisely, the sociology of military organizations, studies social facts about military institutions, their functional and structural components, and their relations with the societies that constitute their environments. Three periods can be roughly distinguished in the historical development of military sociology: the origins of the discipline, the Cold War period, and the current one. Like other subfields of sociology, the themes discussed in military sociology reflect the evolution of society at large. This particular branch of sociology bridges individual behaviors with broader social structures, in this case, military organizations.

Handbook of Military Sciences

Anders McD Sookermany

Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Switzerland, Switzerland

Cham, 2020

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Referenced by: doi:10.1080/09592319908423244 doi:10.7249/cb156 doi:10.1177/0095327x9402000403 doi:10.1093/0198295685.003.0012 doi:10.1017/cbo9780511778469 doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199658848.001.0001 doi:10.1177/1354066115581909 doi:10.1017/9781108642941 doi:10.1177/0095327x7700400103 doi:10.1080/23269995.2014.909243 doi:10.1177/0095327x07312089 doi:10.1177/0095327x12468856 doi:10.1086/265951 doi:10.4324/9781315182131 doi:10.1177/0095327x17700373 doi:10.1177/0095327x7500100201

This open access handbook is a major reference work in the field of Military Sciences. Its main purpose is to inform and enlighten those dealing with the military on the role and contributions of science in describing, understanding and explaining military life, knowledge and doings. The handbook provides a comprehensive thematic introduction to various sub-fields of Military Sciences. The handbook serves a broad audience in various capacities; academics studying the military and the broader defense and security sector, students at military and civilian schools preparing for service in the military, the government or other occupations with linkage to the military, professionals in the armed forces, decision makers in government, contractors who work alongside the military, NGOs whose work is influenced by military operations, journalists who write on matters concerning the sphere of the military or others with a particular interest towards the military as a phenomenon, organization or system of various kinds.