A study of military leadership in the Armed Forces of Malta from 1972 to the present

Abstract

This dissertation documents and appraises the leadership styles that characterise the commanders of the Armed Forces of Malta from 1972, the year the AFM was founded, to the present. The Armed Forces of Malta is the product of a rich military tradition dating back centuries to the times of the Knights of St John. As the Malta Land Force, established in 1965, preceded the AFM, this study also took into account the years 1965 to 1971. This work will identify the following research questions; What are the career paths taken by leaders in the armed forces of Malta? Which pattern (or patterns) of leadership is most favoured by the commanding officers? Is the army leadership insulated from political influence? To answer these questions, this study is organised into five distinct chapters. The first two introduce the themes of the study and review the present state of knowledge about leadership and leadership styles in military organisations. The study then proceeds to document the context for army leadership by identifying significant events, developments and crises in the AFM’s half-century of existence. The leadership styles and the career paths taken by the commanders are thereafter documented and appraised against the context. Military organisations are secretive by their very nature. This presented some difficulties in gaining access to potentially important documents. Nevertheless, sufficient primary and secondary sources yielded reliable, relevant evidence to permit the study to proceed. Declassified material from the 1970’s, interview transcripts, and recent publications were among the most useful sources. It is to the credit of the Armed Forces of Malta and their military journals which detail the work and developments of the AFM to the present day which has aided in this comprehensive study. As the period concerned is within living memory, five past and present members of the Armed Forces have graciously shared their respective experiences in semi-structured interviews. This study concludes that the Armed Forces of Malta have experienced four significant stages of development since 1972, namely, a new identity, dismemberment, reconstitution, remissioning. Gradually since its renaming the Armed Forces of Malta has transitioned from a citizen army to an international professional force with a focus on border control, migration and terrorism. In addition, successive military leaders have used a variety of leadership methods and styles to command. Their leadership methods being influenced by external forces, their career choices and experiences.