This article argues that research on citizens’ willingness to defend their country, often referred to as “defense will” and “will to fight,” must move beyond narrow, binary measures of armed resistance. The individual defense relationship (IDR) theory provides a multidimensional analytical framework to understand how individuals position themselves in relation to the state, society, national defense, and comprehensive security. IDR specifies three framing factors (belonging, worth, and threat) and four positioning factors (attitude, trust, competence, and agency) to clarify the cognitive, social, and emotional mechanisms of commitment. By incorporating nonmilitary forms of defense and a comprehensive security perspective, the theory expands the scope of citizen roles and agency beyond military defense. This article also discusses how IDR has been operationalized qualitatively (e.g., thematic interviews) and quantitatively (e.g., standardized surveys validated with factor analysis) and shows how the approach applies across conscription-based and all-volunteer force contexts. IDR provides a rigorous tool to assess citizen agency in contemporary environments characterized by hybrid, cyber, and other subconventional threats.
Jarkko E. O. Kosonen (Wed,) studied this question.