The “yellow rain” controversy: Lessons for arms control compliance

Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam recently announced that they are launching nuclear energy programs, and Malaysia and the Philippines soon may follow suit. As a result, by 2020, at least three states in Southeast Asia could possess latent nuclear capabilities—the option to pursue military applications of dual-use nuclear technology. Analysis of the nuclear programs, domestic proliferation pressures, and the external threat environment in Southeast Asia leads the authors to conclude that the nuclear intentions of states in that region are entirely peaceful and the probability of future nuclear breakout there is low. However, this finding does not justify complacency. In the long term, the benign outlook for regional security may change, and in the near term weak regulatory regimes present serious challenges to nuclear safety and create opportunities that non-state actors may exploit. To minimize these risks, the authors recommend creating a “proliferation firewall” around the region, which would combine strong global support for Southeast Asian nuclear energy programs with innovative regional multilateral nuclear arrangements.     

New Evidence on the Original Setup of the ‘Tilbury Group’, Formerly in the Tower of London

Abstract

An argument is presented that Valentine Green’s mezzotint engraving ‘Queen Elizabeth at the Head of her Army at Tilbury-Fort, A.D. 1588’ (1792) was inspired by the late 18th-century life-sized group of three figures representing the same subject that was formerly on show at the Tower of London. The mezzotint presented in Acta Historica Reginarum Angliae is the only known image of the original pre-1828 setup of the display, showing the figure of the queen in a skirt-like piece of armour that has since been re-identified as King Henry VIII’s tonlet armour.     

Using container inspection history to improve interdiction logistics for illicit nuclear materials

Strengthening the United States' ability to prevent adversaries from smuggling nuclear materials into the country is a vital and ongoing issue. The prospect of additional countries, such as Iran, obtaining the know‐how and equipment to produce these special nuclear materials in the near future underscores the need for efficient and effective inspection policies at ports and border crossings. In addition, the reduction of defense and homeland security budgets in recent years has made it increasingly important to accomplish the interdiction mission with fewer funds. Addressing these complications, in this article, we present a novel two‐port interdiction model. We propose using prior inspection data as a low‐cost way of increasing overall interdiction performance. We provide insights into two primary questions: first, how should a decision maker at a domestic port use detection data from the foreign port to improve the overall detection capability? Second, what are potential limitations to the usefulness of prior inspection data—is it possible that using prior data actually harms decision making at the domestic port? We find that a boundary curve policy (BCP) that takes into account both foreign and domestic inspection data can provide a significant improvement in detection probability. This BCP also proves to be surprisingly robust, even if adversaries are able to infiltrate shipments during transit. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 60: 433‐448, 2013     

The 1983 Nuclear Crisis – Lessons for Deterrence Theory and Practice

This article distills insights for the scholarship of deterrence by examining the 1983 nuclear crisis – the moment of maximum danger of the late Cold War. Important contributions notwithstanding, our understanding of this episode still has caveats, and a significant pool of theoretical lessons for strategic studies remain to be learned. Utilizing newly available sources, this article suggests an alternative interpretation of Soviet and US conduct. It argues that the then US deterrence strategy almost produced Soviet nuclear overreaction by nearly turning a NATO exercise into a prelude to a preventive Soviet attack. Building on historical findings, this article offers insights about a mechanism for deterrence effectiveness evaluation, recommends establishing a structure responsible for this endeavor, and introduces a new theoretical term to the strategic studies lexicon – a ‘culminating point of deterrence’.     

New Sources on the Role of Soviet Submarines in the Cuban Missile Crisis

Drawing on evidence collected from eyewitness interviews, new Russian secondary sources, as well as recently declassified documents from both sides, the author significantly widens the academic understanding of the maritime dimension of this gravest crisis of the Cold War. Most significant is her conclusion that Soviet commanders were led by complex and challenging tactical circumstances, including unreliable communications and malfunctioning equipment, which might have prompted them to contemplate a resort to tactical nuclear weapons on more than one occasion. Almost as disturbing is the revelation that US forces were not aware of this particular threat. This research reveals how a chain of inadvertent developments at sea could have precipitated global nuclear war, underlining the extreme danger of the crisis.     

钠冷快速中子增殖反应堆钠火研究综述

核电站是利用原子核裂变反应放出能量发电的装置,其核心是核反应堆。介绍了核电研究背景和钠冷快速中子增殖反应堆,指出钠冷快堆核电站的主要消防安全隐患是钠循环工艺的泄漏火灾,对国内外钠火研究现状进行了详细介绍,提出了钠火研究的主要内容及关键技术。     

集集地震多维地震动频域非平稳特性分析

基于HHT方法和集集地震实际地震记录,利用可表征地震动频域非平稳特性的瞬时频率时程和瞬时幅值时程,对集集地震多维地震动的频域非平稳分布特性、场地条件及震中距对非平稳特性的影响进行了分析.分析结果表明,瞬时频率方法在地震动频域非平稳特性的定量描述上较穿零率方法更为精确,可较好地反映多维地震动的频域非平稳特性.     

美军装备试验鉴定发展历程分析及启示

美军装备试验经历近百年的发展,已形成较为成熟的试验鉴定模式和管理评价体制,试验鉴定能力也处于世界领先水平。美军在装备发展历程中的经验做法十分值得学习和借鉴。本文分析了美军装备试验鉴定发展历程和特点,研究了其试验组织结构的科学构成和运行机制,归纳总结了美军装备试验发展的客观规律和科学经验。在此基础上,得到了顺应装备发展趋势、赋予作战试验鉴定权威、重视体系试验能力建设三点启示,希翼这些启示可为军队装备试验鉴定工作的发展提供参考。     

关注民生 改善民生——中国共产党一以贯之的执政价值取向

民生问题是人类社会发展的基本问题,在科学社会主义理论体系中具有终极性价值意义。中国共产党自成立以来一直高度关注民生并致力于积极改善民生的各项工作,在此过程中形成了具有中国特色的社会主义民生思想,丰富了中国特色社会主义理论体系,为进一步推进我国民生改善的进程指明了方向。     

基于MIDAS的大跨度斜拉桥行波效应分析

针对宜巴段三塔四跨斜拉桥工程实例,结合MIDAS软件,进行动态时程分析,对比研究了行波效应对桥塔、桥墩各控制点的位移、剪力以及轴力的纵向地震反应的影响。通过施加-EL-Centro纵向地震波作用,模拟出斜拉桥控制点的位移、内力地震反应最大值,得出结论：对于多塔斜拉桥,行波效应对各桥塔塔底、各桥塔塔顶内力、位移响应的影响不同。