‘Kadyrovtsy’: Russia’s Counterinsurgency Strategy and the Wars of Paramilitary Clans

This article analyses the steps taken by the Russian government, with the aid of a powerful local clan, the so-called Kadyrovtsy, to subdue the Chechen insurgency. It highlights the strategy used by Russia, under whose patronage former anti-Russian guerrilla fighters were transformed into paramilitary allies of the Russian government; later these former insurgents were incorporated into the regular Russian army and other state security forces. The article also identifies problems that are connected with the activities of the Kadyrovtsy in Chechnya and Russia, and the spillover into the diaspora; it also contextualises the issues faced by the contemporary Chechen ruling clan and the geopolitics of the Caucasus within the research framework of paramilitarism and counterinsurgency.     

Spies,advisors, and grunts: Film portrayals of counterinsurgency in Vietnam

Vietnam was a complex conflict, which historians and political scientists have struggled to understand. Some of the bitterest disputes in the historiography revolve around the US approach to counterinsurgency in Vietnam. Many different facets of the war have received the attention of filmmakers, and an examination of their work suggests new ways of thinking about the conflict. This article considers film portrayals of three phases of the Vietnam War – firstly, the early period of ‘political action’, then the advisory period, and finally the Americanization of the war after 1965. It suggests that by examining the experiences of participants in each of these phases, Vietnam War cinema helps to illustrate the problems that faced various American approaches to counterinsurgency in the conflict. Combined with the importance of films in determining popular perceptions of both historical conflicts and counterinsurgency in general, it suggests that they are worthy subjects of study and critique.     

一种基于解析冗余关系的半定性故障隔离方法在航天器推进系统中的应用

针对航天器推进系统的时变特性以及随机因素给故障隔离带来的困难,提出了基于Z-检验分析和解析冗余关系相结合的半定性故障隔离方法。基于状态空间转换的思想,运用基于系统诊断键合图模型建立的解析冗余关系挖掘系统时不变的结构特征空间信息,并对解析冗余关系残差进行趋势分析获取时不变、具有残差变化方向的故障特征矩阵,针对存在随机因素对残差定性化的影响,利用了Z-检验分析对残差进行定性化获取观察特征,通过观测特征与故障特征的比较进行系统故障隔离。将该方法应用于推进系统的故障隔离中,结果证明了该方法能有效避免获取推进系统时变诊断准则以及来自系统建模和参数测量等随机因素的干扰,提高了推进系统故障隔离的鲁棒性。     

Russia,America and missile defense

Russia has sharply objected to US plans for ballistic missile defense. The Russian official explanation is that the real purpose of the US missile defense plan is to make it impossible for Russia to retaliate against a US nuclear (or massive conventional) attack, thus making Russia subject to military blackmail by the US. The Russian response has been the result of a sum total of various factors, mostly political and cultural, while the technical capabilities of the proposed system have played a secondary role.     

美军航母战斗群空袭火力对地攻击效能分析

以美军航母战斗大队标准编成为例,简要分析了美军航母战斗群的空袭火力构成.进而分别建立了机载普通对地攻击弹药和巡航导弹、空地导弹对地面目标的毁伤能力的模型.然后以此为基础,从空袭兵器的突防概率、对目标的发现概率、对各类目标的毁伤概率和空袭某一目标所需的兵力四个方面,对航母战斗群空袭火力体系的对地攻击效能进行了深入研究,并建立相应的数学模型.最后根据在历次战争中得到的经验数据,对美军航母战斗群空袭火力对地攻击效能进行了计算,并分析了计算结果,为科学判断敌情提供了依据.     

近期美国陆军旅战斗队建设发展

美军认为,近年来中俄等大国的军事实力不断增强,成为美国的主要安全威胁,长期的反叛乱作战也使美国陆军应对正规战争的能力有所下降,必须推进面向大国竞争的转型建设以适应未来的作战环境。随着美国陆军转型建设的大幕拉开,提升大规模作战能力成为其建设发展的焦点。本文认为,旅战斗队作为美国陆军的主要合成兵种部队与实施近距离地面作战的主要梯队之一,其建设发展必将服务于美国陆军的战略目标。据此,美国陆军旅战斗队围绕“跨域、集中、持续、聚合”四个指导原则,重点采取各种举措提升其指挥机构生存力、火力集中打击力、空中威胁防护力、战术网络杀伤力四项基本能力。总结分析美国陆军旅战斗队发展建设的举措,对军队未来作战能力建设具有一定的启示作用。     

浅析俄罗斯警卫工作的特点

在恐怖事件频发的俄罗斯,担负要人保卫任务的警卫部门受到了世人更多的关注。为了确保要人安全,俄警卫部门严把警卫人员的入口关,严格训练;有先进的武器装备和防护器材;在执行警卫任务时,提前介入,严谨细致,警卫部署非常严密。     

Russia’s strategy for influence through public diplomacy and active measures: the Swedish case

Russia, as many contemporary states, takes public diplomacy seriously. Since the inception of its English language TV network Russia Today in 2005 (now ‘RT’), the Russian government has broadened its operations to include Sputnik news websites in several languages and social media activities. Moscow, however, has also been accused of engaging in covert influence activities – behaviour historically referred to as ‘active measures’ in the Soviet KGB lexicon on political warfare. In this paper, we provide empirical evidence on how Russia since 2014 has moved towards a preference for active measures towards Sweden, a small country in a geopolitically important European region. We analyse the blurring of boundaries between public diplomacy and active measures; document phenomena such as forgeries, disinformation, military threats and agents of influence and define Russian foreign policy strategy. In summary, we conclude that the overarching goal of Russian policy towards Sweden and the wider Baltic Sea is to preserve the geostrategic status quo, which is identified with a security order minimising NATO presence in the region.     

Fragmented forces: The development of the Gambian military

This article provides a detailed look at the history of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), a military that has received very little academic attention within the study of African state security forces. It identifies key turning points in the GAF’s history, and highlights the vastly different roles the military played in the state under President Jawara (1965–94) and President Jammeh (1994–2017). Yet, it also highlights important similarities regarding internal patterns within the armed forces and shows the ways in which these continuities may challenge attempts to restructure the security sector. The article draws on archival research and interviews conducted with retired and active duty Gambian military personnel, government officials, and Gambian scholars.