Rhetoric versus reality: Canadian defence planning in a time of austerity

As Canada's military mission in Afghanistan winds down and the country faces several years of fiscal austerity, all of Canada's major political parties are agreed that Canadian defence budgets must stay level or be cut. This comes at a time when the defence department is slated to replace the Canadian Forces’ (CF) major equipment fleets. Canada's defence establishment thus faces some critical decisions. One option is to try to maintain its expeditionary capabilities across all three services: army, navy and air force. Absent substantial new infusions of funds, however, this approach is likely to lead to an overall and largely chaotic reduction of capabilities. Another option is to make some difficult choices as to which expeditionary capabilities to maintain as part of a strategic review of Canada's future military needs. Such an option would ensure that Canada has at least some military capacities which can reliably be devoted to the most demanding international operations, while maintaining those capabilities required for domestic duties and North American defence. Pursuing this option would accord with the new North Atlantic Treaty Organization Strategic Concept and the call for “Smart Defense” within the Alliance. This article assesses the arguments for and against the option of specialising Canada's future defence capabilities and explores scenarios as to what a future CF may look like.     

基于POPS和PSR的美军里程碑节点审查方法

里程碑节点审查是美军装备采办过程中的核心控制手段。选取美军在该领域应用的最具代表性的项目成功可能性评审方法(Probability of Program Success,POPS)和项目支持评审方法(Program Support Review,PSR),围绕任务目标归纳出方法的主要思路,从程序步骤、评审内容框架等方面深入探究方法的特点,并从应用条件、使用范围、优点和局限性等方面进行对比分析,最后提出启示建议,为优化我军节点审查方法、提升装备采购过程管控能力提供借鉴和参考。     

《国防科技》2020年发表文献和建设情况浅析

国防科技是具有基础性、引领性的战略工程,期刊聚焦于这一领域特色鲜明、使命艰巨。本文主要基于CNKI数据库和万方数据库,检索《国防科技》2020年发表的全部论文,对每篇论文的标题、作者、工作机构、基金项目和下载量等文献计量指标进行统计分析;同时,对本年度开展的质量建设相关工作进行回顾性定性阐述,旨在为2021年办刊工作提供参考,凝练发展思路。研究结果表明,“科技前沿”“装备动态”和“作战训练”等栏目深受作者喜爱,贴近国家和军队重大需求,针对学科发展前沿和关键性技术策划的选题以及组织的专题、专栏文章能够明显提升期刊影响力。持续提升学术质量和影响力始终是期刊建设的核心工作,特别是在培育形成相对稳定的高影响力作者、团队和机构,研究、跟踪并对标国际一流军事类学术期刊,开拓学术传播渠道和多元化形式等方面,《国防科技》还需要继续攻坚。     

Automated integration of real-time and non-real-time defense systems

Various application domains require the integration of distributed real-time or near-real-time systems with non-real-time systems.Smart cities,smart homes,ambient intelligent systems,or network-centric defense systems are among these application domains.Data Distribution Service(DDS)is a communi-cation mechanism based on Data-Centric Publish-Subscribe(DCPS)model.It is used for distributed systems with real-time operational constraints.Java Message Service(JMS)is a messaging standard for enterprise systems using Service Oriented Architecture(SOA)for non-real-time operations.JMS allows Java programs to exchange messages in a loosely coupled fashion.JMS also supports sending and receiving messages using a messaging queue and a publish-subscribe interface.In this article,we pro-pose an architecture enabling the automated integration of distributed real-time and non-real-time systems.We test our proposed architecture using a distributed Command,Control,Communications,Computers,and Intelligence(C4I)system.The system has DDS-based real-time Combat Management System components deployed to naval warships,and SOA-based non-real-time Command and Control components used at headquarters.The proposed solution enables the exchange of data between these two systems efficiently.We compare the proposed solution with a similar study.Our solution is superior in terms of automation support,ease of implementation,scalability,and performance.     

An Imperfect Jewel: Military Theory and the Military Profession

This article explores a perennial theme in the literature of strategic studies: the relationship between military theory and the military profession. It begins with a conceptual analysis of this relationship. It then investigates what military theorists themselves have had to say about the utility of their craft. It concludes by assessing the actual influence of military theory on selected individuals and institutions. The individuals are George S. Patton, Jr., and Ulysses S. Grant. The institutions are the United States Army and the United States Air Force in the late twentieth century. The fundamental finding is suggested in the title: military theory can indeed be quite useful in the maturation of military commanders and in the development of martial institutions, but it is not always necessary and by no means perfect. It should thus be studied assiduously but used with caution.     

Gorshkov's Gambit

This article is a portrait of Admiral Sergei Gorshkov, commander of the Soviet Navy for almost three decades, from 1956–85. The author, a retired US Navy admiral with a Harvard PhD in Russian studies who served as both defense and naval attaché in Moscow, draws on numerous face-to-face interactions with Gorshkov. He also explores Gorshkov's memoirs that were published recently in Russia but have not appeared in an English translation. The paper is not only a first-hand account of an important historical figure, but also a window into the world of military-to-military diplomacy and intelligence during the Cold War.     

虚拟维修仿真数据编辑系统研究

为有效解决虚拟维修系统中仿真数据编辑技术不通用的问题,在深入研究虚拟维修数据模型、交互任务分析、仿真数据管理等关键技术的基础上,设计开发了具有工程应用价值的虚拟维修仿真数据编辑系统.在分析系统设计需求的基础上,设计了系统总体结构,基于S1000D设计了虚拟维修数据模型,基于UML分析了维修样机编辑和维修规程编辑过程中的交互任务,基于XML实现了仿真数据的编辑、存储与发布.该系统应用于某型复杂装备虚拟维修,验证了系统的各项功能和应用效果.     

Budgetary Trade-Offs Between Defense,Education and Health Expenditures: The Case of Turkey

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate empirically the existence of a budgetary trade-off between military, education and health expenditures in Turkey for the time period 1925-1998. Development economists, peace and defense economists and political economists have extensively investigated the existence of a trade-off between military, education and health spending since the 1970s. However, the literature review reveals that it is hard to establish a general theory of budgetary trade-off between military, education and health spending and make this applicable for all cases. This is mostly due to economic, social, political, and historical differences among the countries Moreover, it is likely that different research techniques, different time periods analyzed may produce different results. As a result of this, researchers have found a variety of outcomes regarding the trade-off between defense-education and health expenditures. This study presents a brief literature review within the framework of trade-offs between defense-education and health expenditures and also concentrates on theoretical model development. The discussion will center on developing a multi-variable single equation regression model and presenting estimable forms of equations.     

A note on the financial condition of defense contractors

In recent years, there have been several changes in the weapon‐system acquisition market which have the potential to negatively impact the financial condition of defense contractors. This study evaluates the financial health of defense firms vis‐a‐vis nondefense firms using a fiscal distress identification model developed by E.I. Altman. We conclude that the financial condition of defense firms has deteriorated but the deterioration is the same as experienced by nondefense firms.     

Stopping Suicide Attacks: Optimal Strategies and Unintended Consequences

We study the behavior of defense spending in Switzerland over 1975–2001. Our main interest is in determining how neutrality in international affairs (non‐membership in military alliances) affects defense spending. We find that neutrality is associated with a perception of lower levels of external threat; hence it confers economic benefits in the form of a smaller defense burden. However, neutrality does not fully insulate a country from variations in the level of external threat in the global system as perceived by members of military alliances. Swiss defense spending has tracked very closely the spending trends – but at a lower average level – of the United States and other NATO countries. To the extent that post‐Cold War threats, such as international terrorism, materialize primarily in the context of existing security alliances, Swiss military spending patterns observed in 1975–2001 are likely to remain the same in the future.