US warfare in Somalia and the trade-off between casualty-aversion and civilian protection

This article examines the ways in which the two normative concerns of casualty-aversion and civilian protection influenced US military strategy in the particular context of the asymmetric conflict in Somalia in the early 1990s. The article critically evaluates US military operations through the prism of international humanitarian law and examines whether American forces started prioritizing casualty-aversion over the safeguarding of Somali civilians. Finally, by drawing on emerging moral guidelines (such as Michael Walzer's idea of ‘due care’), the article examines whether lower numbers of Somali civilian deaths could have been achieved if marginal increases to the risks faced by US soldiers had been accepted.     

完善抢险救灾中心理危机干预机制研究

随着武警部队抢险救灾任务的日益增加,完善心理危机干预机制势在必行。通过分析武警部队完善危机干预机制的意义和目前存在的问题,提出了相应的对策和建议。心理危机干预机制的建立,对于维护武警部队官兵心理健康,保证部队稳定,增强整体战斗力,具有战略意义。     

A Re-assessment of the Japanese Armaments Production During World War II*

Abstract

This paper examines the nexus between the Japanese strategy and economic–industrial mobilization during the period 1937–1945. From 1937 to December 1941, the country was engaged in a land war of attrition in China. This war requested an immense amount of resources and was associated with armaments procurement strategy with emphasis in the army. However, the Japanese strategic vision assumed that the state was strong enough to engage in one land war against China and in a naval war in the Pacific simultaneously. The basis of Japanese strategy was a utopia. Making things worse, the naval war in the Pacific was conducted against the most industrialized powers in the world [the US and the British Empire (Britain, Australia, India, etc.)]. Finally, the internal Japanese industrial mobilization was associated with immense errors in armaments production (absence of economies of scale and scope, limited raw materials, etc.). Under these circumstances, the defeat was an expected outcome.     

ORGANISING THE BLUES

While all governments in the region acknowledge the importance of the work of police officers, they seldom take a close look at their working conditions and the nature of police labour. While the situations in Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho and Swaziland are different there are commonalities: police management has not changed significantly and neither has police legislation. Key concerns of the officers in the region centre on service conditions and wages. Communicating these concerns to the state is made difficult by the less than democratic approach taken by governments professing to favour democratization. A more democratic workplace for the police is of benefit to the broader community and is a crucial point to bear in mind when attempting to develop community-oriented professional policing.     

我军心理防护的历史经验

本研究通过查阅历史文献,从心理防护的视角来研究我军的思想政治工作,总结了我军心理防护的历史经验如下：始终突出理想信念教育,提供精神动力源泉;健全基层政工组织,及时做好思想工作;严明部队纪律,加强作风建设;解决后顾之忧,开展立功运动;坚持出版报刊,鼓舞士气;创作优秀先进的文艺作品,激励基层官兵。     

部队基层开展心理教育疏导工作的思考

要扎实有效地开展部队基层心理教育疏导工作,必须建立健全体系和制度,加强人才队伍建设,丰富方式方法,营造良好的内外环境。     

舰空导弹武器系统信息化发展对策

为打赢未来海上信息化战争,作为舰艇编队盾牌的舰空导弹必须适应信息化发展的要求。主要研究了国外舰空导弹作战体系发展和美军"网络中心战"思想,提出了必须尽快发展具有实战能力的舰载和空中平台装载的舰空导弹协同作战系统,提高舰空导弹的信息化水平,研究相关的信息对抗手段及电子对抗装备,确保舰空导弹在复杂电磁环境下正常工作。     

Nuclear deterrence and cyber warfare: coexistence or competition?

Nuclear deterrence and cyber war seem almost antithetical in their respective intellectual pedigrees. Nuclear weapons are unique in their ability to create mass destruction in a short time. Information or “cyber” weapons, at least for the most part, aim at sowing confusion or mass disruption instead of widespread physical destruction. Nevertheless, there are some intersections between cyber and nuclear matters, and these have the potential to become troublesome for the future of nuclear deterrence. For example, cyber attacks might complicate the management of a nuclear crisis. As well, information attacks on command-control and communications systems might lead to a mistaken nuclear launch based on false warnings, to erroneous interpretations of data or to panic on account of feared information blackout. It is not inconceivable that future nuclear strike planning will include a preliminary wave of cyber strikes or at least a more protracted “preparation of the battlefield” by roaming through enemy networks to plant malware or map vulnerabilities.     

论信息化条件下战场空间的嬗变

随着信息技术在战争中的广泛应用,战场空间正在由传统的陆、海、空三维空间向自然空间、非自然空间和认知空间拓展,并且已经初步形成了七维一体作战空间的雏形,战场空间也呈现出与以往不同的宏观化、微观化、虚拟化和无序化的新特点;在分析各作战空间辩证关系的基础上,提出了对未来我军现代化建设的几点启示.