Missile defense and strategic stability: Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea

South Korea is threatened by its troubled relationship with North Korea. North Korea possesses a large cache of missiles as well as chemical and biological weapons, and the future potential to mount nuclear weapons on its missiles. The United States is also challenged because of its defense commitments to Seoul. As a countermeasure, the United States and South Korea decided to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defenses in South Korea. However, China has objected. Chinese scholars believe the THAAD radar would be able to track Chinese inter-continental ballistic missiles, thereby weakening their deterrent. A technical analysis does not support this assertion. However, it is vital for South Korea, given its proximity and economic interdependence, to reassure China. South Korea should highlight that THAAD will be deployed by the United States Forces Korea and is not a commitment by Seoul to become part of U.S.-led missile defenses in the Asia-Pacific.     

The role and capabilities of major weapon systems transferred between 1950 and 2010: Empirical examinations of an arms transfer data set

Arms transfers provide exporters an avenue to provide security to other states while gaining economic benefits. Arms transfers provide importers an avenue to gain security without having to rely on alliances. Past research uses aggregate measures of the monetary or security value of major weapon system transfers without accounting for strategic differences in possible use in interstate and civil conflict. This article presents a data set on interstate transfers of major weapon systems between 1950 and 2010 building upon Stockholm Peach Research Institute’s Arms Trade Register with several improvements. First, it disaggregates land weapons and air weapons into categories reflecting their strategic capabilities. Second, model level characteristics (e.g. age, speed, and range) are drawn from Jane’s Defence sources. Additionally, the data set covers a larger range of time and states than previous data sets categorizing arms. To demonstrate the usefulness, this article first presents summary statistics of the data set and then replicates an earlier test to show that the effect of human rights and regime types on United States transfers differs across the categories of arms compared to alternative measures of arms transfers.     

矿车驾驶室悬置刚度匹配计算

以某矿车为研究对象,建立了整车6自由度模型,通过在频域内路面功率谱对车轮激振,模拟矿车驾驶室的振动。并改变驾驶室前、后悬置的刚度以及阻尼比,3变量同时作用,根据平顺性评价指标,对前、后悬置刚度进行了合理匹配,为驾驶室悬置刚度值选取提供了依据。     

舰船总体任务成功性的建模与应用

针对典型舰船的系统组成,进行了全舰任务成功性指标的示例计算,给出了总体指标的层次化表达方式。以舰船任务过程和典型任务剖面为依据,分析了任务可靠性和任务成功性之间的区别与联系,建立了舰船总体任务成功性指标的多阶段整体模型,并对航渡、待机、交战、撤离、返航阶段分别进行了仿真和解析建模。在建模与计算的基础上,通过敏感性分析计算了任务阶段持续时间的单位降低率等指标,为舰船任务成功性问题及其相关研究,提供了一个系统性的分析框架和方法。     

Preserving defense technologies: A strategy for economic conversion†

This paper presents a model for converting legacy defense production facilities into private‐sector economic resources. Specifically, this paper will examine as a case study the first successful conversion of a former U.S. Department of Energy nuclear weapons production installation, including reasons for its success, its costs and benefits, and lessons for public policy. It is envisioned that this model may be useful for mitigating local economic hardship resulting from defense “downsizing” and for privatizing production capacities critical for national defense.     

Africa Watch

This is the first of a new series of articles in the African Security Review which will focus on specific current issues of importance in Africa. To make sense of events, it is necessary to include some background information in order to contextualise them. As countries are revisited in the series, the background information will become less extensive, and readers will be referred to earlier pieces. Apart from providing an explanatory narrative of emerging situations, an attempt will be made to identify the issues likely to attract attention in the near future, and account for their salience.     

INVESTIGATING THE RUBBLE OF SYRIA'S SECRET REACTOR

Damascus has severely impeded an investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into Syria's construction of a covert nuclear reactor, which was destroyed in a 2007 Israeli air strike. Pressing Damascus to cooperate with the inquiry is necessary to ascertain that there are no other undeclared activities in Syria, to determine the role of North Korea in the construction of the reactor, and to help prevent future clandestine efforts. With Damascus doing its best to avoid the investigation, securing Syrian cooperation will require adept diplomacy backed by the prospect of special inspections and, if necessary, a referral to the UN Security Council. The case of Syria's secret reactor highlights areas in which the IAEA needs buttressing, from the enhanced sharing of information, to reporting that is less political and more forthright. The case also illustrates the downside of politicizing IAEA investigations and supports the new director's apparent intent to return the agency to its core technical tasks.