United States defence contractors and the future of military operations

ABSTRACT

The United States’ global strategic outlook has shifted markedly since the end of major combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As the United States’ strategic posture shifts, the nature of military operations is simultaneously changing rapidly. Many analysts predict that cyber-operations, autonomous weapons systems, artificial intelligence, and clandestine special forces operations will be central features in future conflicts. Although often overlooked by scholars and policy analysts, defence contractors are integral to the development and implementation of these emerging categories of warfare. This inquiry examines the evolving nature of the American defence industry and the roles corporations play in current theatres of conflict. Surprisingly, rather than becoming less reliant on defence contractors after their much-maligned performance in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, American military and intelligence agencies have become more dependent on the private sector as technology becomes increasingly central to warfare.     

基于部件模型的无人机系统小样本车辆目标识别方法

对地目标检测与识别是无人机系统典型任务之一,但受限于任务特殊性,往往难以获取足够的目标样本数据以实现高可靠的目标识别.为此,结合人的认知特性,提出一种基于部件模型的小样本车辆目标识别方法,可有效提高无人机感知能力.采用视觉显著性检测与物体性检测相结合的检测方法,提取目标可能区域;采用基于图论的GrabCut方法与最大类...