NATO's Transformation Gaps: Transatlantic Differences and the War in Afghanistan

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has since the turn of the new century experienced a double transformation gap: between global and regionally oriented allies and between allies emulating new military practices defined by the United States and allies resisting radical change. This article takes stock of these gaps in light of a decade's worth of collective and national adjustments and in light of counter-insurgency lessons provided by Afghanistan. It argues first of all that the latter transatlantic gap is receding in importance because the United States has adjusted its transformation approach and because some European allies have significantly invested in technological, doctrinal, and organizational reform. The other transformation gap is deepening, however, pitching battle-hardened and expeditionary allies against allies focused on regional tasks of stabilization and deterrence. There is a definite potential for broad transformation, our survey of officers' opinion shows, but NATO's official approach to transformation, being broad and vague, provides neither political nor military guidance. If NATO is to move forward and bridge the gap, it must clarify the lessons of Afghanistan and embed them in its new Strategic Concept.     

Contracting Out Security

Private security companies (PSCs) currently receive a great deal of attention in the news media, in sensationalist reporting, and increasingly in scholarly books and articles. While the scholarly books and articles make significant contributions to our understanding of this global phenomenon, there are several impediments to analysis that must be recognized and overcome if analysis is to be improved. Three of these impediments are reviewed in this article. The author suggests that US government material is currently available to minimize impediments and offers a framework to make analytical sense of it. Since contracting out is based on contracts, and unless the complexities of awarding and managing contracts are understood, recommendations made to reform the process of contracting out security are unrealistic.     

China's Military Procurement and Its Operational Implications: A Response to Yoram Evron

This article is a response to Evron's argument, offering readers another perspective to assess China's military modernization and war fighting capabilities, using the same framework and methodology. It examines three topics: China's national security and military strategy, the PLA's procurement decision-making process, and China's military support and mobilization system. It concludes that, China's military modernization is to fight and win local wars under the conditions of informatization, but if required the PLA can reliably supply large numbers of sophisticated weapons and spare parts, to wage a complex and prolonged conflict.     

‘Mowing the Grass’: Israel’sStrategy for Protracted Intractable Conflict

‘Mowing the Grass’, Israel’s strategy in the twenty-first century against hostile non-state groups, reflects the assumption that Israel finds itself in a protracted intractable conflict. The use of force in such a conflict is not intended to attain impossible political goals, but a strategy of attrition designed primarily to debilitate the enemy capabilities. Only after showing much restraint in its military responses does Israel act forcefully to destroy the capabilities of its foes, hoping that occasional large-scale operations also have a temporary deterrent effect in order to create periods of quiet along its borders. The Israeli approach is substantively different from the current Western strategic thinking on dealing with non-state military challenges.     

不同导引模式下的末修弹脉冲参数优化研究

在总脉冲量确定的情形下,在启控时间、总脉冲数、最小点火时间间隔及点火阈值等脉冲参数对末修弹落点散布的影响进行详细分析的基础上,利用数值仿真的方法,对比例导引模式、抛物线导引模式、落点预测导引模式、弹道追踪导引模式和zx导引模式等常用导引模式下的脉冲参数优化进行深入分析研究．     

以军事技术创新探索我军发展新模式

提出建立以军事技术创新为内在机制的新的军事发展模式,论述了这个发展模式的要点和特点以及为转向创新应注意解决的几个关键性问题.     

非奇异快速终端滑模及动态面控制的轨迹跟踪制导律

针对飞行器跟踪预设轨迹的问题,提出非奇异快速终端滑模和角度约束的轨迹跟踪制导律。通过引入虚拟目标点,提出参考轨迹曲率半径的期望视线角约束条件,建立带有视线角约束并考虑自动驾驶仪动态特性的轨迹跟踪数学模型。为了保证在有限时间内跟踪预设轨迹并避免出现奇异问题,采用快速非奇异终端滑模和动态面控制方法进行制导律设计。推导出视线角误差和轨迹跟踪误差之间的数学关系,并利用Lyapunov稳定性准则证明轨迹跟踪误差最终有界任意小。与弹道成型轨迹跟踪制导律进行仿真对比,仿真结果表明所提出的制导律具有良好的跟踪性能及鲁棒性。