Modern Irregular Warfare: The ISIS Case Study

ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has become a key political and military actor in the Middle East and in North Africa. This essay aims at outlining ISIS warfare through an analysis of its operations in the frame of hybrid warfare theory proposed by Frank Hoffman. Therefore, the paper deals with: the role of terrorist tactics in ISIS warfare and the relationship between terrorism and insurgency; ISIS use of technology, mainly with regard to suicide attacks and to drones; and the relevance of urban warfare. Finally, the paper highlights how ISIS operates and the most threatening features of its warfare.     

认知建模及其心理战

认知建模以神经科学、计算机科学和认知心理学为依托,深入研究人类的思维模式。心理战作为认知科学领域的研究范畴,其内在运行机制就是通过特定的手段传播特定的信息影响作战对象的认知,达到精神上影响甚至瓦解作战对象的目的。由此,认知建模的不断完善和发展能够为心理战的理论研究、实际训练和效果评估等提供理论支持和借鉴启示。     

Bringing Military Conduct out of the Shadow of Law: Towards a Holistic Understanding of Rules of Engagement

In this article, I outline a holistic approach to the military concept of “Rules of Engagement” (ROE), which complements the legal aspects of ROE with considerations of operational and political requirements for the use of military force. Drawing upon two illustrative cases from the US military experience with the use of ROE, I demonstrate that ROE for any particular military operation should be formulated to balance optimally, if not harmonize fully, the legal, operational and political concerns related to the use of force. In this task, political decision-makers and military practitioners alike are confronted with unavoidable and real-life dilemmas. How these dilemmas are handled has significant implications for how legal requirements concerning accountability and concerns for civilian lives in military combat can be preserved through ROE.     

虚拟现实在心理战中的应用及展望

虚拟现实是用虚拟的情境模拟现实的世界,通过虚拟的多维空间,使用户体验到身临其境的感觉。文章通过深度剖析虚拟现实的历史沿革、发展现状与技术特点,结合其在军事中的运用以及发展前景,提出虚拟现实能够对心理战参战人员的心理训练、战场环境模拟和心理战效果评估提供借鉴和支持。     

Introduction

ABSTRACT

The new nuclear history can make a critical contribution by forcing us to reconsider or reframe the theoretical premises of the concepts we apply to our understanding of the present – and with which we try to navigate the future. It bears on fundamental questions, such as: How should the US manage its alliances? Should it establish a multilateral nuclear policy dialogue in Asia? In what depth should it discuss issues of doctrine and targeting with its Asian allies? What capabilities might reassure European allies in light of current Russian revisionism? Could nuclear war be limited and controlled in an East Asian maritime arena? Do nuclear weapons strengthen an alliance, or do they introduce a divisive bone of contention? Is extended nuclear deterrence (END) stabilizing or is it on the contrary pushing the allies to ask for more? What is the relationship between nuclear and conventional forces in END credibility? How do nuclear alliances contribute to international security and international order? The lessons and insights from these papers, which look at five historical cases of US extended deterrence during the Cold War, should help us think about crucial current issues, and be of use both to historians who want to have a better understanding of the Cold War past and to policymakers who are currently grappling with these issues.     

一类带时滞的非线性兰彻斯特战斗模型的分析

基于非线性兰彻斯特方程的一般形式和现代战争的特点,考虑到时间因素在现代战争中的巨大作用,建立并讨论了一类带时滞的非线性兰彻斯特战斗模型。通过定性分析,得到了模型的平衡点及其稳定性,证明了原模型解的存在唯一性,并给出了解的存在区域。战例分析结果表明该模型能用来描述现代战争。因此,该模型对研究现代战争的战斗进程、武器发展规划、现代军事练兵等都具有一定的参考价值。     

基于离散事件仿真要素的军事仿真因果追溯方法

基于离散事件系统建模与仿真的军事仿真系统在军事筹划阶段扮演着至关重要的作用。因果追溯与分析是军事仿真中重要的技术,它可以在大量的数据与复杂的交互关系中找出时序上的关联关系,帮助研究人员确定作战行动中的一些关键实体或事件,用于探究战争的发展脉络与蕴含其中的因果关系。首先对作战仿真领域的因果追溯分析做了简要介绍,然后提出了一种基于离散事件仿真要素的因果追溯分析方法,这种方法可以分析军事仿真中的因果关系,并且有很高的通用性和良好的实用性。     

The war after next is here – what does the elephant look like?

A comprehensive paradigm of future wars can be defined, and is called in this article “Extended conflicts.” These can be characterized by strategic attrition, to which all national resources and all possible international legitimacy are mobilized, in order to achieve a resolution by transformation of the opponent. The use of military force in this kind of conflict is limited. The understanding that we are facing an era of extended conflicts will improve the way it is utilized.     

Pakistan’s response to US foreign policy towards South Asia 1977–1993

Relations between the USA and Pakistan have been tenuous since the 1947 partition of British India and the subsequent creation of the former. The 1979 Soviet intervention in Afghanistan focused the attention of the international community on South Asia. This article will examine the foreign policies of three successive US Presidential Administrations between 1977 and 1993, and how their decisions and corresponding actions were interpreted by the Pakistani government and its people. The key finding is the trend of the ebb and flow of US interest in Pakistan. The primary research conducted for this article shows that Pakistanis recognize this trend and consider it hypocritical of the US government. The current conditions in South Asia are ominously similar to those of 1992 with the drawdown of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan. Policy-makers would be wise to review the events of 1977–1993 so that the cycle is not repeated again.     

电子对抗作战仿真分层半自治Agent系统框架设计

为了在电子对抗作战仿真系统中真实地复现现实作战过程,设计了基于分层半自治Agent的系统框架。从设计电子对抗作战仿真实体Agent的现实意义出发,提出了基于BDI框架的仿真实体Agent设计方法,着重探讨了半自治Agent技术应用于作战仿真领域的巨大优势,明确了个体Agent的设计方法。根据电子对抗作战仿真系统的实体分类结果提出了一种基于分层半自治Agent的系统结构,并分析了不同层次的Agent的功能,为半自治Agent技术应用于电子对抗作战仿真领域提供了思路,具有一定的借鉴意义。