Private security contractors and international humanitarian law—a skirmish for recognition in international armed conflicts

In recent international armed conflicts private security contractors (PSCs) have played an ever increasing role and military advisors and tribunals are facing the dilemma of assessing the primary and secondary status of PSCs under international humanitarian law. In this article the misconception that PSCs are necessarily mercenaries will be dispelled. The possibility that PSCs might be categorised as combatants or civilians will then be explored. The conclusion is that where they are incorporated into the armed forces of a state, PSCs might attain combatant status. However, given that states are reluctant to formally incorporate PSCs into their armed forces, they will most likely remain essentially civilian. Their degree of participation in hostilities will determine whether they retain their immunity under international humanitarian law from attack and prosecution (as civilians) or whether they are rendered unlawful belligerents.     

US Advanced Conventional Systems and Conventional Prompt Global Strike Ambitions:

ABSTRACT

The dangers and risks of employing a Conventional Prompt Global Strike (CPGS) capability greatly exceed the benefits. More suitable, if less prompt, alternatives exist to deal with fleeting targets. Even a niche CPGS capability—consisting of approximately twenty systems—carries risks, to say nothing of proposals to develop hundreds or more. Most dangerously, CPGS could stir the pre-emption pot, particularly vis-à-vis states that correctly perceive to be within the gunsights of US CPGS weapons; other states, too, may feel emboldened to emulate this US precedent and undertake their own form of prompt, long-range strike capability. Compressed circumstances surrounding such a scenario could foster unwanted erratic behavior, including the misperception that the threatening missile carries a nuclear weapon. But the true Achilles's heel of the CPGS concept is the unprecedented demands it places on the intelligence community to provide decision makers with “exquisite” intelligence within an hour timeframe. Such compressed conditions leave decision makers with virtually no time to appraise the direct—and potentially unintended—consequences of their actions.     

应用于四旋翼无人机角速度估计的几何滑模观测器设计

对四旋翼无人机的角速度进行估计时,传统的基于单位四元数的滑模观测器需要引入强制比例重调,因而影响了跟踪精度。本文提出一种基于数值积分的李群方法的滑模观测器设计框架。该算法基于等变映射思想,在齐性流形空间的等价李代数空间中设计滑模反馈,从而避免了直接在流形空间中设计反馈的复杂性,并消除了传统方法在每个积分步骤中强制加入的比例重调,提高了观测器的跟踪性能。仿真结果表明,几何滑模观测器算法可以有效的对四旋翼无人机的角速度进行估计。     

基于递推最小二乘的单站无源定位仿真分析

为达到无线射频注入的定位精度和实时性要求,提出采用递推最小二乘算法(RLS)进行定位.首先讨论了无线射频注入的定位精度需求,建立了机载无源单站定位模型,得出了最小二乘(LS)解.然后依据无线射频注入的实时性要求将其转化为递推形式.仿真结果表明,RLS算法与LS算法的定位精度和收敛速度接近,但前者实时性好,运算复杂度低,所需存储空间小,能够满足无线射频注入的定位需求.最后依据仿真结果给出了提高定位精度和收敛速度的措施.     

双天线干涉SAR系统无控制点场景的参考相位高精度快速估计算法

在双天线干涉SAR系统中,对无控制点的场景通常采用同名点传递的联合定标方法估计参考相位,非常耗时。为解决无控制点场景参考相位的快速估计问题,本文首先对影响参考相位的因素进行理论分析,给出了参考相位与影响因素的解析关系式,并结合系统参数进行了仿真分析;进而分析参考相位对高程误差的影响。根据分析结果,结合SRTM的粗精度DEM数据、滤波后的干涉相位及相干系数,提出高精度参考相位快速估计算法,并给出了算法详细实现流程。通过对实际机载双天线InSAR系统获取的数据进行处理,表明本文算法在文中的系统参数下可以达到优于2m的相对高程精度,处理4096×6560的数据块时,参考相位估计速度要快20倍以上。     

Chirp信号参数估计算法性能比较

通过数值仿真定量地比较了三种Chirp信号参数估计算法——解线调法、迭代估计法和局部搜索最大似然法的性能,并定性地比较了算法的运算量。仿真结果表明,在三种算法中,局部搜索最大似然法的估计性能最好,而运算量居中;解线调法运算量最大,但估计性能居中;迭代估计法的估计性能最差,但运算量最小。对于实际系统,应根据不同的估计精度和运算量要求,灵活选择不同的算法。综合考虑估计性能和运算量之间的折衷可以得到结论,在三种算法中局部搜索最大似然法是一种相对较好的选择。     

“艾科尔斯”改进型光学助降系统的纵向着舰精度研究*

基于“艾科尔斯”(ICOLS:Improved carrier optical landing system)改进型光学助降系统的人工着舰系统是几种新型光电或激光舰载机助降系统之一,研究了“ICOLS”改进型光学助降系统的引导技术,整个系统的关键是引入激光束。研究重点是当航母在海浪、海涌干扰作用时,飞机在ICOLS系统引导下,人工操纵飞机着舰时的仿真结构配置,并导出终端误差方程。最后给出了在典型海浪作用下,ICOLS近程系统采用角稳定助降系统控制律的着舰精度仿真计算实例,从而为地面仿真研究着舰误差提供了基本思路与研究手段,对保证飞机安全着舰有十分重要的意义。     

侦察无人机作战效能评估准则研究*

在对有人驾驶飞机作战效能评估方法的分析研究基础上,提出了完整的侦察无人机作战效能评估指标体系。建立了作战效能的评估准则与数学模型,并对影响侦察效能的参数进行了分析。运用该方法对“全球鹰”和“捕食者”两种无人机的侦察效能指数进行了定量评估,结果验证了该评估准则的可用性。     

Exact expected values of variance estimators for simulation

We formulate exact expressions for the expected values of selected estimators of the variance parameter (that is, the sum of covariances at all lags) of a steady‐state simulation output process. Given in terms of the autocovariance function of the process, these expressions are derived for variance estimators based on the simulation analysis methods of nonoverlapping batch means, overlapping batch means, and standardized time series. Comparing estimator performance in a first‐order autoregressive process and the M/M/1 queue‐waiting‐time process, we find that certain standardized time series estimators outperform their competitors as the sample size becomes large. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2007