Tripwires and free-riders: Do forward-deployed U.S. troops reduce the willingness of host-country citizens to fight for their country?

This article investigates the relationship between U.S. overseas troops and the willingness of the citizens of host states to fight for their country. The study joins the long-running debate about burden-sharing and free-riding among U.S. allies. Unlike most previous empirical studies, we focus on non-material or intangible measures of the underlying concepts. Our dependent variable estimates the proportion of citizens expressing a willingness to fight for their country. Scores at the aggregate-national as well as the individual level are shaped by the presence of U.S. military forces, which act as a “tripwire” signaling credible security commitments. This increases opportunities of (non-material) free-riding. We present both bivariate and multivariate analyses covering the period 1981–2014 to test this supposition. Findings indicate that once U.S. troop levels reach a certain threshold (between 100 and 500 troops), citizens’ willingness to fight drops significantly. This likely reflects non-material free-riding.     

Path optimization for the resource‐constrained searcher

We formulate and solve a discrete‐time path‐optimization problem where a single searcher, operating in a discretized three‐dimensional airspace, looks for a moving target in a finite set of cells. The searcher is constrained by maximum limits on the consumption of one or more resources such as time, fuel, and risk along any path. We develop a specialized branch‐and‐bound algorithm for this problem that uses several network reduction procedures as well as a new bounding technique based on Lagrangian relaxation and network expansion. The resulting algorithm outperforms a state‐of‐the‐art algorithm for solving time‐constrained problems and also is the first algorithm to solve multi‐constrained problems. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2010     

浅析唐朝军事行政法的借鉴价值

唐朝进行了大规模的军事立法活动,形成了较为完备的军事法律制度,其中军事行政法律制度在整个军事法律体系中占有相当重要的位置。虽然它没有现代军事行政法律制度完善,但作为当时世界上国力强大的王朝,在军事行政法制上仍然有值得借鉴的地方。     

海军舰载导弹防空系统信息作战方法

信息与火力是海军舰载导弹防空系统研究的核心问题,运用信息作战原理,在给定攻击战机的条件下,对舰载导弹防空系统的信息与火力联合作战能力的分析表明:与提高作战安全性的隐形战机相比,军事诱骗战术更易降低舰载导弹防空系统的火力防御能力.火力对作战能力的贡献约为信息的4倍.根据这一结论,可以为海军舰载导弹防空系统开发出基于信息作战原理的新战法,全面提高指战员在实战中把握信息与火力的运用规律、实施信息作战、做出科学决策和夺取战场胜利的能力.     

军内行政执法主体研究

军内行政执法主体是指依法享有军内行政执法权的组织。但是,在理论上如何界定军内行政执法主体的范围？军内行政执法主体之间的相互关系如何界定？军内行政执法主体之间的职权在宏观上如何划分？这便是本文所要探讨的问题。     

汲取无人机发展经验指导地面无人装备发展建设

军用无人机在实战中的成功应用和陆军较高的作战伤亡比重使得陆军发展地面无人装备的愿望和需求越来越强烈,但当前军用地面无人装备还处于发展的初期阶段,仍未形成完善的作战体系.本文针对如何促进军用地面无人装备发展和建设,加快战斗力生成,提出借鉴军用无人机成熟的发展经验来指导地面无人装备发展和建设的思路,首先论述了无人作战将成为...     

央行数字货币在军队资金保障中的应用

资金是军事经济活动的"血液",是建设一支强大军队的重要支撑,也是应急财务保障的核心.近年来,我国央行数字货币研发工作稳步推进,我国有望成为世界上第一个发行法定数字货币的国家.本文阐述了央行数字货币的基本含义和发展历程,总结了央行数字货币使用便捷、消费留痕、可编程性、可控匿名及币值稳定五个主要特点,从增强日常资金结算便捷...     

Responsibility in Complex Conflicts: An Afghan Case

This paper discusses soldiers’ moral responsibility in today’s complex conflicts. The point of departure is the increased focus on soldiers as moral decision-makers in war, illustrated by the introduction of core values in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Responsibility is one of these core values, but it is not clear exactly how we should understand responsibility. I use a case where a group of Norwegian soldiers in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) sought the cooperation of a group of mujahedeen to solve the military mission of establishing security. As confidence between the parties grew, the soldiers became horrified witnesses to a practice of bacha bazi, where a young boy is dressed up for entertainment and sexual abuse. This situation gives reason to question the limits of role responsibility, the status of soldiers’ legitimacy, and the challenges of making morally sound judgments in a multicultural context. The discussion demonstrates that, even if there are restrictions on the soldiers’ freedom to act, a responsibility reaching beyond or extending their role should be recognized as part of the moral reality of modern soldiers.     

Beyond the state: reconceptualising African security in the 21st century

Confronted with myriad security challenges, African states and the much-vaunted peace and security architecture of the African Union (AU) has proven not to be up to the challenge. Indeed, this is implicitly acknowledged by the AU itself if one considers the creation of such security structures as the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which exists outside its peace and security architecture. This paper argues for a radical rethink of security structures on the African continent – one in which state structures of security coexist with newer forms of security actors, including private military companies (PMCs), community movements and the business sector. Whilst this shift in security actors is already happening on the ground, policymakers need to embrace this new reality.