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.     

When the military become a security and political threat: Zimbabwean army generals in electoral politics

The military poses an ongoing threat to modern democratic rule in some African countries, especially in the Zimbabwean context. This paper reveals the ways in which Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) generals have played a political role in the Zimbabwean elections, an issue which is both a political threat and a security threat to the state. It is argued that the ways in which ZNA generals engage in the political process goes against Section 208(2) of the constitution of Zimbabwe, which summarily states that the military must be apolitical. In substantiating this argument, the paper presents and analyses various public speeches made by army generals. It is contended that the army generals’ support of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and President Robert Mugabe has to be understood as a ‘mutual accommodation’, i.e. the generals are offered privileges in return for the political protection of the ruling regime which negatively impacts the security of the vote.     

The Value of Respect: What Does it Mean for an Army?

The Australian Army has adopted “respect” as a new addition to the existing trio of values, “courage, initiative and teamwork.” This article explores what respect may mean as an army value. The significance of respect surrounding two incidents involving Australian Defence Force personnel while on duty in Afghanistan is considered. The first is the so-called “green on blue” attack by an Afghan National Army soldier killing three Australian soldiers on 29 August 2012. The second concerns allegations of mutilation of suspected Afghan insurgents’ corpses by soldiers attached to an Australian Special Forces Unit on 28 April 2013. The incidents have resulted in internal military investigations: in the second incident, with a view to possible prosecution for breach of the law of armed conflict and related disciplinary offences; and in the case of the green on blue attack, leading to a civilian coronial inquest. This article discusses the training and modelling of behaviour required to instil such a value as respect.     

方差全局灵敏度求解的空间分割结合无迹变换方法

为有效计算基于方差的全局灵敏度指标尤其是非线性程度较高的响应函数的,将积分空间的可加性以及无迹变换结合起来,利用函数在子空间内非线性程度会降低以及无迹变换方法在概率空间内对低非线性函数性质具有强捕捉能力的特点,提出计算基于方差的全局灵敏度指标的高效方法。该方法只需产生一组无迹变换样本就可以近似求得各阶灵敏度指标,并且该近似解随空间分割个数的增加而收敛于真值。通过非线性程度较高的验证算例及工程算例验证了所提方法在处理非线性功能函数上的高效性和准确性。     

The human consequences of foreign military intervention

The empirical international conflict literature has given much recent attention to interstate armed force’s impact on human well-being. While empirical research has advanced our understanding of the phenomenon considerably, we argue that one conclusion that many studies have reached is preliminary. Some recent research contends that only full-scale war, and not force short of war, has a discernable impact on human welfare or physical quality of life (PQOL). We develop theory on one type of force short of war, large-scale foreign military intervention (FMI), and its potential effects on PQOL. Using interrupted time series and panel corrected standard error methodologies, we find that from 1960 to 2005 large-scale FMI had a statistically and substantively significant impact on the PQOL of populations in 106 developing countries. The specific effect that this type of armed force has depended in large part on the regime type of the target country.     

The NATO Response Force: A qualified failure no more?

With much fanfare, NATO declared its rapid reaction force—the NATO Response Force (NRF)—an Initial Operational Capability in 2004. This article addresses four questions: Where did the NRF come from? What does it look like in 2017? What have been the major obstacles for the NRF fulfilling its promises? And where is the NRF likely to go? The article holds two main arguments. First, due to inadequate fill-rates and disagreements as to the force’s operational role, the NRF was for many years a “qualified failure.” The force failed to become the operational tool envisioned by the allies in 2002. While not without effect, it fell hostage to the harsh reality of the expeditionary wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. Second, the NRF is off to a fresh beginning and will likely be considered at least a partial success by the allies in the years to come.     

战区军事职业教育培养联合军官存在问题及建议

发展战区军事职业教育培养联合军官,是加强联合作战指挥人才建设、实现军事人才现代化、推进联合作战指挥体系建设的重要内容。文章针对当前面临的矛盾问题,围绕加快发展战区军事职业教育、下大力培育联合军官提出了顶层设计、优化内容体系、拓宽实践渠道、激发队伍活力。     

电传动装甲车辆负载功率预测实时能量管理策略

针对电传动装甲车辆负载功率预测功能缺失导致控制作用滞后的问题,提出一种具有较高负载功率预测精度的实时能量管理策略。在分析整车结构的基础上,采用理论分析和数据拟合方法,建立各动力源数学模型。将差分自回归移动平均模型和自适应马尔可夫链两种预测方法相结合,设计非平稳趋势性负载功率组合预测方法。在非线性模型预测控制框架下,构建多目标优化函数,采用序列二次规划法在有限时域内实时求解最优控制指令,优化多动力源协调控制过程。依托硬件在环仿真平台进行多路面行驶实验,对比有无功率预测的能量管理控制效果。结果表明,改进的实时能量管理策略对未来负载功率具有较好的预见性,能够显著优化多动力源协调控制过程,提升车辆燃油经济性,稳定母线电压和电池荷电状态,对传统模型预测控制下的工程应用场景具有一定借鉴意义。     

3G通信技术发展及在非战争军事行动中的应用

文章分析了3G无线视音频系统具有的优势,对3G视音频传输系统组网方式和功能进行了描述,探讨了非战争军事行动中通信保障面临的主要问题。     

非对称相互依赖下的美日军事同盟机制分析——以奥巴马政府“重返亚太”为视角

2012年1月5日,美国国防部发表了《保持美国的全球领导地位:21世纪的防务重点计划报告》,在"重返亚太"战略的战略背景下,重点针对美国未来的军事力量结构、全球部署态势、军事战略目标等进行了重新规划。新军事战略调整对整个国际格局和地区性大国产生深远影响。随着美国重返亚太的战略调整,军事上的相互依赖程度体现在美日同盟之间尤为突出。本文仅从军事战略角度,运用《权力与相互依赖》中部分理论对其调整下的美日军事同盟机制进行分析。