Trading coups for civil war

This paper investigates civil conflict as a product of the survival strategies of African leaders. Specifically, the paper offers a theory of risk substitution that predicts coup-fearing leaders will undermine the military effectiveness of the state when making an effort to extend their own tenure. While ‘coup-proofing’ practices have often been noted as contributors to political survival, considerably less attention has been paid to the influence of these strategies on other forms of conflict. Utilising data from a number of cross-national datasets, the analyses show that having a higher number of ‘coup-proofing’ counterweights significantly worsens a state's civil conflict prospects. A brief consideration of multiple episodes of conflict further suggests that in addition to coup-proofing undermining the counterinsurgency capacity of the state, some leaders are simply indifferent to – or can even potentially benefit from – the existence of an insurgency.     

Factors influencing military recruitment in South Africa: the voices of Cape Town high school learners

This research sets out to establish how the youth in South Africa view military service, and what factors affect the ability of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to attract suitable recruits to staff its modern, technologically advanced military. Due to high levels of youth unemployment, South Africa has sufficient persons volunteering for military service. The problem lies with recruiting sufficient quality personnel with the right profile and abilities. To establish what affects enlistment, focus group discussions were conducted with learners from eight schools to determine what influences their career choices, what deters them from or attracts them to military service, their perception of the military profession, their knowledge of the military, and the influence of factors such as race and gender. The conclusion is reached that the SANDF is not considered an employer of choice due to poor service conditions, a decline in the prestige of the military, unfavourable aspects associated with military culture, a growing ‘knowledge gap’ and disconnect between the military and South African society, the estrangement of certain race groups, and the masculine nature of the military. These aspects need to be addressed if the SANDF wishes to attract learners with good academic credentials.     

也谈军事训练文化

文章研究军事训练文化作为引导、教化和推动军事训练向能力聚焦,向实战靠拢的精神财富,既有对过去训练实践的凝练、对当前训练实践的反思,也有对未来训练实践的探索,对军队训练活动具有不可替代的指导意义。提出,需要在理解基本蕴涵,把握共性特点、认清表现形式和明确发展路径的基础上廓清相关理论认识。     

美国2014年《四年防务评估报告》特点

2014年3月4日,美国国防部向国会提交了2014年版《四年防务评估报告》和《2015财年国防预算报告》。《四年防务评估报告》更新了再平衡战略,为美军建设提出了优先发展方向,要求美军联合部队向“更小型化”转型,以满足未来军事行动需求。     

新征程军事指导理论创新发展

十八大以来,习主席关于国防和军队建设重要论述,体现了我党军事指导理论的创新发展,既是习主席治国理政思想在军事领域的重要体现,也处处体现了辩证唯物主义的思想方法。学习贯彻习主席关于国防和军队建设的重要论述,必须牢牢把握其思想精华,把意志和力量凝聚到实现中国梦强军梦上来,推动国防和军队建设的创新发展。     

美国精确打击历史回溯

美智库机构战略与预算评估中心(CSBA)高级研究员巴里·瓦茨(Darry D.Watts)2013年发表的《精确打击的演化发展》报告,对美国海湾战争以来的军事革命进行了详尽的分析。报告提出了区分远程与近程精确打击的参考标准,详细介绍了美国20世纪军事革命中精确打击能力和作战趋势形成的背景和过程,分析了精确打击弹药采购的资源制约因素,评价了美国在成熟精确打击体制中全球力量投送面临的风险和挑战,希望美国及时做出相应的调整和变革。《精确打击的演化发展》报告对理解精确打击时代的美国军事革命有较大帮助,对美国未来几十年的新的军队结构和能力发展趋势可能具有重要参考价值。     

美军训练转型的特点及启示

美军是世界新军事变革的积极倡导者和先行者,其以信息化为核心的全面军事转型计划启动早,成效明显,具有丰富的实践经验。借鉴美军的训练转型经验,对于准确理解和把握战斗力生成模式转变的特点规律,探索战斗力生成模式转变的方法途径,破除制约战斗力生成的瓶颈,加快推进战斗力生成模式转变,提升信息化条件下的作战能力,具有一定的理论和现实意义。     

外军无人训练靶标发展研究

无人训练靶标在军事训练过程中起着至关重要的作用。重点介绍国外一些新型的、在模拟手段及技术水平方面有着鲜明特征的无人靶标系统,在此基础上对外军无人靶标的发展特点进行了分析。     

军用飞机燃油消耗多元线性回归模型

为了解决军用飞机非标准动作燃油消耗建模问题,利用实际飞参数据,采用多元线性回归方法进行建模分析。建立了燃油消耗量与飞行时间、油箱平均油量、平均高度、平均速度、T1温度、T4温度、N2转速、高度变化量、飞机外挂的多元线性回归模型,并对回归模型进行统计性检验和验证。结论显示:模型拟合度较好,符合军用飞机飞行耗油规律,对军用飞机非标准动作燃油消耗规律研究具有重要意义。     

部队院校学员饮食营养KAP调查及对策探讨

学员的身体素质与其对营养知识的了解、态度及饮食行为密切相关。通过问卷形式对部队院校学员的饮食结构、营养知识、认知态度及日常行为进行调查,探讨学员饮食存在的问题和原因,提出改善学员饮食行为的建议。