BANNING BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) underpins the international regime to control biological weapons. The strength of the treaty however relies on national implementation. The first step for many states party to the Convention is drafting appropriate national laws and regulations. So far, 32 countries in Africa are signatory to the BTWC. More recently, in 2004, the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1540, which requires all UN Member States to put in place legislation to prevent the illicit trafficking of material that could be used to develop weapons of mass destruction. The need for such wide-ranging legislation is recognised African countries but its creation and implementation pose specific challenges.     

MICRO-DISARMAMENT IN WEST AFRICA

This article explores the proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in the West African sub-region and efforts by the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to deal with the problem through the ECOWAS Declaration of a Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation and Manufacture of Small Arms and Light Weapons in West Africa. The paper analyses the degree of compliance with the Moratorium by four ECOWAS member states, namely, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Mali.     

The Colonial War revisited

The Carnation Revolution on 25 April 1974 toppled the authoritarian regime in Lisbon. It is fallacious to conclude, however, that the 1974 coup d’état signaled Portugal's defeat in the Colonial War. The status of each conflict on the eve of the Carnation Revolution varied, and it was by no means inevitable that Portugal would have been defeated in all three theatres had the coup not occurred. This brief research note therefore advances a novel approach to examining the Colonial War by assessing the outcomes prior to the 1974 coup. In particular, the author proposes that Portugal achieved military victory in Angola and Mozambique, but was defeated in Guinea-Bissau.     

Portfolio analysis for defense: taking account of networking

To manage their assets at an enterprise level, defense organizations have turned to portfolio theory for the planning, analysis and management of their military forces and materiel. Despite being well established in the commercial sector, the application of portfolio approaches in defense is problematic. The vexatious question for defense of how to define and measure benefits arising is complicated by the increased utility and effectiveness achieved through networking of military forces and the equipment they use. The authors discuss the challenges for defense in using a portfolio approach and propose a conceptual model for dealing with the effects arising from networking with information and communications technologies.     

From the people's army to the Jewish people's army: the IDF's force structure between professionalization and militarization

The article discusses processes of “religionization” within the institutional identity and ethos of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the connection of these processes with the significant structural changes the IDF has undergone in recent decades. The main argument presented is that since the late 1980s, the IDF has been in a culture conflict, torn between soldiers and civilians who advocate turning the IDF into a professional army “military professionalization,” and others who wish to preserve, and even strengthen, the “people's army” model. The present article shows that the meaning of the term “people” in this phrase has shifted to refer strictly to the Jewish people, and that a national-ethnic perception strongly influenced by religious-national ideology has been adopted.     

基于RBF神经网络的军事物流设施规模预测

确定合理的军事物流设施规模对于成功实施军事后勤保障十分重要。提出了基于RBF神经网络的军事物流设施规模预测模型的建模方法,该方法旨在确定军事物流设施规模与其影响因素之间的非线性关系;采用算例说明了基于RBF神经网络的军事物流设施规模预测的具体做法,对军事物流设施规模的确定具有指导意义。     

如何提升军分区系统司令机关“四种能力”

文章针对军分区（警备区）系统“四种能力”的问题,讨论了军分区（警备区）系统“四种能力”建设的基本经验,提出要突出融合指挥,提升司令机关组织指挥能力;要突出技能训练,提高司令机关能参善谋能力;要突出战法研究,提高司令机关筹划创新能力;要突出协同合成,提高司令机关指导训练能力.     

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。     

武警院校军事学研究生教员教学存在的问题及对策

武警院校军事学研究生教员的教学中,存在着学科专业知识储备不足、运用研究性教学方法欠缺、学科研究与创新能力不强等问题。应采取有效措施,夯实教员的学科专业理论基础,促使其掌握研究性教学方法,并努力提高自身的创新素质与能力。