The Clausewitzian fallacy of absolute war

Clausewitz was much preoccupied with the apparent contradiction between real and absolute war. Why did war in history so rarely exhibit the extremes of violence and energy implied in the pure concept of war? Clausewitz’s commentators have usually followed him in thinking that this was a genuine problem in need of a solution, but I want to question that view. I will argue that Clausewitz did not have a coherent philosophy of absolute war, and therefore the contradiction he posited between real and absolute war was equally meaningless – as, too, was his effort to resolve it by claiming that some real wars approached or even attained the absolute form of war. The real problem was not the opposition of real and absolute war, but the self-contradictory theory of absolute war.     

The underlying causes of military outsourcing in the USA and UK: bridging the persistent gap between ends,ways and means since the beginning of the Cold War

This article reappraises the two most-studied country cases of military outsourcing: the USA and the UK. It argues that the contemporary wave of military contracting stretches back to the beginning of the cold war and not only to the demobilisation of armies in the 1990s or the neoliberal reforms introduced since the 1980s. It traces the political, technological and ideational developments that laid the groundwork for these reforms and practices since the early cold war and account for its endurance today. Importantly, it argues that a persistent gap between strategic objectives and resources, i.e. the challenge to reconcile ends and means, is an underlying driver of military contracting in both countries. Contemporary contracting is thus most closely tied to military support functions in support of wider foreign and defence political objectives. Security services in either state may not have been outsourced so swiftly, if at all, without decades of experience in outsourcing military logistics functions and the resultant vehicles, processes and familiarities with public-private partnerships. The article thus provides a wider and deeper understanding of the drivers of contractualisation, thereby improving our understanding of both its historical trajectory and the determinants of its present and potential futures.     

Postmodern warfare and the blurred boundaries between war and peace

Each age has its own wars and its own forms of warfare. In today’s evolving world risk society warfare has entered a new development stage. The states of the “global North” adapt their forms of intervention. They increasingly practice postmodern warfare characterized especially by the role of influencing the information space, networked approaches, the incorporation of indirect and covert actions, and the special quality of new technologies. This practice furthers an increasing grey zone between limiting and de-bounding of warfare. The phenomenon of postmodern warfare raises some tough questions and offers a rich research agenda.     

Threats and civil–military relations: explaining Singapore’s “trickle down” military innovation

This article explains why Singapore, despite its small size and semi-authoritarian regime, retains one of the best military forces in the Indo-Pacific. It unpacks Singapore’s ability to continuously innovate since the 1960s – technologically, organizationally, and conceptually – and even recently joined the Revolution in Military Affairs bandwagon. Drawing from the broader military innovation studies literature, this article argues evolutionary peacetime military innovation is more likely to occur in a state with a unified civil–military relation and whose military faces a high-level diverse set of threats. This argument explains how the civil–military fusion under the People’s Action Party-led government since Singapore’s founding moment has been providing coherent and consistent strategic guidance, political support, and financial capital, allowing the Singapore Armed Forces to continuously innovate in response to high levels and diversity of threats.     

美军飞机易损性实弹测试现状及启示

飞机易损性分析与评估是指对飞机在战斗状态下遭受攻击后受损的难易程度的评价,是衡量飞机战斗性能的重要指标.研究飞机易损性对于飞机高生存力设计和飞机战伤预测评估具有重要意义.本文首先简要介绍了飞机易损性分析的一般方法与流程,收集并整理了美军飞机易损性实弹测试的历史沿革和条件建设现状,同时以F-35整机、F135发动机和C2...     

基于改进单亲遗传算法的军事物流中心选址问题研究

为了有效求解军事物流中心选址问题,在单亲遗传算法加入模拟退火选择操作,与倒位算子和非均匀变异操作相结合,构建了退火单亲遗传算法。在选择操作中,采用三复本锦标选择的方式,确保了种群的多样性。计算结果表明该方法可有效求解选址问题,取得较一般遗传算法更优的结果,算法的搜索效率和收敛概率均得到大幅度提高。     

刑法修正案（七）中军用标志犯罪立法完善研究

《刑法修正案（七）》对原刑法规定的侵犯军用标志的犯罪进行了修正,但其规定还存在一些立法疏漏和缺陷,有必要予以改进。《刑法修正案（七）》中的罪名应立法化,由立法机关确定;增设非法生产、伪造、变造、盗窃、抢劫、抢夺、破坏、侮辱武装部队专用标志的行为和伪造、变造、盗窃、非法提供、使用、非法出租、出借、赠送武装部队制式服装的行为;犯罪对象应包括制式服装的标志服饰、军服专用材料和军服仿制品;刑罚种类应增加剥夺政治权利;增加非法生产、买卖武装部队制式服装罪的情节加重犯的法定刑。     

浅析俄罗斯军事刑罚制度对我国的启示

我国军事刑法与俄罗斯军事刑法都分别在本国的普通刑法中用专章加以规定,相似之处很多。在军事刑罚方面,俄罗斯有很多专门针对军人、军事犯罪的特别刑罚很值得我国借鉴。对比中国和俄罗斯两国的军事刑罚,找出我国在军事刑罚方面的不足之处,借鉴俄罗斯军事刑罚制度中的可取之处,完善我国的军事刑罚制度,使之更适应我国军事、国防的发展需要,有利于预防军事、军人犯罪,提高我国军队战斗力。     

无人机侦察效能研究

携带侦察设备对指定区域进行侦察是无人机在现代战场上的重要应用之一。以无人机为平台,以CCD摄像机为侦察设备,提供了一种无人机执行侦察任务时的效能评估模型。在给出了无人机及侦察设备模型的基础上,从影响无人机的侦察能力和侦察代价两个方面着手,建立了对无人机侦察方案进行效能评估的模型,从而解决了侦察方案优劣的评价问题,这对无人机高效的执行侦察任务提供了理论决策依据。