The crisis of American military assistance: strategic dithering and Fabergé Egg armies

ABSTRACT

The United States has provided substantial amounts of military assistance and aid since the end of World War Two. During the Cold War, it proved vital in protecting numerous regimes from communist takeovers. Successful outcomes occurred when American leaders made large initial aid commitments, and the states had the capacity and political willpower to use it effectively. However, Vietnam was an example of how U.S. support lagged, as leaders in Saigon preferred political survival instead of creating regime legitimacy. Following 9/11, American security aid focused on making weak countries develop stronger security forces. Unfortunately, this created Fabergé egg militaries: expensive and easily broken by insurgents. This article suggests long-term strategic commitments need to be made alongside more resources for the American State Department and similar organizations to focus on the politics of state-building. Finally, this article suggests strategies, such as “whole-of-government” approaches, to improve long-term security and political institution building.     

Effective in battle: conceptualizing soldiers’ combat effectiveness*

How do we understand combat effectiveness – soldiers’ performance in battle? Despite the broad consensus that understanding combat effectiveness is important both for scholars and policymakers, there is widespread disagreement about what combat effectiveness is. More specifically, studies of effectiveness tend to focus on either the skill of soldiers in battle, or their will to fight. Yet both skill and will are essential components of an effective fighting force. This article argues that understanding combat effectiveness requires understanding both of these key components of effectiveness. In other words, combat effectiveness requires both the skill and will to engage the enemy in an organized manner. It then demonstrates the usefulness of this conceptualization by applying it to the cases of British, Indian, and Australian forces fighting the Japanese during the Second World War. Only when scholars are talking about the same concept will our understanding of the conditions under which militaries are effective in battle progress. By comparing different units fighting the same opponent under the same material conditions, I demonstrate that units vary both in their combat skill and their will to fight, and that understanding their effectiveness in battle requires analyzing both of these key factors.     

积极探索训练规律,加强学员军事基础素质的培养

通过研究“4+1”人才培养模式下学员军事基础素质培养过程,改革军事基础课程教学体系和学员队管理模式,实现军事基础教学与学员队管理的有机衔接,强化学员旅的教学管理职能,形成“三位一体”的学员军事基础素质培养模式,建立学员军事基础素质评价的指标体系。     

军队高等工程院校教师的人文修养

大学教师本身的人文修养所体现出来的师德水平、学识水平、人格魅力以及教学艺术水平,是新时期教师素质的重要组成部分。要在军队高等工程院校中全面推进素质教育,全体教师必须首先提高自身的人文修养水平。     

软件需求工程及其发展

详细介绍了需求工程的基本概念及其内容,根据目前的实际情况,简要总结了需求工程的常用方法和支持工具,并指出需求工程的发展现状和存在的主要问题。收集国内外的相关资料,进行综合分析,以便了解国内外的研究现状,并进行适当的相关研究。认为:软件需求的获取是软件需求工程的重要一步,是软件质量保证的基础:研究具有可操作性和实用性的软件需求工程辅助工具具有重要意义。     

遗传算法在软硬件划分中的应用

软硬件划分是软硬协同设计中的一个关键问题。针对单处理器嵌入式系统 ,给出了基于遗传算法的解决方案 ,并引入了模拟退火和按概率选择两种技术。结果表明 ,算法有效地解决了软硬件划分问题 ,稳定性好、效率高 ,模拟退火和按概率选择的引入 ,进一步提高了算法效率 ,保证了算法的自适应性及结果的全局最优性。     

Markovian models of three‐on‐one combat involving a hidden defender

In this paper, Markovian models of three‐on‐one stochastic firefights between ground‐based weapon systems are developed. These models address a common scenario of interest to the military, but one which has been much neglected in analytic combat models, that of combat between a hidden defender and an exposed attacking force. Each combatant must detect an opponent before commencing their firing cycle, a task which is considerably more difficult for the attacker. In the models developed here, the defender detects the exposed attacking group after an exponentially distributed time interval, while each attacker has a fixed probability of detecting the defender via the flash signature produced after each shot fired by him. The utility of the approach is demonstrated by investigating what impact the introduction of a coordinated gun‐laying system for the attacking force might have, a system made possible by battlefield digitization. The method used here allows models to be developed incrementally. This and other advantages of the Markovian approach are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 49: 627–646, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/nav.10041     

“算法战”及其在空战领域中的应用

随着战争从体能较量、技能较量发展为智能较量,"算法战"与人工智能和指挥控制系统相关联并在其中占据关键地位,是实现智能化作战和建设智能军队的技术基础。通过梳理与总结美军在落实"算法战"研究方面所进行的开创性工作,理清"算法战"发展的脉络,重点对"算法战"产生背景、基本概念与内涵以及发展现状进行了探讨,结合课题组在航空集群作战领域的研究基础,探讨"算法战"在空战领域的落脚应用的可鉴之策,为我空军装备的信息化升级和智能化转型奠定基础。     

武器装备试验计量保障有关问题的思考

计量保障是武器装备试验数据准确和试验质量可靠的重要保证,是考核与评价装备战术技术指标的关键环节,在武器装备的发展建设中发挥着不可替代的基础作用。本文结合目前武器装备试验计量保障工作的现状,从计量管理的法制化、试验计量保障能力建设、试验装备的强制检定和装备计量保障信息数据库等若干方面深入阐述了试验需求和法律法规要求,探讨了做好试验计量保障工作应采取的改进措施。     

基于HHM的军事演习风险识别

军事演习风险对军事演习的安全顺利进行有很大的影响。有效控制演习风险,首先需要全面、系统地识别出军事演习中存在的风险因素。本文在给出军事演习风险定义的基础上,运用等级全息模型(hierarchical holographic modeling,HHM)~([1])的思想和方法建立HHM风险识别模型,对军事演习中存在的风险进行分析和识别,有助于提升军事演习风险识别的准确性和全面性,为军事演习风险的评估和控制打下坚实的基础,对军事演习的安全进行和军事训练水平的提升具有重要意义。