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Military operations (general)

A Swift, Elusive Sword : What If Sun Tzu and John Boyd Did A National Defense Review

This report is from the Center for Defense Information's Military Reform Project, written by Chester W. Richards, it was first published in July 2001 and updated in February 2003. Richards argues that the traditional strategies of Sun Tzu and Col. John R. Boyd USAF could be a solution to the transformation of the armed forces. The paper makes the point that the effectiveness of forces rather than individual weapon systems is of prime importance. The report analyses the strategies of Sun Tzu and Boyd, looks at the role of military force and what makes the force effective, maneouvre warfare and options for a new force structure.

Accelerated Logistics : Streamlining the Army's Supply Chain

This provides access to RAND report MR-1140-A, prepared by Mark Y. D. Wang and James Champy, dated 2000. It describes the U.S. Army's Velocity Management (VM) initiative, which has enabled a dramatic streamlining of the supply chain, so that order and ship times for repair parts have been cut by nearly two-thirds. The text is available in PDF format.

Activation and the Earnings of Reservists

This technical report (MG-474-OSD) was published by The RAND Corporation in 2006 and was written by David S. Loughran, Jacob Alex Klerman and Craig Martin. Activation imposes a variety of costs on reservists. Among those costs is a potential decline in earnings during the period of activation. In this study, RAND researchers compute how earnings change when a reservist is activated using administrative data on military and civilian earnings obtained from the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). The study employs a comprehensive measure of annual earnings and covers the experiences of virtually all reservists activated in support of the Global War on Terrorism through 2003. Contrary to conventional wisdom and DoD survey evidence, the RAND study indicates that, on average, the earnings of reservists increase substantially when activated. Moreover, earnings gains increase with length of active duty service. Some reservists do experience an earnings loss when activated, but the probability of experiencing an earnings loss declines with length of active duty service. Even so, these large earnings gains may be insufficient to compensate reservists for the hardship of active duty. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Agency Theory View of the Military Advisor

This is the full text of a thesis by Gilbert Petrina USAF, which was presented to the faculty of the School of Advanced Air Power Studies (SASS), Maxwell Air Force Base Alabama in 2005. An understanding of civil-military relations provides insight for the military strategist into the interplay between politics and military art. A framework of how civilian leadership and the military relate in formulating national security objectives may prove useful in developing military strategies. In Armed Servants: Agency, Oversight, and Civil-Military Relations, political scientist Peter Feaver proposes a theory of civil-military relations based on principal-agent theory called Agency theory which defines civil-military relations as the day-to-day strategic interaction between civilian leaders and the military. According to Agency theory, the civilians set oversight measures to monitor the behavior of the military and the military responds based on the probability of its behavior being discovered and its expectation of punishment from civilian leadership. This paper argues that Agency theory can be extended by examining the intangible aspects of the military that contribute to its decision-making and behavior and separating the civilian principal into the President and Congress to better describe American civil-military relations. The examination of the intangible aspects of the military mind concludes that the professional military ethic espoused by political scientist Samuel Huntington and expressed in the Weinberger Doctrine offers insights into the behavior of the military that the purely rationalist approach of Agency theory does not capture. The examination of the separation of the civilian principal into the executive and legislative branches shows that in times of crisis, the military advisor is drawn to the President and his advisors as a source of immediate information. This change in the nature of the strategic interaction to a more informal, feedback-based monitoring with respect to the President gives more power over the military while Congress maintains a more formal oversight. The study concludes that Agency theory is a valuable theory not only for its descriptive power in analyzing the dynamics of American civil-military relations but also for its flexibility to accept extensions to the basic theory without undermining its validity. For the military strategist, Agency theory proposes one view of civil-military relations and offers insight into how military strategies relate to political objectives. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University Research Web site.

Air Force Research Laboratory : Space Vehicles Directorate

Space Vehicles is one of nine Air Force Research Laboratories directorates, and its main purpose is to develop technologies that support evolving warfighter requirements to control and exploit space. The keys areas of research include the battlespace environment, protection of space assets, space vehicle control, space-based sensing, space vehicle technologies (structures, power, thermal management) wargaming, and performing a variety of integrated space technology demonstrations. The resources available from the site include news releases, a newsletter, fact sheets, an overview of the directorate's research interests and activities, and a bibliographic database of directorate technical reports, which can be searched and/or browsed.

Air Force Research Laboratory

The United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is situated at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base. This website provides information concerning the AFRL headquarters, including details of its reading room, corporate strategy, organisation, symposiums, seminars and conferences. There are also links to the AFRL's various directorates: air vehicles, directed energy, human effectiveness, information, materials & manufacturing, munitions, propulsion, sensors and space vehicles.

Air Power and Special Forces: A Symbiotic Relationship

This is Australian Air Power Development Centre (formerly the Air Power Studies Centre) Working Paper 14 by Squadron Leader David Jeffcoat, February 2004. This paper attempts to draw out the synergy between the characteristics of air power and Special Forces that come together so powerfully to make it a formidable combination, and describes its implications for the application of precision firepower. It suggests that the relationship between the two and the increased effectiveness that the combination brings to a battle should be optimised and further exploited.

Air University : Center for Space Studies

The mission of this centre is to "promote and sponsor research and education on the employment of spacepower by creating and maintaining a depository and clearing house for space information and expertise". The site brings together links to information under several headings. These include doctrine and policy, force enhancement and application, space support and control, force development and space cadre.

Alternatives to Anti-Personnel Landmines

This site provides access to a Research and Technology Organisation Technical Report, RTO-TR-040(I), written by Mr. K.T. Wong and Mr. E.R. Carbone for the RTO Studies Analysis and Simulation Panel, dated May 2003. The report considers alternative technology to anti-personnel landmines and the impact on force capabilities of not using landmines. This has become an issue beacuse seventeen out of nineteen NATO nations have signed the Ottawa Convention which prohibits the use of landmines. The report looks at anti-personnel mine capability, both materiel (technological) and non-materiel (tactics, doctrine) alternatives. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text of the document (3.37 Mbytes) can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Analysis of the Military Effectiveness of Future C2 Concepts and Systems

This site provides access to a Research and Technology Organisation (NATO) Meeting Proceedings, RTO-MP-117. This contains papers from the RTO Studies, Analysis and Simulation Panel (SAS) Symposium, held in The Hague, The Netherlands, 23-25 April 2002. The aims of the workshop were to discuss on the Code of Best Practice. In 1998 The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) published a Code of Best Practice for Assessing C2 (COBP), authored by SAS-002, which covered analysis of C2 at the ground forces tactical level in mid to high intensity conflicts. This 1998 COBP is being expanded by SAS-026 to address the broader spectrum of current C2 issues, including operations other than war, peacekeeping missions, cognitive factors, risk management, network centric concepts, and novel C2 arrangements. The documents contained in this publication discuss the extensions and revisions to the 1998 COBP, and provide best practices examples of current C2 analysis being conducted in member countries. A table of contents, and the full text of the document (13.7 Mbytes) can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Armed Forces (Parliamentary Approval for Participation in Armed Conflict) Bill : Bill 16 of 2005-06

This is the full text PDF of Research Paper 05/56 published 8 August 2005 by the International Affairs and Defence Section of the House of Commons Library. The paper discusses Bill which is sponsored by Clare Short, the former Secretary of State for International Development. It is due for its second reading on 21 October 2005. The Bill aims to make it a requirement for the Government to obtain the approval of both Houses of Parliament, before the deployment of UK Armed Forces in armed conflict and/or for a declaration of war to be made.

Army Technology - Contractors A-Z

Army Technology provides the website for defence industries (army). Here they provide an A-Z listing of defence contractors and suppliers. Products or services can be found by category, by using their equipment catalogue. It is also possible to reach the rest of the Army Technology website, which provides information about current projects, exhibitions & conferences and industry organisations.

Beni-Tal International Security

Israeli Security Company specializing in security arrangements with sensitive equipment, complicated and classified campaigns, security and investigative counselling, military and civil training, trading in weapons and bodyguards.

Beyond Intractability

Provided by the Conflict Research Consortium at the University of Colorado, this is the web site of the Intractable Conflict Knowledge Base Project which advertises itself as A Free Knowledge Base on More Constructive Approaches to Destructive Conflict. The site provides summary articles on topics that cover understanding conflict problems, and intervention processes and outcomes, as well as links to recommended resources such as web sites, interviews, news stories, books and articles, affiliated projects and conflict organisations. There are also case studies of real world conflicts; educational resources for students and teachers such as research tools and online courses; user guides and search tools.

C3I in Crisis, Emergency and Consequence Management

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO)Meeting Proceeding RTO-MP-IST-086, dated April 2009. The link consists of a range of documents varying from Strategic Communication in Combating Terrorism, Crisis management to Information Evaluation as a Decision Support for Counter-Terrorism. A table of contents, and the full text of the document can be accessed online in HTML format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Canadian Army Lessons Learned Centre

The mission of the Centre is to analyse Canadian and allied operations and training and disseminate the results as lessons learned. The website contains Post Operation Report templates for deployed and domestic operations, and Post Exercise Report templates for units and headquarters to input their observations. There is also access to the quarterly publications Dispatches, which is about military lessons learned, and the ALLC Bulletin, which provides information on the ALLC and topical issues. The site links to the After Action Review and Observer Controller website, which is part of the ALLC and aims to deliver training and education to soldiers to enable them to learn from their experiences. The site is also available in French.

Canadian Forces Current Operations

This site details the status of current Canadian forces operations. It lists current operations involving Canadian troops, NATO and the UN. The missions can be accessed by a clickable map or a list of regions. The site also provides an overview of past operations from 1992.

Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies

The CISS was established in 1976 and is an independent not-for-profit organisation concerned with the analysis of contemporary defence, security and strategic issues. Its aim is to provide a forum for the promotion and stimulation of research into major international and national events and issues which affect Canada. The website provides information on the CISS, a commentary on international and national military and strategic issues, a listing of events and news and details of recent publications.

Canadian Navy

The Canadian Navy home page provides information about the fleet. It gives details of naval operations and exercises, including Operation Apollo. There are links to careers, the history of the Canadian Navy, which links to Project Pride giving historical information and an image gallery. There is also news and information, an image gallery and links to formations and units and associations.

Center for Defense Information

Organisation whose research is based on promoting awareness of security related issues through providing information on subjects such as security policy, strategy, weapon systems and military operations. The site contains full text research papers on US and European defence policy, terrorism, the arms trade, international conflicts, nuclear proliferation and peacekeeping. The site also links to the full text of its journal the Defense Monitor.

Center for Security Studies

The centre is based at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and specialises in national and international security studies. The web site provides full text online publications, details of courses and research activities, lists of events and information services which includes links to the International Security Network, the Comprehensive Risk Analysis and Management Network, the Parallel History Project on NATO and the Warsaw Pact, and the Swiss Foreign and Security Policy Network. The site is available in German and English.

Center for the Study of Intelligence

The Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI) conducts research into all aspects of intelligence activities. This includes the work of the CIA, espionage, the Cold War, and spy satellites. It has full text access from 1995 onwards to its newsletter and journal, Studies in Intelligence. Some monographs are also available in full text.

Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society

The Ceges/Soma Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society is a Belgian state institute. It stores archives relating to Belgian experiences and involvement in World War Two. It also has the important Pallas collection of air dropped pamphlets of political propaganda. The web site has information on Ceges/Soma and its collection, recent activities, acquisitions and publications. The site is available in English, French or Dutch.

Centre for Strategic Studies : New Zealand

The centre is based at Victoria University of Wellington and conducts research, analysis and commentary on the security of New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific area. The site provides details on the organisation and gives details of the books it publishes. They provide full text working papers, discussion papers and strategic briefing papers. There are also reports used by the centre at conferences and seminars.

Code of Practice for Life Cycle Costing

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Technical Report RTO-TR-SAS-069, dated February 2009. The document identifies the application and use of life cycle costing for a system of interest(including individual weapon systems, system of systems, and military and business software) from an early conceptual stage in the product life cycle through to disposal. It provides illustrations on the types of life cycle cost studies that can be conducted and examples to demonstrate the benefits of conducting life cycle costing to inform the decision making process. A table of contents, and the full text of the document can be accessed online in HTML format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Coercion and International Law

Defence research paper by Sqn Ldr J.C.M. Johnston BSc RAF, published by the Joint Services Command and Staff College. Using the Kosovo Crisis of 1999 as a case study, this paper examines the intervention of NATO forces and the legislation which arose as a result of the use of force. The paper explores the viability of legalising the use of legitimate force under International Law whilst undertaking coercive operations.

Commanding an Air Force Squadron in the Twenty First Century : A Practical Guide of Tips and Techniques for Today's Squadron Commander

This site provides access to the full text of the Air University book written by Jeffry F. Smith, published in August 2003. This book looks at leadership and command of an air force squadron and takes the framework of the 1989 book Commanding an Air Force Squadron written by Timothy T. Timmons. Topics cover the art of command, lessons of leadership in action, building command relationships, personnel, communication, using authority, and money management.

Conflict Research Consortium

Based at the University of Colorado, the consortium is a research program aimed at collecting information concerning long term conflicts. The site links to CRInfo : The Conflict Resolution Information Source, and Beyond Intractability the website of the Intractable Conflict Knowledge Base Project. There is also access to four online training programmes and simulations; Dealing Constructively with Intractable Conflict, the Silver County Environmental Framing Simulation, the Civil Rights Mediation Oral History Project, and the Transformative Approaches to Conflict. There is also a link to the Conflict Management in Social Systems online course and an article on The Meaning of Civility.

CRInfo : The Conflict Resolution Information Source

Provided by the Conflict Research Consortium at the University of Colorado, CRInfo indexes peace and conflict resolution related web sites, books, articles, audiovisual materials, organisation profiles, events, and current news items. The site can be searched or browsed using the topic lists which include; understanding conflict, types of conflict, alternative dispute resolution, peace processes and book and article summaries. There is also an education, training and networking section which provides tutorials, online training materials and educational guides. There is also a list of recommended resources and links to further projects, gateways and affiliates.

Current uses of M&S Covering Support to Operations, Human Behaviour Representation, Irregular Warfare, Defence against Terrorism and Coalition Tactical Force Integration

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Meeting Proceeding RTO-MP-MSG-069, dated October 2009. This volume contains the Keynotes and Papers presented at the Modelling and Simulation Group Symposium held in Brussels, Belgium from 15th to 16th October 2009. Topics covered included: • Human Behaviour Representation • Support to Operations • Defence Against Terrorism • Coalition Tactical Force Integration • Irregular Warfare . A table of contents, and the full text of the document can be accessed online in HTML format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Defence Jobs News

News web site that contains the latest military news stories and headlines, sections on the arms market, biological/chemical warfare, espionage, Star Wars, terrorism, armament and technology. There are also sections on defence contracts and international conflicts. The site also links to defence jobs, NATO news, a nuclear guide, politics, UN news, and world news. It is also possible to sign up for news updates by email.

Defence Research Establishment Ottowa (DREO)

This resource provides information on one of the five laboratories gathered under the umbrella of the Defence Research and Development Canada organisation, part of the Canadian Department of Defence. It has information on the organisation's mission statement, the director general, employment opportunities, publications, and related links. Ongoing R and D projects are listed as well as completed ones in areas such as radar, electronic warfare and space technology. The site is also available in french.

Defence Systems Daily

This facility provides a daily electronic news service and includes current and archived news stories and features. It offers a breakdown of these by industrial sector, including air, commercial air, space, land, sea and technology. News is organised under these main subjects systems, sectors, regions and facilities. The site also makes news available from South and Southern Africa and Australia and New Zealand. A search facility is also provided. It is also possible to register to receive daily news headlines by email. Selected articles from a publication called Defence Analysis are provided ahead of its monthly publication. An 'ownership jigsaw' is offered - this allows the complex relationships between the main industry players (who owns whom) to be tracked. In addition, stock prices are also available. The site is published by Defence Data Ltd and its format is HTML.

Defence Talk

This site provides the latest news and headlines on defence, the military and strategy and links to full text articles. There is also a discussion forum, a searchable and browseable gallery of images, which is divided by country and wars, and articles on technology and defence. In order to view all areas of the website, users need to register which is free.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is the central research and development organisation for the US Department of Defense (DoD). The site describes its mission and organisation, and gives background information including a history. Resources available also include a news release archive back to 1995, budget information, the full text of solicitations, information on doing business with DARPA, papers presented at DARPATech from '00 to 2004 and the full text of the Technology Transition study in PDF format.

Defense Express

Defense Express is an analytical bulletin created by the Center for Army Conversion and Disarmament Studies. It has military, political, economic and technical news. There are current defence news and archives of defence related news which is searchable by date. The site is available in English and Russian.

Defense Modeling and Simulation Office (DMSO)

This is the web site for the United States defence research and development office for modeling and simulation. It lists its mission, projects, personnel, links to related web sites and a file library. The main functions of the DMSO are identifying projects for future investment, determining simulation and modeling requirements for their customer 'the warfighter', and validating current projects.

Defense News Media Group

This publishing group produces a number of professional defense trade periodicals. Publications including Armed Forces Journal, Defense News, Training & Simulation Journal and C4ISR Journal. The Group web site describes the each title and provides links to their individual homepages. A link is also provided to the Conference Group.

Defense-i.com

This is a portal giving information on all aspects of the international defense industry. Its publishers, SMi specialise in business to business information and the site provides information on procurement for buyers, allowing them to link up with companies providing the specialisation they need in any country. However it has information available on all aspects of the industry, including news items, contract information, research and analysis. The subscription publication, the Defence Digitisation Journal is also available at the site. Most of the site is available to the casual visitor, but there are pages with restricted access for which registration is necessary (free of charge).

Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces (DND/CF)

This site contains information on all aspects of Canada's defence, including the Minister, the Chief of the Defence Staff, news, information on operations, defence policy and major reports, history and heritage and an image gallery. The site links to separate information on the Army, Navy and Air Force and the site is fully searchable. It is also available in French.

Department of State International Information Programs : Europe-Eurasia Issues

This site provides information concerning conflict in Europe and Eurasia. It provides the latest news by region, information on Macedonia, and the Northern Europe Initiative. There are links to NATO's terrorism web site, war crimes tribunals, and KFOR. There is also information about human rights in the area, and a section covering Afghanistan. It also links to electronic journal articles available in Arabic, French, English, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian. The whole site is also available in Russian.

Descriptions : Departmental Force Planning Scenarios

Linked from the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada) group site, this site contains a list of scenarios which cover conflict and operations envisioned for the Canadian Forces. These are used to assess risk, rationalise capability needs, and provide information on operations and resources considerations. There are eleven scenarios: search and rescue; disaster relief; international humanitarian assistance; surveillance and control of Canadian territory; evacuation of Canadians overseas; peacekeeping; aid to civil power; chemical weapon variant; national sovereignty; peace enforcement; defence of North America; and colelctive defence. This site is also available in French.

DSTO Publications

The Defence Science and Technology Organisation forms part of the Australian Department of Defence, which is involved in aeronautical, maritime, electronics and surveillance research. The DSTO publications - technical reports and journal articles - may be discovered both by browsing and searching.

DU Library : Depleted Uranium Information Page

This site is a gateway to primary resources relating to the use of depleted uranium by the military and its effects on health. Provided by the Deployment Health Support Directorate, the Deplted Uranium Information Library provides access to environmental and medical studies, safety and training policy and education documents, and scientific and technical reports. There are also news releases, speeches, briefings, FAQs and related links.

Effects Based Operations : Applying Network Centric Warfare in Peace, Crisis and War

This is the full text pdf version of the book written by Edward A. Smith, published by the Department of Defense Command and Control Research Program in November 2002. The book is part of the Information Age Transformation Series and looks at the military use of effects based operations to respond to the new security environment; network-centric operations; effects-based operations; the challenge of complexity; effects beyond combat such as deterrence and reassurance; and network centric contributions to effects based operations.

EmergencyNet

Provided by the Emergency Response and Research Institute (ERRI). This page covers crisis, conflict and emergency service news, analysis and reference information. Subjects covered include military operations, infectious diseases, counter terrorism operations, hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction, and disaster operations.

European Defence Agency : Defence Data by Participating EDA Member States

This site provides a clickable map of EDA participating Member States. Clicking on a country displays defence expenditure, reform, operation, investment, European collaboration and deployability, illustrated with figures and charts. The data is available for 2005-2007. Clicking on the EU icon displays aggregated figures for all countries. Links to the full text (PDF) of European-United States Defence Expenditure 2005-2007 are also provided.

European Security and Defence Policy

This is a portal from the Council of the European Union which provides access to full text documents, information, resources and web sites related to the security and defence policy of the European Union, EU. There are legal documents, press releases, fact sheets, audiovisual galleries and web links on EU police and military operations in the Western Balkans, South Caucasus, South East Asia, Middle East, and Africa. The full text of the European Security Strategy is available along with an area on ESDP support to peace and security in Africa which provides documents, EU Council conclusions, factsheets, and details of ESDP operations and EU - Africa international relations. The capabilities section provides documents and information on European Union military cooperation, civilian crisis management and the EU's emergency and crisis response capacities. There are also details of European Union permanent military and political structures; the Political and Security Committee, the European Union Military Committee, and the European Union Military Staff; and key documents. There is also a news section which contains new stories related to the ESDP, a newsletter, and reports. The portal is available in several different languages.

Foreign Affairs First Special Report: Implications for the Work of the House and its Committees of the Governments Lack of Co-operation with the Foreign Affairs Committees Inquiry Into the Decision to go to War in Iraq

This sites gives access to the full text of the report which was published by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee as HC 440 session 2003-4 in March 2004. It highlights evidence of the way in which the British Labour government attempted to obstruct its enquiries into the circumstances surrounding Britain's decision to go to war with Iraq. It compares this with the more helpful attitude of the government towards the work of the Hutton Inquiry and the Inquiry by the Intelligence Select Committee. The report then discusses more generally the role and powers of parliamentary select committees and their ability to call witnesses and access intelligence information. Recommendations for future action are made.

Forsvarsdepartementet

The site for the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (Forsvarsdepartementet) provides the latest news, speeches, articles and press releases from the department as well as information on international operations involving Norway's armed forces and defence procurement. It also provides access to Norwegian Defence, an annual document which reviews Norwegian security and defence policy, defence budgets, armed forces personnel and education, military organisation, civil protection, and the three sevices (army, navy and air force). The site provides access to further full text documents including the fiscal budget, reports, handbooks and brochures, and periodicals and newsletters. The site links to further government web sites and ministries and is available in English and Norwegian.

From Rampart to Chamber House:Soldiers, Statesmen and the Dialogue of War

This is the full text of a thesis by Edwin Redman USAF, which was presented to the faculty of the School of Advanced Air Power Studies (SASS), Maxwell Air Force Base Alabama in 2005. The relationship between political and military leadership in times of conflict is as crucial today as ever. In the face of limited warfare, counter-insurgency and peace-keeping operations, it is imperative that soldiers and statesmen employ the most appropriate means of communication while applying military power to achieve political ends. This thesis seeks to determine the best construct for civil-military dialogue. It examines the frameworks presented by three renowned thinkers: Carl von Clausewitz, Samuel P. Huntington, and Eliot Cohen. Clausewitz maintains that, because war is an extension of policy, both dialogue and action must be two-way, even to the extent that the soldier become a statesman during war. Huntington disagrees; he views the camps as distinct, due to narrow areas of expertise and the necessity for the military to remain professional by limiting political oversight and forbidding acts of policy by generals. Cohen’s model allows for regular and liberal participation by the civilian leader into the military realm, not vice versa. He argues that the political situation is continually changing and that generals are not equipped to understand the complexities of the strategic environment beyond the conduct of actual war. By examining each in light of historical examples, I measure the merit of the theories. The case studies presented are Winston’s Churchill’s decision to move British fighters into France in early summer of 1940, the actions of General George C. Marshall as Chief of Staff of the US Army during World War II, and the civil-military deliberations during the build up to Operation ALLIED FORCE in 1999. The case studies demonstrate that each theory is both validated and repudiated in some respect by history. I propose a fourth option that includes the positive aspects of Clausewitz, Huntington, and Cohen. I call this framework the appraised dialogue, where each side is respected for its expertise, but allowed to make appropriate inputs in the interest of successful military operations and beneficial political outcomes. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University Research Web site.

GlobalSecurity.Org

GlobalSecurity.Org was founded in 2000 by John Pike, an expert in international security, intelligence and space policy, and is a non-partisan organisation. It aims to advocate non-nuclear and innovative approaches to defence and security worldwide. Its website includes access to news stories, analysis, statistics and political commentary. It also includes many links to full text reports and papers on other key web sites worldwide. Topics covered include: current security crises, the war in Iraq, Middle- East Peace Process, US homeland security, space policy and warfare, weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in regions such as Iraq, Iran and Korea.

Guide to Modelling & Simulation (M&S) for NATO Network-Enabled Capability

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Technical Report RTO-TR-MSG-062, dated April 2009. A fundamental objective of NATO and one of the highest priorities of the NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) is to take full advantage of Network-Enabled Capabilities (NEC) to build a robust, globally interconnected network environment for data sharing. Achieving this objective for NATO and its member nations will involve three assumptions: • Armed Forces will work in new ways. • Governments need to adopt new approaches. • Industry and Academia, along with Governments, need to think innovatively about concept, design, acquisition, use, and management of systems that support Military capabilities and Defence Against Terrorism (DAT) capabilities. This Guide discusses how modelling and simulation (M&S) can be applied to NEC, including Concept Development and Experimentation (CD&E), Acquisition, Training, Exercises, and Operations, to enhance military effectiveness and transformation, and prepare for the security challenges of the future. A model is typically understood as a physical, mathematical, or otherwise logical representation of a system, entity, phenomenon, or process that has been designed for a specific purpose. Simulation manipulates this model to represent the expected behaviour of an individual agent or an entire system over time. The Guide structures “Best Practices” of M&S around “Key Principles” in each chapter, provides real world Case Studies, and offers evidence-based advice to achieve the following objectives: • Ensure that allied defence capability programs are truly able to support future force capabilities in CD&E, Material Acquisition, Training, and Exercises, and Operations; • Document the principles in real world practice, for both military capabilities and DAT capabilities; and • To provide evidence-based advice on how a nascent NEC can be influenced by M&S in CD&E, Acquisition, Training, Exercises, and Operations. A table of contents, and the full text of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Handbook on the Analysis of Smaller-Scale Contingency Operations in Long Term Defence Planning

This site provides access to a Research and Technology Organisation Technical Report of the Studies, Analysis and Simulation Panel (SAS), RTO-TR-SAS-027, dated March 2005. The document provides an overview of current state of the art frameworks and models for the analysis of smaller scale contingency operations to be used in support of long term planning. The chapters cover the nature of smaller scale contingencies, long term defence planning, analytical frameworks, and method and model databases. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. Individual chapters or the full text of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Honing the Sword : Strategy and Forces After 9/11

Report written by Martin Corbin for the Center for Defense Information's Military Reform Project, dated February 2003. This report builds on Reforging the Sword: Forces for a 21st Security Strategy, which was published before the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001. It looks at the lessons learned from 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan for United States force structure and national security strategy. Topics covered include: successes, failures and challenges of 9/11 and Afghanistan, prevention of war, warfare doctrine, organisation of forces, leadership, the War on Terrorism, and balancing the threat spectrum.

Hurricane Katrina : Better Plans and Exercises Needed to Guide the Military's Response to Catastrophic Natural Disasters

This is the full text pdf version of GAO 06 643, the United States Government Accountability Office Report to the Congressional Committees published in May 2006. The report investigates the Department of Defense emergency reponse plan for providing military personnel to assist civil authorities in times of disaster and makes recommendations based on the emergency response and disaster management in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the US during June 2005.

Information Warfare Site (IWS)

This site is an online resource on a range of subjects from information security to information operations and e-commerce. It contains full text documents, articles, leaflets, links and news on a variety of topics including Information Operations, Military Affiars, Revolution in Military Affairs and C4I, Intelligence and Terrorism. The site also links to mailing lists, book reviews and event listings.

Institute for Defense and Homeland Security

Based at the Virginia Center for Innovation, the Institute for Defense and Homeland Security, it conducts research into R&D developments relating to the use of technology to protect US national security. Topics of concern include: risk assessments of homeland security threats, cyber and infrastructure security and biodefence. The web site provides information on the aims of the research centre and provides news about its recent activities.

Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy (ISCIP) : Perspective

Perspective is an electronic journal provided by the ISCIP based at Boston University. The site provides the full text of articles from the first issue to the present. The ISCIP studies political, international and security affairs of Russia and the NIS. This site links to the ISCIP and further publications such as NIS Observed (a biweekly analytical review), news features, books, occassional papers, lectures and a database on post-Soviet affairs.

Integrated Operational and Combat Support Planning Will Support Air and Space Expeditionary Forces

This technical report (RB-183-AF) was published by The RAND Corporation in 2006 and was written by Patrick Mills, Ken Evers, Donna Kinlin and Robert S. Tripp. This research brief summarizes improvements and shortfalls of the Air Force’s combat support command and control (CSC2) architecture and recommends further improvements that will be integral to its continued success. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)

This is an independent research organisation that studies political military conflict, conflict resolution, regional security, military strategy and arms control. The site lists its research programs, provides the history of the institute, and gives details of IISS publications such as Military Balance, Strategic Survey, Adelphi Papers, and the journal Survival, and how to obtain them.

Iraqi Perspectives Project : A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam's Senior Leadership

Published on the 24th March 2006, this is the full text pdf version of a United States Joint Forces Command unclassified report, which examines military operations in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's regime from the point of view of Iraqi military and civilian leaders. Written by Kevin M. Woods with Michael R. Pease, Mark E. Stout, Williamson Murray and James G. Lacey, it is the result of a two year study of Iraqi documents seized in 2003 and interviews with senior Iraqi military and political leaders. It offers a view of Operation Iraqi Freedom from an Iraqi perspective and covers the nature of the regime, military strategy, military effectiveness and capabilities, operational planning, preparations for war and execution.

Jane's Defence Glossary

This web site provides access to a glossary of defence terminology, and is produced by Jane's Information Group. The database contains over 20,000 defence-related acronyms and abbreviations. It can be searched, or browsed alphabetically. There is also an online form for the submission of acronyms that do not already appear in the glossary. Registration is required.

Jane's Foreign Report

Jane's foreign report provides information concerning worldwide political, civil and military events as well as predictions. It provides recent news and analysis articles on Europe, South West Asia, Africa and the Americas. It also links to relevant articles on international security and law enforcement and to the rest of Jane's online. It is possible to subscribe to this service from this site.

Jane's Information Group Home Page

Jane's Information Group publishes information on defence, aerospace and transportation. This site provides a news service in defence, aerospace, transport, security and business and also news based around world regions. There are links to all of Jane's online services, which include a data service, consultancy, conferences, combat simulations, news briefs and their information collection. Links are provided to the full range of Jane's magazines, for which it is also possible to subscribe online.

Journal of Battlefield Technology

Refereed, multi-disciplinary journal for military officers, scientists and engineers involved in the delivery of battlefield defence capability. It is possible to subscribe to the journal and order articles from this site, and there is also information for authors. The site also provides article titles and abstracts.

Kosovo : Lessons from the Crisis

This is the parliamentary report, Cm 4724, produced by the Secretary of State for Defence in June 2000, after the Kosovo crisis. It describes the background to the conflict, the operation itself, and lessons which can be learnt from it. It lists the units and assets involved and divides the operations into land, air and sea as well as giving an overall view.

Kosovo : News, Background and Resources

This site, provided by the UK Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office, gives information about the 1998 conflict in Kosovo and deployments. Details are available about the background to the crisis, atrocities and diplomatic activities. There is also a map of the region, photo library and links to public statements. The archive provides briefings from Operation Allied Force and Operation Joint Guardian. There are also links to related sites, the Ministry of Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and an official account of the Kosovo crisis.

Learning Large Lessons. The Evolving Roles of Ground Power and Air Power in the Post-Cold War Era

This technical report (MG-405-1-AF) was produced by The RAND Corporation in 2007 and was written by David E. Johnson. The relative roles of U.S. ground and air power have shifted since the end of the Cold War. At the level of major operations and campaigns, the Air Force has proved capable of and committed to performing deep strike operations, which the Army long had believed the Air Force could not reliably accomplish. If air power can largely supplant Army systems in deep operations, the implications for both joint doctrine and service capabilities would be significant. To assess the shift of these roles, the author of this report analyzed post–Cold War conflicts in Iraq (1991), Bosnia (1995), Kosovo (1999), Afghanistan (2001), and Iraq (2003). Because joint doctrine frequently reflects a consensus view rather than a truly integrated joint perspective, the author recommends that joint doctrine — and the processes by which it is derived and promulgated — be overhauled. The author also recommends reform for the services beyond major operations and campaigns to ensure that the United States attains its strategic objectives. This revised edition includes updates and an index. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Liberty and Justice for All:Democracy Project and Global War on Terrorism

tThis is the full text of a thesis by B. Chance Saltzman USAF, which was presented to the faculty of the School of Advanced Air Power Studies (SASS), Maxwell Air Force Base Alabama in 2005. The Bush administration has declared that the spread of democracy with its habits of freedom is the best way to protect America from international terrorism. This conclusion is based on a presumption that political freedom is a strong determinant of terrorism. This paper contends that not all democratic forms are equally able to eliminate the conditions that are exploited by terrorist organizations. Furthermore, the U.S. must understand the manner in which political freedom, economic conditions and religion is related to affiliation with terrorist organizations. Assessing the convergence of these factors revealed several key findings. First, states that exhibit both political and religious repression are extremely prone to terrorist exploitation. Second, states with growing economic conditions and high relative deprivation are more prone to terrorist exploitation than states without these conditions. Finally, the convergence of political repression and growing economies in Islamic states is extremely prone to terrorist exploitation. In the end, understanding these conditions can help GWOT planners identify high risk states that are not currently affiliated with terrorist organizations. If the internal conditions of these states can be improved, terrorists dislocated from current states by GWOT efforts will not have new sanctuaries in which to fall back. In summary, by assessing these relationships and factors, this thesis can help decision-makers frame the next stages and ultimate objectives of the Global War on Terrorism. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University Research Web site.

Medical Risk in the Future Force Unit of Action

This technical report (TR-253-A) was published by The RAND Corporation in 2005 and was written by David E. Johnson and Gary Cecchine. This report documents the Army Medical Department�s (AMEDD�s) process of identifying and addressing medical issues related to the Army�s transformation to the Future Force. It describes the AMEDD Transformation Workshop (ATW) IV, conducted at the RAND Corporation Washington office in February 2004, and it includes an analysis and discussion of the workshop results. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Military Assessment 2000

Prepared by the Directorate of Defence Analysis, Canada, this document provides the background to Canadian defence planning. It analyses trends in international affairs, technology and doctrine in order to highlight impacts on the way forces will be trained, organised and equipped in the future. The full document is available to download in Mirosoft Word and pdf format and is also available in French. This site is linked from the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff group site.

Military Reform Project

This is the website of the Center for Defense Information's Military Reform Project. The project provides a forum for the debate on the reform of the US military, and its aim is to debate the use, strategy, structure and policies of the United States armed forces. The website provides information on the project and full text reports on homeland security, security strategy, joint doctrine and strategy, and defence force transformation. There is also a newsletter called Transformation Trends which provides the latest developments on this topic, a listing of events and other relevant links.

Military Review

Produced by the United States Army Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The journal's focus is on the discussion of military affairs. It looks at strategy, doctrine and warfare, at both tactical and operational levels. It is published bi-monthly in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. The majority of articles from all issues are available in pdf format from 1997 to the present in the English edition, from 1999 in the Spanish edition, from 2002 in the Portuguese edition and from 2006 in the Arabic edition.

Military Spending Working Group (MSWG)

Military Spending Working Group (MSWG) is a coalition of over 20 research and advocacy organisations seeking to educate members of the public, news media, and government about the need to reduce excess military spending globally. It coordinates the activities of participating organizations.

Military.com

Designed for America's military community, this site aims to meet the needs of military consumers. It is a joint service site and covers travel, careers, reunions, finance and merchandise, as well as military history, military equipment, military news and military operations. There are areas tailored specifically to members of the army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard, veterans and spouses which you have to register to use, but subscriptions are free.

Ministry of Defence : Exercise Saif Sareea II

National Audit Office report published in August 2002 on the military exercise in Oman in 2001 which involved the largest deployment of British troops since the Gulf War. The exercise was designed to test the capabilities of the Joint Rapid Reaction Forces and the UK's ability to conduct expeditionary warfare in the desert. The report examines the successes, problems encountered and lessons to be learned from the exercise.

Modeling and Analysis of Resolve and Morale for the Long War'

This is the full text of a thesis written by Michael Artelli which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wirght Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in December 2007. In The Art of War, Sun Tzu begins by stating: War is a matter of vital importance to the State; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin. It is mandatory that it be thoroughly studied. Sun Tzu follow's this opening by stating five fundamental factors a commander must master to be successful in combat. The first of these factors is moral influence which Sun Tzu defines as that which causes the people to be in harmony with their leaders, so they will accompany them in life and death without fear of mortal peril. In the face of the instant communication provided by satellites, 24 hour news media coverage, and other technological advances, this factor is even more relevant today. This research provides an analytic framework, based on the principles of fourth generation operations, capturing the effects of will and resolve of the combatant and population. The strategic level model investigates the long term impacts of asymmetric conflict. These results are primarily measured in the socio-political arena rather than the military battlefield. The model developed in this dissertation remains a model of conflict and combat. However, some of the impacts from the political, economic, and informational instruments of power are represented in the model through the dynamic adaptation of public resolve and combat spirit. To paraphrase Sun Tzu, war is vitally important and must be studied. Therefore, this dissertation puts forth a means to model key aspects of conflict in the long war'.

Multinational Military Operations and Intercultural Factors

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Technical Report RTO-TR-HFM-120, dated November 2008. Since 1990, there has been a significant increase in the number of military operations requiring nations to contribute forces as part of a multinational alliance or coalition. Evidence suggests that differences in the organizational and national cultures of contributing countries can impact the operational effectiveness of the multinational force. The purpose of the NATO Human Factors and Medicine (HFM) Research Task Group (RTG) on Multinational Military Operations and Intercultural Factors (RTG-120) was to consider the intercultural factors that influence multinational military collaboration in the areas of organizational factors; leadership and command; teams; pre-dispositional and psychosocial factors; communication; technology; and societal factors. Throughout these areas, a common theme was the need to instill greater cultural sensitivity and awareness through pre-deployment programs and training for all military personnel. It is hoped that the knowledge generated on these topics will promote an understanding of diversity in the areas of human culture, organizations and technologies of relevance to multinational military operations, and ultimately contribute to the effectiveness of these collaborations. A table of contents, and the full text of the document can be accessed online in HTML format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

National Security collection : RAND Corporation

RAND's three U.S. federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) explore topics from acquisition and technology to personnel and readiness. [Originator's description] Also includes national security and military issues.

NATO/IFOR Operation Joint Endeavour

This site contains an archive of information relating to the NATO led Implementation Force(IFOR)restoring peace to former Yugoslavia. It contains pictures and information about Operation Joint Endeavour missions and AFSOUTH. There are full text basic texts available about Bosnia and Herzegovina, transcripts of IFOR joint press briefings, UN Security Council Resolutions and Maps.

News in Depth : Deployments in Africa

Provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, this site provides official news on UK military operations in Africa. As well as providing the latest news headlines and an RSS news feed on peace support operations, Army training and landmine clearance programmes; there is background information on deployments; a log of operational activity; and links to related web sites such as the Africa Union, Commission for Africa, and the International Mine Action Training Centre.

News in Depth : Operations in Afghanistan

Provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, this site provides official information on UK military operations in Afghanistan following Operation Enduring Freedom. As well as the latest news headlines and an RSS news feed, the site provides summary reports and an official chronology; details of UK operations which are currently named Operation HERRICK but have also been known as Operation VERITAS and Operation FINGAL; news on British fatalities; and information for friends and families of serving personnel. There are also useful links to related web sites such as the International Security Assistance Force and Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) Operations in Afghanistan.

News in Depth : Operations in Iraq

Provided by the UK Ministry of Defence; this site provides official information and news on current operations in Iraq. As well as providing the latest news headlines and an RSS news feed, the site provides a background briefing to the conflict and post war reconstruction; key facts; official chronology and summary report; details of British and coalition units; information on British casualties and fatalities; and information for families and friends of personnel serving in Iraq. It also links to an archive web site which provides information on Operation TELIC.

Nutrition Science and Food Standards for Military Operations

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Technical Report RTO-TR-HFM-154, dated August 2009. The report captures four major areas of interest: Nutritional assessment of rations (Chapter 4) -Most participating nations’ rations meet the minimum nutritional requirements and soldiers accept them. Some rations were found to need supplementation. Behavioral and psychological factors that contribute to how well a ration is liked and consumed (Chapter 5)-A large number of factors were identified which contribute to enhancing or depressing eating. Important factors deal with the food itself, the consumer/soldier, and the environment or location. The impact of ration configuration on interoperability (Chapter 6)-This showed that individual combat rations are not fully interchangeable at present, i.e. there are limitations on interoperability. Collateral issues of significance but beyond the scope of the RTG mandate (Chapter 7), including national laws and regulations, procurement, individual food restrictions, the production base, warehousing and transportation capacity, and supply chain management. Conclusions and recommendations addressing the above four areas are provided in Chapter 8 of the report. A table of contents, and the full text of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Office of Humanitarian Demining Programs

This is the site of the former U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining Policy and forms a permanent archive of information prior to 20 January 2001 when the Bush Administration began. The web site includes humanitarian demining briefings, fact sheets and information on demining programs, and landmine policy.

Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement

Part of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, within the Department of State, the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement aims to curb the proliferation of conventional weapons such as light automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades, and removes and destroys landmines and abandoned stocks of munitions that pose hazards after the cessation of armed conflict. The site provides access to the American government's demining policy, press releases, fact sheets, related reports and an archive of information from the Office's inception in 1995 up until 20 January 2001 -made up from the previous Office under the Clinton Administration.

Open News Archive Clip Index

Provided by BBC News under the terms of the Creative Archive Licence, this site contains free video and audio clips of iconic news stories and events over the last fifty years. The clips can be browsed by topic, location, year, or via an interactive map. Topics covered include conflicts and wars such as 9/11, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Falklands, Iraq, Kosovo, Middle East, and Northern Ireland; disasters; personalities and leaders; politics; science and technology; and sport. There are also details on the Creative Archive and how the clips may be used.

Operation Fringal

Ministry of Defence site containing information on the first six months of operations during British leadership of Operation Fringal, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) which was put in place to assist the new Afghan Interim Authority with the provision of stability in Kabul. The leadership of the force was handed over to Turkey's Major General Zorlu on 20 June 2002. The site contains information on the formation of the force, the full text of the Military Technical Agreement, a photograph gallery and links to further ISAF sites from other ministries of defence.

Operation Veritas

Ministry of Defence site providing information on Operation Veritas, the British Forces' contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan which ran from 7th October 2001 to 31st July 2002. It contains information on operations conducted by 45 commando group which included Operation Ptarmigan, Operation Snipe, Operation Condor and Operation Buzzard. There are reports and speeches, information on the background to the operation and a summary of operational activity, links to parliamentary debates, maps and photographs.

Operational and Tactical Nexus: Small Steps Toward Seamless Effects Based Operations

This is the full text of a thesis by Major Shane Riza which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in 2005. The literature on Effects Based Operations (EBO) seems to grow by the day. There are myriad definitions in service and joint doctrine and other writings. Most are too far reaching for current capabilities, and they may be too far reaching future capabilities. Both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Joint Forces Command EBO definitions encompass all facets of national policy including strategic outcomes. USAF and USJFCOM are attempting a quantum leap when smaller, more manageable steps are called for to enable and embed an EBO culture in the planning community. Making the effort more difficult, service and joint writings often convey a sense of multi-polarity when it comes to explaining EBO methodology. Joint planning doctrine is conceptually opposed to an idealized EBO methodology. Another impediment to EBO is a dichotomy in the way the USAF trains at the tactical level of war and the way it sees itself campaigning at the operational level of war. One focuses on events, missions, and platforms while the other focuses on the application of capabilities toward affecting systems and achieving a desired end state. The USAF purposefully evolved to mission-based training programs following Desert Storm as a way to link missions to combatant commanders� desired capabilities. Unfortunately this fosters a misperception that missions are capabilities and leads to inefficient force presentation to the combatant commanders. Finally, though service and joint doctrine strive to distinguish the levels of war, the officers who will plan campaigns matured during a time when the lines became increasingly blurred. While it is clear that tactical actions can have strategic effects, the doctrinal desire to segregate levels and the institutional desire to view operational planning as completely distinct from well-founded and practiced tactical level effects-based thinking is limiting the evolution of EBO in the operational realm. Solving these mindset differences and smoothing the disconnects at the tactical/operational nexus may hold the keys to seamless Effects-based Operations in the future joint fight. However, small steps, not quantum leaps, are indicated. This paper proposes three broad modifications to concepts and cultures in order to embed EBO at the critical nexus of the tactical and operational levels of war. Services, as part of the joint community, must narrowly define EBO in a quantifiable, measurable realm. The USAF needs to solve its tactical training/operational campaigning dichotomy by moving toward capabilities-based training. Finally, the services should stop clinging to the antiquated concept of separate and distinct levels of war with minimal similarities where no clear distinction actually exists. These small steps will build synergy between the execution of national policy and the planning that enables it. Such synergy may then aid the evolution toward the seamless continuum necessary for an EBO culture to thrive. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site.

Operations Other Than War (OOTW): The Technological Dimension

This is a report, following a workshop on the subject, written by The Center For Advanced Command Concepts And Technology (ACT) at the National Defense University (NDU). It considers command and control in operations other than war, and the need to create Mission Capability Packages in support of combined and coalition operations. The technologies discussed include mine-clearance, counter-sniping, counter-mortar capabilities, language interpretation, and training.

Photo Gallery by Andrija Ilic

Andrija Ilic is a photographer from Belgrade, Serbia. This site provides a collection of his photographs mainly taken in the Serbia and Kosovo region from 1996-2001. It covers the build up to the Kosovo conflict, the conflict and aftermath, as well as showing cultural aspects of the region. The site also provides links to news and media sources concerned with the region, mainly from Belgrade.

Proposals for a Defence Diversification Agency : White Paper

This site provides the full text of a white paper (Cm 4088) presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Defence, November 1998. The publication of the white paper followed the production of a consultative Green Paper, Defence Diversification: Getting the most out of defence technology (Cm 3861). The text is in HTML format.

Quadrennial Defense Review Report 2006

This is the full text pdf of the United States Department of Defense Quadrennial Defense Review, QDR, published on 6th February 2006. This defence policy document reviews the capabilities and operations of the United States armed forces and makes recommendations for the future. The chapters cover the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, humanitarian and preventive measures and the Department's domestic role; operationalising the strategy; reorienting capabilities and forces; reshaping the defence enterprise; developing a twenty first century total force; and achieving unity of effort.

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd

Rafael, Advanced Defense Systems Ltd undertakes research, development and production of defence systems for air, land, sea and space applications in co-operation with the Israeli Defence Forces and other armed forces. They also develop commercial applications and are involved with technology transfer. The site provides details of products and capabilities, news and events.

Reducing the Logistics Burden for the Army After Next: Doing More with Less

This report written in 1999 is designed to look into future requirements for new technology in order to provide the necessary logistic capability for the 'Army After Next'. The table of contents is searchable on-line.

Reexamining Military Acquisition Reform. Are We There Yet?

This technical report (MG-291-A) was published by The RAND Corporation in 2005 and was written by Christopher Hanks, Elliot Axelband, Shuna Lindsay, Rehan Malik and Brett Steele. In the Department of Defense, 63 distinct acquisition reform (AR) initiatives were undertaken from 1989 to 2002. By looking at what the AR movement �was� in the 1990s (by describing the initiatives launched under its name) and by letting acquisition personnel describe in their own words how their work was affected by those initiatives, the authors seek to shed light on what the AR movement has and has not accomplished in terms of changing the way the acquisition process works. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Reforging the Sword : Forces for a 21st Century Security Strategy

Report written by Col. Daniel Smith (Ret.), Marcus Corbin and Christopher Hellman, which forms part of the Center for Defense Information's Military Reform Project and was published in September 2001. The aim of the report is to propose an alternative United States armed forces structure which is capable of meeting the international security challenges of the twenty-first century. It looks at the future of warfare and new security challenges, military strategies to meet these challnges including force transformation, force structures and mobility, joint command and planning.

Rethinking Asymmetric Threats

This report was published by the Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War college in September 2003 and was written by Stephen J. Blank. The pdf report challenges the assumption made by US policy makers and defence writers that the terms 'asymmetric' and 'asymmetry' refer to not just the nature of war, but the nature of threats as well. It provides a critique of the use of the term when related to threats and presents an alternative for thinking about threats faced by the US from states and nonstate actors.

Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) : Canada's Window on the Future

This site is provided by the RMA Operational Working Group, National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It explains what RMA is, gives historical examples and its use for the Canadian Forces. It provides the agenda and some presentations from the 1998 Symposium on Canadian Defence Beyond 2010, and the full document Canadian Defence Beyond 2010. There are also FAQs and internet links to other RMA related sites. This site is also available in French.

Robotics at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego

This web site describes robot and robotics activities at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego. SSC San Diego, and its predecessor organisations have been involved in various aspects of robotics since the early 1960's. There are currently two groups involved in robotics research: Advanced Systems Division (Code D37): land and air robots; and The Ocean Systems Division (Code D74): underwater robots. The site contains information on UAV programmes including: Multipurpose Surveillance and Security Mission Platform (MSSMP) (formerly the Air Mobile Ground Security and Surveillance System (AMGSSS)) and Airborne Remotely Operated Device (AROD). The MSSMP description provides links to a number of full text papers, which are available online.

Rongstad's Worldwide Military Pages

This site provides links to a wide range of military sites. These links are grouped into subject areas, which include war and the history of war, the art of war, battles, military news, military books, information warfare, civilian internment, Iraq War, blogs, military web rings, the United States and weapons.

Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies (SIWPS)

The Institute of War and Peace Studies is one of the foremost research centres in international relations. Research at the centre covers a wide range of topics including: international security; international political economy and international relations theory. Current research programs cover such subjects as: military policy analysis; comparative defence studies; and international conflict resolution. The site provides information on the Institute and its research, and details of staff and their publications.

Sapper Magazine

The official journal of the Royal Engineers; this site provides the full text of selected articles from the current edition and an archive of back issues to May 2002. It features news about the Corps and operations. The site links to the Royal Engineers and British Army web sites.

Small Power: Role of Micro and Small UAVS in the Future

This is the full text of a thesis by Major James Abatti which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in 2005. The United States Air Force (USAF) will face several difficult choices as it procures unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the near future. Decreasing budgets and increasing UAV costs will significantly impact the Air Force's ability to procure large numbers of high cost UAVs. As defense dollars shrink, so will the robustness of the USAF's UAV fleet. In addition, these low density assets will operate in a more lethal battlefield environment brought about by the rapid advancement of dual use technologies and the worldwide proliferation of advanced Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS). Unlike Afghanistan and Iraq, future enemy IADS could render high cost conventional UAVs, such as the Predator and Global Hawk, unviable from an operational risk perspective. However, technological advances and new operational concepts, such as cooperative behavior and swarming, are expanding the capabilities of micro and small UAVs and providing the Air Force with a low cost solution to this potential problem. In the future, these small unmanned vehicles will perform many missions once reserved for large high cost UAVs. Procured in large numbers and at a fraction of the cost of today's UAVs, micro and small UAVs will be effective force multipliers for the USAF in the future. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site.

SMi Conferences : Defence Events

This site provides a list of defence-related conferences and briefings held by the business and information group SMi. The conferences, for which you can register on-line are aimed at military personnel, procurement executives, and government officials. The topics of the conferences are varied and include IT, missile and weapon technology, procurement, logistics and support and training and simulation. Proceedings of past conferences can also be bought on-line.

Speech Processing in Realistic Battlefield Environments

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO)Technical Report RTO-TR-IST-031, dated April 2009. This report summarizes the results of research conducted by IST RTG-013 to better understand, detect, and mitigate the effects of native and non-native speech produced in military battlefield environments. Speech data was collected in three representative conditions to foster this and future research. Descriptions of the databases are included in the report. In addition, experimental plans on how to use these databases to measure the performance of speech processing systems are provided. Results using several state-of-the-art speech recognition systems from various IST RTG-013 member countries are presented. Finally recommendations and impact on current and future multi-national operations are presented. A table of contents, and the full text of the document can be accessed online in HTML format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Spotlight on Military News

Provided by the Canadian Forces College, this site provides a selection of the daily Canadian and international military news stories. It is divided into Canadian news, Canadian commentary, international commentary, international news, obituaries, and on this day in history. The site is also available in French.

STARnet : The NATO Science, Technology and Research Network

This web site is being developed by the NATO Research and Technology Agency (RTA) Information Management Committee (IMC) and provides access to a virtual library of information. The site is divided into defence related subject nodes which provide access to organisational web sites and Internet based resources within the subject area. The nodes are: Aerospace and Aerospace Related Information Network (ARIN); Defence Against Terrorism Information Node (DTIN); Environmental and Biological Sciences Information Node (EBSIN); Information Science Information Node (INSCIN); Land Based Operations Node (LBON); Naval Marine and Sea Node (NAMAS); and the Resource Planning Node (RESPLAN).

Strategic Mobility Innovation : Options and Oversight Issues

This is the full text of U.S. National Defense Discussion Paper CADRE/PC 2005-015 written by Jon Klaus in April 2005. Since the George W. Bush Administration announced its proposal to reduce the U.S. military overseas basing posture, strategic mobility has been the topic of many policy discussions. The Administration’s identification of transformation as a major goal for the Department of Defense (DOD), technological advances, the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) deployment goals, and anti-access issues also have relevance with regard to the topic of strategic mobility. The issue for the 109th Congress is to determine which investments should be pursued today to develop strategic mobility platforms to meet tomorrow’s National Security Strategy requirements. Several studies pertain to strategic mobility innovation. The DOD’s Mobility Requirements Study - 2005, the Department of Army’s Advanced Mobility Concepts Study (AMCS), the Institute of Defense Analyses’ Assessment of the AMCS, a Defense Science Board (DSB) Mobility Study, and the DOD’s Transformation Planning Guidance. These studies along with current U.S. strategic mobility inventories and strategic mobility funding trends all pertain to the discussion. They examine issues such as DOD’s million-ton-mile per day requirement, future mobility concepts and feasibilities, the importance of decreasing the Services’ deployment footprint, transformation roadmaps, the DOD’s current strategic mobility inventories, and airlift/sealift future funding trends. Research identifies at least 11 potential strategic mobility platforms, which include four sealift vehicles and seven airlift vehicles. The four sealift vehicles assessed in this report are the Shallow-Draft High Speed Sealift, the Fast Sealift- Monohull, the Navy Vision Trimaran High Speed Sealift, and the Navy Vision Surface Effect Ship High Speed Sealift. The seven airlift vehicles assessed are the Global Range Transport, the Super-Short, Take-off and Landing Aircraft, spiral development of the C-17 - Payload/Range Expansion Program, the Ultra-Large Airlifter, unmanned aerial vehicles, the Wing-in-Ground Effect Aircraft, and Seaplanes. After analyzing these strategic mobility platforms, several potential oversight issues for Congress are identified. The issues are: (1) Does Congress have sufficient information about the DOD’s plans for lift and potential lift platforms to adequately assess investment options? (2) To what degree, if any, should government funding be used to develop new lift platforms? (3) What mix of lift platforms might be appropriate to both meet future U.S. commercial lift needs and potentially assist in meeting future military strategic lift requirements? (4) Should any of these lift platforms be developed and procured in part to support the defense industrial base? (5) Should procurement of airlift/sealift be expanded beyond current DOD plans, and if so, by how much, and with what platforms? {Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site.

Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College

The SSI is the United States Army's institute for geostrategic and national security research and analysis, which supports the US Army War College curricula, provides analysis for Army and Department of Defense leadership, and interacts with the wider strategic community. The site provides information on the SSI and its activities; access to full text publications; and full text publications from the Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL), which covers academic research into key issues such as the Global War on Terrorism, national security strategy, landpower employment and force management and leadership.

Supporting Air and Space Expeditionary Forces. Expanded Operational Architecture for Combat Support Execution Planning and Control

This technical report (MG-316-AF) was published by The RAND Corporation in 2006 and was written by Patrick Mills, Ken Evers, Donna Kinlin and Robert S. Tripp. Anticipating varied and fast-breaking regional crises in the future, the United States is reassessing how it prepares, maintains, and employs its military forces. Key to this effort is examining the combat support (CS) system, and particularly the command and control of CS forces (CSC2). This research looks at the current operational architecture for incorporating CSC2 and proposes an expanded version of an architecture for the future. Using interviews with personnel, lessons learned from recent operations, and analysis of current CSC2, this report’s authors make recommendations to help the Air Force’s CS community move to this new architecture. This book builds on previous RAND research and is part of a larger series dedicated to bettering the support of the Air and Space Expeditionary Force. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

TacSats for NATO

This is Research and Technology Organization (RTO) AGARD-AR-322, dated February 1994. Tactical satellites (TacSats) are studied to determine their utility in meeting the needs of theater commanders. Six mission areas are studied: battlefield surveillance, communications, tactical missile warning and assessment, regional maritime surveillance, navigation, and weather. The synergistic role between strategic and tactical satellites is also considered. TacSat system concepts are provided in most mission areas as are means of implementing TacSat systems, including the launch and ground system segments. Issues raised in these areas are discussed. Finally, TacSat costs are discussed and the Working Group's conclusions and recommendations are provided. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text (13.26MB) of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Taxonomy for and Analysis of Anonymous Communications Networks

This is the full text of a thesis written by Douglas Kelly which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in March 2009. Any entity operating in cyberspace is susceptible to debilitating attacks. With cyber attacks intended to gather intelligence and disrupt communications rapidly replacing the threat of conventional and nuclear attacks, a new age of warfare is at hand. In 2003, the United States acknowledged that the speed and anonymity of cyber attacks makes distinguishing among the actions of terrorists, criminals, and nation states difficult. Even President Obama's Cybersecurity Chief-elect feels challenged by the increasing sophistication of cyber attacks. Indeed, the rising quantity and ubiquity of new surveillance technologies in cyberspace enables instant, undetectable, and unsolicited information collection about entities. Hence, anonymity and privacy are becoming increasingly important issues. Anonymization enables entities to protect their data and systems from a diverse set of cyber attacks and preserve privacy. This research provides a systematic analysis of anonymity degradation, preservation and elimination in cyberspace to enhance the security of information assets. This includes discovery/obfuscation of identities and actions of/from potential adversaries. First, novel taxonomies are developed for classifying and comparing the wide variety of well-established and state-of-the-art anonymous networking protocols. These expand the classical definition of anonymity and are the first known to capture the peer-to-peer and mobile ad hoc anonymous protocol family relationships. Second, a unique synthesis of state-of-the-art anonymity metrics is provided. This significantly aids an entities ability to reliably measure changing anonymity levels; thereby, increasing their ability to defend against cyber attacks. Finally, a novel epistemic-based model is created to characterize how an adversary reasons with knowledge to degrade anonymity.[Taken from Abstract]. This is in PDF format so Adobe Acrobat software is required in order to read it.

The Impact of NATO/Multinational Military Missions on Health Care Management

This site provides access to a Research and Technology Organisation (NATO) Meeting Proceedings, RTO-MP-068. The Specialists' meeting was sponsored by the RTO Human Factors and Medicine Panel(HFM)and held in Kiev, Ukraine, 4-6 September 2000. Recent major events across the world and at national levels have radically altered the global picture and have reshaped the NATO strategy from one aimed at resolving international conflict to one predominantly aimed at missions other than war (peacekeeping, humanitarian, disaster relief, etc.). Most of these missions are performed by multinational forces, which requires the cooperation of all military services including the medical support systems. The new objectives require radical changes in the organizational structure, management, and supply of national and allied military health systems. The purpose of this Specialists' Meeting was to exchange information and experience on Health Service Support (HSS) of multinational troops, to review the development of interoperable forms of multinational HSS in the field, to examine the lessons learned during actual operational deployment of multinational medical facilities, and to discuss the interplay between multinational, alliance/NGO, and civil/military operations in coping with disasters which require alliance or EAPC assistance. A table of contents, and the full text of the document (1.4Mbytes) can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

The Information Warfare Site(IWS)

This is a web site containing information about all aspects of computer security. It has a military history page which includes articles on defence, e-documents, defence news, and U.S. security news. There is a discussion forum and relevant links. The site is searchable.

The Mine Warfare Association (MINWARA)

MINWARA is a non-profit organisation committed to the raising of awareness and education about mine warfare and the impact of mines. The site gives details about the organisation, proceedings from recent symposia and meetings, the Mine Lines Newsletter, information on land mines and a list of links to other web sites on similar topics.

Transformation and Strategic Surprise

This is the full text pdf version of a Strategic Studies Institute monograph published in April 2005 and written by Dr Colin S. Gray. It looks at the United States armed forces' military transformation process and relates it to the concept of strategic surprise and argues that the current military transformation won't correct US weaknesses in the use of force as an instrument of policy.

UK Operations in Iraq : Thriteenth Report of Session 2005 - 06

This is the full text pdf version of the House of Commons Defence Committee Thriteenth Report, HC 1241, published on 10th August 2006. The report looks at the challenges facing UK armed forces in post war Iraq and warns that British troops are poorly equipped and over stretched. It looks at the security situation in Iraq, especially in the South East of the country which has deteriorated over the past few months and the implications for UK troops, Iranian influence and border security, security sector reform, the transition to provincial Iraqi control, reconstruction and the treatment of detainees. It then outlines the major challenges facing British troops; armoured vehicles and concern over the use of Snatch Land Rovers which are seen as giving inadequate protection against the increasingly sophisticated roadside bombs being used by insurgents; the effects of extreme heat and the need to equip vehicles with air conditioning; a shortage of helicopters and the strain this places on air and ground crew; airlift or airbridge between the UK and Iraq is unreliable; overstretch and reliance on reservists; and lack of financial recognition for active service overseas.

Urban Operations in the Year 2020

This site provides access to a Research and Technology Organisation Technical Report, RTO-TR-071, by the RTO Studies, Analysis and Simulation Panel Study Group SAS-030, dated April 2003. This is the final report of the panel and so it provides recommendations to the RTA and NATO based on an examination of the future urban environment. It stresses the increasing importance of urban operations and the capabilities needed to operate on this terrain. It covers both materiel (technological) and non-materiel (doctrine and tactics) solutions. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text of the document (1.22 Mbytes) can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Urban Operations Journal

Maintained by Dave Dilegge, a former urban operations analyst for the United States Marine Corps, the site provides information on urban military operations. The site contains full text documents relating to Military Operations on Urbanised Terrain (MOUT) doctrine and Tactics Techniques and Procedures (TTP). There is also documentation on current and future technologies, links to sites on operations in different countries, an image library and glossary.

US Material Command (AMC)

This provides information on the nine major subordinate commands directing the activities of numerous depots, arsenals, ammunition plants, laboratories, test activities, and procurement operations. There is a newsletter posted on the site and a section on relevant news and publications. Acrobat PDF reader is needed to view some articles.

War Crimes

This site provides links to information concerning war crimes in different countries around the world. These include Nazi Germany, Vietnam, Bosnia and Cambodia. They are arranged in sections by country. There are also links to related sites on the Holocaust, prisoners of war and the rest of the Rongstad site.

War Times Journal

This is an electronic journal which covers all periods of military history and military science. It contains an archive of orders and dispatches, eyewitness accounts, a photo gallery and memoirs. The articles section has information on battles and people, tactics and doctrine, and overviews of wars. There is also a portal which provides subject listed links to other internet sites. The war section contains resources on World War One and World War Two, the American Civil War, Napoleonic Wars and the Pre Dreadnought naval period. There is also a war gaming section and shop.

War, Peace and Security Guide

The War, Peace and Security Guide is a detailed set of links to resources on the Internet in these subject areas. It is maintained by the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College. Each section provides links to different types of resources including reference materials and reports, Canadian defence policy documents, CFC papers, and doctrine. The site is available in French or English versions.

World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers

This site has the full text of the World Military and Arms Transfer publication produced annually by the US Department of State. It provides statistical tables on military expenditure and arms sales for a large number of worldwide nations. These are compared to other socio-economic factors. The information is provided by United Nations and other US government sources.

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