|
|
Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Weapons & equipment > General
In 1997, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)
coordinated the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use,
Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and
on their Destruction. As of mid-2005, 145 states had signed the
agreement. The ICBL's efforts were in large part a response to the
careless use of landmines in the previous fifty years. The history
of mine use in warfare, however, goes back much further than the
World Wars of the 20th century and includes both land and sea use.
This first comprehensive study traces the technical, tactical, and
ethical developments of mine warfare, from ancient times to the
present. Beginning with mine warfare's roots in ancient Assyria and
China, Youngblood takes the reader through the centuries of debate
about how these hidden weapons should be used. A look at
19th-century developments explores the intertwined development of
land and sea mines and the inventors behind them, including Robert
Fulton, Samuel Colt, and Immanuel Nobel, father of Alfred Nobel.
Subsequent chapters examine the use of mines in the American Civil
War, the Russo-Japanese War, both World Wars, and the battlefields
of the Cold War, and chart key battles and technical innovations,
such as the development of air-delivered munitions. Finally, the
author addresses the ethical concerns raised by the careless
mining, namely the impact on civilians and the difficulties of
de-mining, and the treaties that regulate landmine use.
From 1863 to the present--the company and the men who made it
successful, the details of all models of rifles and the many other
Marlin products.
The human factors profession is currently attempting to take a more
proactive role in the design of man-machine systems than has been
character istic of its past. Realizing that human engineering
contributions are needed well before the experimental evaluation of
prototypes or operational systems, there is a concerted effort to
develop tools that predict how humans will interact with proposed
designs. This volume provides an over view of one category of such
tools: mathematical models of human performance. It represents a
collection of invited papers from a 1988 NATO Workshop. The
Workshop was conceived and organized by NATO Research Study Group 9
(RSG.9) on "Modelling of Human Operator Behaviour in Weapon
Systems." It represented the culmination of over five years of
effort, and was attended by 139 persons from Europe, Canada, and
the United States. RSG.9 was established in 1982 by Panel 8 of the
Defence Research Group to accomplish the following objectives: *
Determine the utility and state of the art of human performance
modelling. * Encourage international research and the exchange of
ideas. * Foster the practical application of modelling research. *
Provide a bridge between the models and approaches adopted by
engineers and behavioral scientists. * Present the findings in an
international symposium."
Whether in international military interventions or routine policing
activities the use of force raises a host of questions about
appropriateness, necessity and proportionality. Recently attention
has focused on the possibility of so-called non-lethal weapons to
provide greater legitimacy to the use of force by minimizing
injury.
This book examines emerging defense technologies such as directed
energy weapons, nanotech devices, and bioscience applications that
have the potential to dominate international relations in the
future, just as nuclear weapons and space infrastructure-assisted
conventional weapons do now. Emerging Military Technologies: A
Guide to the Issues examines the potential of the United States to
bring new technologies to deployment in the service of America's
security and defense. The work also discusses how other
international actors may regard the United States' investment in
these high-tech capabilities, identifying possible resultant
counter actions, and presents several divergent viewpoints on what
the future may bring. The book thoroughly explores three general
categories of emerging technologies: autonomous computers,
nanotechnology and biotechnology, and the interrelated topics of
directed energy weapons and ubiquitous space access. Security
studies expert Wilson W.S. Wong balances coverage of today's
cutting-edge science and engineering with treatment of real-world
concerns of effectiveness, military ethics, and international
relations in the 21st century. An invaluable resource for members
of the military and intelligence communities, this book also
provides general readers with an accessible introduction to these
highly technical topics.
Recent nuclear tests in India and Pakistan make it clear that the
US can no longer continue a policy of "benign neglect" toward
India. This book engages the key issues for nonproliferation and
foreign policy that affect Indo-American relations. It addresses
under-explored areas such as missile control and space cooperation,
chemical and biological weapons, and the use of sanctions versus
incentives. This book goes beyond historical analysis to offer
practical recommendations for policymakers in both countries.
Knowledge is the basic output of the defense technology
establishment in the United States; it is what enables the
development of weapon systems. From this premise, this volume
explores the process of knowledge production in defense technology
from the beginnings of the Cold War to the present time. Produced
through the process of research and development (R&D),
technical knowledge for defense is an economic commodity. It is
"fundable" in the sense of having future value. Like other
commodities in the futures market, it is purchased before it is
produced. But unlike those other commodities, this knowledge is
typically produced through the joint efforts of the customer and
the vendor.
This study highlights two polar aspects of knowledge production:
technology development and technology transfer. It centers on the
present, shifting concept of defense conversion that is redefining
defense technology policy. The book also includes cited documents
pertaining to the transactions that engage customers and vendors in
the process of knowledge production. The documents constitute a
literature of needs and claims, and they reveal two chief
properties: problem formulation and tactical positioning. Apart
from the substantive yield of these particular documents, the
strategy of evidence in this volume has broad implications for
further study, suggesting a means of analyzing knowledge production
in other large social systems.
Treasures of the Royal Armouries is a photographic journey through
Britain's national museum of arms and armour. It reflects the
diversity of the Royal Armouries' collection, which was assembled
over many centuries at the Tower of London and now spans the
ancient world to the present day. At the core of this journey is
the museum's unparalleled group of Tudor armours which derive from
the Greenwich Armoury of Henry VIII, but European swords, paintings
and manuscripts are equally well-represented. Stunning pieces from
Asia are included, as are key items from the national collection of
firearms, started in 1631 by Charles I and now housed at the
National Firearms Centre, as well as larger guns from the National
Artillery Centre at Fort Nelson. Each of the 115 entries tell
compelling stories, tracing the histories of individuals, campaigns
and cultures across millennia. They also consider the place of arms
in an increasingly turbulent world and the new challenges that
technology presents to a modern army. Treasures of the Royal
Armouries is a lavishly illustrated account of some of the most
interesting pieces of arms and armour in existence.
The Truman administration's decision to embark on an arms build-up
in 1950 was a critical event. For the first time other than a World
War, the United States became a global military presence. Unlike
the World Wars, in this instance the deployment lasted decades,
altering the nature of the Cold War and the United States' global
role. Such a decision deserves a book dedicated to understanding
the strategy and politics behind it. The Beginnings of the Cold War
Arms Race serves that purpose. The Beginnings of the Cold War Arms
Race reviews the state of American military affairs in the late
1940s and describes the role of atomic power in American strategy.
It also outlines the factional fighting within the Truman
administration over military spending and deployments and considers
the Truman administration's perceptions of Soviet military power
and intentions. The author presents a fascinating account of the
strategy and politics behind the Truman administration's decision
to engage in a massive arms build-up that initiated the Cold War
arms race.
"How the War Was Won" describes the major role played by the
British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front in defeating the
German army. In particular, the book explains the methods used in
fighting the last year of the war, and raises questions as to
whether mechanical warfare could have been more widely used.
Using a wide range of unpublished material from archives in both
Britain and Canada, Travers explores the two themes of command and
technology as the style of warfare changed from late 1917 through
1918. He describes in detail the British army's defense against the
German 1918 spring offensives, analyzes command problems during
these offensives, and offers an overriding explanation for the
March 1918 retreat. He also fully investigates the role of the tank
from Cambrai to the end of the war, and concludes that, properly
used, the tank could have made a greater contribution to victory.
"How the War Was Won" explodes many myths and advances new and
controversial arguments. It will be essential reading for military
historians and strategists, and for those interested in the origins
of mechanical warfare.
Perhaps no one in history has played the role of scientist as
celebrity with as much skill--and as much deception--as Wernher von
Braun. America's leading rocket expert and most enthusiastic
advocate of space travel, he had a closet full of secrets that
would have shocked his colleagues and millions of admirers if they
had been told during his lifetime. "Wernher von Braun: The Man Who
Sold the Moon" is the first critical biography of the young German
aristocrat who created Hitler's most advanced terror weapon, the
V-2 rocket, and who came to the U.S. under the Army's Project
Paperclip to develop missiles as a central weapon of the Cold War.
The book reveals that factions of the U.S. Army, in their zeal to
have von Braun's team of scientists working for American interests,
covered up what they knew about his complicity in Nazi causes and
abetted him in the perpetuation of the myth he carefully created
about his past.
Declassified Army documents and war crime transcripts, as well
as the discovery of Europe of Dora concentration camp survivors'
accounts, and von Braun's published writings and personal papers,
have enabled biographer Dennis Piszkiewicz to document von Braun's
career more fully than any previous historian. The man who
tirelessly promoted space travel, worked with NASA to collaborate
with Walt Disney creating television programs and the Tomorrowland
section of Disneyland, and put the first astronauts on the moon,
was actually a member of the Nazi party, held a rank in the SS
equivalent to that of Major, and was an accomplice in the use of
slave labor from the Dora concentration camp to produce his V-2
rocket. When the Third Reich collapsed, von Braun unashamedly
switched his allegiance to the victor, and adroitly distanced
himself from his Nazi partners. By going on to promote NASA and
sell the American people on his dreams of space exploration, he
became the man who sold the moon--a man who began his brilliant
career by selling his soul to the Nazis.
In the early 5th century, Germanic Angles, Saxons and Jutes crossed
the North Sea in increasing numbers and began settling among the
ruins of the former Roman province of Britannia. This led to
centuries of warfare as these 'Anglo-Saxons' carved new,
independent kingdoms at the point of the sword, fighting the native
Britons and each other. From the late eighth century they also had
to face the threat of the Vikings, at first as opportunistic
raiders but increasingly bent on conquest. The last Viking invasion
was defeated by Harold Godwinson at Stamford Bridge but he was
defeated by the Normans in that same fatal year of 1066, ending the
Anglo-Saxon Age. Gabriele Esposito gives an overview of Anglo-Saxon
military history, narrating the great campaigns, such as those of
Alfred the Great of Wessex and Harold Godwinson. He discusses in
detail the composition of Anglo-Saxon forces, their tactics,
weapons and equipment, detailing developments across the period.
The informative, accessible text is supported by dozens of colour
images showing replica Saxon war gear in use.
This book covers the security and safety of CBRNE assets and
management, and illustrates which risks may emerge and how to
counter them through an enhanced risk management approach. It also
tackles the CBRNE-Cyber threats, their risk mitigation measures and
the relevance of raising awareness and education enforcing a
CBRNE-Cy security culture. The authors present international
instruments and legislation to deal with these threats, for
instance the UNSCR1540. The authors address a multitude of
stakeholders, and have a multidisciplinary nature dealing with
cross-cutting areas like the convergence of biological and
chemical, the development of edging technologies, and in the cyber
domain, the impelling risks due to the use of malwares against
critical subsystems of CBRN facilities. Examples are provided in
this book. Academicians, diplomats, technicians and engineers
working in the chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear,
explosive and cyber fields will find this book valuable as a
reference. Students studying in these related fields will also find
this book useful as a reference.
The He 111 flew over every front from the first day of the Second
World War to the last and was among the most produced aircraft of
the Luftwaffe. Aerodynamically a very clean aircraft, it was a
superior bomber during the first two years of the war. This volume
is dedicated to this aircraft.
The fabled treasures of China span thousands of years of history.
From the exotic Silk Road to the mysterious Great Wall, China’s
allure is as vast as the country itself. Here, Natasha Bennett
introduces the fascinating world of Chinese arms and armour in the
Royal Armouries’ collection. Offering a colourful insight into
one of the world’s earliest civilisations, she chronicles the
development of personal weapons and armour from the late Bronze Age
to the early twentieth century. It is ideal for anyone interested
in the military and material culture of this absorbing land.
Stephen Hill analyzes the factors that affected the success or failure of the UN disarmament processes during intra-state peacekeeping missions conducted between 1991 and 1999. He examines seven case studies including Cambodia, Mozambique, the former Yugoslavia, Somalia, El Salvador, and the last two operations in Angola. The text utilizes developing approaches to conflict resolution in order to create an analytical framework through which to assess the UN's attempts at disarmament.
Countries around the globe are continuously investing money into
weapon development and manufacturing. While weapon design has been
a relevant topic, from the Middle Ages to today, the morality of
this practice is not commonly presented in research. The Morality
of Weapons Design and Development: Emerging Research and
Opportunities is an essential scholarly resource that presents
detailed discussions on ethical dilemmas in weapons design and
innovations. While highlighting relevant topics including
projectile and nuclear weapons, the true costs of war, design in
peacetime, and weapons development and justification, this book is
an ideal resource for researchers, engineers, graduate students,
and professionals who have an interest in weapons design,
development, and ethics.
This is the most up-to-the minute survey of the vital subject of
sea-launched cruise missiles (SLCMs) to appear in ten years. It
systematically analyzes the technological promises and weaknesses
of SLCMs, especially conventionally armed, land-attack versions,
explaining sophisticated technologies in language accessible to the
general reader. Eric H. Arnett presents a cogent assessment of the
crux of the SLCM issue for U.S. security, examining the coastal
nation concept of the U.S. defensive position and investigating
whether technology can adequately compensate for geography as
Tomahawks and their Soviet counterparts give way to more advanced
progeny. Arnett weighs the trade-offs in a frank discussion of the
technologies and missions envisioned for current and future SLCMs.
This well-researched, authoritative study evaluates both U.S. and
Soviet SLCM arsenals, examines the role of arms control and
unilateral initiatives in managing the dangers of SLCMs, and
critically assesses the claims made for the Tomahawk conventionally
armed cruise missile. The relevance of a changing international
scene and domestic fiscal chaos to SLCM issues is fully
appraised.
The book's eight chapters lead the reader through all aspects of
this complex field with admirable lucidity. Early chapters describe
missions envisioned for U.S. conventionally armed SLCMs, and assess
actual SLCM technology. Chapter 4 addresses the reciprocal problem
of Soviet SLCMs, describing possible and likely roles of Soviet
nuclear and conventionally armed SLCMs and the importance of
offering responses. The increasingly important question of how
SLCMs might be used in the developing world, both by and against
U.S. forces and security partners is considered in Chapter 5--an
especially relevant discussion in light of the apparent success of
the Tomahawk SLCM in the 1991 war with Iraq. The next two chapters
describe SLCM arms control as it has been practiced and discuss,
from two vantage points, the roles of future arms-control and
unilateral disarmament initiatives in addressing the disadvantages
of SLCMs. Finally, the immediate implications of the previous
chapters for policy practitioners are developed in a chapter that
focuses on specific policy recommendations. This timely
contribution is a reliable source of information on SLCMs for the
interested public, the non-government arms control community, naval
personnel, and members of both Congress and the administration.
|
|