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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Weapons & equipment > General
In today's world, the range of technologies with the potential to
threaten the security of U.S. military forces is extremely broad.
These include developments in explosive materials, sensors, control
systems, robotics, satellite systems, and computing power, to name
just a few. Such technologies have not only enhanced the
capabilities of U.S. military forces, but also offer enhanced
offensive capabilities to potential adversaries - either directly
through the development of more sophisticated weapons, or more
indirectly through opportunities for interrupting the function of
defensive U.S. military systems. Passive and active electro-optical
(EO) sensing technologies are prime examples. Laser Radar considers
the potential of active EO technologies to create surprise; i.e.,
systems that use a source of visible or infrared light to
interrogate a target in combination with sensitive detectors and
processors to analyze the returned light. The addition of an
interrogating light source to the system adds rich new
phenomenologies that enable new capabilities to be explored. This
report evaluates the fundamental, physical limits to active EO
sensor technologies with potential military utility; identifies key
technologies that may help overcome the impediments within a 5-10
year timeframe; considers the pros and cons of implementing each
existing or emerging technology; and evaluates the potential uses
of active EO sensing technologies, including 3D mapping and
multi-discriminate laser radar technologies. Table of Contents
Front Matter Summary 1 Introduction 2 Active Electro-Optical
Sensing Approaches 3 Emerging Electro-Optical Technologies 4 Active
Electro-Optical Component Technologies 5 Fundamental and
Engineering Limits of Active Electro-Optical Sensing Appendix A:
Committee Biographies Appendix B: Meetings and Participating
Orginizations Appendix C: Laser Sources and Their Fundamental and
Engineering Limits
In March 2012, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition,
Technology, and Logistics requested that the Defense Science Board
develop recommendations for technology investments that would
enable the Department of Defense to maintain capability superiority
in 2030. The Board assembled a study composed of national leaders
in science and technology who explored required capabilities,
global technology, and the principles of experimentation. This book
recommends some specific investments for the Department that are
focused on high-leverage technologies that the study judged are not
adequately pursued today. The book also discusses priorities for
the 21st century defence in sustaining United States global
leadership.
A substantial amount of work has been carried out to explore the
military systems of Western Europe during the early modern era, but
the military trajectories of the Asian states have received
relatively little attention. This study provides the first
comparative study of the major Asian empires' military systems and
explores the extent of the impact of West European military
transition on the extra-European world. Kaushik Roy conducts a
comparative analysis of the armies and navies of the large agrarian
bureaucratic empires of Asia, focusing on the question of how far
the Asian polities were able to integrate gunpowder weapons in
their military systems. "Military Transition in Early Modern Asia,
1400-1750" offers important insights into the common patterns in
war making across the region, and the impact of firearms and
artillery.
2014 Reprint of 1936 Edition. Full facsimile of the original
edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. In this
classic work on the subject, Keith covers the selection, use, and
hand loading of revolver cartridges in various calibers. Keith
covers both revolvers that have remained popular to this day, as
well as many that were popular several decades ago and have since
fallen into obscurity. Elmer Keith uses his wealth of experience
with the sixgun to analyze and recommend the correct cartridges and
calibers for various situations. This is not only a manual covering
the practical use of the revolver, but is also a valuable reference
for anyone interested in the history and development of the modern
revolver cartridges.
This book consists of fifteen cartoons inspired by an 1866 Harper's
Weekly article about the hypothetical length of the Thirty Years'
War at different periods in time and extending into the future when
both sides had developed the ultimate weapons to end all wars. Of
course, war is inspired by the devil.
From the jungles of Vietnam to the unforgiving deserts of
Afghanistan and Iraq, one breed of soldier has achieved legendary
status in the arena of combat -- the sniper. Their only mission:
wait, watch, and when the target is in sight, put the...
Crosshairs on the Kill Zone
From the authors of the classic sniper chronicle "One Shot-One
Kill" comes a new generation of true tales from some of the most
expert and deadly marksmen in the world. Meet Adelbert Waldron II,
whose 109 confirmed kills in Vietnam made him the most successful
sniper in American military history, and Tom "Moose" Ferran, who
coined the term "Fetch ," whereupon the infantry would retrieve the
sniper's dead quarry. Also included are stories from snipers in
Beirut, the Bosnian conflict, and both wars with Iraq -- including
the feat of Sergeants Joshua Hamblin and Owen Mulder, who took down
thirty-two enemy soldiers in a single day outside Baghdad in 2003.
The military sniper has evolved into one of the most dangerous and
highly-skilled warrior professions. They suffer through weather,
terrain, and enemy action, lay unmoving for days on end, and take
out their targets with unerring accuracy -- proving that the
deadliest weapon in any battle, anywhere in the world, is a single
well-aimed shot.
When America declared war on Germany in 1917, the United States had
only 200,000 men under arms, a twentieth of the German army's
strength, and its planes were no match for the Luftwaffe. Less than
a century later, the United States today has by far the world's
largest military budget and provides over 40% of the world's
armaments. In American Arsenal Patrick Coffey examines America's
military transformation from an isolationist state to a world
superpower with a defense budget over $600 billion. Focusing on
sixteen specific developments, Coffey illustrates the unplanned,
often haphazard nature of this transformation, which has been
driven by political, military, technological, and commercial
interests. Beginning with Thomas Edison's work on submarine
technology, American Arsenal moves from World War I to the present
conflicts in the Middle East, covering topics from chemical
weapons, strategic bombing, and the nuclear standoff with the
Soviet Union, to "smart" bombs, hand-held anti-aircraft missiles,
and the Predator and other drone aircrafts. Coffey traces the story
of each advance in weaponry from drawing board to battlefield, and
includes fascinating portraits the men who invented and deployed
them-Robert Oppenheimer, head of the Manhattan Project; Curtis
LeMay, who sent the Enola Gray to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki; Herman Kahn, nuclear strategist and model for Stanley
Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove; Abraham Karem, inventor of the Predator
and many others. Coffey also examines the increasingly detached
nature of modern American warfare-the ultimate goal is to remove
soldiers from the battlefield entirely-which limits casualties
(211,454 in Vietnam and only 1,231 in the Gulf War) but also
lessens the political and psychological costs of going to war.
Examining the backstories of every major American weapons
development, American Arsenal is essential reading for anyone
interested in the ongoing evolution of the U.S. defense program.
A classic and poignant treatment of Japan's struggle between
recognition of the kamikaze's futility and the country's pride in
having made the attempt to stem the tide of the American advance in
1944-1945, this account, given by two former Kamikaze pilots,
testifies to Japanese perspective of the last days of World War II.
This book stands out among English-language translations of
Japanese accounts of the Pacific war, and was translated by a
former American officer who fought against the Japanese in the
Pacific.
In his 2013 State of the Union Address, President Obama stated that
the United States would "engage Russia to seek further reduction in
our nuclear arsenals". These reductions could include limits on
strategic, non-strategic and non-deployed nuclear weapons. Yet,
arms control negotiation between the United States and Russia have
stalled, leading many observers to suggest that the United States
reduce its nuclear forces unilaterally, or in parallel with Russia,
without negotiating a new treaty. Many in Congress have expressed
concerns about this possibility, both because they question the
need to reduce nuclear forces below New START levels and because
they do not want the President to agree to further reductions
without seeking the approval of Congress. This book reviews the
role of nuclear arms control in the U.S.-Soviet relationship,
looking at both formal, bilateral treaties and unilateral steps the
United States took to alter its nuclear posture. An analytic
framework is discussed reviewing the characteristics of the
different mechanisms, focusing on issues such as balance and
equality, predictability, flexibility, transparency and confidences
in compliance, and timeliness.
The pilot-less drones, smart bombs and other high-tech weapons
on display in recent conflicts are all the outcome of weapons
research. However, the kind of scientific and technological
endeavour has been around for a long time, producing not only the
armaments of Nazi Germany and the atomic bombs dropped on Japan,
but the catapults used in ancient Greece and Rome and the assault
rifles used by child soldiers in Africa. In this book John Forge
examines such weapons research and asks whether it is morally
acceptable to undertake such an activity. He argues that it is in
fact morally wrong to take part in weapons research as its primary
purpose is to produce the means to harm others, and moreover he
argues that all attempts to then justify participation in weapons
research do not stand up to scrutiny.
This book has wide appeal in fields of philosophy and related
areas, as well to a more general audience who are puzzled about the
rate at which new weapons are accumulated.
"
Engineers learn the latest electronic warfare (EW) techniques and
technologies related to on-board military platforms with this
authoritative resource. Practitioners gain expert design guidance
on technologies and equipment used to detect and identify emitter
threats, giving them an advantage in the never-ending chess game
between sensor guided weapons and EW systems. This unique book
offers deeper insight into EW systems principles of operation and
their mathematical descriptions, arming professionals with better
knowledge for their specific design applications. Moreover, readers
get practical information on how to counter modern communications
data links which provide connectivity and command flow among the
armed forces in the battlefield. Taking a sufficiently broad
perspective, this comprehensive volume offers a panoramic view of
the various physical domains - RF, Infrared, and electronics - that
are present in modern electronic warfare systems.
The Port Arthur massacre on 28 April 1996, when 35 people were shot
dead by Martin Bryant, transformed Australia's gun control debate.
Public outrage drove politicians from all sides of politics to
embrace gun control. Non-violent 'people power' galvanised
government resolve to outlaw semi-automatic weapons, register all
guns and tighten gun ownership laws. Simon Chapman's book gives an
insider's view of the struggle for gun control, highlighting the
public discourse between shooters determined to preserve the right
for civilians to bear military-style weapons, and activists
dedicated to getting Australia 'off the American path' of gun
violence. Law reform is not inevitable. It requires the planned,
strategic use of media and advocacy to convert anger into action.
The story of the campaign for gun control is a practical guide to
achieving humane social change for activists everywhere. With the
recent mass shooting at a primary school in Sandy Hook,
Connecticut, which has stimulated an unprecedented momentum for
meaningful gun controls in the US, the lessons of Port Arthur
should be revisited. Simon Chapman is professor of public health at
the University of Sydney. He has won multiple awards for his
national and international advocacy for tobacco control.
Primitive Weapons Miscellany collects seven early papers on
primitive weapons like boomerangs, harpoons, slings, and blowguns,
taken primarily from anthropological journals. These papers show
examples of the weapons, and describe their use in hunting prey.
This volume includes facsimile reprints of The Cane Blowgun in
Catawba and Southeastern Ethnology (Frank G. Speck), Boomerangs
(Gilbert T. Walker), Australian Throwing Sticks, Throwing-Clubs,
and Boomerangs (D. S. Davidson), Distribution and Use of Slings in
Pre-Columbian America . . . (Philip Ainsworth Means), Sling
Contrivances for Projectile Weapons (F. Krause), Throwing Sticks in
the National Museum (Otis T. Mason), and Aboriginal American
Harpoons (Otis T. Mason).
This unique volume combines the book Tiger I In Combat with a
facsimile of the original German wartime crew manual for the Tiger
tank, the Tigerfibel. This overview draws on a wide variety of
primary source accounts of the Tiger I in action from both the
Allied and the German perspective. Rare photographs, technical
drawings and contemporary reports of the Tiger in combat help to
set aside the myths and bring the reality into focus. General Heinz
Guderian authorised the publication of the Tigerfibel from 1943
onwards. This highly unorthodox publication was full of risqu
drawings and humorous illustrations and was designed to convey
complex battlefield instructions in a simple and memorable manner.
The manual contains everything the reader could ever wish to know
concerning how the crews were instructed to handle the Tiger I
under combat conditions. The Tigerfibel contains detailed
instructions on aiming, firing, ammunition and close combat. There
are extensive sections on maintenance, driving, radio operation and
the essentials of commanding a Tiger I in combat. This book
contains the original German publication with a complete English
translation, new overview and introduction by Emmy Award winning
historian Bob Carruthers. Highly accessible, this book is essential
and rewarding reading for all readers interested in the history of
the Tiger I.
The Panzer IV was the only German tank to stay in production
throughout the war. It was the backbone of the Panzer force and was
deployed on every front. Due to its efficient armament, robust
armour and outstanding reliability, it was preferred by crews over
the Panther, Tiger and King Tiger. This comprehensive overview of
the Panzer IV in action was compiled by Emmy Award winning
historian Bob Carruthers. It draws heavily on war-time intelligence
reports to produce a fascinating insight into the development and
combat history of the Panzer IV at the tactical and operational
level. Also featured are rare photographs and illustrations which
provide an absorbing study, from an array of primary sources, of
the world of the Panzer IV and its crews, which conveys to the
modern reader a vivid sense of how they were viewed at the time.
This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new
military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning
author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary
sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into
the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht. The series consultant is
David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series
'Battlefield'.
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