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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > Weapons & equipment > General
Former secretary of defense Leon Panetta once described cyber
warfare as "the most serious threat in the twenty-first century,"
capable of destroying our entire infrastructure and crippling the
nation. Already, major cyber attacks have affected countries around
the world: Estonia in 2007, Georgia in 2008, Iran in 2010, and most
recently the United States. As with other methods of war, cyber
technology can be used not only against military forces and
facilities but also against civilian targets. Information
technology has enabled a new method of warfare that is proving
extremely difficult to combat, let alone defeat. And yet cyber
warfare is still in its infancy, with innumerable possibilities and
contingencies for how such conflicts may play out in the coming
decades. Brian M. Mazanec examines the worldwide development of
constraining norms for cyber war and predicts how those norms will
unfold in the future. Employing case studies of other
emerging-technology weapons-chemical and biological, strategic
bombing, and nuclear weaponry-Mazanec expands previous
understandings of norm-evolution theory, offering recommendations
for U.S. policymakers and citizens alike as they grapple with the
reality of cyber terrorism in our own backyard.
The evolution of the battleship through centuries of war, told by a
nautical expert and author of The Mighty Hood. During its reign
from the sixteenth century to the mid-twentieth, the battleship was
the most powerful weapon of war known to man. Strategically, it
determined a war's outcome. Tactically, it dominated every sea
battle. But at the Battle of Taranto in 1940 and the attack on
Pearl Harbor in 1941, carrier-borne aircraft made a decisive
display of superiority over the once-mighty battleship. Thus World
War II heralded the end of the era of The Great Ship. In The Great
Ship, noted naval historian Ernle Bradford traces the evolution of
battleships through centuries of conflict and innovation. Selecting
one or two ships from each period, Bradford illustrates their use
in action and the significant roles they played in the course of
history.
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.
This Is A New Release Of The Original 1915 Edition.
Military logistics is a relatively new word to describe a very old
practice; the supply, movement and maintenance of an armed force
both in peace time and under operational conditions. Logistic
considerations are generally built into battle plans at an early
stage. Without logistics, tanks, armored personnel carriers,
artillery pieces, aircraft are just numbers on a table of
organization and equipment. Through this book an endeavor has been
made to understand the logistics of People's Liberation Army (PLA)
of China. An introduction to the theory of supply chain management
and logistics of foreign Armies is discussed. Today 'Revolution in
Military Logistics' (RML) is taking place in the People's
Liberation Army. An attempt has been made to study this evolution,
development and rapid modernization of the People's Liberation Army
logistics.
A unique chapter in the history of firearms, the multibarrel,
hand-cranked Gatling gun was one of the first practical rapid-fire
weapons ever to be used in battle. It changed warfare by
introducing the capability to project deadly, high-intensity fire
on the battlefield, and portended the devastation that automatic
weapons would wreak in World War I. During its 50-year career, it
saw widespread service with US, British, and other forces on a host
of battlefields through conflicts in Zululand and the American
West, to the Spanish-American War. Although it saw widespread use
in the hands of industrialized nations against various groups of
indigenous native warriors, it was famously left behind by Custer
at the battle of the Little Bighorn, where some argue it could have
made all the difference. Featuring full-colour artwork plus
contemporary and close-up photographs, this engaging study
investigates the origins, development, combat use, and lasting
influence of the formidable Gatling gun.
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.
Airpower is credited with success in Afghanistan, Desert Storm, and
Serbia, but in Vietnam all of America's aerial might could not
defeat a vastly outnumbered Third World force on bicycles. With a
panoramic sweep and shocking frankness unrivaled in the current
literature, Ken Werrell, one of today's most experienced airpower
historians, reveals the true extent of the technological evolution
that fueled this transformation. Chasing the Silver Bullet traces
in unprecedented detail the evolution of the Air Force's entire
inventory since the Korean War, from the ill-fated F-105
fighter-bomber to the F-117 stealth fighter, but one of its chief
contributions is its analysis of the strategies and doctrine that
fashioned the hardware.
Werrell's exhaustive research and sage analysis challenge the Air
Force's mantra that precision-guided munitions delivered from
long-range, stealthy aircraft are America's true war heroes. Desert
Storm gave us the wrong impression about airpower technology and
Werrell corrects that mistake with this landmark study, rendering
superficial all other books about Desert Storm and current
capabilities.
Objective, even-handed, and unimpressed with the bells and whistles
of new technology, Werrell understands how airpower works.
This volume covers all of the major radar and infrared guided air
to air missiles in current and projected near-term service.
Emphasis is placed upon modern missile systems, which entered
service in the 1990's and early 2000's, although all major missile
systems currently in service are covered including older types,
which have been serving since the 1970's. The combat use of the
various missiles systems over the past three decades is also
covered.
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.
GPS Declassified examines the development of GPS from its secret,
Cold War military roots to its emergence as a worldwide consumer
industry. Drawing on previously unexplored documents, the authors
examine how military rivalries influenced the creation of GPS and
shaped public perceptions about its origin. Since the United
States’ first program to launch a satellite in the late 1950s,
the nation has pursued dual paths into space—one military and
secret, the other scientific and public. Among the many commercial
spinoffs this approach has produced, GPS arguably boasts the
greatest impact on our daily lives. Told by a son of a navy
insider—whose work helped lay the foundations for the
system—and a science and technology journalist, the story
chronicles the research and technological advances required for the
development of GPS. The authors peek behind the scenes at pivotal
events in GPS history. They note how the technology moved from the
laboratory to the battlefield to the dashboard and the smartphone,
and they raise the specter of how this technology and its
surrounding industry affect public policy. Insights into how the
system works and how it fits into a long history of advances in
navigation tie into discussions of the myriad applications for GPS.
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.
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).
Created during WWII as an official training manual for the Fleet
Torpedo School, this whopping 575+ page "pamphlet" contains
everything you ever wanted to know about aircraft-launched
torpedoes. Within its pages you'll find rare photographs and
diagrams as well as informative text. This includes a brief history
of the torpedo and a full rundown of the Mark 13, the first
American torpedo to be designed solely for aircraft launch
(although, they were also used aboard P.T. Boats). Chapters
include: exercise heads and attachments, war head and attachments,
air flask and midship section, reducing, superheating system and
starting gear, propulsion mechanism, depth control mechanism, gyro
mechanism including a description of Gyro Mark 12-1, adjustment and
tests, and a discussion of loading, air trajectory and stabilizers.
Originally restricted, this manual was declassified long ago. This
high quality facsimile was created from a rare original. It
presents the book in its entirety for the first time in 70 years.
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.
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