This graduate-level textbook treats the basic chemistry of high energy materials - primary and secondary explosives, propellants, rocket fuel and pyrotechnics - and provides a review of new research developments. Applications in both military and civil fields are discussed. This book also offers new insights into 'green' chemistry requirements and strategies for military applications. This work should be of interest to advanced students in chemistry, materials science and engineering, as well as all those working in defense technology.
Abstract This is a very timely review of body armour materials and systems since new test standards are currently being written, or reviewed, and new, innovative products released. Of greatest importance, however, is the recent evolution, and maturity, of the Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene fibres enabling a completely new style of system to evolve – a stackable system of Hard Armour Plates. The science of body armour materials is quickly reviewed with emphasis upon current understanding of relevant energy-absorbing mechanisms in fibres, fabrics, polymeric laminates and ceramics. The trend in on-going developments in ballistic fibres is then reviewed, analysed and future projections offered. Weaknesses in some of the ceramic grades are highlighted as is the value of using cladding materials to improve the robustness, and multi-strike performance, of Hard Armour Plates. Finally, with the drive for lighter, and therefore smaller, soft armour systems for military personnel the challenges for armour designers are reported, and the importance of the relative size of the Hard Armour Plate to the Soft Armour Insert is strongly emphasised.
The paper explores key areas of scientific research caused by the need to adapt to the conditions of modern armed conflicts. A particular emphasis was placed on military medicine, including the creation of mobile medical complexes, the improvement of methods for diagnosing and treating combat trauma, and the introduction of telemedicine technologies for providing immediate assistance in conflict areas. In addition, the impact of military activities on the health of servicemen was studied, including post-traumatic stress disorder, neuropsychological consequences, and methods for their correction. Scientific advances in the combat environment encompass a broad spectrum of issues, ranging from the enhancement of medical care methodologies to the development of psychological rehabilitation programs for service members and veterans. The discourse addressed strategies for the social rehabilitation of military personnel, including the integration of veterans into society, professional retraining, and psychological support. Examples of international experience in this area were presented, including the practice of stress testing and the simulation of combat conditions in military training programs. Armed conflict inevitably becomes a catalyst for scientific progress, fostering the development of technology, medicine, and psychology. In the contemporary context, scientific knowledge is adapted to address the challenges of war, leading to the development of effective mechanisms that mitigate its consequences for military personnel and civilians. An interdisciplinary approach, integrating medicine, military pedagogy, psychology, information technology, and social research, facilitates the emergence of innovative solutions that contribute to the preservation of life, health, and well-being of the population in armed conflicts.
A profissão militar é frequentemente considerada estressante devido às exigências diárias e à exposição a situações extremas, como conflitos armados, que envolvem riscos à vida. Durante a formação de oficiais do Exército, esses desafios também se fazem presentes, exigindo que os cadetes estejam preparados para enfrentá-los. Este estudo investigou o papel da Robustez Psicológica nos cadetes da Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras (AMAN) e validou um instrumento espanhol para sua mensuração. A literatura destaca essa variável como essencial para o desempenho e a saúde dos militares, mas há poucos estudos no contexto brasileiro, especialmente no meio militar. O Questionário de Robustez Psicológica (QRP) foi aplicado a 1.147 cadetes e os dados foram analisados com os programas SPSS e AMOS (versão 19). Os resultados confirmaram a estrutura de três fatores da Robustez Psicológica: Desafio, Controle e Comprometimento. Observou-se forte correlação entre essas variáveis (KMO = 0,852; teste de Bartlett, p < 0,001), o que levou à exclusão dos itens 03 e 14, possibilitando a validação do instrumento. Conclui-se que o QRP é adequado para investigações na AMAN e pode contribuir para futuras pesquisas sobre o impacto da Robustez Psicológica na formação e no desempenho dos cadetes.
Abstract Disruptions in lipid metabolism cause numerous metabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and liver disorders. Consequently, lipid metabolism serves as a potential therapeutic target, influencing the progression of various non-metabolic diseases such as kidney diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, aging, and bone-related diseases. The metabolic pathways involved in lipid metabolism are complex and highly interconnected. Although the abundance of metabolic targets presents opportunities for lipid metabolism regulation, the limited precision and safety of traditional therapeutic approaches remain significant challenges. These limitations have catalyzed the development of multifunctional nano-delivery platforms aimed at targeted intervention in lipid metabolic processes, further enhancing the flexibility of lipid metabolism regulation. This review outlines the latest advancements and representative applications of these multifunctional nano-delivery platforms. Notably, extensive research has been conducted on nanoparticles and liposomes, with these technologies being relatively mature. Furthermore, numerous novel biomaterials, including engineered adipocytes, exosome vesicles secreted by natural cells, smart-responsive nanomicelles, composite hydrogels, and engineered lipid droplets, are being increasingly explored. Finally, the review discusses the advantages of drug delivery strategies based on the targeted intervention of lipid metabolic processes, the limitations of current technologies, promising future research directions, and treatment challenges.
This study analyzes the potential of renewable energy sources to reduce the environmental impact of military expenditures in Turkiye. ARDL method is preferred in the analysis using annual data for the period 1990-2021. In addition, an interaction term is added to the model to determine the effectiveness of renewable energy sources. The results show that military expenditures have a positive impact on CO2 emissions in the short and long run with coefficients of 0.260 and 0.196, respectively. Moreover, renewable energy use has a statistically significant negative impact on CO2 emissions in the short and long run with coefficients of -0.119 and -0.120, respectively. GDP has a positive impact on CO2 emissions in the short and long run with coefficients of 0.162 and 0.193, respectively. Although population growth does not have a statistically significant impact in the short run, it is found to increase CO2 emissions in the long run with a coefficient of 0.095. Moreover, the interaction term shows that renewable energy use reduces the environmental impact of military expenditures in Turkiye in the short and long run with coefficients of -0.130 and -0.140, respectively. The results indicate that renewable energy use can play an important role in mitigating the environmental impacts of military expenditures.
Federated Learning (FL) is increasingly being adopted in military collaborations to develop Large Language Models (LLMs) while preserving data sovereignty. However, prompt injection attacks-malicious manipulations of input prompts-pose new threats that may undermine operational security, disrupt decision-making, and erode trust among allies. This perspective paper highlights four vulnerabilities in federated military LLMs: secret data leakage, free-rider exploitation, system disruption, and misinformation spread. To address these risks, we propose a human-AI collaborative framework with both technical and policy countermeasures. On the technical side, our framework uses red/blue team wargaming and quality assurance to detect and mitigate adversarial behaviors of shared LLM weights. On the policy side, it promotes joint AI-human policy development and verification of security protocols.
The design and performance analysis of relay lenses that provide high-performance image transmission for target acquisition and tracking in military optical systems. Relay lenses are critical components for clear and lossless image transmission over long distances. In this study, the optical performance of a relay lens system designed and optimized using ZEMAX software is investigated in detail. The analysis focuses on important optical properties such as modulation transfer function (MTF), spot diagrams, Seidel diagram, field curvature and distortion. The results show that the lens has significant potential in military applications for target detection and tracking with high resolution and low aberration.
Andre Massahiro Shimaoka, Renato Cordeiro Ferreira, Alfredo Goldman
This study explores the integration of eXtreme Programming (XP) and the Cross-Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM) in agile Data Science projects. We conducted a case study at the e-commerce company Elo7 to answer the research question: How can the agility of the XP method be integrated with CRISP-DM in Data Science projects? Data was collected through interviews and questionnaires with a Data Science team consisting of data scientists, ML engineers, and data product managers. The results show that 86% of the team frequently or always applies CRISP-DM, while 71% adopt XP practices in their projects. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that it is possible to combine CRISP-DM with XP in Data Science projects, providing a structured and collaborative approach. Finally, the study generated improvement recommendations for the company.
The paper presents the results of bibliometric analysis of publications that were co-written by authors affiliated with Ukrainian and Russian institutions in 2007-2016 according to Scopus. Results of the study show that Ukrainian and Russian scientists have not refused to carry out joint research in major international projects, but a decrease in the number of works, written by Ukrainian and Russian scientific institutions staff members in 2016, provides evidence on the threat and negative impact the Russian military intervention brings to cooperation in science. The findings are important for generating the science development programs in Ukraine.
abbas jafarinia, mohsen moradian, Nader Torkashvand
Abstract One of the most important factors of sedition in the Islamic world is the emergence of Salafist thought. This current, as a system (belief and religion), has a special identity that, by polarizing the Islamic world, while distorting Islamic unity, can upset the stability and balance of Islamic societies and thus the security of Islamic countries by Faces a challenge. Iraq with its sensitive and geoplotical of position of deep interdependencies with Iran. According to the results, the situation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the face of takfiri currents in a state of aggression is mild and shows that; it is necessary to take maximum advantage of environmental opportunities and rely on strengths to deal with emerging environmental threats and improve the current state of regional defense performance. This study aims to achieve strategies to deal with the impact of salafism threats in Iraq on the military security of the Islamic republic of Iran. The present study is an application-developmental and descriptive method. Components of the impact of salafism threats in Iraq on military security, after studying the library and compiled for approval by experts, the components and indicators have been evaluated. Then, in order to evaluate the current situation and their importance, a questionnaire was prepared and distributed among the members of the community and the required data were collected. The descriptive statistics and inferential statistics section were analyzed and then using the SWOT method. Strategies are determined and finally prioritized using TOPSIS method.
There is an increasing interest in using language models (LMs) for automated decision-making, with multiple countries actively testing LMs to aid in military crisis decision-making. To scrutinize relying on LM decision-making in high-stakes settings, we examine the inconsistency of responses in a crisis simulation ("wargame"), similar to reported tests conducted by the US military. Prior work illustrated escalatory tendencies and varying levels of aggression among LMs but were constrained to simulations with pre-defined actions. This was due to the challenges associated with quantitatively measuring semantic differences and evaluating natural language decision-making without relying on pre-defined actions. In this work, we query LMs for free form responses and use a metric based on BERTScore to measure response inconsistency quantitatively. Leveraging the benefits of BERTScore, we show that the inconsistency metric is robust to linguistic variations that preserve semantic meaning in a question-answering setting across text lengths. We show that all five tested LMs exhibit levels of inconsistency that indicate semantic differences, even when adjusting the wargame setting, anonymizing involved conflict countries, or adjusting the sampling temperature parameter $T$. Further qualitative evaluation shows that models recommend courses of action that share few to no similarities. We also study the impact of different prompt sensitivity variations on inconsistency at temperature $T = 0$. We find that inconsistency due to semantically equivalent prompt variations can exceed response inconsistency from temperature sampling for most studied models across different levels of ablations. Given the high-stakes nature of military deployment, we recommend further consideration be taken before using LMs to inform military decisions or other cases of high-stakes decision-making.
Advanced persistent threat (APT) is widely acknowledged to be the most sophisticated and potent class of security threat. APT refers to knowledgeable human attackers that are organized, highly sophisticated and motivated to achieve their objectives against a targeted organization(s) over a prolonged period. Strategically-motivated APTs or S-APTs are distinct in that they draw their objectives from the broader strategic agenda of third parties such as criminal syndicates, nation-states, and rival corporations. In this paper we review the use of the term “advanced persistent threat,” and present a formal definition. We then draw on military science, the science of organized conflict, for a theoretical basis to develop a rigorous and holistic model of the stages of an APT operation which we subsequently use to explain how S-APTs execute their strategically motivated operations using tactics, techniques and procedures. Finally, we present a general disinformation model, derived from situation awareness theory, and explain how disinformation can be used to attack the situation awareness and decision making of not only S-APT operators, but also the entities that back them.
Ashraf A. Deraz, Osama Badawy, Mostafa A. Elhosseini
et al.
UAVs are employed for military, commercial, environmental, and other objectives. Flying in complex situations might strain the GPS (GNSS). Using INS alone increases positional inaccuracy. Despite cameras and sensors, drift persists. This work provides a GNSS-free UAV navigation system employing optical odometry, radar height estimates, and multi-sensory data fusion. Our monocular VO with optical flow leverages LSTM networks. We use optical flow to determine the vehicle's forward speed and LSTM to correct drift. A five-set LSTM model trained on GNSS data produces the velocity difference. The suggested technology was flight-tested. Experiments indicate the system can counteract lost GNSS signals' effects on forward and lateral speed. When GNSS signals are lost, the proposed strategy reduces average forward and lateral velocity errors to 63.01% in 30 s, 62.26% in 60 s, 58.76% in 90 s, and 54.33% in 113 sec.
The present article was conducted with the aim of presenting the strategies for fulfilling the recommendations of the statement of the second step of the revolution in the field of spirituality and ethics in the educational system of a military higher education center by evaluating the performance of its graduates. This research was applied and was done by descriptive-survey and cross-sectional method. The research population is the direct commanders of all the graduates of the center in 2016 (699 people) who have served in the operational units for nearly 2 to 3 years after successfully completing the introductory course (and at the time of the research in 2019). The sample population was selected as a whole. Data collection tools include the quantitative method of the researcher-made questionnaire and the qualitative method of the focus group interview. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was 88.6% using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Based on this, 521 questionnaires were completed and 1268 minutes of interviews were conducted. To analyze the quantitative data, descriptive and inferential statistical indices (sample student t-test and ANOVA) and qualitative data were used. The results show that the level of competencies of graduates in the field of spirituality and ethics is significantly higher than the average and is in a "desirable" condition. Also, the ranking of three competencies of young graduates showed that value competencies have the highest rank.
Inequality prevails in science. Individual inequality means that most perish quickly and only a few are successful, while gender inequality implies that there are differences in achievements for women and men. Using large-scale bibliographic data and following a computational approach, we study the evolution of individual and gender inequality for cohorts from 1970 to 2000 in the whole field of computer science as it grows and becomes a team-based science. We find that individual inequality in productivity (publications) increases over a scholar's career but is historically invariant, while individual inequality in impact (citations), albeit larger, is stable across cohorts and careers. Gender inequality prevails regarding productivity, but there is no evidence for differences in impact. The Matthew Effect is shown to accumulate advantages to early achievements and to become stronger over the decades, indicating the rise of a "publish or perish" imperative. Only some authors manage to reap the benefits that publishing in teams promises. The Matthew Effect then amplifies initial differences and propagates the gender gap. Women continue to fall behind because they continue to be at a higher risk of dropping out for reasons that have nothing to do with early-career achievements or social support. Our findings suggest that mentoring programs for women to improve their social-networking skills can help to reduce gender inequality.