Naval War College

About: Naval War College is a education organization based out in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: International law & China. The organization has 233 authors who have published 519 publications receiving 6652 citations. The organization is also known as: United States Naval War College & U.S. Naval War College.

Changing the Paradigm: Simulation, a Method of First Resort

Abstract: : The computing capability to which Operations Research (OR) analysts have access today is over 1,000,000,000 times more powerful than the first simulation pioneers had sixty years ago, yet the concept that simulation is a method of last resort still plagues the OR community. Many real-world problems are complex, with properties such as high dimensionality, non-linear effects, stochastic elements, and dependence between variables. Solving these problems analytically often requires simplifying assumptions, running the risk of making a Type III error (i.e., getting the right answer to the wrong problem). This paper explores the development of computer simulation, and the key design principles that must be followed, to demonstrate how simulation is often the appropriate tool in understanding complex, real-world problems. Contrasting the results of a recently published analytical approach to the analysis of an airport check-in counter scheduling problem versus those of a simulation study of the same system, we demonstrate that simulation can quickly provide the same answers with any desired degree of precision and with no loss of insight. More importantly, simulation can easily use both empirical data and more realistic assumptions-which allows for the analyst to address the right problem. With current computational capabilities and methods, it is time to change the paradigm. Simulation is a method of first resort.

China's Naval Ambitions in the Indian Ocean

Abstract: This article argues that an increasingly sea-power-minded China will neither shelter passively in coastal waters, nor throw itself into competition with the United States in the Pacific Ocean. Rather, Beijing will direct its energies toward South and Southeast Asia, where supplies of oil, natural gas, and other commodities critical to China's economic development must pass. There China will encounter an equally sea-power-minded India that enjoys marked geostrategic advantages. Beijing will likely content itself with ‘soft power’ diplomacy in these regions until it can settle the dispute with Taiwan, freeing up resources for maritime endeavors farther from China's coasts.

Piracy and Maritime Crime: Historical and Modern Case Studies

Abstract: : Piracy is a basic and fundamental concern for all navies. From almost the beginning of state-sponsored navies, piracy suppression has been one of their major responsibilities -- when Julius Caesar was captured by pirates in 76 BCE, the first thing he did after paying the pirates' ransom and being released was to fit "out a squadron of ships to take his revenge." Despite piracy's importance and the continued frequency of piratical attacks, however, relatively few scholarly works have been written analyzing cases of modern piracy and piracy suppression in terms of varying strategic, policy, and operational decisions. This edited collection of case studies attempts to fill this gap. There have been a number of important historical studies that have dealt with the subjects of piracy and piracy suppression. Books written from the point of view of those wishing to end piracy have tended to focus on legal issues, including the rights of victims, the procedures and decisions of Admiralty courts in punishing pirates, and the capture of piracy ships as prizes. Others have looked at the existence of piracy in terms of one particular place or time period, with the Barbary Coast and the Caribbean Sea claiming disproportionate shares of attention. Pirates are often romanticized; Forbes magazine has recently listed history's top-earning pirates, including Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy at US$120 million (2008 dollars), Sir Francis Drake at US$115 million, and Thomas Tew at US$103 million. More famous pirates, like Edward Teach (Blackbeard), came in far down the list, at tenth place, with only US$12.5 million.

Investigating Violations of International Law in Armed Conflict

Abstract: This chapter examines the legal norms governing investigations of possible international law violations during an armed conflict. It begins by setting forth those rules derived from the 1949 Geneva Conventions, 1977 Additional Protocols and customary law. Since human rights norms also apply in armed conflicts, the chapter surveys human rights investigatory standards, and how they interact with corresponding international humanitarian law rules. Since international humanitarian and human rights law on the subject lacks granularity, State practice is surveyed in order to tease out prevailing practices that may either reflect on how treaty law is applied or reveal the broad outlines of customary law. The chapter offers conclusions as to the applicable legal standards for such investigations.

China's Anti-Access Strategy in Historical and Theoretical Perspective

Abstract: This article views China's development of anti-access capabilities against the backdrop of the theory and history of military innovation. It begins with a discussion of the process of military innovation, as well as the indicators that may appear at different stages of that process. It then discusses the barriers to recognizing new ways of war and applies that framework to China's development of advanced ballistic missiles, to include precision-guided conventional ballistic missiles and anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs). It concludes with several suggestions for how to improve the ability to recognize and understand foreign military innovation.