When reconstructing a shooting incident with a shotgun, the muzzle-to-target distance can be determined by relating the size of a dispersion pattern found on a crime scene to that of test shots. Ideally, the test shots are performed with the weapon and ammunition that were used in the incident. But sometimes …

Taking an economic perspective, and underpinned by a literature review, this chapter analyses the development of explicit sets of relationships between dependent and independent variables in the international arms trade from 1995 onwards. We distinguish five main categories within the markets of military …

The system of export control regimes is an important instrument to prevent the proliferation of both weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons. However, this system faces several structural and recent challenges. The regimes are informal, and consequently, their measures are non-binding upon …

Commonly used game and decision theoretic models fail to explain the empirics of deterrence. This has unjustly led many theorists to criticize the (rationality and other) assumptions underpinning of such models. No serious game theorist will contend that his theoretic model will possibly take account …

In Northern Ghana, the shea nut tree is often referred to as the Northern “cocoa”, supposedly to signal the potential of Shea-nut as a weapon against poverty and to alleviate and empower women in terms of their financial status. This study was conducted to assess the contribution of shea butter extraction …

Over the past few years, the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the huge volume of data available in the cloud, and machines’ and software’s increasing capacity for learning have prompted an ever more widespread debate on the social consequences of these developments. Autonomous cars or the …

Recently, the use of military robots – which may be drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), remotely piloted systems, autonomous weapon systems or ‘killer robots’ – has been debated in the media, politics, and academia. Military robots are increasingly automated, which means that they can perform tasks …

Orienting paper about kinetic non-lethal weapons. One of its purposes is to help the non-specialist reader better understand scientific and technological aspects of these new weapon systems. Physical parameters and experimental methods are reviewed. Performance tests of two existing non-lethal weapon …

The author investigates how acoustic information about the seabed can be obtained from bottom-reflected shipping noise. An innovative idea is the use of sound sources of opportunity. When expeditionary forces enter shallow or confined waters, the environment has a great influence on the performance of …

The Dutch Armed forces have seen an enormous change during the last fifteen years. Peace keeping and enforcing have become the major tasks. The amount of troops and equipment has dwindled, so did the yearly budget. The decline of military means is defended by the thesis that quality is more important …