The post-Cold War world has created a number of important new challenges to the United States¡¦ power projection capabilities. The worldwide network of bases and stations that enabled the U.S. to contain the Soviet Union have, in many cases, been made into liabilities. U.S. dependence on fixed, vulnerable ports and airfields for the buildup of combat power, as seen in the 1990-91 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War, have shown potential foes like China and Iran that it doesn¡¦t pay to allow penalty-free access and freedom of action in maritime, air, and space commons. In the Western Pacific, China has pursued an anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) strategy, developing capabilities designed to deny U.S. freedom of movement in the region. This study examines U.S. perceptions of China¡¦s growing A2/AD capabilities and their implications for U.S. military operations in the Western Pacific through the analysis of authoritative official and unofficial U.S. documents and studies. This work establishes a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of Chinese A2/AD capabilities through American eyes, updating previous comprehensive works in key areas such as the status of China¡¦s anti-ship ballistic missile, conventional ballistic and cruise missile capabilities and their implications for key U.S. facilities in the region, and new technology and platforms like China¡¦s first aircraft carrier and stealth aircraft. The thesis concludes that the U.S. has been slow in reacting to Chinese A2/AD developments and that it is unlikely that continued Chinese military modernization (including the refinement and development of additional A2/AD capabilities) will end in the near future. For the U.S., this means that development and implementation of a truly joint concept for counter-A2/AD operations, as well as the right mix of military capabilities to carry out such operations, cannot be delayed any longer.

In military training contexts, fast and long term decisions are intermixed where survival and security are prioritized. Simulation-based training, here applied to ground patrols in Afghanistan, can provide preparation for mission critical and life critical operations prior to exposure to real danger. Optimising the effectiveness of simulation-based training raises the need for more detailed representations of the competences required, both for simulation design and for evaluating simulation effectiveness. These needs are here considered in terms of three research questions . The first research question asks how objects trigger dialogue in observational tasks. Eye gaze tracking and recorded dialogue provide a foundation for proposing the cognitive operational structures behind how objects and dialogue are structured when people work together when collaborating in simulation-based training sessions. The objects are tracked along with related observational tasks and the communication between people in a team in ground vehicles and in the Tactical Operations Centre (TOC). The second research question asks how the results of simulation-based training for emergency situations can be described and evaluated. The last research question asks how debriefing and learning create and refine cognitive comprehension, the competency developed in a group. Low level visual cognition in a tactical environment is explored using an eye gaze tracking system integrated with a simulation environment. The integrated system has been evaluated, its accuracy characterized, and the system was then used to evaluate hypotheses related to visual queuing and target selection. The research questions are then explored more broadly based upon two exploratory field studies of simulation-based training sessions held for military staff before leaving for ISAF in Afghanistan. Study methods here include eye gaze tracking, video and audio recording, behavioral observation and retrospective questions. The field studies were conducted at the Swedish Life Guard Regiment sub-departments: International Training Unit(IntUtbE), pre-deployment training for Peace support operations, and Swedish Armed Forces International Centre (SWEDINT), with their Simulation, Modeling and Practical Platform. Based upon data obtained in the field studies, cognitive models of decision processes involved in operational task performance are developed to provide a basis for answering the research questions. Cognitive modelling begins with the Belief, Desire and Intension (BDI) model. This model is then modified in several steps to cover different levels of decision making revealed by the field studies, including an intrapersonal and organizational layer, an educational layer, a layer where objects are build into the algorithm as a basis for purposive behavior, and finally a team competency layer built largely during debriefing sessions. These models can be used to evaluate simulation-based training effectiveness, to provide feedback both in real time and retrospectively to trainees and teams, and potentially could be used in operational systems to provide real-time information about individual and group state during operations, for decision enhancement, and potentially as elements of the implementation of automated operational forces.

The conduct of military forces is not limited to their territory. They are typically sent on missions that potentially affect civilians beyond the borders of the sending State. Under the European Convention, the linking factor bringing its protection into play is that of jurisdiction under Article 1 ECHR. What is the reach of the European Convention in the context of participation by Contracting Parties in military operations abroad? The interpretation of the concept of jurisdiction has evolved from its territorial beginnings. After a detailed analysis of the case-law on the interpretation of jurisdiction, including the latest landmark cases of Al-Jedda and Al-Skeini, I conclude that the current case-law lacks coherence. The search for a more coherent approach to determining questions of jurisdiction, in situations involving military conduct abroad has steered this thesis into considering the unsatisfactory interplay between humanitarian law and human rights law and the way in which the two systems apply to civilians caught in military operations. An analysis of the case-law under the European Convention in situations where Contracting Parties send troops as part of multi-national forces has indicated the benefits of considering dual or multiple attribution rather than a separation of jurisdiction. I propose a more coherent approach to jurisdiction replacing the present uncertainty in the context of applicability of the European Convention to military operations abroad. I argue, in all situations, for a test requiring a direct and immediate link between the conduct of Contracting Parties and the violation of Convention rights as offering better protection of human rights for individuals trapped in conflicts. In this way the supervisory effect of the European Convention is enhanced.

Thesis (Master of Military Studies)-Marine Corps Command and Staff College, 2008. / Title from title page of PDF document (viewed on: Jan 8, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

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