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Physical fitness tests are essential for evaluating the endurance capabilities of military personnel. In many armed forces, including the Czech Republic’s, the Physical Working Capacity at a heart rate of 170 beats per minute (PWC 170) test is used to predict performance on the 12-min Cooper run, a widely accepted measure of endurance. However, concerns exist regarding the accuracy of the currently used conversion between PWC 170 test results, specifically W170/kg (watts per kilogram of body weight), and actual 12-min run performance. This study directly investigates the relationship between W170/kg and 12-min run times among military recruits and students (military personnel) from a university with a military program. Utilizing regression analysis, we found a significant positive correlation between W170/kg and 12-min run performance. However, the currently used conversion significantly underestimated actual 12-min run performance across all analyzed groups. These findings highlight a critical need to revise the existing conversion standard between W170/kg and 12-min run performance to ensure a more accurate and effective assessment of endurance capabilities in military personnel.

The article outlines the outcome of a comprehensive researche aiming at the enhancement of decision making within the defence and operational planning processes. Both processes differ in purpose, neverthelles they are challenged by the very same problém to find solutions with maximum operational effectiveness of armed forces capabilities at minimum cost to achieve objectives. It applies constructive simulation namely the software instruments of MASA SWORD and assess its potential to support the process of capability requirements identification and validation of potential alternatives to achieve objectives. It provides reasonable evidence that constructive simulation is a valuable instrument to support the evidence based decision making within in the processes of defence planning and operations planning proces. Constructive simulation allows to identify the most suitable solutions in terms of both operational effectiveness and costs.

The paper deals with tactical and technical contexts of attacks by vehicleborne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs). This type of attack is usually conducted aiming at so-called "soft targets", i.e. people who are at a certain moment in the area of a planned attack. The objectives of these attacks can be diverse. The common denominator of attacks is usually to create damaging consequences, especially a large number of dead and injured people. This paper did not focus on the elimination of these attacks, but rather on the reduction of their consequences. Since their assumption is that a complete prevention of these attacks is impossible, the authors formulated some possible solutions, (regarding the technical parameters of the means in particular) to mitigate the consequences of attacks in different ways. Some measures and technical means to mitigate the effects on people are easier to implement while some are more complex and costly. / В данной статье представлены тактические и технические аспекты подрывов автомобилей, совершенных с помощью самодельных взрывных устройств. Характерной чертой подобных нападений является то, что они обычно применяются против „мягкой цели“, то есть людей, находящихся в зоне спланированного теракта в момент его осуществления. Цели нападения могут быть разными, но общим знаменателем является желание нанести как можно больший ущерб, особенно в виде большого количества жертв. В данной работе не затронуты вопросы искоренения терактов в целом, акцент делается на снижение негативных последствий после самого нападения. Исходя из предположения, что теракты подобного вида невозможно полностью извести, авторы данной статьи представляют решения по снижению негативных последствий для населения, посвящая особое внимание техническим параметрам различных стредств. Некоторые из предлагаемых мер отличаются простотой применения, в то время как более сложные из них требуют и значительных финансовых вложений. / U radu su razmatrani taktički i tehnički aspekti napada pomoću improvizovane eksplozivne naprave u vozilu (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device - VBIED). Ovakvi napadi obično su usmereni protiv takozvanih mekih ciljeva, odnosno ljudi koji se nađu u zoni planiranog terorističkog akta u trenutku napada. Svrhe ovih napada mogu biti različite, a zajedničko im je izazivanje što većih posledica, prevashodno što većeg broja ljudskih žrtava. Pošto se u radu polazi od pretpostavke da je nemoguće u potpunosti eliminisati napade ove vrste, formulisana su moguća rešenja radi ublažavanja njihovih efekata na ljude, s posebnim osvrtom na tehničke parametre različitih sredstava. Primena pojedinih mera i sredstava je jednostavnija, dok neka složenija sredstva zahtevaju znatnije finansijske resurse.

The paper deals with the decision-making process in crisis management with focus on the Army of the Czech Republic (soldiers at the University of Defence in Brno). Within the research, 44 soldiers were monitored whilst managing various tactical situations during a three-week complex field training exercise. The soldiers were supposed to carry out the following combat assignments: fire control, battle order and radio operation. Prior the training, the soldiers filled out a questionnaire the questions in which corresponded with the above mentioned practical tasks. Based on the acquired outcomes, it may be stated that the assessment of theoretical solution of selected combat assignments among future squad leaders may be used for the prediction of how successful the management of such assignments may be in practice. / Предметом настоящей статьи является процесс принятия решений в кризисном управлении, с особым акцентом на Вооруженные силы Чешской Республики (курсанты Университета обороны в г. Брно). Исследование основано на наблюдениях за поведением 44 курсантов в различных тактических ситуациях, происходящих во время сложных трехнедельных полевых учений. Курсанты должны были выполнить следующие боевые задачи: управление огнем, боевой порядок и организация радиосвязи. До начала учений курсанты заполняли анкету-опросник, содержащий вышеупомянутые задачи. На основании полученных результатов можно утверждать, что оценивание теоретических решений отдельных боевых задач, которое будущие командиры подразделений привели в опросниках, может быть использовано при прогнозировании успешности управления анализируемыми боевыми задачами на практике. / Članak se bavi procesom odlučivanja u kriznom menadžmentu s naglaskom na vojsku Republike Češke (kadeti na Univerzitetu odbrane u Brnu). Tokom istraživanja, posmatrana su 44 kadeta u različitim taktičkim situacijama tokom složene tronedeljne vežbe na terenu. Od njih se tražilo da izvrše sledeće borbene zadatke: upravljanje vatrom, naređenje za borbu i komunikacija putem radija. Pre treninga, kadeti su popunili upitnik sa pitanjima koja su odgovarala gore pomenutim zadacima u praksi. Na osnovu dobijenih rezultata, može se tvrditi da ocena teorijskog rešavanja izabranih borbenih zadataka među budućim komandirima jedinica može da se koristi za predviđanje uspešnosti rukovođenja takvim zadacima u praksi.

The paper discusses possible applications and benefits of modern technology in the preparation and management of operations (activities, combat activities). In the process of preparations and operations management, combat modeling plays an important role within the activities of military commanders and their staff. Standard combat modeling could be incorporated into the collaboration management of all components. At the staff level, the combat modeling is considered as a war game, which is part of optimal variant selection and confirmation of friendly forces action. / В статье представлены преимущества применения современных технологий в подготовке и управлении операциями (действия, боевые действия). В процессе учений и управлении операциями, боевое моделирование играет важную роль как в действиях командира, так и всех членов подразделения. Стандартное боевое моделирование может быть применено в совместном управлении всеми составными элементами. На уровне членов подразделения, боевое моделирование рассматривается как симуляция боевой операции, которая включает выбор оптимального варианта действий и подтверждение действий дружественных сил. / Članak razmatra mogućnosti primene i prednosti moderne tehnologije u pripremi i upravljanju operacijama (aktivnosti, borbene aktivnosti). U procesu pripreme i upravljanja operacijama borbeno modelovanje ima važnu ulogu u aktivnostima, kako zapovednika, tako i članova njegovog tima. Standardno borbeno modelovanje može da se uključi u zajedničko upravljanje svim komponentama. Na nivou članova tima borbeno modelovanje se posmatra kao simulacija borbenog delovanja, koja predstavlja deo izbora optimalne varijante i potvrdu akcije prijateljskih snaga.

Resilience is a complex system that represents dynamic behaviours through its complicated structure with various nodes, interrelations, and information flows. Like other international organizations NATO has also been dealing with the measurement of this complex phenomenon in order to have a comprehensive understanding of the civil environment and its impact on military operations. With this ultimate purpose, NATO had developed and executed a prototype model with the system dynamics modelling and simulation paradigm. NATO has created an aggregated resilience model as an upgrade of the prototype one, as discussed within this study. The structure of the model, aggregation mechanism and shock parametrization methodologies used in the development of the model comprise the scope of this study. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is a multi-criteria decision-making technique is the methodology that is used for the development of the aggregation mechanism. The main idea of selecting the AHP methodology is its power and usefulness in mitigating bias in the decision-making process, its capability to increase the number of what-if scenarios to be created, and its contribution to the quality of causal explanations with the granularity it provides. The parametrized strategic shock input page, AHP-based weighted resilience and risk parameters input pages, one more country insertion to the model, and the decision support system page enhance the capacity of the prototype model. As part of the model, the decision support system page stands out as the strategic level cockpit where the colour codes give a clear idea at first about the overall situational picture and country-wise resilience and risk status. At the validation workshop, users not only validated the model but also discussed further development opportunities, such as adding more strategic shocks into the model and introduction of new parameters that will be determined by a big data analysis on relevant open source databases. The developed model has the potential to inspire high-level decision-makers dealing with resilience management in other international organizations, such as the United Nations.

Capability-based planning as an approach to defense planning is an almost infinitely complex engineered system with countless nodes and layers of interdependency, influenced by state and non-state diplomatic activities, information, military and economic actions creating secondary and third order effects. The main output of capability-based planning is the set of capability requirements needed to achieve the expected end-state. One revitalized qualitative technique that allows us to gain insights into unstructured and fuzzy problems in the military is wargaming—in its simplest form this involves manual wargaming. At the same time, there has been a push to bring computer assistance to such wargaming, especially to support umpire adjudication and move more generally towards full automation of human elements in wargames. However, computer assistance in wargaming should not be pushed, regardless of cost, towards quantitative techniques. The objective complexity of a problem often does not allow us to replicate the operational environment with the required fidelity to get credible experimental results. This paper discusses a discovery experiment aiming to verify the concept of applying a qualitative expert system within computer assisted wargaming for developing capability requirements in order to reduce umpire bias and risk associated with their decisions. The innovation here lies in applying system dynamics modelling and simulation paradigms when designing the theoretical model of capability development, which forms the core of the expert system. This new approach enables qualitative comparisons between different sets of proposed capability requirements. Moreover, the expert system allows us to reveal the effects of budget cuts on proposed capability requirement solutions, which the umpire was previously unable to articulate when comparing individual solutions by relying solely on his own knowledge. Players in the wargame validated the proposed concept and suggested how the study might be developed going forward: namely, by enabling users to define their own capabilities and not being limited by a predefined set of capabilities.

At the battalion level, NATO ROLE1 medical treatment command focuses on the provision of primary health care being the very first physician and higher medical equipment intervention for casualty treatments. ROLE1 has paramount importance in casualty reductions, representing a complex system in current operations. This study deals with an experiment on the optimization of ROLE1 according to the key parameters of the numbers of physicians, the number of ambulances and the distance between ROLE1 and the current battlefield. The very first step in this study is to design and implement a model of current battlefield casualties. The model uses friction data generated from an already executed computer assisted exercise (CAX) while employing a constructive simulation to produce offense and defense scenarios on the flow of casualties. The next step in the study is to design and implement a model representing the transportation to ROLE1, its structure and behavior. The deterministic model of ROLE1, employing a system dynamics simulation paradigm, uses the previously generated casualty flows as the inputs representing human decision-making processes through the recorder CAX events. A factorial experimental design for the ROLE1 model revealed the recommended variants of the ROLE1 structure for both offensive and defensive operations. The overall recommendation is for the internal structure of ROLE1 to have three ambulances and three physicians for any kind of current operation and any distance between ROLE1 and the current battlefield within the limit of 20 min. This study provides novelty in the methodology of casualty estimations involving human decision-making factors as well as the optimization of medical treatment processes through experimentation with the process model.

This article examines autonomous reconnaissance in a complex urban environment using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Environments with many buildings and other types of obstacles and/or an uneven terrain are harder to be explored as occlusion of objects of interest may often occur. First, in this article, the problem of autonomous reconnaissance in a complex urban environment via a swarm of UAVs is formulated. Then, the algorithm based on the metaheuristic approach is proposed for a solution. This solution lies in deploying a number of waypoints in the area of interest to be explored, from which the monitoring is performed, and planning the routes for available UAVs among these waypoints so that the monitored area is as large as possible and the operation as short as possible. In the last part of this article, two types of main experiments based on computer simulations are designed to verify the proposed algorithms. The first type focuses on comparing the results achieved on the benchmark instances with the optimal solutions. The second one presents and discusses the results obtained from a number of scenarios, which are based on typical reconnaissance operations in real environments.

Despite its conceptual uncertainty, resilience is mostly about the measurement of capacity. Current studies confirm the importance of resilience measurement and the necessity to support policy makers with a measurement mechanism. A holistic approach considering the measurement of different resilience domains interactively and concurrently is the critical element in this endeavor. In parallel with the rise of popularity of resilience in international organizations, NATO has initiated a project with the objective to discover whether the resilience capacity of a country can be evaluated in a dynamic way via a prototype model execution. The implemented model running both baseline (without any shock) and extraordinary scenarios (with strategic shocks), clearly demonstrates its capacity to represent quantitatively the resilience related factors of a country in the complex operational environment. Moreover, the outputs of the model substantially comply with the resilience concept existing in the literature and NATO applications. One of the main strengths of the model is its almost infinite capacity to create various scenarios and make what-if analysis limited only by the current number of endogenous parameters of the model. It allows studying the secondary and the third order effects of events introduced in scenarios. The user interfaces (input and output dashboards) of the model help decision makers modify the values of selected endogenous parameters, see and compare the time-based values of the resilience factors, and doing so to evaluate risk related to the Area of Operations. Subject matter experts have validated the model and identified the main areas of improvement. The further development brings more countries to the model and implements an aggregation mechanism for output values of both resilience capacity and risk functions. The model will form the core of the NATO Resilience expert system.

Using unmanned robotic systems in military operations such as reconnaissance or surveillance, as well as in many civil applications, is common practice. In this article, the problem of monitoring the specified area of interest by a fleet of unmanned aerial systems is examined. The monitoring is planned via the Cooperative Aerial Model, which deploys a number of waypoints in the area; these waypoints are visited successively by unmanned systems. The original model proposed in the past assumed that the area to be explored is perfectly flat. A new formulation of this model is introduced in this article so that the model can be used in a complex environment with uneven terrain and/or with many obstacles, which may occlude some parts of the area of interest. The optimization algorithm based on the simulated annealing principles is proposed for positioning of waypoints to cover as large an area as possible. A set of scenarios has been designed to verify and evaluate the proposed approach. The key experiments are aimed at finding the minimum number of waypoints needed to explore at least the minimum requested portion of the area. Furthermore, the results are compared to the algorithm based on the lawnmower pattern.

In recent years, the use of modern technology in military operations has become standard practice. Unmanned systems play an important role in operations such as reconnaissance and surveillance. This article examines a model for planning aerial reconnaissance using a fleet of mutually cooperating unmanned aerial vehicles to increase the effectiveness of the task. The model deploys a number of waypoints such that, when every waypoint is visited by any vehicle in the fleet, the area of interest is fully explored. The deployment of waypoints must meet the conditions arising from the technical parameters of the sensory systems used and tactical requirements of the task at hand. This paper proposes an improvement of the model by optimizing the number and position of waypoints deployed in the area of interest, the effect of which is to improve the trajectories of individual unmanned systems, and thus increase the efficiency of the operation. To achieve this optimization, a modified simulated annealing algorithm is proposed. The improvement of the model is verified by several experiments. Two sets of benchmark problems were designed: (a) benchmark problems for verifying the proposed algorithm for optimizing waypoints, and (b) benchmark problems based on typical reconnaissance scenarios in the real environment to prove the increased effectiveness of the reconnaissance operation. Moreover, an experiment in the SteelBeast simulation system was also conducted.

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The aim of the research is the proposal and experimental implementation of a solution based on Raspberry Pi that is to allow face recognition with subsequent user notification. Proposal of whole system discusses the possible negative factors that can endanger functionality of the system. Once the face is recognized or not recognized, the message is sent to the administrator and access is permitted or denied. This represents the elevated level of system hardening. The system in this research is built on histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) and neural network (NN). Testing of the software system solution has been also carried out and proves the usability with detection and recognitions rates above 90%. The implemented system may be used as a part of complex IoT (Internet of Things) security solution.