A methodology for assessing the vulnerability of critical zones of a military airfield within the physical protection system, Методика оцінювання вразливості критичних зон військового аеродрому в системі фізичного захисту

<jats:p>This article addresses the problem of assessing the vulnerability of critical zones of a military airfield within the physical protection system. The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that a military airfield represents a spatially distributed special purpose facility whose internal sectors differ in operational significance, accessibility, protection level, and consequences of compromise. Under contemporary conditions, such facilities may be exposed not only to direct intrusion, but also to sabotage, insider assisted penetration, diversionary activity, and combined hostile actions affecting different infrastructure sectors. In this environment, generalized evaluation of the protected object as a whole is insufficient, since the effectiveness of physical protection depends on the differentiated identification of the most vulnerable critical zones. The purpose of the article is to develop a methodology for assessing the vulnerability of critical zones of a military airfield in the physical protection system. The study is based on a system-oriented approach to the decomposition of the protected object, the identification of functionally significant and critical zones, the determination of vulnerability forming factors, and the formation of a structured system of analytical indicators. Particular attention is given to the relationship between criticality and vulnerability, as well as to the influence of combined threat conditions on the analytical interpretation of vulnerable sectors. As a result of the study, a methodology has been developed that includes decomposition of the military airfield into functionally significant zones, identification of critical zones, determination of spatial, operational, protection related, and threat related vulnerability factors, formation of indicator groups, comparative assessment of critical zones, and interpretation of results for improving physical protection decisions. The article also formulates the main criteria and indicator groups for assessing zone vulnerability, including spatial accessibility, timeliness of detection, delay capability, response reachability, operational criticality, susceptibility to combined or enabling hostile use, and stability of local protection under degraded conditions.</jats:p>