METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS OF NORMATIVE DESIGN OF PHYSICAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS FOR CRITICAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES IN A DYNAMIC THREAT ENVIRONMENT

Ramil Akhundov; Elshan Hashimov; Islam Islamov

doi:10.36074/grail-of-science.20.02.2026.096

METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS OF NORMATIVE DESIGN OF PHYSICAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS FOR CRITICAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES IN A DYNAMIC THREAT ENVIRONMENT

Authors

Ramil Akhundov National Defence University of Azerbaijan https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8798-8044
Elshan Hashimov Azerbaijan Technical University, National Defense University, Azerbaijan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8783-1277
Islam Islamov Baku Engineering University, Azerbaijan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8645-0640

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36074/grail-of-science.20.02.2026.096

Keywords:

Physical protection system, critical infrastructure, military facilities, normative design, scenario-based sufficiency, detection–delay–response, time budget, uncertainty

Summary

Normative frameworks are essential for establishing baseline requirements in the design of physical protection systems for critical infrastructure and military facilities. However, compliance with prescriptive measures does not, by itself, demonstrate operational sufficiency under dynamic, adversarial threats. This paper analyzes the methodological limitations of compliance-centered design and shows how subsystem-focused verification can yield solutions that remain formally compliant yet fail to interrupt representative attack scenarios within the available time budget. Using a scenario-driven, time-conditioned detection–delay–response perspective, the study systematizes recurrent limitations across conceptual, integration, temporal, informational, and evaluative domains. The findings support a shift from checklist closure to reproducible sufficiency justification based on explicit time budgeting, uncertainty treatment, integrated acceptance criteria, and iterative validation.

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