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Reducing the Potential Consequences of Nuclear Power Using Small Modular Reactors
From the Thesis Abstract: "In order for commercial nuclear power to remain successful in the United States, several things need to occur: advancement of newer technologies and replacement of aging infrastructure with a new generation of safe reactors that are reliable, adaptable to the environment, cost-effective, and energy efficient to meet the nation's energy demands into the future. To accomplish this, the United States must be able to identify true risk rather than the perceived risk of civilian nuclear power and have solutions to manage it. Risk management includes reducing the U.S. carbon footprint, which is contributing to global warming. The nation also must find a way to close the loop on nuclear waste through reprocessing and recycling. Furthermore, by reducing their size as compared to existing commercial power plant operations, the United States can locate new plants where energy is most needed. Finally, this thesis demonstrates how the potential consequences of a nuclear plant accident can be reduced to acceptable levels through the use of small modular reactors."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Corbin, Scott
2019-03
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You Can't Always Get What You Want: Employee and Organizational Responses to Perceived Workplace Injustices and Their Relationship to Insider Attacks
From the Thesis Abstract: "Insider threats are a 'wicked' problem. This thesis investigates three questions: how do employees respond to perceived workplace injustice, what is the relationship between employee responses to perceived workplace injustices and insider attacks, and how can organizations prevent disgruntled employees from committing attacks? These questions were answered using a thorough literature review and case studies. Employees respond in one, or a combination, of four ways: exit, loyalty, voice, and counterproductive work behaviors, as illustrated by the researcher's grievance response model. The researcher was unable to identify specific employee responses that led to attacks due to a lack of data and multiple, contradictory, and missing narratives. Organizations may be able to prevent employees from committing attacks by applying the grievance response model, ensuring grievance procedures are consistent and transparent, and offering alternative dispute resolution programs."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Reed, Tracey
2019-03
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Legal Weed: A Lifesaver?
From the Thesis Abstract: "Marijuana legalization in Colorado has brought with it many changes, affecting economic, social, and criminal elements. According to law enforcement statistics, cannabis legalization has shown a consistent rise in opioid overdose rates throughout the United States; however, recent scholarly research indicates that states that have legalized marijuana experience a noticeable decrease in opioid overdose rate. This thesis uses case study analysis to answer the question: Does marijuana legalization save lives in Colorado? Through a market-based examination of Mexican drug trafficking organizations, conclusions are drawn on the impact of marijuana legalization vis-à-vis the illicit opioid trade. The author reviews the physical and mental effects of cannabis use on the body and conducts a comparison of Uruguay and Colorado legalization. Best practices from the repeal of Prohibition and Uruguay's successes with legalization are extrapolated to recommend changes to Denver's approach to marijuana. Colorado's experience with legalization, when taken in total with suicides, traffic safety reports, opioid overdoses, and other indicators, is a mixed bag: there is no clear evidence that marijuana legalization saves lives at this point in the state's history. More data and more accurate testing are needed before conclusions can be drawn."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Schaub, Michael P.
2019-03
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Parity Avoidance: A Proactive Analysis of the Obsolescence of the Third Offset Strategy
From the Thesis Abstract: "Within the Department of Defense, offset strategies are policies of competition that mandate efforts to maintain technological superiority to generate or sustain a strategic advantage over near-peer competitor adversaries. The current strategy, the Third Offset, was implemented in 2014 and directs the development and leveraging of emergent, capabilities-based technologies to defend against the modernized, near-peer competitor nations of Russia and China. This thesis used unclassified resources to summarize the reactiveness of the previous offset strategies, define military supremacy, identify challenges to the Third Offset Strategy, and provide evidence that the current strategy is devalued. It also identified a list of conditions which, if met, render the strategy obsolete, ultimately determining that the Third Offset is, indeed, obsolete in its current form; it is unable to provide a strategic advantage to the United States. Finally, the thesis offers recommendations to the Department of Defense to reinforce the Third Offset Strategy with a goal of restoring its efficacy."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Wellman, Aaron
2019-03
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Social Media Screening of Homeland Security Job Applicants and the Implications on Free Speech Rights
From the Thesis Abstract: "Social media screening of homeland security job applicants may infringe on their free-speech rights, which diminishes homeland security agencies as defenders of the law and hampers their recruitment efforts. When homeland security employers screen the social media of job applicants, what are the free-speech rights of those applicants, and do existing social-media screening policies support or undermine applicants' free-speech rights? Content analysis of existing case law reveals no established precedent for the free-speech rights of government job applicants. Legal and social science analysis indicates applicants should enjoy the full First Amendment protections of private citizens and not be subject to the same limitations placed on public employees. Publicly available social media screening policies have elements that may chill free speech by encouraging applicants to self-restrict social media activity. Homeland security agencies should be aware that social media screening may impair the free-speech rights of job applicants, notify applicants when they will screen social media profiles, provide clear guidance on what speech is considered disqualifying, and avoid suggesting that social media screening is used to perpetuate the existing agency culture."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Sweeney, Denis
2019-03
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Finding the Path of Least Antibiotic Resistance: An Examination of Agricultural Policies
From the Thesis Abstract: "Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections will remain an extremely serious health-security and economic threat for the United States--and the world--unless steps are taken to curb them. This thesis focuses on antibiotic use in agriculture and potential methods to slow resistance. By examining existing U.S. policies at the national and state level as well as policies in Denmark and the Netherlands, this research finds that the European countries have reduced antibiotic use and decreased resistant organisms present in food animals. This thesis recommends implementing a multifaceted policy package beginning with the creation of an enhanced, more integrated surveillance system, then enacting antibiotic-use reduction targets, prohibiting the use of antibiotics in healthy animals and requiring veterinarians to examine animals before prescribing them antibiotics for disease prevention. The United States must implement more policies that respond to this global threat to preserve medically important antibiotics that protect the health and safety of people and animals. The homeland security enterprise should prioritize antibiotic resistance as a threat and work collaboratively to implement strategies to mitigate it."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Smiley, Stephanie L.
2019-03
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Puerto Rico's Homeland Security Readiness: Redesigning the Island's Power Grid to Improve Its Resiliency
From the Thesis Abstract: "The damage caused by Hurricane Maria to Puerto Rico left this American territory ill-equipped to rebuild--or even maintain--its aging power grid. As reconstruction is in order, this tragedy presents an opportunity to design a more resilient and efficient power grid for Puerto Rico. A sustainable distributed power plan that includes renewable energy, distributed generation, and smart grid technology could be the answer to Puerto Rico's energy problems. This grid could incorporate features that exploit the unique environment of Puerto Rico and include maintenance fees commensurate with the financial abilities of the island. The prospect of a new power grid is not simply a question of opportunity or need; it is part of a homeland security mandate. The exploration of alternative and sustainable power options for Puerto Rico can serve as a test bed for new technology, systems, and protocols that could affect other jurisdictions under similar economic or natural hazard circumstances."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Alicea, Juan E.
2019-03
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U.S. Counterterrorism Narrative: A Way Forward
From the Thesis Abstract: "While there seems to be widespread agreement that the U.S. counterterrorism narrative is failing, there is little empirical evidence for what the U.S. counter-narrative strategy since 9/11 has been, nor is there an analytical framework for measuring its success or failure. This thesis investigates the effectiveness of the U.S. counterterrorism narrative strategy in the post-9/11 period (2001 through 2016), and develops an effective U.S. counterterrorism narrative strategy. Content analysis of 75 U.S. presidential speeches and 50 U.S. Department of State Twitter postings, and a measurement of U.S. performative power between 2001 and 2016, demonstrates that only the narrative speech factor of promoting commonality has a negative correlation with terrorist attacks in the United States. More messages that promote commonality correlates to decreased terrorist attacks. To understand when to use this messaging, the social identity analytical method was applied to a U.S. presidential speech and an Islamic State leader's speech and demonstrates that the U.S. government lacks comprehension of social in-group identification nuances. To target messaging effectively, the framework should be applied on a consistent basis, promoting commonality in narratives within a larger comprehensive counterterrorism strategy."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Kristoff, Madeline T.
2019-03
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Disruptive Emergent Systems in Disaster Response
From the Thesis Abstract: "The 2017 hurricanes in the southern United States provided an impetus for wider social technology use than during previous disaster responses. Hurricane survivors rapidly turned to social media for help, while physically unaffected social media users crowdsourced emergent crisis mapping systems. Volunteers unaffiliated with first responder organizations conducted rescues based on those systems to form new response systems. These new, disruptive emergent systems displaced, supplemented, or filled gaps in the established, federally managed responses. This research examined disruptive emergent systems and associated effects on disaster responses. A total of thirteen disruptive emergent systems from four hurricane responses were analyzed. This research resulted in a set of eight features and an ontological visualization of disruptive emergent systems. The results show that disruptive emergent systems demonstrated supply responses to survivor demand. That is, these systems emerged through particular capability and organizational mechanism conditions to satisfy survivor demands. Cultural motivations provided the call to action for many of these disruptive emergent systems. These features can be used to understand disruptive emergent systems in the context of future disaster responses."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Thornburg, Kristopher M.
2019-03
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Applying Technology Acceptance Research to Information Systems Implementation in the Fire Service
From the Thesis Abstract: "The role of a firefighter has remained relatively static over the years, but the way a firefighter documents incidents and accesses logs, maps, and a range of forms is changing from paper-based practices to digital media systems. Unsuccessful technology acceptance can negatively affect efficiency and work production. A better understanding of the variables that are most relevant to influencing firefighters' acceptance of technology will help improve the success of the implementation of new ideas. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a model specific to the fire service and to gain a better understanding of the variables that influence technology acceptance in that field. How can technology acceptance research be applied to the fire service to better understand and influence the acceptance of information technology? A review of the literature reveals three relevant variables of technology acceptance in the fire service: self-efficacy, facilitating conditions, and social influence. These variables were tested using two thought experiments including one retrospective scenario and one prospective scenario. The thought experiments further refine the model by revealing that facilitating conditions had a positive relationship with self-efficacy. With a better understanding and leveraging of the variables that affect technology acceptance, fire administrators can improve the likelihood of acceptance."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Steward, John M.
2019-03
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Assessment of the Data on Body-Worn Cameras
From the Thesis Abstract: "Throughout history, citizens' opinions of law enforcement have fluctuated between confidence and mistrust. This ebb and flow can coincide with many factors, such as historical events like 9/11, personal interaction with an officer, and media/social media reporting of the public's encounters with police. A citizen's confidence and trust in law enforcement may also differ based on the person's gender, race, or socioeconomic status. Law enforcement has invested millions of dollars in research, new initiatives, equipment, and technology, such as body-worn cameras (BWCs), to regain the public's confidence and trust. Those who support BWCs suggest that their use corresponds with declining use of force and citizen complaints, which shows increased public trust in law enforcement. This paper seeks to determine, however, if these factors--use of force and citizen complaints--are the proper metrics for measuring law enforcement transparency, accountability, and citizen trust. This thesis provides a comparative analysis of the quantity and quality of BWC information that police departments make easily accessible to the public and provides a recommendation for law enforcement to develop and implement a BWC incident-based reporting system."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Allen, Carole L.
2019-03
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United States Posture in Consideration of a Sino-Russian Alliance
From the Abstract: "The relationship between China and Russia has varied from peace to conflict throughout the course of their history. However, since 1991 following the fall of the Soviet Union, as each nation sought for global relevance, Sino-Russian interactions have increased and relations have improved in a consistent upswing. Together, these nations are shaping a modern strategic partnership that is quickly shifting into a bona fide alliance with substantial regional influence in Asia, Africa, Eurasia, and the Middle East. The United States recognized the competitive and ideologically aligned spirit of these noted great powers in the 2017 National Security Strategy, posturing a whole-of-society approach towards protecting US national security and interests. While presenting the historical relevance of their relationships and the importance of leadership to envision and drive a strategic direction, this monograph posits that the United States should actively posture itself by advancing democracy, supporting and strengthening partnerships, and employing instruments of power in an effort to stymie authoritarian influence and desires to shift the international order."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Jones, Shawn E. A.
2019
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Aerial Pursuit of National Objectives: Operation Linebacker II, Operation Deliberate Force, and Operation Allied Force
From the Master's Thesis Abstract: "This monograph examines how the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization employed air power to obtain national objectives in Operation Linebacker II, Operation Deliberate Force, and Operation Allied Force. Operation Linebacker II took place from 18-29 December 1972. It was the only maximum effort bombing campaign of the Vietnam War that targeted the heartland of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, ultimately compelling the negotiations that ended the conflict. Operation Deliberate Force, the final operation of the Balkans Air Campaign, was a seventeen-day effort that sought to undermine the military capability of the Bosnian Serb Army and led to the 1995 Dayton Accords. Operation Allied Force was a seventy-eight-day air campaign in 1999 that successfully sustained offensive operations against Serbian forces led by president Slobodan Milošević and impelled their removal from Kosovo. This monograph primarily uses Dr. Mark Clodfelter's 'Framework for Evaluating Air Power Effectiveness' as a means to evaluate these campaigns and test the hypothesis that an air campaign positively impacts national objectives when it effectively targets an enemy's military vulnerabilities in which it has no equal means of response. These case studies demonstrate air power's ability to obtain or positively contribute to the achievement of national objectives when used as the predominate or sole means of combat power. Findings indicate that while effective targeting was crucial to these campaigns, there were other factors of equal or greater importance. Although each case study provides unique insights to the effective use of air power in pursuit of national objectives, common themes for all three include the evolution of national objectives to match military capability, the isolation of the adversary from its perceived allies, and a type of war waged by the adversary conducive to targeting or exploitation by air power."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Coleman, Christopher D.
2019
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Policy and the Military Operational Artist: Exploring the Civil-Military Dialogue and Implications for the Art of Large-Scale Military Operations
From the Master's Thesis Abstract: "The need for the military operational artist to recognize the evolving requirement for parallel and corresponding military and political aims is more critical than ever. Within the modern environment, operational artists will operate in conflicts like Carl von Clausewitz's real wars of limited aims. This monograph seeks to answer what is the role of the military operational artist in resolving political and military aims in forming and maintaining a coherent emergent strategy in consonance with the political aim. In these conflicts the operational artist must provide politically aware military advice while in the 'policy dialogue', exhibit flexibility through reframing and discourse during the 'military aim and emergent strategy dialogue', and to be cognizant of the perceptions of victory and defeat while in the 'perception dialogue' because these directly influence the policy makers' future decision for the conflict. Operational artists and doctrine must be flexible and account for these political influences and be prepared to operate in conflicts where they cannot pursue an absolute military aim. This regular dialogue with the policy maker will help an operational artist understand the political priorities, constraints, and risks of the policy maker and enable the operational artist to provide the best politically aware military advice. The methodology utilized to demonstrate the role and actions of the military operational artist consists of a case study comparison between General Eisenhower during the Second World War and General MacArthur during the Korean War. The Korea case study demonstrates how divergent aims can have a corrosive effect on a coherent strategy."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Wollenman, Jeffery A.
2019
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Lewis B. Parsons: Master Logistician and Operational Artist
From the Abstract: "On the eve of the American Civil War, the US Army found itself unprepared for the conflict. The mass mobilization of the Army overwhelmed the limited pre-conflict capabilities of the Union Army's Quartermaster Department. In December 1861, Lewis B. Parsons was assigned as the quartermaster for the Department of Missouri and initiated an immense undertaking, aiming to improve the Union's logistical support system and increase the efficiency of transportation on the Western river network. This study uses a structured, focused comparison of Lewis B. Parsons' use of the steamboat to support military operations during Sherman's Chickasaw Bayou Expedition and the 1864 movements of Major General A.J. Smith's 16th Corps in the Western Theater. The results of the study will show how Lewis B. Parsons employed operational art to standardize the use of the steamboat as the primary platform to project power and support Union operations and ultimately facilitate the defeat of the Confederates in the Western Theater."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Huskey, Donald E.
2019
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Role of the Operational Artist: General Macarthur in the Korean War from June 1950 to April 1951
From the Master's Thesis Abstract: "This study applies the theory of the operational artist to evaluate General Douglas MacArthur's command in the Korean War to illuminate considerations in regards to a senior military commander's authority to discuss policy and negotiate military strategy with policymakers and their responsibility to operate within the constraints imposed by policy to achieve the political aim, through the military aim. Victory emerged through the restoration of the 38th Parallel, where discourse and negotiation between policymakers and the operational artist resolved the tension between policy and military strategy, while tragedy and failure emerged in the remainder of General MacArthur's command, when the discourse failed and the operational artist disregarded policy constraints in pursuit of his own aims. The analysis implicates considerations for senior military commanders in their role as operational artists in the context of large-scale combat operations within wars of limited aims, constrained by competing interests."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Pasko, Brandon E.
2019
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Natural Resources and Private Military Security Companies: How Do They Affect Civil War Duration?
From the Master's Thesis Abstract: "The commissioning of mercenary companies, otherwise known today as private military security companies (PMSCs), to enhance military and political capabilities as well as to ensure economic stability for state and non-state actors is well known in the subfield of conflict studies. The conflict studies sub-discipline of civil wars is also well researched with numerous studies that address the four common variables of civil war scholarship: (1) onset, (2) intensity, (3) duration and (4) termination. However, there are few studies that address civil war duration, natural resources, and PMSCs (foreign intervention). The goal of this paper is to identify how PMSCs may affect civil war duration in developing African states with resource wealth. This paper finds that PMSCs can increase the duration of a civil war because of the services provided and the promise of future extraction rights (FER) for natural resources as payment for the commission of the PMSCs by the state government."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Butler, Leroy Bryant
2019
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Strategy of Unity: Eisenhower, the British, and Multinational Operations
From the Abstract: "With the largest army a US general has ever commanded, General Dwight D. Eisenhower led the Allied forces from their first landings in North Africa to their ultimate victory in Europe. To do this, he had to build unity of effort, particularly with the British, toward a common purpose. This monograph explores Eisenhower's ability to conduct multinational ground operations with the British in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of Operations in World War II. Using the integrated multinational command structure and the tenets of multinational operations of rapport, trust and confidence, and mission focus, Eisenhower's performance in the Tunisian Campaign is compared to his performance in the European Theater of Operations, arguing that he learned from his mistakes and thus improved his abilities. From the defeat at Kasserine Pass in 1943 to the final attack to the Elbe River in 1945, Eisenhower used unity of effort as his guiding principle, basing almost all decisions on how they would impact the alliance. He further developed his integrated command structure based on subordinates', superiors', and his own abilities to employ the tenets of multinational operations. These lessons may prove insightful as the US Army shifts its focus to near-peer threats and large-scale combat operations."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Maxwell, Jared R.
2019
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Enabler or Vulnerability: Operational Contract Support in Large-Scale Combat Operations
From the Master's Thesis Abstract: "The US Army's practice of supplementing capabilities with contracted ones has greatly expanded since the end of the Vietnam War and creation of the All-Volunteer Force. Operational Contract Support (OCS), the process of planning for and obtaining supplies, services, and construction from commercial sources in support of combatant commander directed operations, is often the first option a commander turns to in contingency operations. OCS can be the most politically and operationally expedient option for providing the commander with critical, time-sensitive capabilities. However, because of its expedient nature, OCS has taken on an outsized role in US Army operations, reaching a point of over-saturation today. As the US Army transitions its focus to large-scale combat operations (LSCO), it is necessary to examine whether its over-reliance on OCS over the last several decades has left behind any institutional bad habits which might make the force vulnerable in a more lethal type of conflict. This monograph examines OCS in the light of FM 3-0, and against the backdrop of the Gulf War. It concludes that a certain level of OCS will enable future LSCO, but the US Army's current application of OCS will lead to decreased operational readiness in the Active and Reserve components"
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Cryer, Michael A.
2019
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National Security Council and Synchronization for Multi-Domain Operations
From the Master's Thesis Abstract: "The National Security Council (NSC) is the locus of strategic policy planning for the United States, as it serves as the statutory strategic coordinating cell for the President. With the recent shift toward great power competition, consideration must be given to how the military and interagency integrate into policy at the strategic and operational levels of war. This study seeks to examine how the United States conducts strategic planning to understand the implications for the US effort in preparing for great power conflict and large scale combat operations. Recommendations from this study include making structural improvements in the NSC system that establish the importance of strategic planning, policy evaluation, and talent management. To accomplish this, both legislative and executive measures should be implemented to support progressive change. The study concludes by offering that synchronizing strategy across the interagency is a complex problem with no perfect solution. Instead, incremental changes should be made to improve the system with continued study focused on refining the process given a changing environment."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Batt, Jonathan J.
2019
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After the Boom, the Complexity of Blast Induced TBI
From the Master's Thesis Abstract: "Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has become a major health concern in the US Army. Since October 2001, over 2.6 million service members have deployed in support of combat operations, where TBI, primarily caused by blast, has been underreported and underdiagnosed. The Department of Defense (DoD) reports that nearly 384,000 service members serving in the Global War on Terror have suffered a TBI, classifying eighty two percent as mild TBI (mTBI). Labeled an 'invisible wound,' mTBI has proven difficult to both prevent and diagnose. In addition, blast injuries further complicate mTBI diagnosis, adding to the problem's complexity. In this light, protecting soldiers from blast-induced TBI (bTBI) has attracted attention from the public, senior DoD officials, and the government. The DoD has funded studies to help medical professionals diagnose bTBI and help identify its associated effects in order to treat those injured and return them to service. As the Army races to test and field new equipment to better protect soldiers, diagnosing mTBI, especially those induced by blast, remains a problem for health professionals and the Army at large. Thus, further research is needed that will spark new strategies to help alleviate blast-induced brain injuries and their ramifications in soldier's lives."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Hirschey, Gregory J.
2019
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We've Been Here Before: The US Army's Transition to Large Scale Ground Combat After Vietnam
From the Master's Thesis Abstract: "Currently, the Army is undergoing a major transformation away from limited contingencies in Iraq and Afghanistan and relearning how to conduct Large Scale Ground Combat Operations (LSGCO). While this marks a fundamental divergence in the Army's concentration over the last 17 years, a modern historical example of this transition exists. From 1974-1991, the Army underwent a comprehensive restructuring that turned the attention from limited contingency operations in Vietnam to fighting a major land war in Europe. To understand this transformation, this study examines changes in doctrine and division-level organizations and how the Army validated those changes from the end of Vietnam through the Gulf War. This monograph uses a structured and focused approach to assess this transition. Eight focused research questions frame the inquiry around one detailed case study. Additionally, three tenets from the Army's Operating Concept provide the focus of the paper: lethality, innovation, and adaptability. The empirical evidence collected supports the study's thesis that transformations in doctrine and organizations, validated in training and operations, enabled the Army to become a lethal, adaptable, and innovative force during its transition to LSGCO after the Vietnam War."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Nusom, Scott A.
2019
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Countering Chinese Economic Expansion Through Small State Engagement in South Asia
From the Master's Thesis Abstract: "This study presents an assessment of small state power as it relates to foreign policy in South Asia and the application of operational art through security engagements to meet political aims. US interests are at risk in this region and success is dependent upon the most efficient engagement of regional players to counter Chinese military, economic, and political aims. Security cooperation provides a cost-efficient way to counter Chinese economic alliances with small states in the region. A true mitigation of Chinese challenges to the existing security order in the Indo-Pacific requires the continuous presence of multiple dilemmas through expanded security cooperation with small states."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Young, Brian
2019
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Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations in the India-Pacific Command Area of Responsibility
From the Master's Thesis Abstract: "The evolution of Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities has brought an end to the era of persistent multi-domain superiority for the United States and its coalition partners. Improved long-range precision fires, maritime assets, and other comparable adversary military capabilities will require US forces to fight to attain access to a given Area of Operations (AO) and conduct a campaign within it. The India-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR) is one region where A2/AD challenges are most prevalent. The deployment of capabilities by China and Russia represent significant obstacles to the conduct of military operations within the theater. Despite the established challenges, a capability is emerging that will enable the Joint Force to overcome the A2/AD strategies and achieve desired objectives. Expeditionary Advanced Base (EAB) operations will provide the means to penetrate enemy defenses and conduct operations within a designated AO. Should a conflict arise with China, Russia, or another adversary on the Asian continent, EAB operations will be essential to support the execution of the approach to the campaign. As the premier amphibious and expeditionary force for the United States, the Marine Corps will serve as the foundation for the conduct of EAB operations. Understanding the considerations associated with the planning and execution of EAB operations is critical to ensure they are successfully integrated into the conduct of future joint force operations in the INDOPACOM AOR."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Rainey, David S.
2019
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Center for Homeland Defense and Security Annual Report [2019]
From the Document: "We are very fortunate to have so much talent and passion amongst our faculty, staff, participants, and alumni. Over the last 16 years, the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) has grown to offer many rigorous and engaging academic programs to a wide variety of stakeholders at all phases of the homeland security profession. In addition to our Master's Program which hosts in-residence sessions within a traditional classroom setting in Monterey and Maryland, our Executive Education Programs (EEP) and can bring the education to you--providing facilitated programs locally to elected officials, agencies, and professional associations who want to benefit from the expertise of our faculty, subject matter experts, and alumni. Executive Education Seminars range from a couple of hours to several days in duration and can be delivered in the form of a seminar, symposium, workshop, presentation or short course at local venues. The evolution of EEP will allow us greater flexibility to deliver targeted curriculum and address the CHDS core mission of educating homeland security leaders to address the emerging threats to our nation."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
2019
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Aviation Artificial Intelligence: How Will it Fare in the Multi-Domain Environment?
From the thesis abstract: "As the Army prepares itself to fight in the Multi-Domain Battle environment, it must assume that enemies will contest every domain and units will operate in more austere conditions, both physically and informationally. Increased sensor capabilities, proliferated and dispersed air defense systems, and contested electromagnetic spectrums challenge the air domain and severely restrict the freedom of action to which the United States has become accustomed. As the Army invests in research initiatives to mitigate the threats posed by peer competitors and develop technologies that return a marked advantage for the joint forces, Artificial Intelligence and increasing autonomy possess significant possibilities. Simultaneously, however, increasing sensor capabilities threaten remotely piloted and autonomous systems and their significant electro-magnetic emissions. With aviation assets operating across multiple areas of operations within the theater, it is critical that they possess the appropriate technologies and effects to mitigate threat capabilities and increase their survivability."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Sattler, Colin M.
2018-12-04
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Implementation of Active Cyber Defense Measures by Private Entities: The Need for an International Accord to Address Disputes
From the thesis abstract: "Cybersecurity is a national security issue. Passive cyber defense measures are no longer sufficient. This thesis uses options analysis to consider different courses of action for the employment of active cyber defense measures. The Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act, with minor changes, will strengthen the collective cybersecurity posture of entities worldwide by increasing the identification of those perpetrating cyberspace acts. Alone, it does not address the legitimate concerns of proponents and opponents alike. It needs to be coupled with the Cyber Diplomacy Act of 2017, which creates an office within the Department of State to negotiate cyber matters globally on behalf of the United States. While these two acts are stronger together, no single entity within the United States fully addresses America's cybersecurity policy. As the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 necessitated the creation of a Director of National Intelligence to coordinate the intelligence community, the current state of cybersecurity necessitates the creation of a national director of cybersecurity. The three concepts create a holistic approach to U.S. cybersecurity, but an entity must mitigate disputes between nations. NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) facilitated the writing of the Tallinn Manual 2.0. Coupled with the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime as a framework, the CCDCOE has the ability to serve as the entity to mitigate those disputes."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Barnes, Isaac A.
2018-12
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Conditions of Democratic Erosion: Has U.S. Democracy Reached a Tipping Point?
From the thesis abstract: "This thesis provides readers an in-depth analysis of the alleged existence of democratic erosion in the United States using Peru, Hungary, and pre-World War II Germany as case studies to show historical examples of the phenomenon. Using Mayring's qualitative analytical model, this thesis finds that these three countries demonstrated conditions that became tipping points toward erosion as a result of the consolidation of power by their leaders. While the analysis finds the precursors of tipping points to democratic erosion in the three case studies, the analysis does not find signs of democratic erosion in the United States. It finds that the constitutional separation of powers and the checks and balances of the U.S. system continue to function as designed. The thesis does find, however, that the U.S. democratic system is being strained, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to bridge the ideological divide, and if the democratic system cannot resolve these challenges, or if elected officials and the electorate violate constitutional rules, it will experience a constitutional crisis."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Tubbs, Christian D.
2018-12
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Climate Security Threat--America's Achilles' Heel?
From the thesis abstract: "The 2015 National Security Strategy warns that natural hazards supercharged by the effects of climate change pose a direct threat to the human and national security of the United States. This thesis asks if the U.S. government is placing the American public at risk by failing to create resilience standards appropriate to the threats posed by natural hazards, including hazards that will be exacerbated by climate change. What is preventing the nation from understanding the risk of climate security threats and the need to adapt to those threats? What lessons can the United States learn from our allies to establish an effective climate change adaptation protocol? These questions are examined through four emergency management considerations: the climate threat, presidential narratives, emergency management laws and relevant policies, and democratic allies' climate adaptation progress. The research shows that decisive national leadership toward climate adaptation is urgently needed in the United States. The answers to these research questions provide a narrow view of key factors that can be changed to achieve a more resilient nation and increase public safety for the American people."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Schaffer, Patricia A.
2018-12
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Homeland Security from a Tribal Context
From the thesis abstract: "A gap exists between the federal government and the 567 tribal nations, which hampers tribal inclusion in homeland security. American Indian and Alaskan Native lands comprise 100 million acres of land within the territory of the United States, with 250 miles of borderlands--potentially a formidable rift in the nation's homeland security. According to its mission statement, the United States homeland security enterprise necessarily assumes tribal participation, cooperation, and communication in upholding its mission to 'ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards.' Keeping the nation safe encompasses many aspects of protection, and 'hundreds of thousands of people from across the federal government, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, the private sector, and other nongovernmental organizations are responsible for executing these missions.' If not well supported with staff, training, and funding, the tribal nations struggle to fulfill such federal expectations. The first step to close that gap, and build stronger, more collaborative homeland security practices, is improving tribal preparedness."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Figueroa, Lisa M.
2018-12
