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Key Considerations for Irregular Security Forces in Counterinsurgency
From the thesis abstract: "Counterinsurgents have raised and employed irregular security forces in many campaigns over the last century. Irregular security forces are indigenous forces, not part of the regular police or military organizations of the host nation, that are recruited locally to provide a basic level of security in a given area. Irregular security forces, when used in conjunction with all other available capabilities, contribute to, but do not in and of themselves ensure success. While irregular security forces can be effective in conducting local security, intelligence gathering, surveillance and other tasks in their home areas, tasks that may prove more difficult for regular security forces, irregular forces are no silver bullet to achieving success. Counterinsurgency is a struggle for the support of the population against an active and thinking enemy, and therefore, there are no hard and fast rules. Several counterinsurgency scholars and theorists do however agree on several key principles that can aid counterinsurgents in prosecuting their campaigns successfully. This paper seeks to add to the body of knowledge by examining the key aspects that counterinsurgents should take into account when considering raising an irregular security force."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Green, Robert L.
2011-06-10
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Stress: A Study of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the Military
From the thesis abstract: "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can occur in veterans, regardless of exposure to various combat environments. This study shows how prevalent Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is among veterans, using examples from World War I, World War II, Korean conflict, Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. For better understanding, one must explore the evolution, symptoms, characteristic, and the classifications of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."
US Army Sergeants Major Academy
Ritter, Scott; Robertson, Ken; Treon, Bill
1998-11-02
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Special Operations Forces in a Peacetime Engagement Strategy with the People's Republic of China
From the thesis abstract: "The US government currently espouses a strategy of peacetime engagement with the PRC [People's Republic of China]. Both nations declare that peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region are in their national interest. Developing areas where the PRC can play a constructive, responsible role in Asia-Pacific development is a major objective of USPACOM's [United States Pacific Command] China engagement program. Special Operations Forces (SOF) have often been in the vanguard of US peacetime military engagement programs. The characteristics, capabilities, and missions of SOF have proven effective in peacetime engagement. Military-to-military contact between SOF and the militaries of Thailand and the Philippines has assisted in preparing those nations for leading roles in the UN mission in East Timor. This study examines the feasibility, acceptability, and suitability of a SOF engagement program with the PRC. Application of the 'FAS [Feasibility, Acceptability, and Suitability] test' is often used to determine the soundness of proposed courses of action and may also provide insight into how a SOF engagement program with China can be implemented. Global economics is pushing the US and PRC closer together. Common problems and interests are emerging within the region. There may be opportunities for the PLA [People's Liberation Army] and US forces to work together, for the common interest of both nations."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Seagrist, Thomas A.
2011-06-01
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By Understanding the Maoist Approach to Revolution and its Inherent Contradictions, Insights Will Be Gained on Taliban Vulnerabilities
From the thesis abstract: "The Maoist Revolutionary model provides a template of a successful revolution. Both the Taliban and the Chinese underwent similar circumstances. Both movements formed as a result of failed states seeking ways to restore unity and order within their environments. The purpose of this thesis is to use the Maoist revolutionary model to gain insights in vulnerabilities within the current Taliban strategy. First, the thesis examines the history behind both movements to determine if there are any contextual similarities. Second, it studies Mao's philosophies on revolution using his major works. These philosophies are applied to the Taliban to gain insights on their weaknesses. Last, the thesis looks at Mao's ideas in protracted war and problems conducting guerrilla warfare. The relevance of these ideas are applied to the Taliban to understand what threatens their strategic overall success from a Maoist perspective."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Han, Shepherd N.
2011-06-10
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Interagency Cooperation in the War on Drugs: Can Campaign Planning Be the Unifying Factor?
From the thesis abstract: "This monograph analyzes the potential of the military campaign planning process to unify the national interagency counternarcotics effort. Currently, DoD's antinarcotics mission includes the detection and monitoring of the aerial and maritime transit of illegal drugs into the United States, and the integration of command, control, communications, and intelligence, (C3I) into an effective communications network. DoD also provides manpower and equipment resources to support the interdiction efforts of law enforcement agencies both in the United States and overseas. The military campaign planning has been posited as a method to foster interagency unity and to bridge the gap between the national counternarcotics strategy and the tactical level of the drug war. The potential of the campaign planning process to unify interagency counternarcotics efforts is the focus for the monograph. The paper also weighs the merits of DoD assuming a more active role in coordinating interagency campaign planning. The study establishes the context of United States military participation in the drug war by describing examples of previous and evolving military involvement. Current initiatives to improve interagency cooperation and to broaden the scope of military participation are also examined. Two campaign planning models are analyzed to show the adaptability of the campaign planning process to the drug war."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Mason, Bradley J.
1992-05-22
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Torture and Terrorism: A Pyrrhic Victory
From the thesis abstract: "This paper explores the problematic decision by the US Government to condone the use of various methods of physical and psychological torture when interrogating prisoners captured since the beginning of the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Additionally, it briefly examines the background of torture and the efficacy of physical torture for obtaining information. It also analyzes the moral, ethical, legal, and strategic ramifications of pursuing this particular torture policy."
US Army Sergeants Major Academy
Davidson, Glen F.
2007?
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Line in the Sand: A Historical Study of Border Security During Insurgencies and Lessons for the Contemporary Afghan-Pakistan Frontier
From the thesis abstract: "There is increasing consensus amongst those nations engaged in the stabilisation and reconstruction of Afghanistan that Taliban sanctuaries in the ungoverned border regions of Pakistan are central to the insurgency in both countries. Two individual or complementary means of countering this problem include the denial of sanctuary in Pakistan and improving border security between the two countries. This paper examines the border security measures used in three historical insurgencies: Algeria (1954-62), Dhofar (1968-75) and Rhodesia (1965-80). The study applies the methods and lessons from these historical examples to the contemporary Afghan-Pakistan border. Using this framework, the author attempts to support the thesis that traditional methods of border security, even with the use of modern technology, are not applicable to the Afghan-Pakistan border. Furthermore, attempts at obtaining such control would prove counterproductive to this counterinsurgency. The analysis focuses on physical barriers, population resettlement, external action, tribal or auxiliary forces and in-depth interdiction. The study finds that barriers and population resettlement are impractical for use in Afghanistan and likely to result in adverse consequences at the strategic level. The other measures have varying degrees of utility and applicability. The author concludes that a high degree of border control is unachievable along the Afghan-Pakistan border and suggests that border security should remain an economy of effort within the overall campaign. If these findings are accepted, it implies that the U.S. led Coalition should resist calls to concentrate on the border and, instead, strengthen security in the interior of Afghanistan and Pakistan."
Joint Forces Staff College (U.S.). Joint Advanced Warfighting School
Storr, Dan, 1969-
2009-04-03
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Potential for Normal Political Relations Between the United States and Iran Following Presidential Elections in Each Country
From the thesis abstract: "With Presidential elections in both the United States and Iran occurring within eight months of each other, one can suspect major changes in the political environment. This environment is not just the relationship between the U.S. and Iran, but the entire world, and more specifically the Middle East. With one new President and another possible new President in Iran, the impacts could be dramatic. The author believes that the political landscape will change, however, the uni-lateral relationship between the United States and Iran will not change substantially. The basic factors examined are limited, but the assumptions would be the same if the base were expanded. The major efforts are put into the history of the relationship between the United States and Iran. This history points out that despite the various stages there was once a congenial relationship. The historical review depicts that both countries have had both positive and negative events that influenced the relationships. This fact in itself would lead to believe that if it was so once, it could be possible again. The use of terrorism throughout the world has created a new paradigm for political processes and expectations by state and non-state actors. Terrorism is not a political recognized bargaining tool, but many countries are now expending millions if not billions of dollars attempting to defeat it. These efforts are wide-ranging and influence relationships across the globe. More specifically, terrorism has negative impacts in almost all countries. The use of terrorism by a state actors, or countries that expect respect is a limiting factor in this world of instant information. Terrorism is a limiting factor when trying to establish relationships, however, non-state actors can negatively influence these attempted relationship-building efforts. Nuclear weapons play a critical role in the political process. The ability to produce and delivery reliable nuclear weapons is a major bargaining chip. The full history and implications must be understood by all. Not just understood by the countries attempting to form relationships, but all countries that could be impacted by the use or threat us use of nuclear weapons. The likelihood of the United States and Iran forming a normal relationship are limited. The assumptions made and built upon throughout the paper are base on historical factors. There are many different assumptions that could be made, but maintaining a historical, fact-based argument can only lead to one logical assumption."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Jerabek, Scott B.
2009-05-08
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Unraveling the Persian Knot: Indirect Approaches Towards Iran
From the monograph's abstract: "In 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini's indirect approach ignited existing socio-economic conditions during the Iranian Revolution to topple the Shah. A similar indirect approach using psychological operations to target audiences through key vulnerabilities and networks may have applicability for strategies today. Joint Pub 5-0 defines the indirect approach as the employment of attacks on an adversary's derived vulnerabilities when conditions do not permit direct attacks against a defined center of gravity (COG). […] Ayatollah Khomeini effectively unified various Iranian opposition groups through a common hatred and desire to overthrow the Shah. Most significant, the Ayatollah accomplished this while residing entirely outside Iran's borders using psychological operations as the primary arm of his approach. Joint doctrine defines psychological operations as, 'planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence the emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.' Often misunderstood, psychological operations require sufficient time in order to work but given appropriate time the effects can often be dramatic. Khomeini's synchronization of psychological operations with coordinated internal political violence successfully detonated underlying frustrations. This continued until it reached what Malcolm Gladwell calls the Tipping Point when the opposition suddenly unified and full mobilization occurred resulting in the Shah's removal. Today, fear of a similar psychological invasion haunts the Iranian leadership generating more angst than all other potential military threats."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Brown, George C. L.
2009-05-21
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Digitized Chaos: Is Our Military Decision Making Process Ready for the Information Age?
From the monograph's abstract: "The integration of new technologies has always been important to the military. The longbow, rifled muskets, and armored fighting vehicles are all examples of technological innovations that found their way into the military. However, history has proven that new technology alone seldom has dramatic effects on battlefield effectiveness. Changes in doctrine, organization, and training must accompany the new technology in order to exploit its full capabilities. Today the Army is looking at ways to integrate information age, or digital technologies into our fighting force. In particular, the area of battle command is seen as holding great promise for digitization. Unfortunately, the Army is implementing its new battle command technology without considering changes to its planning and decision making doctrine. This monograph addresses the compatibility of the Army's Military Decision Making Process (MDMP) with information age technology. The analysis focuses on decision making theory, current digitization concepts and projects, and performance feedback from the field. The overall conclusions of this analysis are that the Army should upgrade certain portions of its decision making process to make it more compatible with digital information systems and contemporary decision making theory."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. School of Advanced Military Studies
Charlton, John W.
1997-12-18
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Reintegrating Short Range Air Defense into the Maneuver Fight
From the Thesis Abstract: "As the United States faces growing global uncertainty, the need to renew key military capabilities is vital to fight and win across any conflict that threatens U.S. interests. To retain overmatch, the combination of our capabilities must be relevant to successfully deter our potential adversaries. The Army's investment to incorporate Maneuver Short Range Air Defense into each division is a move towards this end. This thesis examines the future readiness of these forces using a historical and an Australian case study as examples of successful integration of similar capabilities at similar echelons. This study leverages historical doctrine while comparing it to modern guidance. It synthesizes our current readiness with historical success, yielding areas for development prior to reintegration. The research aims to answer the question: How can the US Army best set the Leadership and Training conditions for reintegration of divisional Short Range Air Defense?"
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Norwood, David C.
2019-06-14
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Russian Fires Capability Gap: A United States North Atlantic Treaty Organization Coalition Answer
From the Thesis Abstract: "After 17 years of conducting counter-terrorism operations, the U.S. and its NATO partners have divested and reduced their ability to support maneuver operations with effective and lethal field artillery in Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO). While we have focused on the Global War on Terrorism, our adversaries have continued to invest in and develop sophisticated fires and Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities. This thesis examines U.S., NATO, and Russian ground-based indirect fires by analyzing current doctrine, organizations, and material in the fires warfighting function. To further define the problem, this thesis analyzes current U.S. Army, U.S. joint, multinational, and Russian doctrine, as well as, periodical journals, academic works, and open-source published articles. To address the problem, this thesis identifies current capabilities and interoperability gaps, impediments to effective joint-multnational fires employment, the importance of combining capabilities, and provides recommendations to improve U.S.-NATO fires capability."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
O'Connor, Roderic J.
2019-06-14
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College Students Perceptions of Quarantine and Social Distancing Methods in the Event of an Influenza Pandemic
"In the event of another pandemic influenza, it will be important to understand the public's perception of quarantine and social distancing methods, as these methods will be the first line of defense in attempting to contain or lessen the severity of the outbreak until a vaccine and medications can be developed and produced in mass quantities. College students perceptions are particularly important to look at as their living situations can vary drastically from the general public, i.e. living far away from home and with roommates. This study looks at college students perceptions of quarantine and social distancing measures that could be implemented in the event of an outbreak of pandemic influenza. The data revealed that undergraduate college students in this study favored the use of government implemented quarantine and social distancing methods, except for requiring that religious services be temporarily canceled. They are also worried about the potential problems that may occur as a result of the implementation of quarantine and social distancing methods, and the only information source that the majority of them trust to give them useful and accurate information regarding an influenza pandemic in their community was their physician or other health care professional. Of most significance to the college student population, as opposed to the general public, is the place of quarantine for the other people that live in the same residence. Fifty-three percent of the respondents in this study favored quarantining the other people living in their residence in a separate quarantine facility compared to 29% in the Blendon (2006) study that surveyed the general adult population in the United States."
Indiana University. Department of Communication Studies
Baker, Kylene Joy
2007-07
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Life and Liberty: Economic, Political and Ethical Issues Arising from 21st Century Quarantines for Influenza
"Quarantine is a word that elicits fear among many. However, it is also a long-utilized and important policy tool for controlling the spread of infectious diseases. This thesis considers the role of quarantine for influenza outbreaks during the twenty-first century. I thematically review scientific literature on the ethical, social and political, and economic issues that have arisen from or have the potential to arise from quarantines for influenza. After identifying these issues, I make policy recommendations targeted at mitigating them. I then compare these with the World Health Organization's (WHO) Influenza Preparedness and Response Guidance to determine where our recommendations overlap and diverge. I propose a set of five additional recommendations to the WHO Guidance for governments considering implementing quarantines for influenza: develop of a body of experts and stakeholders for policymaking, use least-restrictive policy measures first, establish a duty to treat and its limits, determine who will be prioritized during cases of scarcity, and establish support and compensation mechanisms for quarantined individuals. My research contributes to the discourse around quarantine for influenza by identifying a broad scope of consequences of quarantine for influenza. It also contributes to the existing literature on quarantine design for influenza by proposing policies targeted at addressing the issues I identify. While this research is a start, there is still a great need for further research to prepare for and learn from influenza outbreaks. My recommendations fit well alongside existing influenza pandemic preparedness plans such as the WHO's Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Guidance during an influenza outbreak to develop robust disease control policy for influenza outbreaks."
Duke University
Serat, Simone
2017
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Bayesian Closed Point of Dispensing Planning Model
"The goal of this thesis is to assist a local public health department to plan for a mass medication closed Point of Dispensing (POD) in a large casino. The objective is to identify the best resource allocation for the stations in the POD in order to maximize the throughput considering uncertainty. The major unknown and uncertain factor affecting this critical decision is the traffic intensity. A Bayesian decision model is constructed to plan this closed POD site. […] The results show that the best resource allocation scenario is to allocate 6 nurses to the triage station, 9 casino staff to the registration station, 9 casino staff to the screening station and 12 nurses to the dispensing station. The ultimate goal of taking 3 minutes to process each person in the POD could not be achieved. In the recommended resource allocation scenario the minimum expected time per person is 4 minutes. In conclusion, the Bayesian decision analysis approaches used in this research can assist public health departments with determining the best resource allocation in POD stations. The models will also provide decision makers with insight about the traffic intensity of the system given the limited data available."
North Carolina State University
Aly, Heba Mohamad
2015-05-08
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Service Member Resistance to the Department of Defense Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program
"The current Department of Defense anthrax vaccination policy has suffered from phenomenally negative publicity, resulting in significant distrust and reluctance among military members. Criticism has come not only from Internet conspiracy theorists, but from prominent figures in government, in academia, and in the popular media. Service members fear dangerous health effects from the vaccine. Unprecedented numbers of individuals have refused to comply with the policy, either through open disobedience or by leaving military service. Serious questions about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine remain unanswered. This paper reviews the policy, the controversy surrounding it, and the historical context in order to consider options for future actions relative to the policy."
Army War College (U.S.)
Allison, Stephen C.
2002-02-19
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Shelter-In-Place: Indoor Exposure Assessment During an Airborne Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Event
From the thesis abstract: "The goal of Shelter-In-Place (SIP) is to reduce human exposure to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) agents in the event of an accidental or intentional airborne release into the outdoor environment. The Air Force Bioenvironmental Engineering (BE) career field is responsible for providing hazard identification, evaluation, and control capabilities as well as executing health risk assessments to recommend appropriate courses of action to commanders pre-, trans-, and post-incident. Specifically, BE is responsible for providing sampling, identification, and quantification input to hazard prediction models and supporting evacuation plan development to provide risk-based control recommendations. This also includes providing exposure and contamination control recommendations for sheltered populations. A Gaussian plume model combined with indoor box model was used to test the consequences associated with the delay of implementing SIP procedures. It is imperative that emergency planners pre-plan the installation SIP protocol for likely scenarios identified during the various vulnerability surveys conducted for both on- and off-installation. The decision to shelter-in-place must be made immediately in order to reduce the exposure and depending on scenario, a delay greater than one minute can significantly increase the exposure resulting in additional casualties presenting at the local medical treatment facility."
Air Force Institute of Technology (U.S.)
Schmidtgoessling, Robert D.
2009-03
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2011 Risk/Benefit Analysis of the Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program
"Safety, efficacy, and legal concerns surrounded the Department of Defense (DoD) Anthrax Vaccine Immunization Program (AVIP) in the early and mid-2000s. Production capacity, patient refusals, and legal injunctions limited vaccine delivery during this time period. Since 2007, the Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA) has been administered to all service members deploying to high-risk areas except those medically or administratively exempt. This thesis evaluates the current AVIP in terms of associated risks and benefits. Aggregate data from long-term studies and review by multiple scientific organizations, both within and external to the DoD, suggest that the AVA is both safe and efficacious. The DoD has tailored the current AVIP policy to protect forces with anticipated high exposure risk. This tailored vaccination policy minimizes vaccine-associated risk for individuals and for the force. Current AVIP benefits for individuals and for force protection outweigh the risks. As risks and benefits change over time, ongoing assessment is essential to ensure that individual and force health promotion are optimized. Continuing long-term scientific safety and efficacy research, ongoing educational efforts, and recognition of patient concerns are essential for the continued success of the AVIP and other force protection programs. "
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Davis, Karla L.
2011-06-10
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Crisis Communications and Social Media: Advantages, Disadvantages and Best Practices
"With new environmental developments and terrorism breeding opportunities for crises, and media proliferation and advancement increasing exposure to crises, organizations have placed a higher premium on crisis management (Coombs, 1999). Through a thorough literature review, the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how crisis communications is important today now more than ever with media (traditional and new) increasing the exposure of the crises, and new media -- particularly social media -- adding to and creating this exposure. The paper takes a broad view of crisis communications by examining the varying definitions of crisis and crisis communications, as well as highlighting a few related crisis communication functions, strategies, models and theories. Within this overview will be a concentration on the positive and negative impact of social media on the practice of crisis communications. This paper will explore how social media can help the practice by supplying stakeholders with a ready resource to make sense of a crisis, and by creating a way to share integral, time-sensitive information quickly to citizens and crisis managers and communicators. By the same token, social media can hinder organizations' crisis communications by spreading misinformation at rapid speed. Also, not everyone using social media has the best intentions -- they may use it to harm an organization thereby potentially creating a crisis for both the organization and those stakeholders who bear the risk."
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Holmes, Whitney
2010?
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Assessing the Threat of Infectious Disease to the Biosecurity of the United States
From the thesis abstract: "There are four significant variables that must be considered when assessing the biosecurity threat of infectious disease to the US. Climate change, globalization, bioterrorism and policy all have a variance of impact that must be considered to prevent an outbreak of disease. Diseases such as Ebola, Zika, anthrax, and measles, have all had recent impact on the biosecurity of the US. Climate change is having an effect upon the habitat of many arthropod vectors of disease. Global travel and human migration are increasing the ranges of many infectious diseases of global significance. After the attacks of September 11th, 2001, the US has increased efforts to identify and combat bioterrorism. Health policies that address vaccinations have come under scrutiny. When diseases are assessed against the four variables, the vulnerability of public health prevention and response efforts can be assessed and identified as 'gaps.' Once identified, gaps in biosecurity can be mitigated to prevent or lessen the impact of future outbreaks of infectious disease."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Lopez, John M
2016-06-10
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Operational Art of Ancient Israel: A Campaign Analysis of Israel's Conquest of Canaan in the 13th Century BCE
From the Abstract: "Israel's conquest of Canaan provides an example of how smaller military forces can overcome numerical and technological disadvantages in conventional warfare through the application of operational art. This military conquest resembles contemporary warfare in broad concepts such as offensive and defensive operations, multinational alliance and coalition warfare, and civilian-military relations. Israel's success depended on multiple factors, the most significant being the generalship of its national leader and military commander, Joshua. Campaign analysis through the lens of operational design elements revealed that Joshua's initial operations were linked in time, space, and purpose to set the Israelites in a position of advantage. Joshua created periods of local superiority by massing his forces and isolating elements of the Canaanite armies along single lines of operation. Using lines of effort, Joshua linked subsequent operations to his campaign by purpose only, which enabled him to exercise operational patience as he waited for the optimal conditions for battle. Periodic strategic and operational pauses ensured sufficient operational reach, and popular support enabled him to conduct a patient war effort. This reveals an ancient Israeli way of war that has implications to current U.S. military employment of operational art, which in some ways, challenges conventional wisdom."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Gordy, George R., IV
2017-09-06
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What Capability Gaps Would a Multi-Component Civil Affairs Organization Address Between Reserve Component and Active Duty?
From the Abstract: "This thesis is a review and comparison of the approaches taken during World War II and Operation Iraqi Freedom regarding Civil Affairs and Military Governance to determine if multicomponent units could resolve some of the current capability gaps. This thesis conducts a literature review of relevant military doctrine, military scholar research, and civilian research and case studies to identify capability gaps between Reserve and Active Component Civil Affairs. The capability gaps identified are leadership, integration, and Functional Specialty. The study utilizes a qualitative research method of textual analysis to examine how the military addressed Active and Reserve Component Civil Affairs and Functional Specialist capability gaps during World War II and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The research recommends affordable, feasible, and effective solutions to address the capability gaps based on lessons learned from World War II and Operation Iraqi Freedom."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Childress, Raymond E.
2018-06-15
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Hospital Viability During a Pandemic Influenza Outbreak
"In the past 8 years since September 11, many improvements have been made to the National response capabilities; however, the ―all hazards�- approach is still inadequate to respond to a moderate pandemic outbreak. Shortcomings of our fragile healthcare framework combined with the prolonged duration of a pandemic make it difficult to prepare for such a catastrophic disaster. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the factors ensuring hospital viability during a pandemic influenza outbreak. To accomplish this, the study employed a comparative case study methodology utilizing four prominent emergency management events: 1918, Spanish flu (H1N1); 2003, SARS outbreak; 2005, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2009, Swine flu (H1N1) outbreak, for the purpose of finding common measures enabling a hospital to mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover from a pandemic. After reviewing the case study literature, 117 viability measures were identified. Furthermore, the concepts from the literature review coupled with the case study results led to discovery of seven hospital viability measures that will assist in mitigating a moderate pandemic, which are: maintaining a hospital's critical axis, staffing, security, logistics, surge capacity, public affairs, and emergency operations planning. Focusing preparedness efforts in these areas will provide protection from the next pandemic."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Blackwell, Jeffrey K.
2009-06-12
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Disease Surveillance Systems
From the thesis abstract: "Recent advances in information and communication technologies have made the development and operation of complex disease surveillance systems technically feasible, and many systems have been proposed to interpret diverse data sources for health-related signals. Implementing these systems for daily use and efficiently interpreting their output, however, remains a technical challenge. This thesis presents a method for understanding disease surveillance systems structurally, examines four existing systems, and discusses the implications of developing such systems. The discussion is followed by two papers. The first paper describes the design of a national outbreak detection system for daily disease surveillance. It is currently in use at the Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control. [...] The second paper discusses methodological issues in computational epidemiology, and presents the lessons learned from a software development project in which a spatially explicit micro-meso-macro model for the entire Swedish population was built based on registry data."
Kungl. Tekniska högskolan
Cakici, Baki
2011
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Sixth Military-Revolution: Warfare in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
From the Thesis Abstract: "Historians MacGregor Knox and Williamson Murray originally suggested only five military-revolutions had occurred in the history of the western way of war. However, in 2017 Murray published 'America and the Future of War' and said a sixth military-revolution was unfolding in the modern era and it was mostly influenced by rampant technological change. He went on to suggest that society was only in the nascent stages of understanding the 6th MR [military-revolution] and understanding what it might mean for present-day militaries. Thus, the researcher's aim in this thesis was to expand on Murray's basic description of the 6th MR by exploring the root causes of change in the first five military-revolutions in order to formulate an argument for what was driving change in the 6th MR. After the historical precedents for revolutionary changes to war were considered, the researcher used the lessons gleaned from that analysis to examine how technology and other factors were influencing the character of war in the modern era. Ultimately, the author's conclusions presented in this thesis offer an expanded explanation of the 6th MR and considers the implications for the present-day U.S. Military."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Champion, Jerry W., II
2019-06-14
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Public-Private Partnerships: Critical to Combatting the Next Pandemic Influenza in the State of Kansas
From the thesis abstract: "The Pandemic Influenza outbreak that occurred in 1918 killed over 50 million people world-wide and was responsible for more deaths than our first two world wars combined. Unlike most threats to our national security, Pandemic Influenza does not have a political or ideological motive, does not distinguish between social or economic class, nor does it require special environmental conditions to attack. According to experts across the country and throughout the world, it is only a matter of time before the next Pandemic strikes. Over 85 percent of our nation's entire critical infrastructure belongs to the private sector. As equal stakeholders in the fight against the next Pandemic, it seems obvious that our Federal, State and local governments should solicit more support from the private sector to plan, mitigate, and respond to Pandemic Influenza. This study addresses how the Federal, State (Kansas) and local governments can better solicit the support of private sector industries in support of Pandemic Influenza. This thesis will delve into the Federal, State and local plans and policies to expose capability gaps that could be filled by private sector industries. This study will address what types of industries could be enlisted to provide desperately needed resources in the event of an outbreak. Finally, this research will look at the types of incentives or instruments of power the Federal, State and local governments could utilize to better facilitate public-private partnerships."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Gilbert, George O., Jr.
2011-06-10
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Torture: A Feasible Means for National Security Strategy
From the thesis abstract: "As a part of the response to the Al Qaida attacks on 11 September 2001, the United States found itself having to answer many difficult questions regarding its action in the Global War on Terrorism. One of the most contentious was the use of torture against captured enemy fighters. The United States, a strong proponent for humanitarian law, soon found itself criticized for its treatment of detainees. As a result, commentators and politicians have had endless debates about interrogation techniques and the legal applicability of international law and treaties to a nonstate enemy. The central research question derived from these issues is: Is torture a viable tool for use in achieving goals as outlined in the 2006 National Security Strategy? Interrogational torture was examined from the following standpoints: legal, effectiveness, and ethical. Results showed that torture is wrong. The next step applied the analytical results against the ethical decision-making triangle and also concluded that from the three standpoints torture was wrong and not a feasible means of achieving the United States' national security objectives."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Stanford, Nicole J.
2007-06-15
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Red Scourge Returns: The Strategic Challenge of Maoist Insurgency in India and South Asia
From the thesis abstract: "With the US and other powers focused on the struggle against Islamic terrorism and insurgency, the effects of globalization have swelled the ranks of Maoist insurgents in India and the South Asia. The response of some marginalized peoples in these countries, having been abandoned by their national socio-economic and political systems, is to look to the alternative system provided by Maoist insurgents who are creating a counter-state to address societal grievances. A 'Red Corridor' now exists in South Asia from Nepal to Sri Lanka and creation of base areas in India is running unchecked. A network of Maoist parties are mobilizing in South Asia and growing rapidly. India is hard pressed to combat this imminent threat and groping blindly for solutions. The Maoists intend to attack India's high tech and export sectors thwarting foreign investment and threatening to bring India's economic and political progress to a halt. The burgeoning US-Indian economic and strategic relationship is threatened by India's Maoist menace. The US is ill-equipped to deal with Maoist insurgency as insurgency studies and counterinsurgency strategies have focused on insurgent approaches from Iraq and Afghanistan. They have largely discounted the Maoist strategic approach as irrelevant and dated yet it is rampaging unchecked in South Asia. This paper demonstrates the looming transnational threat posed to the states of South Asia by Maoist insurgency and provides recommendations to stem its rapid spread."
Army War College (U.S.)
Florig, William R.
2008-05-09
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Viva China...A Tiger by the Tail
From the thesis abstract: "The history of the Americas community; North, Central, and South, is a contradiction of the stated desire for a mutually beneficial relationship, but a reality that has seen exploitation, insensitivity, and injustice. Today relations between the U.S. and Latin American are arguably at a low ebb. Preoccupied with the Global War on Terror, little attention has been paid to our southern neighbors. This attention vacuum is being filled by other interested parties with their own political and economic agendas. A current major player in Latin America is China whose influence is growing economically and politically as they continue to expand trade agreements and political ties throughout the region. China brings economic incentives to the table without the demands for a democratic form of government, human rights guarantees, or involvement with private corporations bent on making a quick profit. But is this good for the U.S., and as importantly, is it a good thing for the governments and people of Latin America? There is a disparity of opinions on the motivations, implications, and consequences of China's growing influence in Latin America, but the reality is they are here and their influence, both hard and soft, is growing."
Army War College (U.S.)
Van Ohlen, Andrew J.
2008-03-25
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Splicing the Reserve Component Stovepipe - Joint Reserve Command
From the thesis abstract: "Reliance upon the Reserve Components (RC) is greater now than at any time since the Second World War. RC assets serve as key force providers meeting both expeditionary and domestic mission needs as part of the operational force prosecuting the Global War on Terror (GWOT). Less recognized is the increasing role the RC forces play in meeting strategic or operational requirements where authorized Service force structure is not available, becoming Joint forces to meet joint needs. Such uses include meeting in-lieu-of mission requirements, augmenting depleted operational or strategic assets, and providing for requirements not previously anticipated. Over 8,000 individual Reservists from across the services were mobilized and deployed to meet critical joint needs during Fiscal Year 2007 (FY-07) alone. Using RC assets in this way presents leadership and organizational challenges not reflected in the traditional "stovepipe" relationships between the Services and their respective reserve components. This essay argues that meeting current Joint needs for development of policy and doctrine for the mobilization, training and deployment of RC forces to meet Joint requirements can be best met by development of a 'joint reserve command' to get the best benefits of the unique war-fighting capabilities /enablers found (established) within the service RCs."
Army War College (U.S.)
Summers, Clark H.
2008-03-18
