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U.S. Declining Global Rankings in Math and Science and the Impact on Our National Security: Policy Options to Elicit Another Sputnik Moment
From the thesis abstract: "Since the end of the space race in the 1960s, America has been experiencing a decline in its global educational rankings in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curricula. Due to the interdependencies that education has with a number of our critical sectors, the declining global educational rankings can have serious effects on our national economy, technological advantage and ultimately our national security. With countries like China undertaking intensive civilian educational campaigns, completely modernizing its military, and developing extensive electronic and information warfare capabilities, our technological advantage will be critical to ensure our preparedness for these emerging threats. The inability of society to see this decline and the inability, or lack of desire of our students, to compete and excel globally in the STEM curricula is a 'collective failure.' This thesis examines a number of educational policies and programs and evaluates their focus on developing students' social learning environment and social responsibility toward learning. From this review, this research has synthesized a number of recommendations for policymakers to consider in order to help America realize a national imperative toward learning and to support America in experiencing another 'Sputnik moment.'"
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Sund, Steven A.
2014-03
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Enhanced Resilience Through Expanded Community Preparedness in the United States: Application of Israeli Models
From the thesis abstract: "A new approach engaging citizens in preparedness and resilience in the United States is needed to increase community preparedness. Examination of Israel's proven model of community preparedness has shown that applying, adapting, and utilizing some of these components will greatly enhance U.S. resilience. The U.S. government's role is to design and resource flexible programs communities can tailor to address specific threats, needs, and strengths unique to their citizens and society. The United States and Israel have notable differences including land mass, population, frequency, and intensity of threats; national versus federal democratic governance, cultural and religious homogeneity; as well as levels of public trust in government. This thesis found the contextual differences are not insurmountable policy challenges for utilizing best practices from Israeli community preparedness models and applying them to the United States. Many Israeli practices parallel those of the United States, particularly the utilization of volunteers in disaster preparedness and response. Israel's history of threats and the resultant citizen engagement model has made Israel the leader in utilizing civilians as a force structure component for community preparedness and national resilience. Since portions of Israel's model have demonstrated success, and are applicable, these practices should be implemented to increase U.S. community preparedness and resilience."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Hoffman, Sydney S.
2014-03
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Preparing for the Mumbai-Style Attack: Interstate Law Enforcement Mutual Aid in the Absence of a Declared Emergency
From the thesis abstract: "This thesis examined whether there is sufficient authority for interstate law enforcement mutual aid to respond to a Mumbai-style attack occurring in the United States. Several existing interstate mutual aid systems were examined to determine if they could be enacted on short notice and provide adequate authority and protections for the responding officers in a no-notice event. This thesis found that the existing systems for natural disasters and planned events were slow to implement and would not provide the authority and protections required for response to a no-notice event. Our conclusion is that the law enforcement community should create a new national compact that will facilitate the quick response of law enforcement across state lines when required for a notice or no-notice event."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Balint, Thomas J., Jr.
2014-03
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Community Preparedness: Alternative Approaches to Citizen Engagement in Homeland Security
From the thesis abstract: "Since the events of September 11, 2001, there has been an increased emphasis on citizen preparedness in the United States. But over 12 years later, the overall level of preparedness for individuals remains basically unchanged. Americans remain largely unprepared to take care of themselves and their families following a disaster or a terrorist event. There is evidence of success in citizen engagement and community outreach in other safety campaigns, such as fire prevention and safety, as well as seat belt safety. This thesis asks what strategies, methods and practices are used in these successful models to effectively change individual behavior and prompt citizens to take action, and how can these models be applied successfully in the homeland security mission space in the area of community preparedness. In addition, this thesis examines a small set of best practices (fire prevention and safety and seat belt safety) and a comparative case study of community preparedness in the United Kingdom. These best practices are then applied to the United States homeland security discipline, specifically in the area of individual, family and community preparedness. Finally, this thesis provides recommendations for practical applications to increase citizen engagement in preparedness in the United States."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Kirk, Philip M.
2014-06
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CHDS Thesis Series: Effective Selection: A Study of First-Line Supervisor Selection Processes in The Department of Homeland Security [video]
"Leadership is crucial in any organization. While executive leadership provides guidance, direction and structure, first-line supervisors ensure that the vision, guidance and direction of executive leaders become reality in an organization. Additionally, they are responsible for the morale and motivation of nonsupervisory employees. Mark Kaminsky discusses his thesis, which seeks to resolve confusion about the selection process of first-line supervisors, examines what kind of effect a successful supervisor has on his or her employees and relates this to it affects what kind of work is produced by federal agencies."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Kaminsky, Mark T.
2011-08-10
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Perfect Storm: Changing National Policies to Reduce Flooding Impacts and Costs
From the thesis abstract: "Flooding matters. As the nation's most common natural hazard, flooding costs this nation economically, disrupts communities and commerce, and renders communities and extrapolated--the nation--less than fully postured for other homeland security threats. It will not get better. Demographics leading to more people living in flood-hazard areas and forecasted increases in precipitation are converging to create the perfect storm. This thesis examines two national policies that can influence the impact and costs of flooding: The National Flood Insurance Program [NFIP] and the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Act. Examination and research reveals that the NFIP has failed to achieve its goals of reducing flood losses and political, economic, and societal factors serve to make reforming the NFIP effectively less than likely. A policy options analysis examines how changes to the Stafford Act might influence a reduction in the impact and costs of flooding where the political, economic, and societal factors at play may lend to favorable implementation consideration. The policy options include changing enforcement and incentive provisions of the Stafford Act along with a proposal to begin a national dialogue on mitigation through the creation of a National Mitigation Collaborative Consortium."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Keefe, Sandra A.
2011-12
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Getting to One from Title 10 + Title 32: Unity of Effort in the Homeland
From the thesis abstract: "This thesis bridges the knowledge gap between Title 10 Active Duty and Title 32 National Guard in order to breakdown cultural barriers and reach unity of effort for response operations in the homeland. Regrettably, a unified response was missing among Title 10 Active Duty and Title 32 National Guard members following Hurricane Katrina. Since then, initiatives based in doctrine, statutes and formal recommendations have been established to address unity of effort, however, a serious knowledge gap remains. Future threats, manmade or natural, will require a unified response to save lives and mitigate suffering. Case studies on the Israeli Home Front Command and the Florida Division of Emergency Management help determine best practices to reach unity of effort between Title 10 Active Duty and Title 32 National Guard. Appreciating the varying perspectives, concerns and competing interests among state and federal stakeholders on command and control of military forces in the homeland is vital to moving forward. Understanding culture and context among Title 10 Active Duty and Title 32 National Guard will facilitate learning and resolve conflict. Progress is underway to reach unity of effort through the Council of Governors on dual-status command and this thesis recommends next steps to enhance efforts."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Prosch, Caroline Ross
2011-09
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Homeland Security Enterprise: Where Do We Fit?
From the thesis abstract: "Homeland security is a responsibility to be shared across the nation. Resource demands, differing cultures, and varying motivations result in frustration and confusion that conflict with the nation's need to collaborate and cooperate. As such, the homeland security enterprise appears to be imploding from turf battles, suspicion, poor communication, competitive funding, and mistrust, which cause stakeholders to wonder where they fit in this complex, interdependent environment. This study examines reports, literature, and studies, along with interviews of homeland security executives from the four levels of government. It is argued and supported by the research that enhancing the nation's ability to collaborate involves a hybrid approach, where operational functions are decentralized and intelligence functions are centralized. The operational component encourages growth from the bottom of the enterprise through a decentralized block-grant process that allows jurisdictions to address their unique demands. The intelligence component recommends comprehensive reform and uses the nation's layered system of government as a portal to provide situational awareness at all levels. Collectively, the study's recommendations create an environment ripe for collaboration, where leaders capitalize on the strengths of interconnectivity and continuously add value so that the synergy of combined efforts positively influences the homeland security enterprise."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Marlowe, Kirk S.
2009-09
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USCG Diversity: Moving Beyond 'Training, Rules, and Regulations'
"The United States Coast Guard (USCG) continues its workforce diversification initiative. Recent congressional statements communicate a lack of progress in this endeavor, and comments from senior Coast Guard leaders link workforce diversification to the ability of the USCG to fulfill its future DHS mission requirements to the best of its ability. The USCG is at a decision point. The dilemma is the feasibility of managing demography in a volunteer organization that assesses and promotes its personnel based on merit. Should the USCG maintain a merit-based admission and promotion policy, or should the goal of race/gender societal reflectiveness take precedence over the concept of merit for the USCG to 'diversify' its ranks? Thankfully, the USCG does not need to choose between the concepts of merit and diversity because the two concepts are not mutually exclusive. Instead of a strict meritocracy or a highly regulated demographic personnel model, the USCG should pursue a third diversification option that clearly communicates respect for both multiculturalism (diversity) and merit-based accessions and promotions. This thesis proposes a new recruiting and promotion philosophy called The Respect Paradigm, which incorporates the organizational strengths of merit-based promotions/accessions with the USCG core value of Respect for its already existing diverse workforce. The strategy canvas presented in this thesis provides a qualitative method of marketing and messaging the Respect Paradigm to federal legislators and USCG organizational leaders."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Ferguson, Joel S.
2010-06
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Public/Private Partnerships with Hazardous Material Motor Carriers: Creating Incentives to Increase Security through Assessed Risk (Star)
"On September 11, 2001, terrorists used commercial airliners as weapons of terror inside the United States, and America's approach to security was forever changed. While commercial airliners were the weapons of choice on that day, the 9/11 Commission recognized that Al Qaeda and other groups had, prior to the use of airlines, used suicide vehicles, namely, truck bombs, to commit terrorist acts. The threat from hazmat trucks continues today. There can be no doubt that terrorists are interested in using hazmat trucks as weapons within the borders of the United States. In 2004, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's visit to Iraq was punctuated by a fuel-truck attack that burned a section of Baghdad. More recently, terrorists in Iraq have used chlorine-based truck bombs repeatedly as a weapon in the Iraq war. The Department of Transportation (DOT) recognizes that hazmat trucks are "dangerous and ready-made weapons" and are "especially attractive" to terrorists. Stephen Gale, a University of Pennsylvania professor and terrorism expert, agrees that hazmat trucks are essentially ready-made bombs that are "tailor-made" for terrorists to conduct an attack at the lowest cost and with the greatest impact. In fact, terrorism experts consider trucks to be one of the best tools a terrorist can use to breach security measures and carry explosives since the U.S. airline industry significantly increased security procedures. The ability of the government to secure every hazardous materials motor carrier against terrorist attack is severely limited, yet the potential that hazardous materials trucks will be used in terrorist attacks is great. Therefore, it is important to consider whether the security of hazardous materials motor carriers can be improved voluntarily and quickly by realigning existing resources and instituting a plan that leverages market forces and other incentives. This thesis introduces a unique voluntary incentive-based program, Security Through Assessed Risk (STAR) that can be used to increase security for a vast number of presently under protected hazardous materials motor carriers. It explains how TSA can leverage existing resources as well as successful ideas from both private sector and governmental programs to rapidly and significantly enhance the security of hazardous materials motor carriers."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Colsky, Andrew E., Esq.
2008-12
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Highway Security: Filling the Void
From the thesis abstract: "As a society dependent upon our highways, protecting them from the destructive tactics of terrorists is critical. If successfully attacked and destroyed, these critical highway infrastructures could isolate a community, severely hamper the transportation of vital goods and services, and potentially kill motorists along the structure when the attack occurs. An explosive device detonated in heavy traffic during rush hour could cause deaths, significant injuries, and create a psychological impact reverberating around the entire country. Our open roadway system not only provides us with the freedoms our forefathers intended, but also provides terrorists the ability to travel the highways of this country without government intervention. Unfortunately, this unencumbered freedom of movement also lends itself to exploitation by terrorists. Threat assessments consistently reveal the vulnerability of our highways and their critical infrastructure to terrorist attacks. Yet, the highways remain underprotected. Law enforcement officers are the foot soldiers of the war on terror in the United States. It is a very small army with tremendous responsibility. Our public looks to the police to protect them against crime and criminals; terrorists are the new criminals and terrorism is the new crime. The strategies and tactics to make the public safe against terrorism on our highways are similar, and they are a natural extension of existing law enforcement highway safety strategies. No paradigm shift is necessary. This thesis proposes strategies designed to take law enforcement's concept of highway safety and expand this paradigm to mesh with the threat environment of modern-day terrorism."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Russillo, Tracy S.
2011-09
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Public Sector Unionization: Understanding the Rise in Membership Rates and Impact on Homeland Security
From the thesis abstract: "Public sector union membership rolls will swell by over 40,000 Transportation Security Officers (TSO) as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) embarks on transitioning to a unionized screener workforce. Proponents argue that screening operations will be in jeopardy as poor performing screeners will be difficult to remove for cause, attention will be focused on union issues rather than security measures, and the threat of work slowdown or unofficial strikes if union demands are not met could have nationwide economic repercussions. The TSA organizing as a unionized workforce has parallel similarities to another unionized aviation industry federal agency--the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO). Disgruntled with years of attempted bargaining between PATCO and the Federal Aviation Association (FAA), PATCO staged an unofficial work strike in August 1981 that temporarily halted air traffic in the United States. As airlines were forced to cancel flights, this strike brought national attention to the impacts that federalized workers can have on national security and the economy. Federal agencies with national and homeland security responsibilities must remain operationally agile. The economic devastation resulting from a TSA work strike could potentially cripple the complex transportation network of aviation, rail, pipeline, highway, cargo, maritime and mass transit."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Grannan, Donna J.
2011-12
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CHDS Thesis Series: The Transportation Security Administration's Four Major Security Programs for Mass Transit - How They Can Be Improved to Address the Needs of Tier II Mass Transit Agencies [video]
"The nation's transit agencies in urban areas have been classified as either Tier I or II. Tier I includes the nation's 8 largest urban areas, with all other urban areas classified as Tier II. Since 9/11 a bulk of the federal government's attention and funding has been directed towards Tier I regions. In his thesis, John Joyce argues that, in light of recent foiled plots against Tier II areas, the changing threat environment requires more protection for areas designated as Tier II."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Joyce, John P.
2011-08-09
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Wicked Problem of Information Sharing in Homeland Security-A Leadership Perspective
From the thesis abstract: "This thesis is an autoenthnographic study exploring ineffective practices of American information sharing and intelligence in a post-9/11 world. It answers the questions: 1) What is there to learn about the relationship between homeland security information sharing, leadership doctrine, and personal experience?, and 2) How does complexity science influence this relationship? The study combined personal experience with a methodological framework that leverages complexity science, social planning (wicked problems), and leadership doctrine to discover improved coordination between the federal intelligence community (IC) and state, local, tribal, territorial, and private (SLTTP) first responder levels. The analysis reveals virtually no interaction or understanding of the available resources occurred on either level before the 9/11 attacks. Pre-9/11, both entities were focused on their respective missions, the IC on post-Cold War Soviet issues, and state and local first responders on local criminal issues. After 9/11, both were forced to somehow coalesce, to mitigate gaps identified by the 9/11 Commission, which created a paradox of conflict and resistance within reform systems that would not have existed but for the efforts to coalesce them, within which this nation continues to flounder. The conclusion provides recommendations and potential solutions to remaining information gaps, as well as leadership doctrine that can provide a foundation for operating within the complex domain."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
McGhee, G.C. Sam
2014-06
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Real ID and the Security of State Identity Documents: The Long, Rocky, and Incomplete Journey Toward Full Implementation
From the thesis abstract: "The 9/11 Commission recommended that the federal government set standards for the issuance of identification documents. Insecure identification documents are used to engage in fraud against individuals, government institutions, and businesses, and they have been used to facilitate terrorism. The federal government has led by enacting the REAL ID Act in 2005, which set issuance standards for driver's licenses and state identification documents. Nine years later, only 21 of the 56 states and territories are in full compliance. This thesis provides a highlevel overview and evaluation of some of the major state concerns that have led some jurisdiction to resist REAL ID openly, and others to make material, but not yet full compliance. It explores the federal government's response to those concerns; how it has sought to facilitate compliance, and its more recent move toward enforcement as it begins to restrict the use of non-compliant documents for federal official purposes. The thesis provides case studies of three states to illustrate the implementation experience of those states. Finally, it provides an analysis of federal efforts to date, and provides recommendations on what the federal government might do to address states' concerns, and reach the goal of full compliance."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Hamilton, Cristina
2014-03
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Risk Unbound: Threat, Catastrophe and the End of Homeland Security
From the thesis abstract: "Threat and catastrophe highlight the impossibility of providing perfect security, and demonstrate the limitations of risk-based security practices. This thesis presents an argument in three parts. First, the dangers homeland security agencies confront are increasingly beyond the reach of measures for control. The character of security risks is complex and volatile, while worst-case possibilities--not merely probable accidents and disasters--are particularly relevant to domestic security agencies and organizations. Second, the security response to such unbounded risks has been the creation of unconscionable maps--tools and concepts that presume a greater degree of knowledge, uniformity, and control than is available. Finally, there is a body of knowledge and capability better suited to security uncertainties, and homeland security agencies must find ways to cultivate these capacities. Contrary to current security practices, national adaptability is more desirable than perfect knowledge, control of crisis, or national uniformity."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Anderson, Jacob S.
2015-09
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Serious Games in FEMA Regional Response Coordination Center Training and Exercises
From the thesis abstract: "This thesis describes how the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] could use a serious game to improve performance, feedback, and engagement in Regional Response Coordination Center training and exercises. Despite the publicly acknowledged deficiencies of FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, more than half the positions FEMA identified for Hurricane Sandy in 2012 were filled by unqualified personnel. While training and exercises are but elements of the problem, they are essential to the solution. In particular, one weakness of traditional training and exercises is they do not sufficiently stress decision makers. An ever-increasing body of research exists demonstrating how serious games provide positive skill transfer and evoke similar reactions as real-world disasters. This paper presents a game design document and prototype for a Regional Response Coordination Center serious game called 72-Hours. The game is intended to stress individual players and teams as they attempt to stabilize a disaster within the 72-hour goal set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Brawley, Randy S.
2015-09
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Systems Fragility: The Sociology of Chaos
From the thesis abstract: "This thesis seeks to examine the concept of community fragility in emergency management from a systems perspective. Two questions are studied. First, can community fragility be qualitatively measured? Second, does this concept hold value for the emergency management field? Using literature that addresses fragility in four areas of complex systems--ecosystems, social systems, socio-technical systems, and complex adaptive systems--we create a theoretical framework focused on the emergency management field. This theoretical framework is then assessed through a multi-case analysis, examining three diverse large-scale events that have occurred in the United States in the past decade. Assessing each fragility factor from the theoretical framework for each case study reveals that the framework is sound. These findings allow for the development of a causal prediction model illustrating how community fragility factors can be used in the emergency management field to not only improve overall outcomes after disaster, but to also build less fragile systems and communities in preparation for future disasters."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Hodges, Lori R.
2015-03
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Should We Stay or Should We Go Now? The Physical, Economic, Geopolitical, Social and Psychological Factors of Recovery from Catastrophic Disaster
From the thesis abstract: "'Should we continue to build there?' is a question asked after other past disasters; it is especially more poignant as local, state and federal governments deal with pre-disaster mitigation funding and post-disaster emergency management funding issues. The goal of this research is to develop a way of answering that question through a better understanding of the social, economic, and cultural problems and opportunities of rebuilding. As a result, shortcomings in the assumptions of existing response and recovery plans can be identified, and current community planning can consider future catastrophic events. Through pre-identification of physical, social, and political limitations other communities have faced, proactive land use, response, and recovery planning decisions could be implemented that increase the chance that communities can successfully emerge from disaster. This study investigates examples of past catastrophic disasters and the positive and negative experiences as those communities struggled to return to normalcy. The end result of the research is an assessment that identifies the economic, geopolitical, and social factors of recovery following a catastrophic disaster. The research used historical case studies and their challenges with recovery. Based on the case study findings, an analysis was created of the current economic, geopolitical, and social factors in the City of Seaside, Oregon, following a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami to identify future recovery challenges."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Perino, Charles S.
2014-09
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Identifying and Leveraging Trust as a Key Element in the Development, Implementation and Sustainment of the Salt Lake City Fire Department's Intelligence Program
From the thesis abstract: "Laying the foundation for the reestablishment of the Salt Lake City Fire Department's [SLCFD] intelligence program requires several steps: Establishing a need; identifying the stakeholders; developing an implementation and sustainment plan based on the key constructs of successful collaboration; and providing a continued mechanism for evaluation and adjustment. Distilling the constructs of collaboration into a key component of success will provide additional focus to the development and implementation process. The questions this thesis answers are, can trust be identified as a significant factor in successful, collaborative working relationships? And if so, how can focusing on developing trust add value and sustainment potential to the SLCFD intelligence gathering use and dissemination program? The research uses appreciative inquiry in combination with multiple case studies, examining elements of successful and unsuccessful collaborative efforts in the arena of the fire service and national security. This thesis investigates the rise and fall of the Salt Lake City Fire Department's national security effort for the time period spanning pre-2002 Olympics to 2014. Components responsible for the diminished involvement since the Olympics are examined, evaluating each based on the role of trust. The nexus between those constructs and trust is the foundation for the recommendations for rebuilding the Salt Lake City Fire Department intelligence program. Developing strong, trusting relationships and addressing the concerns of all stakeholders are identified as key components in the successful case studies. Trust has been identified as the underpinning to the recommendations for the redevelopment of an intelligence program in the Salt Lake City Fire Department."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Ellis, Martha Marie
2014-09
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Mega-Leadership in a Mega Disaster: A Case Study of Governor Haley Barbour's Leadership During Hurricane Katrina
From the thesis abstract: "The complexities of leadership in today's environment are often obscured by the focus of traditional theories on leadership as the top-down, leader-subordinate construct typical of hierarchical organizations. These theories also do not fully capture what occurs when leaders must catalyze action well above and beyond their formal lines of decision making and control. Leaders today must simultaneously lead 'down' in the traditional sense, 'up' to influence the people or organizations to which they are accountable, and 'across' to activate peer groups and others with whom there is no formal subordinate relationship, and that these activities are parts of an integrated whole. This leadership model is referred to as 'meta-leadership.' This thesis asked, to what extent is Governor Haley Barbour's response to and decision making during Hurricane Katrina an example of meta-leadership? What can be learned as far as smart practices from Barbour's leadership and can these practices be replicated? The focus of this thesis was the conduct of a single case study. Governor Haley Barbour's leadership style and decision-making process during Hurricane Katrina response operations were examined to determine whether or to what extent they accord with the theory of meta-leadership. Our conclusions are that Governor Barbour epitomized the tenets of meta-leadership and that, given the proper academic environment, meta-leadership can be replicated."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Smithson, Lee Wallace
2014-12
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Additive Manufacturing: Preparing for the Reality of Science Fiction
From the thesis abstract: "Historically, policymakers have had difficulty addressing issues raised by emerging technologies. Whether it is inadequate legislation due to a general lack of awareness, or overregulation from a perceived threat, emerging technologies seem to repeatedly confuse those responsible for ensuring their safe incorporation into society. Despite decades of experience with similar issues, this trend continues to this day. What lessons can be drawn from different approaches to policy development for other emerging technologies to help policymakers avoid these failures for additive manufacturing technologies? A structured focus comparison of three emerging technologies, unmanned aerial systems, autonomous vehicles, and additive manufacturing, revealed characteristics of emerging technologies--such as a low price point for market entry and rapid evolution--that tend to surprise policymakers. This thesis recommends organizations make a concerted effort to engage early and often in the policy development process, and that they carefully consider each stakeholder's level of involvement. It is also recommended that the Department of Homeland Security leverage existing mechanisms, such as the Centers of Excellence partnerships and the Strategic Foresight Initiative, to engage nontraditional partners in addressing issues raised by additive manufacturing technologies"
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Windle, William A.
2015-09
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Soft Target Security: Environmental Design and the Deterrence of Terrorist Attacks on Soft Targets in Aviation Transportation
From the thesis abstract: "Recent attacks on airports exposed an emerging threat to the security of the traveling public, attacks on soft targets. Incidents throughout the world indicate that terrorists, seeking to maximize life loss, and economic and symbolic destruction, have changed their focus to soft targets. The thesis examines plausible deterrence measures through environmental design for crowd protection in the aviation transportation sector. The policies of the United Kingdom, Belgium, and the United States Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), are compared to extract best practices for soft target security. Using case analysis of terror attacks on airports in Brussels (2016), Los Angeles (2013), and Glasgow (2007), operational space, deterrence, infrastructure design, and human perception are explored as a means to reduce risk. The thesis finds that new airport environmental design strategies are required to protect crowds, harden the infrastructure, and build resilient structures. The thesis recommends applying environmental design countermeasures in the typically crowded areas of airline ticketing queues, TSA passenger security checkpoints, and baggage areas by changing the adversaries' perception of opportunistic targets. New risk-assessment models, changes to physical structures, use of new technology including robotics, and the broader use of simulation models are identified as required paths to improve the effective security of soft targets in airports."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Jashari, Linda
2018-03
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CHDS Thesis Series: Tell Me What I Need to Know: What Mayors and Governors Want from Their Fusion Center [video]
"Mayors and governors who represent high threat, high-density urban areas need strategic, decision-making advantages and, as such, should be significant users of intelligence products developed by state and local fusion centers. These chief executives desire to understand the operating environment for their jurisdictions where daily risks and threats emerge from the complexities of an integrated world. In this Viewpoints interview, recent CHDS [Center for Homeland Defense and Security] graduate Yi-Ru Chen discusses her thesis which examines the numerous advantages in engaging these top-level officials in this discourse."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Chen, Yi-Ru
2009-12-07
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Improving the Current DHS Capabilities Framework
From the thesis abstract: "After the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack, the President signed Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (HSPD 8). The intent of the directive was to establish a mechanism improving our ability to protect against, prevent, respond to and recover from any occurrence. Interim guidance established complimentary initiatives toward a national system for developing capabilities: National Preparedness Goal, Universal Tasks and Target Capabilities. The effectiveness of the guidance, however, is hampered by several incongruities and conflicting efforts with other similar federal initiatives. There is not one consistent approach either in content or application for identifying or developing jurisdictional capabilities. The current capability initiative was developed over a short timeframe with a focus on the intent of Presidential Directives, Congressional concerns and mandated deadlines. The development of the current initiative was done through consultation and not collaboration with all the involved stakeholders. The research and development of this thesis to "Improve the Current DHS Capabilities Framework" relied on stakeholder input, years of emergency management experience, and a period of 18 months to study all the elements. The intent of this thesis is to enhance current efforts by proposing a framework that is reflective of the homeland security and emergency management community or jurisdictional needs."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
McGowan, Dan W.
2008-09
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Recommendations for Homeland Security Organizational Approaches at the State Government Level
"State governments have been recognized as the fusion point for a significant portion of policy, operational, and implementation activities for homeland security. Additionally, the most critical decisions for allocating resources and prioritizing efforts have been delegated to states. The federal government has required this role of states and has asked them to organize task forces to deal with these challenges but has provided little guidance about how states might establish, administer, and ensure effectiveness of these structures. States have begun to establish decision-making bodies independently, inconsistently, and with few measurements to evaluate effectiveness. This thesis provides a roadmap to success for individual state organizational approaches for Homeland Security. The recommendations are based upon an analysis of directives, expectations, national strategies, existing approaches and a case study of one state's efforts. The call for organizing for the war on terror is acknowledged, accepted, and for the most part, vigorously answered. But how the nation's states organize and to what ends their resources are applied will determine national and even international victory in this war. This project provides a model charter, recommended outcomes and outputs for a state structure, and several policy considerations for the State of Washington's Homeland Security infrastructure."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Woodbury, Glen L.
2004-06
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Intra-Operational Area Coordination: The Zone EOC Concept
From the thesis abstract: "This thesis highlights the limitations of the existing one-to-one intra-operational area (OA) emergency operations center (EOC) coordination model during catastrophic disasters. In addition, it establishes a clear need for a more effective alternate model and offers an alternative, multilateral collaborative model solution--the zone EOC concept. Designed to enable manageable span of control and address shortages in available trained EOC personnel, the zone EOC concept involves establishing consolidated EOCs to represent geographic zones that encompass multiple cities, townships, and special districts within an OA. When activated, the zone EOCs would coordinate with an OA EOC on behalf of their constituent jurisdictions within each zone. The thesis provides a detailed outline and analysis of the zone EOC concept and its various elements in the context of the San Mateo County OA and notes key aspects for successful adoption and implementation. The portability and applicability of the zone EOC concept in other OAs in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond is also considered and further exploration is recommended."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Kearnan, Jeffrey C.
2015-09
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Implementation of Policies to Bridge the Gap Between Police Officer Line of Duty Deaths and Agency Resiliency
From the thesis abstract: "Law enforcement agencies in the United States experience line of duty deaths on a regular basis, but unfortunately too many agencies do not have a line of duty death policy. This thesis focuses on locating agencies with viable and effective line of duty death policies to assist other agencies in policy implementation. The research found agencies with proactive policies to help guide leadership and subordinate personnel through the many aspects of such tragic events. For comparative analysis, five law enforcement agencies and three fire departments with varying degrees of line of duty death experience were selected. This research examined formal and informal, as well as written and unwritten, line of duty death policies in use by law enforcement agencies and fire departments across the United States and identified viable examples of policies and procedures. This thesis recommends that the St. Petersburg Police Department and other law enforcement agencies without a line of duty death policy take steps to create and implement a policy to enhance resiliency, readiness, and effectiveness."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Hubbard, Patrice Nicole
2015-12
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Team of Advisors: The Social Science of Advice in Homeland and National Security
From the thesis abstract: "Homeland security and national security events of the 21st century require a fresh look at an important and often ignored facet of leadership that can be simply referred to as advice. Public leaders at all levels of government face increasing demands to make good decisions under the pressure and urgency of crisis circumstances. Advisors can provide the necessary guidance and support for executive decision makers. This thesis examines the relationship between advisors who support executive decision makers in the homeland security enterprise and national security domain, and the factors that influence effectiveness in the advice process. First, this thesis examines the viewpoints of current academic social science research. Second, a case study methodology is used to explore the experiences of practitioners who serve as both executive decision makers and advisors. Finally, the case-study analysis incorporates contemporary social science research to produce recommendations that can assist both public leaders and advisors in understanding the factors that lead to effectiveness."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Berger, Theodore D.
2017-03
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Strategic Improvements to the TSA SPOT Program
From the thesis abstract: "This study of Transportation Security Administration's Screening Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT) program analyzes the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Office of Inspector General (OIG) recommendations for improvement, as well as strengths and weaknesses of the program not specifically addressed in previous assessments. Any analysis of SPOT must be robust, as it represents one of the few threat agnostic countermeasures not limited by technology and finite detection capabilities. The GAO has recommended Congress withhold funding from SPOT until further evidence of effectiveness can be produced. The first portion of this study revisits the analysis of GAO and OIG in their respective reports. The GAO audits rely on meta-analyses that suggest human lie detection is no more successful than flipping a coin. This study assesses those claims, and reveals some contextual and analytical limitations of the claims. The OIG report offers similar claims, but adds additional insight into critical strategic areas. The second portion of this study focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of the SPOT program, including an analysis of several GAO and OIG conclusions. Many of the recommendations were operational in nature, and provided little strategic direction to improve the relevance, effectiveness, and credibility of the program. Analyzing strengths and weaknesses provides insight into more strategic recommendations that may improve the security value of SPOT."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Cotton, Brent A.
2015-03
