Advanced search Help
Publisher is Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Clear all search criteria
Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).
-
Information-Generated Effects
"This thesis researches three types of information-generated effects that are often observed in police operations: 1) anticipatory effects, 2) diffusion effects, and 3) residual effects. These information-generated effects depict the fact that criminal activity often decreases before a new police operation starts, decreases outside the geographical areas where the police operations are occurring, and regularly remains lower for an extended period of time after an operation has concluded. These disruptions in criminal activity are thought to occur because of an increase in the perceptions of risk and uncertainty in response to information about changes in enforcement presence and activities. The purpose of this research is to propose that anticipatory effects, diffusion effects, and residual effects can be planned into counterinsurgency operations to increase their effectiveness. These effects might be achieved through the oscillatory use of information operations that target an insurgent's perceptions of risk and uncertainty about security force operations occurring in circumscribed areas."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Gibbs, Stephen R.
2010-12
-
Pakistan: A Nation at War with Itself
"This thesis traces Pakistan's strategy of Low Intensity Conflict (LIC) against India in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and analyzes the gains and losses to Pakistan arising from its implementation. LIC was primarily intended to wrest control of the state of J&K from India, to weaken India and its army, and to mobilize international support for Pakistan's position on Kashmir. While this strategy had some initial success, it slowly began to damage key political, economic and social structures within Pakistan. The thesis looks at both the gains and the pitfalls of LIC, and its impact on Pakistan's 'well being,' as measured by its prosperity, stability and international stature from the periods 1971 to 1989 and 1990 to 2009. The analysis shows that on balance, LIC is doing Pakistan more harm than any good. The thesis concludes by suggesting policy options open to Pakistan, the United States and India."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Baggavalli, Raju S.
2010-12
-
De-Radicalization: You Can Check Out Anytime You Like, but What Will Make You Leave?
"De-radicalization programs for captured jihadi fighters have had mixed success in the Arab world. The Saudi Arabian and U.S. effort in Iraq serve as examples of effective de-radicalization programs, while the Yemeni program serves as an example of what not to do. In this thesis, we find that the successful programs utilize a combination of proper assessment, informed segregation of the participants, and rehabilitation. The assessment process enables programs to better focus their resources on individuals who can be de-radicalized while screening out those who cannot be de-radicalized under current conditions. Once assessed, segregation minimizes detainee networking, and further recruitment and radicalization. Finally, rehabilitation provides a detainee the proper resources and support necessary to allow reintegration into society. By utilizing the knowledge of what characterizes an effective de-radicalization effort, the United States and its allies will have additional means to combat radical Islam and prevent further acts of terror."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Arndt, Michael C.; Green, Donald R.; Maksimowicz, Michael S.
2010-12
-
Mexico and the Cocaine Epidemic: The New Colombia or a New Problem?
From the thesis abstract: "Recently, there has been an increasing amount of attention paid to Mexico and its struggle with drug cartels. The drug war in Mexico has cost the lives of 28,000 people since 2006, leading to a growing concern that Mexico may become a narco-state. Although the situation in Mexico seems uncontrollable, this is not the first time drug trafficking organizations (DTO) have threatened the livelihood of a state. Colombia from the 1980s through the mid- 1990s was dominated by cartels that ruled with violence and almost brought Colombia to its knees. Colombia today continues with its fight against DTOs; however, the security of the state is no longer directly threatened by cartels. This thesis will discuss the history of the cocaine trade and explain why Mexico was able to supplant Colombia as the cocaine epicenter. Likewise, we will discuss the U.S. strategy to combat DTOs and identify shortcomings in order to implement a better strategy to defeat the cartels. We have seen an increase in violence in Mexico and it is critical for the U.S. to act in order to prevent the U.S. homeland from coming under siege by the bloody Mexican drug war fueled by the cartels."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Michel, Kenneth
2010-12
-
Information-Sharing Application Standards for Integrated Government Systems
"This thesis examines the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) early acquisition shortcomings identified by the Government Accountability Office, DHS Inspector General and Congressional Research Service reports. Challenges identified in the initial development of HSIN reveal a lack of adequate program management, requirements planning, risk analysis and architectural design led to low user acceptance and continued DHS information-sharing challenges. Lessons learned from HSIN are examined to determine which best practices can help ensure major government software-acquisition projects meet user's needs. Often overlooked, but critical, software program-management practices include user requirements planning that focuses development on the highest priority tasks and encourages the timely accomplishment of project milestones, risk planning that ensures potential roadblocks are understood and addressed, and architectural design practices that foster the integration of both newly developed and legacy information systems. Without initial and continuous life-cycle requirements, risk and architectural planning, software projects run an increased risk of going over budget, missing operational milestones and ultimately not meeting its user's needs."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Lavers, Gary C.
2010-12
-
Explaining Success and Failure: Counterinsurgency in Malaya and India
"The Maoist insurgency in India, also called Naxalism, has become a threat to internal security with ever-growing violence and attacks on security forces and civilians. With the increased numbers of cadres, improved weaponry, and guerilla tactics, the Maoists' challenge to the state stretches across 16 of India's 28 states, affecting its economic growth. Despite efforts by India's state and central governments, counterinsurgency against Naxalism has failed in majority of affected areas. With an aim of finding a model that could lead to success in countering the Maoist insurgency, this thesis seeks to explain counterinsurgency success and failure, using cross-national and sub-national comparisons. At the national level, the successful Malayan counterinsurgency approach by the British is juxtaposed against the largely failed attempts by the Indian central authorities to control Naxalism. The thesis finds that success is explained by a combination of enemy-centric and population-centric approaches whereas failure is explained by lack of balance between the two. At the state level within India, a comparison between the successful case of Andhra Pradesh and the failed case of Chhattisgarh reveals a similar pattern. Specifically, enemy-centric measures based on reliable intelligence, a capable force, and a unified command followed by population-centric aspects of winning hearts and minds, lead to success in countering insurgencies."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Boyini, Deepak Aneel
2010-12
-
Theory of Dark Network Design
"This study presents a theory of dark network design and answers two fundamental questions about illuminating and interdicting dark networks: how are they configured and how are they vulnerable? We define dark networks as interdependent entities that use formal and informal ties to conduct licit or illicit activities and employ operational security measures and/or clandestine tradecraft techniques through varying degrees of overt, or more likely covert, activity to achieve their purpose. A dark network must design itself to buffer environmental hostility and produce output to achieve its purpose according to its design state. The level of hostility in the environment and the requirement for secure coordination of work determine the dark network's design state. These factors yield four typological dark network configurations: Opportunistic-Mechanical; Restrictive-Organic; Selective-Technical; and Surgical-Ad hoc. Each configuration must allow the secure coordination of work between the dark network's directional, operational, and supportive components and should adhere to the six principles of dark network design we identify: security, agility, resilience, direction setting, control, and capacity. If a dark network's configuration does not fit its design state or violates the principles of dark network design, the network will be vulnerable to illumination and interdiction."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Davis, Ian S.; Worth, Carrie L.; Zimmerman, Douglas W.
2010-12
-
Communication Breakdown: DHS Operations During a Cyber Attack
From the thesis abstract: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leverages information technology to increase the effectiveness of first responders during disaster recovery. At the same time, cyber attacks against these information technologies have significantly increased. Unfortunately, cyber attacks have grown faster than the technologies used to defend them. The reliance on technology coupled with the difficulty of defending it makes it unrealistic to assume that communications will always be available when needed. Therefore, it is critical that first responders are prepared to operate when one or some of their communications abilities are lost. Alarmingly, DHS has the responsibility to prepare first responders to operate during disasters; however, they lack the authority to enforce programs to ensure this happens. This lack of authority affects how first responders communicate and provides gaps in DHS efforts to prepare for disasters. Until DHS has the authority to enforce change across all levels of government, communications will not be guaranteed during disaster recovery operations. However, DHS could leverage communication outages during operational exercises to better prepare first responders. This thesis explores DHS exercises on the federal, state and local levels and how they are preparing first responders to operate through cyber attacks."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Corzine, Larry M.
2010-12
-
Mind Games: Setting Conditions for Successful Counterinsurgency Military Information Support Operations
"The purpose of this study is to determine what actions can be taken by American military forces to set conditions for conducting effective Military Information Support Operations (MISO) campaigns in counterinsurgency (COIN) conflicts. To find these actions, hypotheses built upon tenets found in American military Psychological Operations (PSYOP) doctrine were compared to empirical observations of PSYOP conducted in three COIN case studies from the 1950s and 1960s. Because COIN literature is ripe with assertions, such as Dr. Kalev I. Sepp's, that 'effective, pervasive psychological operations (PSYOP) campaigns' are inherent in successful COIN operations, it is ironic that few works discuss specific recommendations regarding the design and conduct of such campaigns. This study begins filling this literature gap by showing that MISO relationship to other operations holds greater significance in effective MISO campaign design than internal details, such as the level of centralization. This finding supports contemporary calls for a more unified group of inform and influence practitioners within the United States military, as well as calls for the United States government to draft a National Information Strategy to better leverage this important element of national power."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Davis, Henry B., IV
2010-12
-
How to Stop the Bear: Strategy of Small States
"Keeping in mind limited resources available to weak states, and overwhelming misbalances of power, this study looks for an optimal strategy of a small and weak state that increases prospects of protracting the war, decreases the utility of the aggressor's military capabilities, and threatens to deny an aggressor his political objectives. This thesis concentrates on weak states deterrence strategy. Weak and small states with defensive national security goals but inadequate military strength have always preferred deterrence to fighting. The essence of deterrence is to persuade an actual or potential adversary that they are better off taking different rather actions than fighting. Deterrence succeeds where the potential adversary is persuaded to believe that his planned actions will fail, or that any military action would be result in dire consequences, hence asserting that he is better off not attacking. According to Arreguín-Toft (2009) in order to succeed, the materially weaker side needs (1) social support, (2) sanctuary (either physical, such as tough terrain, or political, such as a weakly defended interstate border), (3) an idea capable of making self-sacrifice seem both necessary and noble (e.g., nationalism), and (4) a strategy capable of tying all three advantages into a single effort. With these four assets, weaker opponents can delay, effectively denying their nominally stronger adversaries the ability to use their advantages in technology, materiel, and numbers to obtain expected political objectives; imposing sufficient costs to force strong opponents to reconsider the expected benefits of victory."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Chikovani, Lela
2010-12
-
Optimizing Classification in Intelligence Processing
"The intelligence making process, often described as the intelligence cycle, consists of phases. Congestion may be experienced in phases that require time consuming tasks such as translation, processing and analysis. To ameliorate the performance of those time-consuming phases, a preliminary classification of intelligence items regarding their relevance and value to an intelligence request is performed. This classification is subject to false positive and false negative errors, where an item is classified as positive if it is relevant and provides valuable information to an intelligence request, and negative otherwise. The tradeoff between both types of errors, represented visually by the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve, depends on the training and capabilities of the classifiers as well as the classification test performed on each item and the decision rule that separates between positives and negatives. An important question that arises is how to best tune the classification process such that both accuracy of the classification and its timeliness are adequately addressed. An analytic answer is presented via a novel optimization model based on a tandem queue model. This thesis provides decision makers in the intelligence community with measures of effectiveness and decision support tools for enhancing the effectiveness of the classification process in a given intelligence operations scenario. In addition to the analytic study, numerical results are presented to obtain quantitative insights via sensitivity analysis of input parameters."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Costica, Yinon
2010-12
-
Cybersecurity Considerations for Information Systems
"The significant efficiencies possible through the use of information technology in public systems are alluring, however, as the value of the information stored electronically increases, computer systems become targets for abuse and attack. To ensure continued public confidence in these systems, managers need to understand the impact of security shortcomings in their automated systems. A high level taxonomy of threats to information systems is presented to provide a basis for security requirements. Fundamental concepts of computer security are reviewed. The costs and benefits of investment in cybersecurity will be introduced. The concept of organizational information policy, mechanisms for its enforcement, and the value of assurance and the notion of costs and benefits of investment in cybersecurity are presented."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Irvine, Cynthia E.
-
Bastion Network Project: A Framework for Conducting Interscholastic Cyber-Exercises
"The Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Information Systems Security Studies and Research (CISR) has developed a small, but realistic network lab--the Bastion Network--that is dedicated to educating students in the myriad elements involved in the secure operation of a computer network. This paper describes the rationale for this network lab, and offers an overview of a simple framework that could accommodate educational network interaction with other schools that have similar IA educational goals, and that have, or may soon acquire, similarly designated labs. The framework describes the essential elements of a memorandum of understanding, and twelve suggested inter-network cyber-exercise scenarios."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Fulp, John D.
2004-07
-
Security Architecture for Transient Trust
"In extraordinary situations, certain individuals may require access to information for which they are not normally authorized. For example, to facilitate rescue of people trapped inside of a burning building, firefighters may need its detailed floor plan -- information that may not typically be accessible to emergency responders. Thus, it is necessary to provide transient trust so that such sensitive information is available to selected individuals only during the emergency. The architecture presented here is designed to support transient trust. It encompasses pre-positioned, updateable domains for use exclusively during emergencies along with a set of 'normal' domains with different sensitivity levels. Allocated to partitions, these domains are entered via a high integrity trusted path service located in a separate trusted partition. Interaction among subjects in different partitions is controlled by a high assurance separation kernel, and efficient use of devices is achieved through the application of a three-part device model. The resulting architecture enforces mandatory security policies, yet ensures secure and revocable access to a class of information during declared emergencies."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Irvine, Cynthia E.; Levin, Timothy E.; Clark, Paul C.
2008-10
-
Cloud-Oriented Cross-Domain Security Architecture
"The Monterey Security Architecture addresses the need to share high-value data across multiple domains of different classification levels while enforcing information flow policies. The architecture allows users with different security authorizations to securely collaborate and exchange information using commodity computers and familiar commercial client software that generally lack the prerequisite assurance and functional security protections. MYSEA seeks to meet two compelling requirements, often assumed to be at odds: enforcing critical, mandatory security policies, and allowing access and collaboration in a familiar work environment. Recent additions to the MYSEA design expand the architecture to support a cloud of cross-domain services, hosted within a federation of multilevel secure (MLS) MYSEA servers. The MYSEA cloud supports single-sign on, service replication, and network-layer quality of security service. This new crossdomain, distributed architecture follows the consumption and delivery model for cloud services, while maintaining the federated control model necessary to support and protect crossdomain collaboration within the enterprise. The resulting architecture shows the feasibility of high-assurance, cross-domain services hosted within a community cloud suitable for interagency, or joint, collaboration. This paper summarizes the MYSEA architecture and discusses MYSEA's approach to provide an MLS-constrained cloud computing environment."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
2010-11
-
International Nexus between Drugs and Terror: Lessons in Conflict and Diplomacy
"This thesis examines the nexus that has evolved between terrorism and the illicit drug trade, threatening the sovereignty of countless nations worldwide. The 'narcoterrorist' nexus is becoming ever more apparent as the transnational link between narcotics trafficking and terrorism has coerced Mexico into an on-going struggle for survival against powerful drug cartels that are ravaging the region. Does narcoterrorism pose a clear and present danger to America's national security? Is the current U.S. strategy to prosecute it effective? Moreover, are there any lessons that can be derived from the Latin American and Eurasian examples that would afford added insight into this phenomenon and assist U.S. policymaking efforts? This thesis endeavors to answer these questions through an investigation of two areas of study. First, an examination of the concepts and historical context associated with the nature of narcoterrorism are presented, highlighting numerous issues within the lexicon. Second, to ascertain if previous efforts can offer beneficial perspectives in confronting the current narcoterrorist threat, two in-depth case studies concerning Turkey and Columbia are accomplished. These two components, when combined, offer valuable lessons learned and potential policy recommendations that can be applied to the existing volatile situation."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Talbot, Kirstie I.
2010-12
-
Countering Terrorism: Engagement, Development and Deterrence
"The war on terrorism has not reduced the threat from terrorism. Terrorism as a tactic cannot be defeated. States policies cannot rely on force alone in an attempt to defeat the use of a tactic. States need to use more effective counterterrorism policy options than coercion and force to deter groups from using terrorism. Groups choose to use terrorism as a tactic as a means to bring attention to be engaged and their grievances addressed. Engaging groups that use terrorism to address and resolve their grievances can prevent the cycle of violence of a terrorism campaign and delegitimize their use of force to resolve grievances. Economic development of developing nations can produce strong institutions necessary for minority groups to resolve grievances and build internally balanced market economies in developing nations that allow them to fully participate in economic globalization and reap the security benefits of globalization."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Stephenson, John D.
2010-12
-
Assessing the Influence of the United States' Nuclear Deterrent on the China-Japan Security Relationship
"To what extent has the United States' guaranteed nuclear deterrent to Japan influenced the security relationship between China and Japan? The conventional wisdom holds that while the overall balance of U.S. influence has been to both ameliorate and exacerbate tensions between Tokyo and Beijing, Washington's nuclear guarantees in particular have served to reduce tensions by helping to prevent a nuclear-armed Japan. Much scholarly work has been dedicated to analyzing the U.S. impact on the China-Japan relationship generally and the prediction of increased tensions resulting from changes to the U.S. nuclear umbrella (namely, development of ballistic missile defense). However, little attention has been paid to assessing how the magnitude and direction of U.S. influence have varied over time and whether the predictions of a worsening Sino-Japanese security dilemma have come to fruition. Conducting a historical analysis of the period 1945--present, this thesis finds that the influence of U.S. extended deterrence is more nuanced. While the strongest influence has been to ameliorate long-term hostilities, the influence most frequently felt was exacerbation of short-term tensions. This influence notwithstanding, this thesis finds that changes in the U.S. nuclear guarantee to Japan have infrequently been associated with changes in the China-Japan security relationship."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Stanford, David L., Jr.
2010-12
-
Piracy in the Horn of Africa: The Role of Somalia's Fishermen
"Despite a strong naval presence, piracy off the Horn of Africa (HOA) has been rising at the impressive annual rate of about 100 percent since 2006. Repression at sea does not seem to be working, and it is critical to identify the root cause(s) of piracy before additional counter-measures can be applied with any measurable success. The rise in piracy off the HOA is blamed by some on the disenfranchisement of Somali fishermen. This paper investigates trends in Somalia's artisanal fisheries over five decades, and finds that the rise in piracy off the HOA is not a direct consequence of a decline in Somali fisheries. Somalia is unique in many ways, and a number of factors there combine to enable piracy to rise in ways unparalleled anywhere else in the world, or at any other time in history. Some alternative counter-piracy options can be explored, even in the continued absence of a strong central Somali government."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Sone, Emmanuel N.
2010-12
-
Leveraging Naval Riverine Forces to Achieve Information Superiority in Stability Operations
"The conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan have provided an undeniable storyline: U.S. forces can conduct a conventional mission better than any in the world, but that mission, accomplished in short order, leaves behind a situation for which conventional forces and equipment are ill-prepared. This situation requires a new mission: Stability Operations. The blue-water is not where these 21st century conflicts will likely take place, and forces such as the U.S. Navy Riverines are among the many forces that provide a capability to integrate and communicate with local populations that cannot be matched by blue-water forces. While the riverine force's mission set is one that could become heavily utilized in stability operations, the ability to conduct those missions is currently hindered by a lack of implementation of information technology. The current disadvantages that greatly increase operational risk include a reduced capability to engage the population, reduced situational awareness, and limited communication reach-back capability. A riverine force properly equipped with and trained with biometric, unmanned, and information sharing systems would provide the NECC [Naval Expeditionary Combat Command], and U.S. Navy as a whole, a more comprehensive ability to conduct stability operations in brown-water areas, something no other conventional Navy unit can currently accomplish."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Gray, Stephen C.
2010-12
-
Narcotics Emirate of Afghanistan: Examining Armed Polities and Their Roles in Illicit Drug Production and Conflict 1980-2010
"The production of illicit narcotics in low-intensity conflict environments remains a serious concern for U.S. policymakers. Afghanistan is a solid example where the intersection of crime, narcotics production and insurgency has successfully thwarted U.S. stabilization and security efforts despite a 10-year military engagement there. This study seeks to examine the role of crime better, particularly narcotics related criminal enterprise, and its effect on the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan. This study explores political, economic and conflict related factors that facilitate the narcotics industry and forges cooperation between drug trafficking organizations and insurgent movements. A key argument of this study is that nontraditional participants in narcotics production, such as insurgent groups or state representatives and institutions, acquire more than just profit and resources. Participants stand to gain political leverage, the social and political legitimacy derived from 'protecting' the livelihoods of rural farmers, as well as 'freedom of action;' the ability to operate unimpeded within a given territory or space because of public support. This study also suggests that one additional factor, social control, is a key motivator for an actor's participation in the narcotics industry."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
DuPée, Matthew C.
2010-12
-
Illicit Networks: Targeting the Nexus between Terrorists, Proliferators, and Narcotraffickers
"Globalization and the liberal international marketplace have provided fertile ground for the rise of transnational and non-state actors. Unfortunately, while states and businesses have profited from the increased fluidity of borders and the rise of global commerce, so have the criminal organizations that threaten national and international security. These illicit networks are stateless; they conduct their business in failed or failing states, under the guise of legitimate commerce, and without regard to sovereign borders or even human life. They are the main facilitators of proliferation, terrorism, and narcotics around the world--undeterred and, perhaps, undeterrable. This thesis offers a comparative analysis of three main types of illicit networks: terrorist, proliferation and narcotics networks. Using Jemaah Islamiyah, the A.Q. Khan proliferation network, and the Medellín drug 'cartel' as case studies, it examines their typologies, motivations, structures, characteristics, and sources and patterns of funding. It examines if and how illicit networks overlap, with special attention to intra-network (e.g., terrorist networks with other terrorist networks) and inter-network (e.g., terrorist networks with narcotics networks) overlap. It then explores how this information can inform U.S. counter-network activity."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Dietz, Rebekah K.
2010-12
-
Denying Al Qaeda Safe Haven in a Weak State: An Analysis of U.S. Strategy in Yemen
"The dubious merger between the al Qaeda affiliates in Yemen and Saudi Arabia in January 2009 quickly raised a red flag among U.S. policy makers in Washington. The newly formed transnational terror group known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) spurred President Barack Obama to initiate a thorough review and reinvention of U.S. policy towards Yemen. In response to the President's initiative the National Security Council (NSC) developed a 'two pronged strategy' which sought to strengthen Yemen's security apparatus, and improve its governance. The strategy is consistent with the administration's overall perception of the vulnerabilities inherent in a 'weak state,' yet an investigation into the elements which define Yemen's sociopolitical landscape, as well as an analysis of AQAP's strategy, reveal that the U.S. strategy toward Yemen embraces inaccurate assumptions. This study finds that the rapid buildup of Yemen's security apparatus prior to the implementation of government reforms, has perpetuated the authoritarian rule within the country, further entrenching AQAP within the marginalized southern population."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Detzi, Daniel W.
2010-12
-
You Have Been Friended by the U.S. Military: Using Social Networking Services for IO Messaging
"Social Networking Services (SNS) have achieved a salience in today's society. Facebook has over 500 million active users worldwide. SNS has been used by companies to advertise and communicate with their customers. Politicians and government officials have created Facebook and Twitter accounts to keep in touch with constituents. They use these tools for campaigns, to gather feedback, and for strategic communications. The perceived effect of these tools to influence populations has prompted countries such as Iran and China to enact policies to limit access to these websites. The Department of Defense (DoD) is using some of these tools for public affairs and strategic communications, but the use of these tools for the purpose of planned influence operations has not been exploited. Currently, SNS are used extensively in the private business and political sector. Studying the private sector's use of SNS could yield some insights for the DoD and influence campaigns. The purpose of this study is to determine if U.S. Information Operations (IO) professionals should develop Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) for the use of SNS in order to conduct IO. This work will research the successful use of SNS by marketing and political campaign professionals in order to identify the best uses of SNS for the IO community within the DoD."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Downey, Gabriel R., II; Hollis, David A.; Rouse, Harold D.
2010-12
-
Elephant in the Room: Confronting Ideology and Armed Groups
"Current U.S. policy in the GWOT [Global War on Terror] is predicated on an implicit assumption--that all societies share a universal preference ordering based on materialist concerns. This thesis examines and contrasts this 'rational-materialist' approach to its main rival of 'cultural determinism' and finds both to be lacking. By exploring two empirical cases--the U.S. Patriot movement, and Al Qaeda--I develop an alternative approach that highlights the previously neglected impact of ideology on such movements. The results of this inductive analysis are then used to generate specific policy implications for the U.S."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Overbaugh, Justin
2010-12
-
Capacity Building as an Answer to Piracy in the Horn of Africa
"The Horn of Africa has become an epicenter of interest for the global community due to the drastic increase in piracy. Indicative of the Gulf of Aden's strategic importance is the fact that more than 30,000 ships per year and 3 million barrels of oil per day transit the Suez Canal. Indicative of the severity of the problem of piracy is the fact that more than 30 countries are committing naval forces as part of a solution to the problem. The international community seeks to secure the area and protect the global economy. This thesis attempts to provide an innovative sustainable capacity building conceptual model to tackle piracy through the employment of cutting edge technological assets, i.e tethered aerostat radar sensors, UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] and picosatellites. The economic and technical feasibility of the proposed conceptual model is tackled respectively by illustrating a scenario and providing an economic cost benefit approach regarding the cost of the proposed infrastructure. The conceptual model consists of a complex set of various components that, together, build an integrated architectural set constituting an innovative, alternative capacity-building model aiming to secure maritime traffic corridors, and at the same reducing the economic cost significantly and the number of deployed naval assets."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Nellas, Ioannis
2010-12
-
Insurgent Violence: U.S. Involvement in Internal Conflict
"This thesis considers whether or not the presence of the United States military is a necessary or sufficient condition to eradicate insurgencies in the Philippines. Through the analysis of three case studies, we examine relationships among insurgent activities, government actions, and U.S. involvement. This analysis aids in determining how a U.S. presence can help or hurt in defeating insurgencies in the Philippines. Approaching our cases historically, we evaluate how some countries, like Sri Lanka, have been able to eliminate their insurgency with minimal to no U.S. support, and how others, like Colombia, have been able to combat insurgencies and drug-related problems with continued U.S. support. By comparing across these cases, we make a determination about the importance of a U.S. presence in the Philippines."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Nordwall, Mark A.; Barber, Scott H.; LaRosa, Edward B.
2010-12
-
Optimizing Security of Cloud Computing within the DoD
"What countermeasures best strengthen the confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA) of the implementation of cloud computing within the DoD [Department of Defense]? This question will be answered by analyzing threats and countermeasures within the context of the ten domains comprising the Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) Common Body of Knowledge (CBK). The ten domains that will be used in this analysis include access control; telecommunications and network security; information security governance and risk management; application security; cryptography; security architecture and design; operations security; business continuity planning and disaster planning; legal regulations, compliance, and investigation; and physical security. The results of this research provide a comprehensive guide for any DoD entity attempting to secure its cloud solution."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Antedomenico, Noemi
2010-12
-
Multilevel Secure Constrained Intrusion Detection System Prototype
"The Monterey Security Architecture (MYSEA) provides a distributed multilevel secure (MLS) environment consisting of a MLS local area network (LAN) and multiple single-level networks. The MYSEA server enforces a mandatory access control policy to ensure that users can only access data for which they are authorized. Intrusion detection systems (IDS) placed on a single-level network can store the alerts in the IDS databases at the same classification level as the network being monitored. As most databases do not support the enforcement of mandatory security policies, access to these databases is restricted to single-level access only. Thus, administrators are not presented with a coherent view of IDS alerts from all of the connected networks. The objective of this thesis is to design a database proxy to allow administrators to view and analyze IDS information at multiple classification levels while enforcing the systems overall mandatory policy. Based on the derived concept of operations and the requirements, a design for the database proxy that mediates access to databases at different levels was conceived. A prototype database proxy was implemented along with modifications to a web-based analysis tool to allow the viewing and analysis of IDS information at multiple classification levels."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Ang, Kah Kin
2010-12
-
Iran's Strategy of Influence in the Middle East
"As Iran's nuclear capabilities continue to be at the forefront of policy and security issues for many nations, the methods by which Iran perpetuates further instability are equally strategic. Militant-proxy groups, such as Hezbollah, have significant military capabilities, as well as political influence that are the driving forces behind Iran's regional influence. Concurrent to the intensive use of proxies, Iran is deliberately trying to weaken regimes through information framing. Iran's addresses to the Arab world are framed to a specific audience and with the tone of animosity towards the West and non-Muslims. Hezbollah also serves as a viable source for Iran's information framing; while Hezbollah's military and political sphere of influence within Lebanon continues to impose Lebanon's governmental control, Iran has achieved political success under Hezbollah's guise. This thesis explores the symbiotic relationship between Hezbollah and Iran and will center on how Iran has achieved relative success in destabilizing Gulf States. This thesis explores the overarching theme between the use of Hezbollah and information framing and the correlation between the reception of the Gulf region as observable effects of success."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Alrumaithi, Mohamed
2010-12
