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Video Enabling the Combatant Commander's Headquarters
"A combatant commanders decisions are based on critical and timely information.
Today the information is more and more graphical and video based. Video information may take many forms---imagery from intelligence satellites, weather satellites, tactical reconnaissance platforms, biographical information data bases; graphical information including common operational picture, 3D terrain modeling, signals analysis, trend analysis and are all used in formulating courses of action. This is complicated by the need for collaboration among staff, inter agency and through chain of command. The result is that the headquarters for a combatant commander needs to be video enabled to allow the high speed transfer of digital imagery and graphics and use of advanced collaborative technologies. This paper discusses the audio-visual (A-V) systems which have been designed for the headquarters for United States Pacific Command (HQ USPACOM) and installed in the Nimitz-MacArthur Pacific Command Center (NMPCC), USPACOMs new headquarters building. These systems are being employed through the design and implementation of an integrated A-V systems architecture that enables the proliferation and sharing of video information and promotes collaboration both internally within HQ USPACOM and with external organizations. The A-V systems architecture includes multimedia communications systems that enable advanced internal briefing capabilities, video teleconferencing at multiple security levels, mass multimedia distribution capabilities and an advanced A-V control system that integrates control and access of multimedia information."
Command and Control Research Program (U.S.)
Lee, Justin; Nakagawa, Arthur
2004-06-15
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Video Enabling the Combatant Commander's Headquarters [Presentation]
This presentation outlines a paper which discusses video enabling the combatant commander's headquarters. "A combatant commanders decisions are based on critical and timely information. Today the information is more and more graphical and video based. Video information may take many forms---imagery from intelligence satellites, weather satellites, tactical reconnaissance platforms, biographical information data bases; graphical information including common operational picture, 3D terrain modeling, signals analysis, trend analysis and are all used in formulating courses of action. This is complicated by the need for collaboration among staff, inter agency and through chain of command. The result is that the headquarters for a combatant commander needs to be video enabled to allow the high speed transfer of digital imagery and graphics and use of advanced collaborative technologies. This paper discusses the audio-visual (A-V) systems which have been designed for the headquarters for United States Pacific Command (HQ USPACOM) and installed in the Nimitz-MacArthur Pacific Command Center (NMPCC), USPACOMs new headquarters building. These systems are being employed through the design and implementation of an integrated A-V systems architecture that enables the proliferation and sharing of video information and promotes collaboration both internally within HQ USPACOM and with external organizations. The A-V systems architecture includes multimedia communications systems that enable advanced internal briefing capabilities, video teleconferencing at multiple security levels, mass multimedia distribution capabilities and an advanced A-V control system that integrates control and access of multimedia information."
Command and Control Research Program (U.S.)
Lee, Justin; Nakagawa, Arthur
2004-06-15
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Racial Disparities in Policing: An Advisory Memorandum of the Oklahoma Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
From the June 2021 Advisory Memorandum from The Oklahoma Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: "The Oklahoma Advisory Committee (Committee) to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Commission) convened a series of online public meetings to hear testimony regarding racial disparities in policing in November and December of 2020. The following advisory memorandum results from the testimony provided during the online panels, as well as related testimony submitted to the Committee in writing during the relevant period of public comment. It begins with a brief background of the issue to be considered by the Committee. It then identifies primary findings as they emerged from the testimony. Finally, the Committee conveys their recommendations for addressing related civil rights concerns. This memo is intended to focus specifically on racial disparities in policing practices. While other important topics may have surfaced throughout the Committee's inquiry, those matters that are outside the scope of this specific civil rights mandate are left for another discussion. This memo and the recommendations included within it were adopted unanimously by the Committee on May 25, 2021."
United States Commission on Civil Rights; United States Commission on Civil Rights. Oklahoma Advisory Committee
2021-06
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Defense Primer: Quantum Technology [May 24, 2021]
From the Document: "Quantum technology translates the principles of quantum physics into technological applications. In general, quantum technology has not yet reached maturity; however, it could hold significant implications for the future of military sensing, encryption, and communications, as well as for congressional oversight, authorizations, and appropriations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sayler, Kelley M.
2021-05-24
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Drug Enforcement Administration Set to Increase Registered Marijuana Manufacturers for Research Purposes [May 25, 2021]
From the Document: "On May 14, 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced that it would soon register additional manufacturers [hyperlink] to cultivate marijuana for research purposes. For over 50 years, the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi [hyperlink] has been the only DEA-registered manufacturer of marijuana for research purposes, operating under a contract administered by the National Institute on Drug Abuse [hyperlink] (NIDA). While marijuana is also cultivated in states that allow for its recreational and medical use [hyperlink], the federal government considers the University of Mississippi to be the only lawful source, as Schedule I [hyperlink] controlled substances may 'only' be manufactured for research purposes under the Controlled Substances Act [hyperlink] (CSA), and manufacturers must register with the DEA."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sacco, Lisa N.
2021-05-25
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Financing Catastrophic Risk: Summary of the Homeowners' Defense Act of 2009 (S. 505 and H.R. 2555) [June 1, 2009]
"In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the demand for homeowners' insurance in Atlantic and Gulf Coast states has outpaced supply, leaving policymakers and insurance regulators struggling to find ways to enhance insurer capacity to underwrite business in catastrophe-prone areas. [...] Insurers and policymakers are now pursuing alternative forms of risk transfer, such as securitization. [...] On February 27, 2009, Senator Bill Nelson introduced the Homeowners' Defense Act of 2009 (S. 505) that would establish a non-profit corporation, the National Catastrophe Risk Consortium... [...] On May 21, 2009, Representative Ron Klein introduced a similar measure (H.R. 2555), in terms of the Consortium... Proponents of a national catastrophe financing facility maintain that such a mechanism would: (1) facilitate the flow of private capital to state-sponsored insurance facilities; (2) expand private sector capacity to write business in exposed areas; and (3) stabilize the property insurance market following significant catastrophes. Critics, on the other hand, maintain the Consortium would encourage states to unnecessarily create catastrophe funds in order to access federal catastrophe risk reinsurance. Moreover, critics conclude that states are already free to pool risks and access the capital markets and, therefore, a federal program is not necessary. This report will be updated as events warrant."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
King, Rawle O.
2009-07-01
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H.R. 1522, 'Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act'; and H.R. 2070, 'Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2021', Legislative Hearing Before the Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, First Session, April 14, 2021
This is the April 14, 2021 legislative hearing on "H.R. 1522, 'Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act'; and H.R. 2070, 'Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2021'," held before the House Committee on Natural Resources. From the opening statement of Raul M. Grijalva: "Two pieces of legislation have been introduced this Congress to resolve Puerto Rico's political status, H.R. 2070, Puerto Rico's Self-Determination Act of 2021 by Representative Velazquez, and H.R. 1522, Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act by Representative Darren Soto. Each piece of legislation proposes a different process to end the island's current territory status. Puerto Rico's options for non-territory status or statehood, independence and free association. At the same time, there is existing legislation to address this issue. In 2014, Congress appropriated $2.5 million to be provided to the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission for voter education and conduct a plebiscite by which Puerto Rican voters would determine the future political status of Puerto Rico. The U.S. Department of Justice is responsible for overseeing and administering that plebiscite. Despite the different views of our witnesses today, I hope we can all agree that Congress has a responsibility to play a constructive role in the resolution of Puerto Rico's political status." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Anibal Acevedo-Vila, Maria De Lourdes Santiago, Jose Fuentes Agostini, Rafael Hernandez Montanez, Manuel Natal-Albelo, Pedro R. Pierluisi, Christina D. Ponsa-Kraus, and Johanne Velez-Garcia.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2021
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Transformative Disarmament: Crafting a Roadmap for Peace
From the Introduction: "Notwithstanding their absence in the formal structures of power, women have engaged actively with disarmament for over a century, albeit often as actors located on the periphery. Women's activism in this field is a rich and complex one. It is, however, not a history that is generally familiar to those outside the world of feminist activism and scholarship. This article provides me with an opportunity to tell that story and how women have sought to overcome exclusion, marginalization, and silencing in both policy and law in pursuit of what I describe as a transformative disarmament agenda. In other words, this article is concerned not only with women's political activism and the struggle for equal participation in disarmament circles, critical though it is. What I also seek to demonstrate are the ways in which feminist thinkers have worked to reposition and reframe the disarmament discourse and challenge mainstream thinking on and around weapons and disarmament by probing established assumptions and generating critical analyses in order to provide new solutions to old problems."
Naval War College (U.S.). International Law Studies
Arimatsu, Louise
2021
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Law Enforcement Solutions by the Field, for the Field: Collaborative Reform Third Annual Review
From the Executive Summary: "This report highlights the work of CRI-TAC [Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center] since the release of the second annual report in May 2020. In this report, the reader will find a breakdown of program performance metrics as well as eight case studies highlighting diverse topics and agency size, type, and geography. The report provides testimonials on the impact of the technical assistance and a description of the intake process. The report also highlights a special initiative in 2020 focused on COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. It concludes with an overview of activities taking place in 2021 including work with tribal law enforcement and the development of community engagement resources and trainings in the topics of de-escalation, hate crimes, and peer intervention."
United States. Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center
2021
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Foreign Cyber Interference in Elections
From the Introduction: "With the contentious U.S. 2020 elections having concluded, it is a propitious moment to examine the international law rules bearing on foreign interference by cyber means in this fundamental expression of democracy. As in 2016, 'President Putin and the Russian state authorized and conducted influence operations against the 2020 U.S. presidential election aimed at denigrating President Biden and the Democratic Party, supporting former President Trump, undermining public confidence in the electoral process, and exacerbating sociopolitical divisions in the US.' Russia did not, however, attempt to 'alter[ ] any technical aspect of the voting process, including voter registration, ballot casting, vote tabulation, or reporting results.' Instead, its 'online influence actors sought to affect US public perceptions of the candidates, as well as advance Moscow's longstanding goals of undermining confidence in US election processes and increasing sociopolitical divisions among the American people.' But Russia was not alone. According to the U.S. intelligence community, 'Iran carried out a multi-pronged covert influence campaign intended to undercut former President Trump's reelection prospects,' while 'a range of additional foreign actors--including Lebanese Hizballah, Cuba, and Venezuela--took some steps to influence the election.' Interestingly, China did not conduct operations designed to alter the outcome, although it did consider doing so. Despite counterfactual claims to the contrary by Trump, however, the United States successfully conducted the 2020 election."
Naval War College (U.S.). International Law Studies
Schmitt, Michael N.
2021
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 2393, No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2021
This is the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on the Judiciary on April 20, 2021. From the Document: "H.R. 2393 would seek to prohibit foreign states from working collectively to limit the production, set the price, or otherwise restrain the trading of petroleum and natural gas when such actions affect U.S. markets. The bill would authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to enforce the prohibition by filing antitrust actions in federal courts. Under the bill, foreign states that restrain trade in petroleum and natural gas would not be immune from the judgment of U.S. courts under the doctrine of sovereign immunity."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2021-05-13
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Developing International Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use During Armed Conflict
From the Introduction: "This article recounts the narrative of the development of the Guidelines [International Guidelines for the Protection of Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict] , between the formation of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA or Global Coalition) and the formal launch of their final text in December 2014; it includes discussion of the legal and policy factors considered in their development. After describing the background, it comments on the strategic importance of education including from a military-strategic perspective. This is followed by an explanation of the relevant provisions of international human rights law (IHRL) and international humanitarian law/law of armed conflict (IHL/LOAC) applying to education in armed conflict. It then explains what is meant by 'military use' and why this became the focus of a concerted campaign mounted by civil society organizations and UN agencies. Next, it describes how the Guidelines were developed between May 2012 and July 2013 and the methodology behind their preparation. We include the Guidelines' text, briefly describe the SSD's [Safe Schools Declaration] progress, and deal with implementation and monitoring before describing their impact and drawing some conclusions. It is important to mention that the author was responsible for drafting the Guidelines and remains actively engaged with their advocacy."
Naval War College (U.S.). International Law Studies
Haines, Steven
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Oversight Review: DC National Guard's Use of Helicopters on June 1, 2020
From the Webpage Description: "Our oversight review determined that the Department of the Army Inspector General (DAIG) analysis of the facts was reasonable based on the available evidence in this case and the declared emergency nature of the situation on June 1, 2020. The evidence supports a determination that the decision by DCNG [District of Columbia National Guard] officials, including BG [Brigadier General] Ryan, to use helicopters in support of the civil disturbance operation based on the emergent nature of the situation and broad directions from the President of the United States (POTUS), the Secretary of Defense (SD), and the Secretary of the Army (SECARMY) was reasonable. We also reviewed the recommendations contained in the DAIG ROI [Report of
Investigation] and agree that the DCNG AR [Army Regulation] 15-6 findings merit reconsideration because our review found insufficient evidence to support them. We reviewed the other recommendations in the DAIG ROI and recommend that DoD review and consider extending those recommendations to other DoD units that may provide similar helicopter support to law enforcement authorities in civil disturbance operations."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2021-05-26
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Navy Ships: Timely Actions Needed to Improve Planning and Develop Capabilities for Battle Damage Repair, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The ability to repair and maintain ships plays a critical role in sustaining Navy readiness. After the Cold War, the Navy divested many wartime ship repair capabilities. With the rise of great power competitors capable of producing high-end threats in warfare, the Navy must now be prepared to quickly salvage and repair damage to a modern fleet. House Report 116-120, accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to assess the Navy's efforts to identify and mitigate challenges in repairing battle-damaged ships during a great power conflict. GAO's report (1) discusses the challenges the Navy has identified in using its regular maintenance capability for battle damage repair, and (2) evaluates the extent to which the Navy has begun developing the battle damage repair capability it requires to prevail in a great power conflict."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-06
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Projected Costs of U.S. Nuclear Forces, 2021 to 2030
From the Document: "The Congressional Budget Office [CBO] is required by law to project the 10-year costs of nuclear forces every two years. This report contains CBO's projections for the period from 2021 to 2030."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2021-05
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Implementing Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Defense
From the Document: "As the DoD embraces artificial intelligence (AI), it is imperative that we adopt responsible behavior, processes, and outcomes in a manner that reflects the Department' s commitment to its ethical principles, including the protection of privacy and civil liberties. A trusted ecosystem not only enhances our military capabilities, but also builds confidence with end-users, warfighters, and the American public. By leading in military ethics and AI safety, we reflect our Nation's values, encourage Responsible AI (RAI) development globally, and strengthen partnerships around the world. To that end, I reaffirm the DoD Al Ethical Principles adopted by the Department on February 21, 2020, for the design, development, deployment, and use of Al capabilities."
United States. Department of Defense
2021-05-26
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Army Biological Defense Strategy
From the Introduction: "The 'Army Biological Defense Strategy' articulates how the Army achieves the goals of biological defense within the framework of the 'Army Strategy' and the 'National Biodefense Strategy.' [...] The purpose of the 'Army Biological Defense Strategy' is to maintain the Army's capability and capacity to accomplish its mission and to ensure readiness in the face of biological threats and hazards to support the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Nation."
United States. Army
2021
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Urban and Rural Districts Showed a Strong Divide During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Second American School District Panel Survey
From the Document: "Over the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, progressively more complete data have shed light on the tremendous variation in districts' approaches to schooling (Burbio, 2021; Diliberti and Kaufman, 2020; Gross, Opalka, and Gundapaneni, 2021; and National Center for Education Statistics, undated-b). Some districts have provided fully remote learning since the outset of the pandemic, some have mostly provided in-person learning, and others have fallen somewhere in between. In this report, we reveal the extent of the divisions in public education during the 2020-2021 school year, from the mode of delivery to the length of the school day."
RAND Corporation
Schwartz, Heather L.; Grant, David; Diliberti, Melissa . . .
2021
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Puerto Rico Recovery: FEMA Made Progress in Approving Projects, but Should Identify and Assess Risks to the Recovery, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "More than 3 years after hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the territory, Puerto Rico's recovery is ongoing and will be one of the largest in FEMA's history. Further complicating the recovery, Puerto Rico experienced a series of earthquakes in 2019 and 2020, and the impacts of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] starting in March 2020. FEMA is the lead federal agency responsible for assisting Puerto Rico as it recovers from these disasters and administers the Public Assistance program in partnership with the government of Puerto Rico to provide funds to rebuild damaged infrastructure and restore services. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review federal recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. In this report, GAO examines (1) the status of FEMA's Public Assistance grant program funding and projects in Puerto Rico, and (2) the extent to which FEMA has identified and assessed potential risks to the recovery. GAO analyzed program documents and data on the Public Assistance program through January 15, 2021; conducted site visits to Puerto Rico; and interviewed FEMA and Puerto Rico government officials regarding the status and potential risks to recovery efforts."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-05-19
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COVID-19 and Excess Mortality in the United States: A County-Level Analysis
From the Background: "Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) excess deaths refer to increases in mortality over what would normally have been expected in the absence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several prior studies have calculated excess deaths in the United States but were limited to the national or state level, precluding an examination of area-level variation in excess mortality and excess deaths not assigned to COVID-19. In this study, we take advantage of county-level variation in COVID-19 mortality to estimate excess deaths associated with the pandemic and examine how the extent of excess mortality not assigned to COVID-19 varies across subsets of counties defined by sociodemographic and health characteristics."
Public Library of Science
Stokes, Andrew C.; Lundberg, Dielle J.; Elo, Irma T. . . .
2021-05-20
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H. Rept. 117-39: Climate Risk Disclosure Act of 2021, Report Together with Minority Views, to Accompany H.R. 2570, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, May 20, 2021
From the Purpose and Summary: "On April 15, 2021, Representative Sean Casten introduced H.R. 2570, the Climate Risk Disclosure Act of 2021, which requires public companies to disclose in their annual reports information relating to the financial and business risks associated with climate change. H.R. 2570 also requires the SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission] to establish, in consultation with other relevant Federal agencies, climate-related risk disclosure metrics and guidance, which will be industry-specific, and will require companies to make both quantitative and qualitative disclosures."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2021-05-20
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What Has Covid-19 Taught Us About Strengthening the DOD's Global Health Security Capacities?
From the Document: "The Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has led to millions of deaths and cases of enduring illness, destabilized economies, diminished U.S. international standing, and exposed the U.S. military to challenges not experienced in over a century. Since the pandemic began, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has been heavily involved in addressing challenges to the armed forces while supporting the overall national Covid-19 response. Future biological threats will undoubtedly present new challenges. Yet broad U.S. military expertise in health, biosecurity, and biosafety will continue to contribute substantially to coordinated, interagency global health security efforts. Below are five recommendations for how the Biden-Harris administration and members of Congress can help steer impending deliberations over the future of the DOD's contributions to global health security. As U.S. diplomatic engagement expands to address the worsening vaccine crisis and other related global health security challenges, there will soon be increased calls for the DOD to contribute in new and important ways that draw on its exceptional logistics, planning, lift, and scientific capacities. These recommendations are meant to complement the excellent and extensive recent analysis [hyperlink] by Mark Cancian and Adam Saxton of the CSIS [Center for Strategic and International Studies] International Security Program on how the U.S. military responded to Covid-19 to guarantee the protection and readiness of U.S. forces and how it supported the civilian pandemic response at home."
Center for Strategic and International Studies (Washington, D.C.)
Cullison, Thomas; Morrison, J. Stephen
2021-05
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ACA Offers Protection as the COVID-19 Pandemic Erodes Employer Health Insurance Coverage
From the Document: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic presents the first major test of how well the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can protect people's health insurance coverage during a recession, as job losses threaten employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI). According to newly available data from the Urban Institute's Coronavirus Tracking Survey, 3.1 million adults lost ESI between March/April and September 2020, but most of them retained some form of insurance with the ACA in place. However, the 'California v. Texas' lawsuit the Supreme Court will hear on November 10, 2020, could put the protections offered by the ACA at risk."
Urban Institute
Karpman, Michael; Zuckerman, Stephen
2020-11
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H. Rept. 116-664: Housing Fairness Act of 2020, Report Together with Minority Views, to Accompany H.R. 149, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, December 17, 2020
From the Purpose and Summary: "On January 3, 2019, Representative Al Green introduced H.R. 149, the 'Housing Fairness Act of 2020,' which would authorize increased funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) and make a number of reforms to FHIP. It would also establish a new competitive matching grant program at HUD to support comprehensive studies of the causes and effects of ongoing discrimination and segregation, and the implementation of pilot projects to test solutions."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2020-12-17
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Defense Primer: Active Duty Enlisted Retention [Updated May 11, 2021]
From the Document: "The term 'retention' refers to the rate at which military personnel voluntarily choose to stay in the military after their obligated term of service has ended (as determined by their enlistment contract). Imbalances in the retention rate can cause problems within the military personnel system. A common retention concern is that too few people will stay in, thereby creating a shortage of experienced leaders, decreasing military efficiency, and lowering job satisfaction. This was a particular concern from 2004 to 2009, as the stress of major combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan raised concerns about the willingness of military personnel to continue serving. The opposite concern may also occur at times, particularly during force drawdowns: that too many people will stay in, thereby decreasing promotion opportunities and possibly requiring involuntarily separations to prevent the organization from becoming 'top heavy' with middle- and upper-level leaders or to comply with end-strength limitations. Each of these imbalances can also have a negative impact on recruiting by making the military a less-attractive career option."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kapp, Lawrence
2021-05-11
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H. Rept. 116-638: Non-Judicial Foreclosure Debt Collection Clarification Act, Report Together with Minority Views, to Accompany H.R. 5001, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, December 10, 2020
From the Purpose and Summary: "On November 8, 2019, Congressman William Lacy Clay introduced H.R. 5001, the 'Non-Judicial Foreclosure Debt Collection Clarification Act,' which would reverse the recent Supreme Court decision in 'Obduskey v. McCarthy and Holthus LLP [limited liability partnership]' by amending the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ('FDCPA') to clarify that entities in non-judicial foreclosure proceedings are covered by the law."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2020-12-10
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Vulnerability, Inequity, and COVID-19: A Portrait of the Pandemic in Allegheny County Tracking Evolving Disparities in Testing, Cases, Hospitalizations, Deaths, and the Ability to Practice Physical Distancing
From the Preface: "Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has touched every community in the United States, certain geographic areas and populations have been affected more than others. To examine vulnerability to COVID-19 and the pandemic's impacts within a specific community, the RAND Corporation, the Black Equity Coalition, and Surgo Ventures partnered to consider disparities in Allegheny County in southwest Pennsylvania. Allegheny County, which is home to the city of Pittsburgh, is representative of many of the challenges faced throughout the country in combating the coronavirus. The Allegheny County Health Department offers granular, public data describing how testing, cases, and deaths have been distributed across neighborhoods and populations. When we combine this data with Surgo Ventures' COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index (CCVI), a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resource that identifies communities that are most in need of support during the pandemic, we explore how COVID-19 testing, cases, and deaths have played out on a local scale throughout the pandemic. Additionally, we use other publicly available data resources, such as measures of physical distancing, to explore potential drivers of the spread of COVID-19. The results of these analyses describe lessons learned and aim to inform individual and policymaker efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 during the late winter and spring months of 2021, prior to widespread vaccine dissemination."
RAND Corporation
Peet, Evan D.; Warren May, Linnea; Fischbach, Jordan R. . . .
2021
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Path to Resiliency: Mitigating the Impacts of COVID-19 on Essential Medicines Supply Chains
From the Abstract: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] has put a spotlight on health product supply chains, highlighting the challenges in multiple steps in the global supply chain. This paper seeks to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain of a subset of essential medicines. It identifies the main categories of b lockages in the global supply chain created by COVID-19, then uses data on trade flows, wholesalers, and pharma companies, and from surveys, to track the impact. There was significant short-term disruption to manufacturing caused by COVID-19. Surveys, pharmacy, and export data indicate that COVID-related disruptions impacted the supply of essential medicines, but this varied greatly by markets and product. The paper highlights that (1) data-driven approaches should be considered to make supply chains more robust, (2) solutions must account for the political and institutional landscape, (3) price surges benefit the wealthiest, and (4) local solutions are often needed to manage global shocks. More research is needed, particularly into how to obtain granular data to track supply shocks in real time? How do we increase surge capacity? Is it possible to improve procurement practices through pooled procurement, where applicable? And can pharmaceutical production be diversified, with products produced regionally to limit the risk of disruption?"
Center for Global Development
McDonnell, Anthony; Pisani, Elizabeth; Singhvi, Somya . . .
2021-06
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Special Report: Controls Implemented by the Defense Health Agency to Control Costs for TRICARE Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic Related Services (Redacted)
From the Objective: "The objective of this audit was to determine the controls that the Defense Health Agency (DHA) implemented to control costs for health care claims related to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2020-09-03
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Need and Opportunity: What COVID-19 Revealed About Social Infrastructure
From the Introduction: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] revealed a lot about the world. It drew the curtain back on our ability to deal with a significant global crisis, laying bare systemic weaknesses and exposing structural failures. One such failure pertains to social infrastructure. The pandemic highlighted that many communities around the world lack the necessary facilities--things like accessible health care facilities and affordable housing--to combat threats like COVID-19 effectively. These shortcomings likely contributed to the tragically high levels of sickness and death. While the lack of necessary real estate infrastructure certainly existed prior to COVID-19, the pandemic emphasized the need for increased investment. Looking ahead, we need to address this critical deficit head on. Inevitably, another global crisis will strike, whether it be another pandemic or a climate change emergency, or perhaps some other unforeseen circumstance. Whatever the challenge, we need better social infrastructure systems in place to defend against these events."
Franklin Templeton Investments
2020-12
