Resource
2011 EN
Tony Pfaff
: Combating irregular threats has challenged the American "way of war" in a number of ways. Not only does it challenge how U.S. forces fight, it also brings into question the ethical norms they employ to govern the fighting. The resulting confusion is especially evident in the public debate over the rules of engagement used in Afghanistan. On the one hand, many are concerned that restrictions on the use of force have placed Soldiers' lives needlessly at risk. On the other, many are concerned that risking civilian casualties is not only immoral in irregular war, but undermines the war effort. The rules of war entail balancing three competing imperatives: (1) accomplishing the mission; (2) protecting the force; and (3) minimizing harm. Determining that balance entails determining where one should accept risk. Accomplishing missions risks Soldiers and civilians; protecting the force risks mission accomplishment and civilians; and minimizing harm risks mission accomplishment and force protection. Where risk should be accepted depends on the ends the use of military force is intended to achieve, as well as the character of the adversary. To understand why the ends and adversaries associated with combating irregular threats pose special challenges to ethical decision making, one must first grasp the complex relationship these competing imperatives have with the amount of risk Soldiers may accept or the amount of risk to which they may assign to others. Confronting such threats emphasizes populations rather than military forces and capabilities. In doing so, it expands the ends and means of war, requiring Soldiers not only to defend the state, but to impose civil order outside the state as well. These complications fundamentally change the character of warfare, requiring Soldiers to rethink where they may incur and assign risk when balancing the ethical demands of their profession.
Resource
2011 EN
Carly Jackson · Rich Volkert
Proceedings Paper (for Acquisition Research Program)Program managers (PMs) are expected to quantifiably justify that their program will result in the delivery of a system with the required performance through development. Traditionally, the PM has several technical management tools at their disposal, including Technical Performance Measures (TPMs), modeling and simulation, etc., that provide insight and predictive capability in system performance. When the program matures to a point where actual test data can be gathered, it is compared against expected system performance. The increasing use of the system of systems (SoS) model for the rapid fielding of warfighting capabilities poses new systems engineering challenges for the DoD. Due to the complex nature of SoS interdependencies, PMs are especially challenged when asked to quantifiably predict progress made toward full-capability SoS performance in an incremental development. To support the PM in making technical trades and tracking performance progress for an acknowledged SoS, the U.S. Navy (PMS 420 and SSC Pacific) have been collaborating on the development and verification of an SoS Performance Measure (SPM) tool set. The SPM tool applies a modified TPM-type approach to an SoS construct. However, instead of focusing on a single measurable technical value that can be monitored during development of an individual system, the SPM links the SoS Key Performance Parameters (KPPs) to individual component capabilities, their maturity, and their potential usage rates. The System Maturity Model (SMM), Concept of Operations (CONOPS), and usage rate variance analyses are all considered in the SPM calculation. The SPM tool will be reviewed and valuable lessons learned to date within the Mission Modules Program will be discussed.Acquisition Research Progra
Naval Postgraduate School
Resource
2011 EN
James P. G. Sterbenz · Kamakshi Sirisha Pathapati · Truc Anh N. Nguyen
+1 more
: Due to the challenging network conditions posed by a highly-dynamic airborne telemetry environment, it is essential for the transport protocol to provide automated mechanisms that dynamically adapt to changing end-to-end performance on any path. The AeroTP multi-mode transport protocol provides service tailored to the requirements of the telemetry mission control and data packets, achieving better performance compared to the traditional TCP and UDP. We use ns-3 to simulate the AeroTP protocol's reliable and quasi-reliable modes and demonstrate the performance tradeoffs between the modes, as well as comparing their performance with TCP and UDP.
The University of Arizona
Resource
2011 EN
John Steele
: This report supplements the main survey findings CAL Technical Report 2011-1, and provides in-depth analysis on the issue of toxic leadership. This research is the first that is based on a representative sample and highlights the prevalence, severity, and correlates/consequences of toxic leadership in the U.S. Army. This report provides a common framework, explains the importance of the subject, presents potential solutions and highlights 2 years of CASAL data and other recently collected data in both the Army and open literature. Estimates from the data suggest that about 1 in 5 subordinates view their leader negatively, and most believe that they have interacted with toxic leaders, and that the problem is severe. Toxic behaviors include: micromanaging, being mean-spirited/aggressive, rigidity and poor decision-making, and having a poor attitude and setting a bad example. Toxic leadership was associated weakly with unit wasting time on unproductive tasks, expected unit performance, mission accomplishment, and career intention; moderately with penalizing honest mistakes, lack of frank discussions, unwillingness to implement good ideas from subordinates, discouraging creativity, solving problems at the surface level, and individual and unit morale; and strongly with lack of ethics, putting own needs ahead of unit, and lack of subordinate confidence to follow in life-or-death situations.
Resource
2011 EN
Luca Centurioni · Pearn P. Niiler
: The first objective of the program was to develop an efficient sampling scheme to measure the flow in the shallow estuarine and coastal environments and to provide the partners of the project with three-dimensional circulation data and horizontal dispersion estimates of the particles in the surface flow. Our self-training period resulted in the acquisition of the operational experience to manage an array of RD as well as identifying the optimal set of mission parameters of the RD in different environmental conditions. The second objective was to measure the flow within the plume of the Tijuana River as well as the circulation in adjacent coastal sea. The third objective was to redesign and re-build the firmware of the RD to add new capabilities to the instrument, such as two-way communication, deployment and recovery modes, power saving mode and high frequency GPS.
Resource
2011 EN
Andrzej Cichocki · Mariusz A. Fecko · John Unger
+5 more
: We present iMANPOL -- a dynamic end-to-end QoS management system for advanced RF telemetry networks with the red-black separation constraints. iMANPOL system encompasses network resource monitoring, allocation, and enforcement techniques to increase throughput and reduce end-to-end delay of telemetry traffic while protecting priority mission-critical flows. These goals are achieved through adaptive techniques for providing Differentiated Services, Admission Control Function, and Flow Preemption. The iMANPOL system has been implemented and tested in an emulated environment. The test results confirm that the admission control, particularly when coupled with preemption, can significantly increase the performance of priority flows in congested networks. An iMANPOL deployment in the integrated enhanced network telemetry would make more network resources available for high-priority tests and enable more dynamic test scheduling.
The University of Arizona
Resource
2011 EN
Michel N. Grussing · Kelly M. Dilks · Matthew C. Walters
: This report describes a process for integrating US Army Standards and Standard Designs with assessment criteria used in the Army Installation Status Report for Infrastructure (ISR-I). Army-specific mission-critical facility criteria were identified for two Tier 1 building types, the Tactical Equipment Maintenance Facility and the Company Operations Facility. These criteria were established to meet fundamental performance requirements of the subject facilities. Non-conformance to these criteria could result in the inability of the facility to support its mission, thus requiring restoration, modernization, or replacement. It is imperative that these criteria be incorporated into any assessment process for existing facilities that are used for the same purpose.
Resource
2011 EN
Michelle Ramos · Joshua Nabors
: The overall purpose of this research is to develop a comprehensive understanding of how the Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) manages the acquisition of services. The specific objective of the proposed research project is to build on the understanding developed in prior research projects and to identify the factors that promote or obstruct the use of best practices in acquisition management and influence the efficiency and effectiveness of service contracts performance. In this study, data is collected from eight Army installation contracting offices, and is meant to serve as a follow-on project for research conducted at additional Mission and Installation Contracting Command offices. In prior research projects, researchers showed a relationship between service type and contract characteristics and management practices, as well as a relationship between capacity and management practices. The current study confirms the findings of previous researchers and provides recommendations for improving performance of service contracts through enhanced capabilities and acquisition processes.
Naval Postgraduate School
Resource
2011 EN
Andrew F. Peterson · Daniel J. Finkenstadt
Acquisition Research Progra
Naval Postgraduate School
Resource
2011 EN
Nathanael E. Leon · Todd N. Paulson
: The mission of Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Disposition Services (DDS) is to provide centralized Department of Defense (DoD) disposal management of excess and surplus military property supporting U.S. military forces worldwide, federal agencies, state agencies, and foreign military sales. An important component of this mission is the reutilization of excess military equipment within the military services in order to prevent wasteful DoD purchases. DoD reutilization-the use of excess or surplus property to meet known or anticipated requirements-has been a prominent topic within the U.S. Congress since a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report in 2005 uncovered billions of dollars in wasteful DoD purchases. Since that report, the DLA has launched several initiatives to improve Service reutilization of military equipment. Projected near-term DoD budget cuts will serve to further highlight the topic. The purpose of this research is to analyze the extent to which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) is implementing reutilization through its use of DDS as a source of supply. The results and recommendations of this study will enable decision makers within the USMC and DLA to address institutional and systemic obstacles to maximum DDS reutilization within the USMC, thereby improving overall DoD economy.
Naval Postgraduate School