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ASSESSMENT OF THE EMERGENT CONSTRAINT BETWEEN THE ARCTIC OCEAN HEAT CONTENT AND SEA ICE COVER IN SELECTED CMIP6 FUTURE SIMULATIONS
No full textThe Arctic has warmed three to four times faster than the global average temperature over the past several decades. One of the most evident manifestations of this Arctic Amplification (AA) is the decline of sea ice cover, especially during the melt season. Yet, the causes of AA and its future trend remain uncertain. Recent findings based on analysis of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) historical simulations suggest an increasing role of oceanic heat transport (OHT) in driving sea ice decline and contributing to AA. This emergent constraint between Arctic OHT and sea ice has been hypothesized to amplify under continued warming. The main objective of this research was to test this hypothesis for CMIP6 future projections under four Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) scenarios through 2100. Using selected CMIP6 models, sea ice and OHT trends were analyzed over the full period (2015–2100) and two subperiods: 2015–2050 and 2051–2100. In future scenario runs, correlations between sea ice area and OHT anomaly trends were slightly weaker than those found in the historical CMIP6 simulations, in part due to flattening of sea ice area trends in the second half of the 21st century. However, correlations between future sea ice volume and OHT anomaly trends were stronger than their historical counterpart. The persistence of strong correlations between OHT and sea ice indicates that the emergent constraint remains robust throughout the 21st century in CMIP6 projections.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyDepartment of Energy (DOE), Washington, DC 2058
ANALYSIS OF TRAINING ALTERNATIVES FOR THE MARINE CORPS MARITIME SPACE OFFICER
Get PDFThe creation of the 1706 Maritime Space Officer (MSO) Primary Military Occupational Specialty (PMOS) marks a major step in bringing space capabilities into the Marine Corps’ Information Maneuver Occupational Field. This thesis evaluates the current MSO training pipeline, measuring its alignment with existing Training and Readiness (T&R) standards, and explores an analysis of alternatives to improve outcomes. It assesses the cost, effectiveness, and risk of seven alternate curricula. These include using the Marine Corps Instructional Systems Design/Systems Approach to Training and Education (MCISD/SATE) as a basis for a Marine Corps–centric curriculum, a joint Navy–Marine Corps curriculum, contracted instruction through the National Security Space Institute (NSSI), an Army-focused curriculum, the present Navy MSO curriculum, an Air Force/Space Force-focused curriculum, and the present MSO pipeline. The analysis identifies the Navy–Marine Corps developmental curriculum as the most effective and affordable option, enhancing joint naval integration and meeting doctrinal and mission demands. Recommendations include pursuing NSSI contracts to consolidate training and reduce development costs. The thesis concludes by proposing future research to refine risk metrics and guide later an analysis of alternatives supporting the evolving Marine Corps Space Cadre.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Captain, United States Marine Corp
A KNOWLEDGE VALUE ADDED APPROACH TO EVALUATING NAVY HUMAN RESOURCES BUSINESS PROCESSES
Get PDFThe United States Navy’s Human Resources (HR) systems face increasing pressure to deliver timely, efficient, and knowledge-driven support amid outdated technology and complex standard operating procedures (SOPs). While the Navy Personnel and Pay System is in development to replace legacy systems like NSIPS, the lack of a data-driven framework for evaluating current processes limits the Navy’s ability to make informed improvements in the interim. This thesis applies the Knowledge Value Added (KVA) methodology to a representative HR process—Permanent Change of Station (PCS)—to assess subprocess efficiency and identify opportunities for incremental reengineering using existing personnel and IT systems. The analysis found that reallocating HR subprocesses from Transaction Service Centers (TSCs) to command-level Personnel Specialists, combined with modest automation improvements, could reduce annual costs by 28% and significantly improve Return on Knowledge (ROK) and Return on Investment (ROI) metrics. The KVA methodology employed ensures that organizational knowledge is quantified and preserved during reengineering, minimizing the risk of unintentionally destroying value. This research demonstrates that KVA is a practical tool for ongoing HR process evaluation and can help guide both near-term reforms and longer-term development priorities. Future research should explore additional HR workflows, long-term impact tracking, and integration with frameworks like Lean Six Sigma.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy Reserv
THE MENTAL OPERATING ENVIRONMENT: SUPPORTING THE DISASTER RESPONSE WORKFORCE
No full textDisaster response operations expose incident support responder personnel to psychosocial hazards, including mental fatigue, stress, and sleep deprivation, which can impair both responder well-being and operational performance. This thesis adopts a readiness-oriented approach to mental health and frames the psychological demands of disaster work as a critical policy and organizational design challenge. It investigates the question: Which organizational strategies can mitigate the impact of mental fatigue and stress in disaster response personnel? Drawing on interdisciplinary literature from emergency management, occupational health, and psychology, this thesis analyzes current practices in the disaster response sector and applies Bardach’s eightfold path for policy analysis to evaluate alternative organizational approaches. The thesis finds that implementing “guardrails,” or procedures and best practices that can be used with supervisory guidance and leadership enforcement in specific scenarios, is the appropriate level of organizational action on psychosocial hazards. Empowering incident leaders with adaptable tools like guardrails can sustain workforce readiness while maintaining flexibility to meet the increasingly complex and expanding homeland security mission.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Civilian, Department of Homeland Securit
VIOLENCE IN HONDURAS
Get PDFThis thesis examined why Honduras experienced variations in violence, specifically homicides, from 2000 to 2024. In 2000, the Honduran homicide rate stood at 48 per 100,000. By 2011, that number climbed to 82 per 100,000; and by 2024, rates fell to 25 per 100,000. For comparison, the U.S. homicide rate in 2022 stood at 6.3 per 100,000. This thesis evaluated three hypotheses to explain this variation in violence: illicit economies and state capacity, mano dura policies, and U.S.-Honduran security cooperation. After analyzing homicide data and researching prominent literature on all three hypotheses, this thesis revealed that each of the factors drove violence in Honduras over time. While each factor impacted homicide rates in Honduras, this thesis argues that illicit economies and state capacity proved the strongest driver of violence in the region. These findings matter to the Honduran and U.S. governments, as well as agencies that seek to combat stubbornly high levels of violence in Honduras. What happens in Honduras does not stay in Honduras; instead, the violence affects countries across the Western Hemisphere. Honduras offers a strong case study of how violence varies over time, and the results can and should be applied to lessen the violence.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Major, United States Marine Corp
DELIVERING RESILIENT WARFIGHTING CAPABILITY AT THE SPEED OF RELEVANCE
No full textAdvancements in technology are transforming how U.S. military systems, especially those in the Navy, are designed, developed, and maintained. In the 20th century, as the private sector led technological innovation with the rise of the internet and personal computing, the Navy increasingly adopted commercial technologies. Post–World War II military systems relied on purpose-built electronics and specialized software (SW) running on unique operating systems. With limited storage and processing power, these systems had to be lean and deterministic. For example, the total storage of a dozen military specification (MILSPEC) devices like the UYH-16 now fits on an $8 Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive. Over time, as memory and processing capabilities expanded, these monolithic SW programs grew in size, incorporating new functions but retaining outdated architectures. This created challenges in transitioning to modern technologies like microservices and advanced hardware (HW). Modernization though costly and complex, is critical to maintaining readiness. Efforts like the unmanned surface vessel (USV), Aegis Virtualization, and Integrated Combat System (ICS) demonstrate progress in adapting more agile, scalable systems and accelerating deployment to the fleet. These initiatives reflect the Navy’s commitment to leveraging technological advances effective and efficiently to stay operationally prepared.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Civilian, Department of the Nav
HIGH TEMPERATURE OPERATING LIFE CHARACTERIZATION OF POWER GAN SCHOTTKY DIODES
No full textCurrent gallium nitride (GaN) Schottky diodes suffer from reliability issues caused by reactions between the GaN and the Schottky contact metal. This research investigates the stability of rhenium (Re) and palladium in relation to the device structure with the aim of protecting the device and improving reliability. This thesis builds on prior work at Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) to test and characterize the stability of GaN Schottky diodes with a variety of contact metallizations through constant-current stressing at a range of temperatures. Re is a promising material for GaN Schottky contacts due to the high work function of the metal and the proven thermal stability of Re on GaN surfaces. Re/GaN Schottky diodes were stressed at high current densities while current-voltage-temperature measurements were taken at regular intervals. Subsequent data analysis of the device barrier height, ideality factor, forward characteristics, and leakage currents is used to make observations on the reliability and operating range of the two types of GaN devices. Our investigations find that the relative stability of the Re/GaN Schottky contact depends on the overall heat load generated during the constant current stressing, with the largest shifts in overall barrier height occurring for equivalent heat loads greater than 20 kW/cm2. This result will inform future changes to manufacturing techniques and provide a baseline for future improvements to GaN Schottky metallization.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisLieutenant, United States NavyONR Arlington, V
Faces of NPS: Lt. Cmdr. Jason Mariscal, USN
No full textFaces of NPS features interviews spotlighting the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our Nation's premier defense education and research institution
Tribute to Commander Stephen Szachta, Jr.
Get PDFCommander Szachta began his career in the U.S. Navy, heeding the call to service following the attacks on September 11 and, after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2006, would later attend the Naval Postgraduate School, graduating with distinction and earning a master of science in systems engineering.Mr. SCHMITT. Madam President, I rise today to honor CDR Stephen Szachta, Jr., of St. Charles, MO, a leader to service personnel who have served alongside him, a companion to our Japanese allies, and a true frontline warrior in our ensuing fight for global competitiveness against the Chinese Communist Party
Faces of NPS: Maj. Will Oblak, USMC
No full textFaces of NPS features interviews spotlighting the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our Nation's premier defense education and research institution