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CONSOLIDATION OF DORMANT STOCK IN DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY’S WAREHOUSE USING OPTIMIZATION MODELING
No full textIn the intricate web of military logistics, where efficiency can mean the difference between success and failure, the issue of dormant stock looms large. Within the vast warehouses of the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), dormant stock poses a significant challenge, not only in terms of operational efficiency but also in resource allocation and readiness. The storage of items that have not been utilized for a considerable period of time not only occupies valuable space but also ties up financial resources that could be allocated elsewhere. As such, understanding and mitigating the dormant stock issue is crucial for enhancing the agility and responsiveness of defense logistics operations. This paper delves into the multifaceted problem of dormant stock within a DLA warehouse, exploring its root causes and its implications on logistics operations and proposing strategies to effectively address it. By examining the underlying factors contributing to the accumulation of dormant stock, we aim to provide insights into how these issues can be identified and rectified, ultimately improving inventory management practices. Storage assignment, the act of choosing what goods are placed in what locations in a warehouse, is a central problem of supply chain logistics. Through optimization modeling and assignment problem analysis, this project aims to provide actionable recommendations for policymakers, logistics managers, and other stakeholders involved in defense supply chain.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Captain, United States Marine Corp
Faces of NPS: Capt. Rose Kingham, 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
Faces of NPS: Capt. Eric Skalski, 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
Department of Defense Management
No full textIncludes an image of the main page on this date and compressed file containing additional web pages
3-D Printed Hydrophobic Metallic Nanocomposites
No full textThis disclosure, and the exemplary embodiments provided herein, disclose carbon nanotubes (CNT) integrated into 316L stainless steel (SS) powder feedstocks and 3D-printed using selective laser melting (SLM). Ball milling is used to disperse CNT clusters homogeneously onto the surface of 316L SS powders with minimal damage to the CNTs. Hardness increased by 35% and wear was reduced by 70% with the addition of2 vol % CNT, relative to SLM 316L SS. The addition of CNTs increased the water contact angle and retained the desirable corrosion resistance of SLM 316L SS, demonstrating the potential of3D-printed SS-CNT composites for use in structural marine applications
A Generative-AI Approach to HPM Counter-Swarming
Get PDFNPS NRP Executive SummaryBuilding on prior Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) work (Walton et al., 2018; Gong et al., 2020; Tsatsanifos et al., 2021; Walton et al., 2022), it tackles three key challenges in developing reinforcement learning (RL)-based, distributed neural network (NN) controllers for defense forces. The work was done by three NPS graduate students as a part of their master’s or PhD research. The first project determined that the optimal defense strategy of a high-value unit (HVU) depends on the velocity ratio between attackers and defenders, informing RL reward function design. The second project demonstrated the importance of feature engineering for NN controller stability and effectiveness, identifying key inputs for real-time decision-making. The third project developed a robust NN-based adversary classifier, demonstrating that exposure to diverse, noisy scenarios enhances adaptability and reliability.This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)ASN(RDA)- Research, Development, and Acquisitio
AI-Driven Competency Analysis for Enhancing Outcome-Based Education Programs
Get PDFNPS NRP Executive SummaryThe integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with education offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance Outcome-Based Education (OBE), especially within military educational and training institutions responsible for developing competencies that meet the operational and leadership demands of highly contested environments. This research focuses on critical warfighter competencies, using the Naval War College (NWC) Professional Military Education (PME) program as a case study to investigate AI-driven solutions for classifying competencies and detecting their presence within the program. Specifically, the study addresses two core research questions: Can AI solutions effectively classify competencies for an OBE program? Can an AI-assisted tool accurately identify the existence of specific competencies within education programs? A systematic methodology was employed, involving subject matter experts (SMEs) for data collection, dataset labeling, and validation to assess various machine learning (ML) models. Recognizing the issue of class imbalance often present in textual data—such as expected learning outcomes (LOs) in our case study—we applied several techniques to enhance dataset balance. These included manual and synthetic oversampling techniques and text augmentation, resulting in more representative data samples. Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques were applied, followed by training ML models such as H2O AutoML, the Tree-based Pipeline Optimization Tool (TPOT), and Transformers. These models achieved test set accuracies consistently above 70%, peaking at 76.73% using the H2O platform. The findings demonstrate that appropriate model selection, fine-tuning, and dataset balancing significantly improve classification accuracy. SMEs‘ validation confirmed that AI complements human judgment by identifying gaps and overlaps in curricula, thereby enhancing decision-making for competency alignment. This research highlights the critical role of AI in data-driven OBE programs to support the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV) Navy Education Strategy and Policy Branch. Future work will explore predictive modeling to recommend targeted curriculum updates and refine warfighter competencies, promoting more responsive educational strategies.Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)N7 - Warfighting Developmen
Global Security and Strategic Competition: Maritime Battlespace
No full textNPS NRP Executive SummaryIllegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing threatens the economic and maritime security of Gulf of Guinea (GoG) states by undercutting local livelihoods and robbing nations of vital revenue. Despite multiple countermeasures, most regional undertakings are limited by capacity, funding, and political will. This study aims to determine how emerging threats influence IUU fishing in the Gulf of Guinea and how varying approaches from GoG nations to counter IUU fishing impact regional cooperation and security. Research indicates that up to 40% of global IUU fishing occurs in West Africa’s waters alone, resulting in annual losses of $2.3 billion, 11–26 million tons of fish, and 300,000 jobs (Okafor-Yarwood, 2023). Regional governments cannot effectively monitor illegal operations in their coastal waters, as seen in the challenges of overfishing, especially with foreign fishing fleets from China and the European Union (EU). Some countries exploit West Africa’s weak governance, corruption, and regulatory loopholes to operate under local flags or via opaque access agreements, underscoring its wider security ramifications. Through interdisciplinary research, this study incorporates case studies from select Gulf of Guinea nations to assess domestic and regional responses in combatting IUU fishing. The cases include Angola, Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal. A thorough analysis of the political dynamic within these countries helped determine the strategies and prioritizations given to combatting IUU fishing and the strength of national counter-IUU fishing efforts. The findings from this study reveal that the political landscape directly influences the priority and effectiveness of national counter-IUU fishing efforts. International assessments show that most GoG states fall short in addressing IUU fishing, and understanding these political factors is essential for comprehending the wide-ranging approaches to combating this threat. These challenges require greater maritime domain awareness, regional cooperation and collaboration, and enforcement methods that leverage emerging technologies.Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)N7 - Warfighting Developmen
Novel Methods of Measuring Atmospheric Turbulence for Laser Weapons
No full textHigh-energy laser (HEL) and directed energy (DE) systems are highly sensitive to atmospheric turbulence, which distorts beam propagation and reduces effectiveness. Traditional turbulence measurement techniques, such as sonic anemometers, rely on indirect temperature-based methods that are prone to environmental contamination and noise. This study investigates laser interferometry as a direct method for measuring refractive index fluctuations. A phase-shifting Michelson interferometer was developed and tested against a co-located sonic anemometer in an open-air environment. The interferometer consistently measured higher turbulence levels, likely due to localized thermal effects near the optics table, but its power spectral density analysis confirmed agreement with expected turbulence scaling laws. These results highlight the interferometer’s potential for high-sensitivity, real-time turbulence measurements. Future work should focus on mitigating local thermal effects, assessing vibrational sensitivity, and adapting the system for shipboard deployment to enhance its operational viability for HEL applications.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Department of the NavyNaval Research Progra
Interdisciplinary Study on Combating Hybrid Threats
Get PDFNPS NRP Executive SummaryThis research sought to answer the following questions: How has Ukraine operationalized and improved its resistance and resilience? What are key lessons learned that could benefit NATO preparations for Russian activity in the Baltics/other Eastern European nations? What areas should the U.S. Navy further build resilience to combat Russian hybrid activities? And, what implications does the Russo-Ukrainian War have for special operations forces (SOF), specifically Naval SOF? To address these questions, we analyzed societal resistance and resilience practices that have been instrumental in assuring Ukrainian successes and identify best practices and lessons learned that will be applicable to other areas of responsibility (AORs) in shaping and conducting hybrid and conventional operations. Our approach combined a mixed-methods methodology, by incorporating qualitative and quantitative techniques. We reviewed literature, collected and analyzed open-source information and data from primary and secondary sources, and identified lessons learned and capability gaps. Concurrently, we examined case studies of historical and recent usage of dual-use technology, cyber-related threats and responses, kinetic and non-kinetic attacks against critical (energy) infrastructure, and other operational examples across applicable domains to compare accumulated data points to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Lastly, we assessed data relevant to indigenous social networks to illustrate the effectiveness of such networks to increase community resistance to malign influence and misinformation. The key findings of the research emphasized the importance of societal resilience and resistance strategies, paired with new and emergent technologies and modern hybrid operations tactics, which have played a crucial role in ensuring considerable successes in the conflict. Additionally, the study also identified critical capability gaps that hinder the effective response to modern hybrid threats. These gaps highlight areas that require further research and offer valuable insights into ways to improve future operational readiness.Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)N3/N5 - Plans & Strateg