Naval Postgraduate School
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LOCAL INTERESTS VS. NATIONAL PRIORITIES: EXPLAINING CAGAYAN PROVINCE'S OPPOSITION TO U.S.-PHILIPPINE DEFENSE COOPERATION SITES
No full textIn 2014, the Philippines and the United States signed an agreement to grant U.S. armed forces access to five military bases in the Philippines. To strengthen their alliance further, the two countries extended the agreement in 2023 to cover four additional sites, including two in the northern province of Cagayan. In contrast to other provinces that were chosen to host these sites, opposition was strong in Cagayan. This thesis examines Cagayan’s response in comparison to the responses of other provinces whose bases will host U.S. forces. Specifically, it examines political, economic, sociocultural, and security factors that affected Cagayan Province differently than the other provinces. It finds that the key factors driving the opposition in Cagayan are provincial leaders’ concerns about local autonomy, their prioritization of potential Chinese economic investment, and differences between their security perceptions and those of national leaders. Comparing the Cagayan case to the cases of the other seven EDCA site hosts, this research revealed that Cagayan’s opposition is isolated and does not demonstrate a broad subnational sentiment. This study recommends that opposition can be minimized through consultations, balancing interests, and providing economic incentives to promote subnational cooperation for national security initiatives.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Colonel, Philippine Marine Corp
TEAMING UP FOR AMBULANCE SERVICES: A CASE FOR CALIFORNIA’S ALLIANCE CONTRACT MODEL
Get PDFCalifornia’s cities and counties offer many models for providing ambulance services to diverse populations and regions ranging from remote to metropolitan. In moderately sized and large counties, where a high ambulance transport volume can equal high corporate profits, conflicts arise over lucrative ambulance contracts. A new California law allows policymakers to place fire departments or fire districts in charge of supplying ambulance services directly or through a subcontractor. Several California counties, including Contra Costa County, have adopted this “alliance” model, thus promoting it as a means of providing this essential public service to other communities in the future. This thesis examines several agencies that have implemented this model and highlights their enhancements to the alliance framework. Such improvements include eliminating duplicative dispatch centers and introducing nurse navigation lines. This thesis finds that the alliance model supports integration and efficiency, thus improving ambulance services in California. It recommends publishing a case study once Contra Costa County’s alliance model reaches its 10-year milestone.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Civilian, Contra Costa County Fire Distric
INTEGRATING MILITARY ETHICS INTO CAPABILITIES-BASED PLANNING: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE BRAZILIAN AIR FORCE
No full textThis thesis explores how military ethics might be integrated into the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) Capabilities-Based Planning (CBP) framework. Considering that military ethics is fundamental for the armed forces, that it must be part of the education programs in the barracks, and that it has been challenged by the recent evolution of warfare, this thesis presents three hypotheses. First, military ethics may serve as a prerequisite for CBP. Second, military ethics may be a part of one of the capability’s components. Third, military ethics may become prominent in a particular scenario. This thesis develops a single case study, examining how military ethics relates to CBP, and how ethics might integrate into the structure and processes of FAB’s CBP. This thesis finds that the FAB’s military ethics program is proactive, forming and strengthening values, rather than being reactive to threats, or other conditions, and that FAB’s CBP does not consider ethics in its structure. The conclusions are that military ethics may be a prerequisite for FAB’s CBP, as it limits and orients the capability fulfillment. Although ethics may be part of a capability component, its relevance in the FAB motivates it to have a broader approach, and some scenarios may raise ethical issues, which leads to ethics being considered in the CBP in the form of a capability. The conclusions are significant for military ethics and CBP within the FAB, Brazil’s Ministry of Defense, and civil-military relations.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Major, Brazilian Air Forc
FRAUD IN AFGHANISTAN: ANALYSIS OF INTERNAL CONTROL FAILURES
Get PDFThis thesis examines instances of fuel fraud schemes in U.S.-funded reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, hypothesizing that failures in internal controls enabled these fuel fraud schemes. Applying the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission’s Internal Control Framework, this study analyzes documented cases of prosecuted and convicted military members involved in fuel theft. This research utilizes a case study methodology to identify systemic weaknesses in internal controls and recurring patterns of failure within the fuel management systems. The findings demonstrate that the lack of an effective internal control system contributed to fuel fraud. The results highlight the need for robust internal controls and improvements to enhance accountability and reduce vulnerabilities in the fuel management systems. This study also provides actionable recommendations to strengthen financial governance in conflict areas.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisLieutenant Junior Grade, United States Nav
ARE STAND-IN FORCES A VIABLE STRATEGY IN WARTIME?
Get PDFThe proliferation of anti-access area denial systems and the renewal of great power competition are challenging the role of naval forces. Revisionist powers, namely China and Russia, can credibly restrict naval access to entire maritime regions. The inability to maneuver naval forces during wartime threatens the national interests of the United States and jeopardizes long-term strategic partnerships. To change this dynamic, the United States is developing stand-in forces to support naval operations. This thesis assesses if stand-in forces are strategically viable in war. To determine strategic viability, it assesses lethality constraints, survivability imperatives, and scalability concerns with current and future Army and Marine Corps force compositions before identifying specific challenges stand-in forces face in the Indo-Pacific and European theaters. The findings indicate that stand-in forces are not capable of reassuring partners or deterring adversaries. In the next five years, properly equipped and positioned stand-in forces can shift this assessment. With partner support, integrated deterrence remains achievable. By prepositioning stand-in forces, in allied territory, the United States can impose mutual sea denial which maintains the strategic status quo without endangering high-end naval assets. Naval forces alone cannot achieve strategic goals, but stand-in forces with allied support can.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Major, United States Marine Corp
Remote Expert Method and System Utilizing Quantitative Quality Assurance in Mixed Reality
No full textThis disclosure and exemplary embodiments described herein provide a Parallel Content Authoring Method and Tool for Procedural Guidance, and a Remote Expert Method and System Utilizing Quantitative Quality Assurance in Mixed Reality. The implementation described herein is related to the generation of content/instruction set that can be viewed in different modalities, including but not limited to mixed reality, VR, audio text, however it is to be understood that the scope of this disclosure is not limited to such application
ASSAD'S AMPHETAMINE PROBLEM: THE SYRIAN REGIME, LEBANESE HEZBOLLAH, AND THE CAPTAGON TRADE
Get PDFThe Syrian regime’s revenue from captagon (an illegal amphetamine) now dramatically exceeds the profits of the Mexican drug cartels. This study sought to answer two questions: 1) How is the Syrian regime producing and distributing captagon and 2) How should the United States target Syria’s captagon industry? Research consisted of a review of the production and mapping of Syria’s captagon industry and a social network analysis of the 95 identified actors within the Syrian captagon network based on open-source information. Because the captagon network is largely protected by the Syrian regime, targeting its central actors and brokers may not be an ideal option without significant escalation and eliminating any hope for future law and order in Syria. By applying criminal state theory, dark network theory, and illicit finance theory, this study determined that the United States should consider the following three options to disrupt and degrade the captagon network (from most preferred to least preferred): 1) Financial intelligence to illuminate and freeze/seize captagon funds (high feasibility/low risk), 2) Target major production infrastructure (high feasibility/medium risk), and 3) Target central actors (medium feasibility/high risk).Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Major, United States Arm
FABRICATION METHOD FOR A BIO-INSPIRED RESONANT MEMS ACOUSTIC SENSOR
Get PDFThe Sensor Research Lab at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS-SRL) successfully developed a directional, resonant Microelectromechanical (MEMS) acoustic sensor. Currently, the sensor is designed at NPS-SRL, but its manufacturing is outsourced, which creates a logistical delay and design restrictions that are progressively limiting the development and evolution of the NPS sensor. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes a design approach and then executes a fabrication method using the current resources, materials and facilities available at NPS-SRL. The method offers potential new users a step-by-step process that results in a set of acoustic sensors in a single silicon wafer. The design of the process has mitigation measures that increase the survivability percentage of the acoustic sensors by adding redundancy in the design, which allows multiple acoustic devices of the same characteristics in one wafer. Then the characterization of the fabricated acoustic sensors was performed through laser vibroanalysis to obtain the frequency response. These results were compared with finite element simulations to validate the results. The success of this method reduces the current fabrication times and costs, enhances the research alternatives for future users, and expands the potential new applications for the NPS-SRL acoustic sensor.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisCapitán de Corbeta, Chilean NavyONR, Arlington, VA 2220
EVALUATION OF DOD INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LIFECYCLE INVESTMENTS IN CORE PROCESSES: TELEROBOTS AND LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS IN FORWARD DEPLOYED COMBAT REPAIR
Get PDFThis study addresses the challenge of optimally choosing management methodologies at each information technology (IT) investment life cycle phase by assessing the suitability of six standard methodologies to meet the information demands of each life cycle phase when considering new IT to value-optimize core processes. Typically, value-indifferent cost optimization motivates IT investment at sub-corporate for-profit levels, and in non-profit (e.g. DOD) contexts, because common accounting, finance, and economic methodologies fail to account for value produced by IT in core processes. This study aims to provide guidance to decision makers for six methodologies to make optimized value-aware investments in new IT, which lacks historical information upon which to predict outcomes. Without reference to historical information, decision-makers are further challenged to use the six standard management methodologies to forecast core process performance changes, especially return-on-investment (ROI). This research produced a set of guidelines for the use of each methodology at each IT investment life cycle phase that provides the best possible chance of new IT investment to optimize outcomes. A proof-of-concept case using advanced telerobotic systems to enhance the forward deployed combat repair core process was used to demonstrate the guidelines in the context of a new IT opportunity in the IT investment life cycle.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Commander, United States Nav
TRANSFER LEARNING OF A NEURAL NETWORK ONBOARD AN UNMANNED SURFACE VEHICLE USING SYNTHETIC DATA
No full textThis thesis explores the use of transfer learning and synthetic data to enhance the performance of a convolutional neural network (CNN) for maritime vessel detection, focusing on autonomous unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). The challenge addressed is the limited availability of labeled nighttime data, which is crucial for detecting vessels in low-visibility conditions. The model was initially trained on real-world data to detect the Mokai USV and other vessels. Synthetic daytime data was then used for transfer learning to diversify the dataset with more vessel types and conditions. Additionally, histogram equalization was applied to images from the Sionyx NightWave camera to adapt the model for nighttime detection without requiring extensive real-world labeled nighttime data. The model’s performance was evaluated using average precision (AP), recall, and miss rate metrics across real-world, synthetic daytime, and synthetic nighttime datasets. While the model performed well under daytime conditions, its performance dropped for nighttime detection, particularly for smaller objects. These results highlight the challenge of domain adaptation, but also demonstrate the potential of synthetic data and transfer learning for addressing the scarcity of labeled data in maritime environments. This approach offers a cost-effective solution for improving autonomous USV operations in diverse conditions.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant, United States Nav