Naval Postgraduate School
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No full textAn Acquisition Research Program Blog entry on this dat
THE SILENT KILLER: POVERTY IN THE UNITED STATES AS A HOMELAND AND HUMAN SECURITY THREAT
Get PDFThis thesis explores the multifaceted nature of poverty as it intersects various dimensions of security, seeking to answer how well Los Angeles, California, and the federal government use the human security approach (HSA) to reduce poverty as a homeland security threat. Government efforts were analyzed using the four principles of HSA: people-centered, comprehensive, context-specific, and prevention-oriented. The findings identify the limitations of current approaches. For example, efforts to reduce violent crime, improve environmental health, and enhance food security are often reactive rather than preventive. The strategies identified at each level of government do not sufficiently tackle systemic issues such as racial discrimination and economic inequality that perpetuate poverty and insecurity; however, they do address immediate needs. This thesis argues for a paradigm shift in addressing urban poverty, advocating for the adoption of the HSA at all levels of governance. By focusing on the interconnected nature of security threats and emphasizing comprehensive, people-centered solutions, policymakers can more effectively mitigate the impacts of poverty.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Civilian, Berkeley Fire Departmen
A FRAMEWORK TO ORGANIZE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING TEAMS IN A HYBRID WORK ENVIRONMENT
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic and the Department of Defense’s ensuing 2023 transition to a hybrid work environment changed workplace culture and amplified the need to adapt the traditional document-centric practices of the systems engineering and project management disciplines. This study contributes to the ongoing post-pandemic research concerning productivity while teleworking, as well as the limited research about integrating both disciplines. It assessed the operating model of an organic Lead Systems Integrator, which informed an adaptive organizational structure and technological change proposal. An initial case study of a teleworking project team, subsequent focus groups, and an online survey collected inputs from 90 percent of this study’s population (n = 92). A mixed method analysis indicated that 73 percent of government and industry teammates prefer teleworking (mean = 3.8 days/week); more than 80 percent reported feeling part of a team and empowered to make decisions in this setting; productivity nearly doubled during the maximum telework period; model-based systems engineering tools and the Kanban methodology yielded a 50 percent gain in workflow efficiencies; and 70 percent of participants agreed that stove-piped communication—not telework—remains the greatest barrier to productivity. Recommendations to optimize resources and a scalable 21st century operating framework are suggested for practical implementation.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisCivilian, Department of the Nav
MOBILE FUEL GENERATION SYSTEM
Get PDFThe United States Navy (USN) must operate around the world while efficiently producing and providing fuel to all mission essential functions. The USN aims to lower the strain on the supply chain while complying with the operational energy strategy (OES). This capstone project researched the viability of the USN producing alternative fuel on a Naval Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer (DDG) to support a team of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), while not degrading normal operations and meeting all stakeholder needs. The mobile fuel system (MFS) was designed to convert fossil fuel onboard the DDG to liquid hydrogen. The MFS will support up to four different classes of UAVs, conducting and expanding intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting (ISRT) operations. Using modeling and simulation, it was found that the MFS was capable of producing liquid hydrogen to support ISRT operations using UAVs. The United States Navy (USN) must operate around the world while efficiently producing and providing fuel to all mission essential functions. The USN aims to lower the strain on the supply chain while complying with the operational energy strategy (OES).Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Civilian, Department of the ArmyCivilian, Missile Defense AgencyCivilian, Department of the ArmyCivilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the ArmyCivilian, Department of the Arm
INCREASING THE GOVERNMENT PURCHASE CARD LIMIT
Get PDFThe acquisition environment in the Department of Defense (DoD) has seen many changes over the past years, mainly due to the evolving utilization of the Government Purchase Card (GPC). One of the challenges that DoD has faced is how to effectively and efficiently support the warfighter, particularly down-range, while also providing sufficient fiduciary accountability to the American taxpayer. It has become increasingly difficult to accomplish this over the past several years due to the rise of inflation, which has stifled the quantity and quality of items that are available to be procured while remaining in compliance. This research aims to illustrate the importance of increasing the GPC threshold, supported by financial reports collected from 21 different naval commands provided by the level 3 agency program coordinator (APC) at Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP). The results illustrate that commands with the proper oversight experience minimal infractions regarding fraud, waste, and abuse, supporting the claim to increase the GPC threshold to $25,000 to provide increased buying power for organizations.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Ensign, United States Nav
ASSESSING VULNERABILITY OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MISSIONS TO CLIMATE IMPACTS ON WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Get PDFWater plays a crucial role for the operational readiness of military installations, making it imperative to have a thorough understanding of climate change's effects on water infrastructure systems to estimate future mission assurance. This work develops a vulnerability analysis method for estimating climate exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity for installation water distribution systems. We develop methods that integrate climate projections, pipe failure simulation, and hydraulic simulation of water flows to estimate future water outages and outage durations. We apply these methods on a realistic, yet fictitious water system with embedded missions at three key military locations: Naval Station Norfolk, Malmstrom Air Force Base, and Naval Support Activity Bahrain. Results demonstrate that different locations will experience different numbers of pipe and system failures. Importantly, different missions will have different numbers of outages based on their location and water service thresholds. Overall, results act as a proof of concept for future studies using real data for installation water systems.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant, United States NavyEnvironmental Science Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) 3500 Defense Pentagon, RM 5C646 Washington, DC 20301-350
SIC PARVIS MAGNA: REAL-TIME CRIME CENTERS FOR SMALL POLICING’S LARGE ROLE IN HOMELAND SECURITY
Get PDFModern policing faces unprecedented challenges in ensuring officer safety amid staffing shortages and changing threats. Innovations like real-time crime centers (RTCCs) may help mitigate these challenges. Smaller police departments often encounter obstacles in adopting advanced technology, making it less likely for them to implement such innovations than larger departments. This thesis explores the advantages of RTCCs for smaller law enforcement agencies, identifies barriers to adoption, and suggests possible adaptations for effective implementation.This study assesses the current state of RTCCs in America through public record searches; it catalogs technologies used within RTCCs, employs case study interviews in two operational RTCCs, and uses a counterfactual scenario as a third case study. The study analyzes these cases using a conceptual matrix derived from innovation diffusion theory.Thus, this study identifies multiple success factors—community support, political backing, and existing technology. Smaller agencies are less likely to meet these preconditions. This thesis concludes that regional partnerships or state/federal funding mechanisms may allow smaller agencies to overcome some barriers to RTCC adoption. Interagency resource sharing would enable multiple departments to access advanced technologies, facilitating small agencies' use of RTCCs. RTCCs may increase policing capability and officer safety when adapted to smaller agencies through these methods.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Civilian, Girard Police Departmen
UXV NETWORKED CONTROL SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION AND EXPLAINABILITY VIA SUPERVISED LEARNING
Get PDFThis thesis explores the application of supervised machine learning techniques into improving the performance and interpretability of networked control systems (NCS). Unmanned Systems (UxVs) can offer quick and efficient target location through extended reconnaissance missions covering large areas. Controlling a group of UxVs in a collaborative manner is a difficult problem, and one solution in development at the Naval Postgraduate School is Behavior Integrated Optimization for Networked control systems (BION). BION is an NCS that leverages a Partially Observable Monte Carlo Planning (POMCP) algorithm to provide near-optimal near-real-time formation control. This thesis aims to resolve certain limitations of POMCP algorithms by approximating key functionality with a trained neural network. The neural network leverages probabilistic techniques and saliency maps to improve interpretability, while also bringing improvements to processing speed. Experiments were performed on different architectures based on ResNet, and the trained neural network was successfully integrated into BION. This research expands our ability to experiment and develop BION, which furthers the development and integration of UxVs in the fleet.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Captain, United States Marine Corp