Defense and Security Studies Commons^™

What Can Be Done About School Shootings?: A Review Of The Evidence, Randy Borum, Dewey Cornell, William Modzeleski, Shane Jimerson

Randy Borum

School shootings have generated great public concern and fostered a widespread impression that schools are unsafe for many students; this article counters those misapprehensions by examining empirical evidence of school and community violence trends and reviewing evidence on best practices for preventing school shootings. Many of the school safety and security measures deployed in response to school shootings have little research support, and strategies such as zero tolerance discipline and student profiling have been widely criticized as unsound practices. Threat assessment is identified as a promising strategy for violence prevention that merits further study. The article concludes with an overview …

Is Screening Cargo Containers For Smuggled Nuclear Threats Worthwhile?, Jason R. W. Merrick, Laura A. Mclay

Statistical Sciences and Operations Research Publications

In recent years, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has installed radiation sensors to screen cargo containers entering theUnited States. They are concerned that terrorists could use containers to smuggle radiological material into the country and carry out attacks with dirty bombs or a nuclear device. Recent studies have questioned the value of improving this screening system with new sensor technology. The cost of delays caused by frequent false alarms outweighs any reduction in the probability of an attack in an expected cost analysis. We extend existing methodology in three ways to demonstrate how additional factors affect the value of screening …

Humpty Dumpty Institute 2010 Annual Report, Humpty Dumpty Institute

Global CWD Repository

Humpty Dumpty Institute 2010 Annual Report

Mid Term Evaluation Of The Mine Action Programme In Afghanistan, European Union

Global CWD Repository

Elements of both projects can be seen as very successful. Overall, the UNMAS project was more successful, whereas UNDP's ANBP was seen as increasingly under-performing, and became less relevant, during this funding period. However, the work of ANBP's Implementing Partners (IPs), and in particular the HALO Trust's village level Weapons & Ammunition Disposal (WAD) programme, initially funded by ANBP, is seen as highly successful.

Evaluation Of The Humanitarian Mine Action Activities Of Norwegian People's Aid, Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining

Global CWD Repository

This report presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations of an evaluation of the Norwegian support to Norwegian People's Aid's mine action programmes commissioned by Norad's Evaluation Department and undertaken by COWI A/S. The evaluation provides information on the results of Norwegian People's Aid's humanitarian mine activities, and provides recommendations that can be used in future identification, design, and implementation of humanitarian mine activities.

Itf Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 2010, Itf Enhancing Human Security

Global CWD Repository

Since 1998, ITF has grown into an internationally recognized organization, supported by donations from extensive number of governments, public and private organizations, companies and individuals that has already surpassed the figure of 330 million USD. ITF contribution to the global fight against landmines and especially to the one in South East Europe (SEE) can not and must not be measured solely by numbers and statistical data. The contribution must be viewed in terms of its input to the restoration of conditions for cultural, social and economic lives of individuals and communities living in or emerging from war-torn society. Stable conditions …

Evaluation Of The United Nations Mine Action Programme In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Anne Capelle, Chris Lang

Global CWD Repository

The team found that mid to long term planning was insufficient to meet the changing context of the country. There team felt that there was a clear lack of congruence between mine action strategies and the countrywide priorities and strategic direction. The team believes that there is currently too much emphasis placed on creating a functional national mine action structure to the detriment to mid to long term planning for actual clearance activities in the country. The team also found that limited consideration has been placed on ensuring a long term solution to dealing with any residual mine and UXO …

Emergency Response In Large-Scale Disasters: Lessons Learned And Implications For National Security, Ashton Rohmer

Government and International Relations Honors Papers

This work analyzes the domestic emergency management policy of the United States and the extent to which it reflects an imbalance in U.S. national security policy. It tests the thesis that despite the rhetoric of enhanced emergency management capabilities in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the U.S. still remains vulnerable to largescale domestic emergencies due to a lack of adequate planning and resources. This vulnerability stems from a failure to implement lessons learned from large-scale domestic incidents such as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the Northeast Blackout of 2003. Since U.S. security policy is heavily focused …

The Tale Of Two Narratives: Nato As A Collective Defense And A Collective Security Institution, Anna M. Rulska

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this project is to determine NATO's present and future roles as a collective security organization and as a security alliance. In the past, NATO has dealt with both objectives under different and changing conditions. This paper argues that throughout the entirety of its history, NATO worked as both collective security and collective defense organization. The theoretical assumptions made within the paper are supported by the analysis of the past behavior of the Alliance in respect to the relationship between the narrative of collective security and that of collective defense, and changes within that relationship. Four specific periods …

Archipelagic Sea Lanes Passage And Maritime Security In Archipelagic Southeast Asia, Vivien Jane Evangelio Cay

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Providing Department Of Defense Support Domestically: A Study Of Cost Effectiveness, Meredith Howes

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Department of Defense is one of the highest costs to the United States government at any given time. However, as two foreign wars have been going on for nearly 10 years, the amount of resources needed is significantly higher than usual. This increase in required funds is necessary for military personnel salaries, military equipment, government personnel supporting the Department of Defense, along with support services provided by private military contractors. There have been several recent studies reviewing the effectiveness of contractors on the battlefield, but most overlook those supporting the warfighter at home. While there are many different factors …

Disability Preparedness: Availability Of Ada Compliant Emergency Shelters Across Pennsylvania, Lisa J. Peterson

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Since the events of September 11th and Hurricane Katrina, the field and research associated with emergency preparedness have grown substantially. Despite the positive contributions of research, problems relating to the use of emergency shelters during the disasters have surfaced. Through anecdotal evidence and subsequent research, it was soon discovered that the needs of those with disabilities were not adequately addressed at many sites. Many potential residents were turned away at shelters due to their disability, or if allowed in, were forced to live in sites with barriers that could hinder activities of daily living.

To address concerns, emergency management officials …

Challenges For Human, Social, Cultural, And Behavioral Modeling, S. K. Numrich, Andreas Tolk

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

Today's military focus has moved away from the force-on-force battlefield of the past century and into the domain of irregular warfare and its companion security, stability, transition and reconstruction missions. With that change in focus has come a need to examine the operational environment from a wider perspective, one that includes the whole range of human experiences and circumstances. As the set of factors and list of players expands, the need for reliable modeling and simulation increases, if for no other reason than to help the human decision maker make sense of this expanded decision space. However, to do this, …

Barriers To Implementing A ‘Secured By Design’ Program For The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Brent Burchett

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Officers from the Lexington Division of Police have begun planning the implementation of a popular United Kingdom crime prevention program, Secured by Design, in Lexington, Kentucky. Many municipalities in the United States operate crime prevention by design programs, focusing on how the built environment affects criminal behavior. Secured by Design, a specific crime prevention by design program privately owned by the U.K.'s Association of Chief Police Officers, partners with U.K. police and urban planning departments to encourage adoption of building and design practices believed to prevent crime. Lexington would be the first U.S. city to have a Secured by Design …

Jordan's National Mine Action Plan (2010-2015), National Committee For Demining And Rehabilitation

Global CWD Repository

This second national mine action plan (NMAP) builds on the progress made during the 2005-2009 period. The 2010-2015 plan describes the remaining challenges and NCDR's plans and activities as it enters the final kilometres of its work to make Jordan a safer place.

Iraq Mine Action Strategy (2010-2012), Geneva International Centre For Humanitarian Demining

Global CWD Repository

The first draft of a mine action strategy in Iraq was formulated in 2004 in line with the urgent requirement to structure and organize mine action in Iraq in order to support national development priorities in line with the National Development Strategy (NDS).

At the time of the development of this strategy it was not clear what the role of each of the involved Ministries, civil society organizations and the United Nations support program for mine action, which made it incapable of achieving it goals in a manner consistent with that stage.

And thus the current mine action strategy was …

Portfolio Of Mine Action Projects 2010, United Nations Mine Action Service

Global CWD Repository

Since the anti-personnel mine-ban treaty was adopted in September 1997, mine action has helped an ever-increasing number of civilians reclaim their lives and restore their livelihoods. The treaty has helped mobilize the international community’s response to landmines and their impact on people. It is a testament to what can be achieved when we collectively take on a grave humanitarian and development challenge.

The United Nations pledges to assist mine-affected countries in meeting their obligations under the anti-personnel mine-ban treaty and other international norms related to mine action. The United Nations continues to clear areas known or believed to be contaminated …

Itf Enhancing Human Security Annual Report 2011, Itf Enhancing Human Security

Global CWD Repository

Since 1998, ITF has grown into an internationally recognized organization, supported by donations from extensive number of governments, public and private organizations, companies and individuals that has already surpassed the figure of 330 million USD. ITF contribution to the global fight against landmines and especially to the one in South East Europe (SEE) can not and must not be measured solely by numbers and statistical data. The contribution must be viewed in terms of its input to the restoration of conditions for cultural, social and economic lives of individuals and communities living in or emerging from war-torn society. Stable conditions …

Security By Contractor: Outsourcing In Peace And Stability Operations, Volker Franke

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Changes In Intelligence For An Age Of Terror (Gregory F. Treverton. Intelligence For An Age Of Terror. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.), Scott Miller

Global Tides

Book review of Gregory F. Treverton's Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009).