Digital Commons Network^™

The Long Pivot: The Development Of The Joint Warfighting Concept, Wilson C. Blythe Jr.

Joint Force Quarterly

Military strategy evolves in response to global threats and technological advancements. This article examines the development of the Joint Warfighting Concept, a pivotal shift in U.S. military thinking towards confronting peer adversaries. The concept emerged from a process of reorienting the Department of Defense away from counterinsurgency operations and towards potential conflicts with modernized Russian and Chinese forces. Initially hindered by a lack of urgency, efforts to address this strategic shift gained momentum through initiatives like the Third Offset Strategy and subsequent national security documents. The Joint Warfighting Concept provides a unified vision for future warfare, guiding force modernization and …

Revive: Getting Medical Supplies And Expertise Right In Distributed Maritime Operations, Seth Reini, Jonathan J. Haase

Joint Force Quarterly

In recent conflicts, military medical providers have set impressive records for battlefield care, setting a “golden hour” precedent. In a conflict with the People's Republic of China, however, the “golden hour” aspiration will be severely challenged if not untenable. Here, the paradigm will be Distributed Maritime Operations, air superiority will be challenged, and vast distances exist between treatment locations. With patients potentially being held for hours or days, updated medical treatment strategies, logistics methodologies, and transport capabilities will be necessary. This paper focuses on leveraging Military Sealift Command platforms for multi-mission usage by transporting medical supplies to Navy ships in …

Increasing Operational Access: A Strategy For The Western Pacific, Shaun F. Callahan

Joint Force Quarterly

This article presents a comprehensive argument for why the United States must enhance its military and strategic mobility in the Western Pacific to counter the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) growing regional assertiveness. The article contends that maintaining a Free and Open Indo-Pacific requires a whole-of-government approach to operational access, blending diplomatic outreach, economic engagement, strategic communication, and military posture. Current U.S. basing and access agreements, rooted in Cold War dynamics, no longer suffice for effective power projection in today’s contested environment. To enable integrated deterrence and flexible crisis response, the United States must expand distributed access points, deepen partnerships, …

Building Strategic Lethality: Special Operations Models For Joint Force Learning And Leader Development, Spencer B. Meredith Iii

Joint Force Quarterly

This article examines how U.S. Joint Special Operations Forces (SOF), particularly through SAG-U and CJSOTF-10, have rapidly adapted to support Ukraine amid Russia’s full-scale invasion, offering a model for future joint force innovation. SAG-U emerged as a key logistics and coordination hub, integrating NATO and interagency partners to manage complex, high-stakes supply chains. Meanwhile, CJSOTF-10 and its subordinate SOTF-10.1 shifted from traditional training and advising roles to rapid tactical adaptation, virtual assistance, and technological integration to meet evolving battlefield demands. The creation of the Remote Advise and Assist Cell (RAAC) illustrates how remote support and real-time data can bridge operational …

Rightsizing The Pla Air Force: Revisiting An Analytic Framework, Lauren Edson, Phillip C. Saunders

Joint Force Quarterly

This article evaluates the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) from 2007 to 2025 using the Saunders-Quam framework, which identifies four core trade-offs: changes in roles and missions, domestic versus foreign procurement, high-tech versus low-tech systems, and combat versus support aircraft. While the framework remains a useful analytical tool, it underestimated the Chinese Communist Party’s willingness to fund expensive modernization efforts and the rapid advancements in China’s defense industrial base. The article identifies key factors missing from the original framework such as doctrinal shifts, increased emphasis on counterintervention, maritime expansion, and the rise of unmanned systems. It …

Joint Force Quarterly, Issue 118, 3rd Quarter 2025, National Defense University Press

Joint Force Quarterly

This issue of Joint Force Quarterly addresses key strategic, operational, and doctrinal questions shaping the future of the joint force. Articles examine mobilization as a strategic imperative, PLA Air Force modernization, Southeast Asia’s geographic role in U.S. defense strategy, and leader development for strategic lethality. Contributions also explore AI’s role in detecting deepfakes, the civil-military relationship, and innovations in military logistics and cyber force design. A retrospective on the Joint Warfighting Concept and critical reviews of recent defense literature provide context and continuity. Collectively, these pieces offer insight into how the joint force must evolve to meet emerging challenges.

Honoring Queer Womxn Of Color’S Wisdom, Healing And Joy, Sydney M. Herring-Alderete, Miranda E. Gutierrez Acosta, Sarah M. Bryant, Michelle A. Pollok, Grace Schroeder, Kevlyn M. Holmes, Jessi H. Pham, Lauren Bulalacao, Suzanne Lopez, Moises Franco, Nat Betancourt Arellano, Lauryn Jarvis, Ana G. Reyes

The Qualitative Report

Too frequently, traditional research centers the wounded-subject position (Brown, 1995), which reduces minoritized individuals to their experiences of discrimination, perpetuating deficit-based narratives, oppression, and existing power dynamics. To counter traditional research frameworks and deficit-based narratives, we used photovoice methodology (Wang & Burris, 1997) to honor and celebrate the healing experiences of nine queer womxn of color (QWoC). The photovoice project explored the healing experiences of QWoC inside and outside counseling and lead to the curation of a photovoice exhibit to share their stories of resilience and power. This article outlines our approach to organizing a photovoice exhibit and our experiences …

Unfinished Business: An Analysis Of The Permanent Forum On People Of African Descent, Satang Nabaneh

Journal of African Policy Studies

Communities of African descent worldwide experience persistent structural discrimination, manifested in poverty, underdevelopment, marginalization, social exclusion, and economic disparities. The historical crimes of enslavement, the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans, apartheid, and colonialism, recognized as crimes against humanity and potentially constituting genocide, have left enduring trauma and systemic repercussions. These atrocities are demonstrably linked to current disparities in health, welfare, and the fulfillment of human rights for people of African descent. The International Decade for People of African Descent (2015 to 2024), proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 under the theme “People of African Descent: Recognition, Justice …

Earthjustice: The Role Of The African Regional Human Rights System In Containing Climate Change, Bright Nkrumah, Ebenezer Durojaye, Maria Usang Assim

Journal of African Policy Studies

At the turn of the millennium, the landscape of Africa has been punctuated by intense weather conditions. With a disproportionate percentage of the continent’s population bearing the brunt of climate-induced heatwaves, deluges, and drought, it is expected that this phenomenon will spur regional climate litigation. The essay argues that although there is an evolution of climate cases submitted at the national level, this development has not evolved to the African regional human rights system. The lack of cases at the regional level beckons one to explore why (potential)victims are unable or unwilling to explore these mechanisms given their role in …

The Intersection Between Child Marriage And Climate Change: An Example Of Malawi, Musu Bakoto Sawo

Journal of African Policy Studies

Child marriage affects 39,000 girls daily, totaling 650 million women married before age eighteen globally. While driven by poverty, tradition, and limited education, climate change is emerging as a significant new factor, particularly in developing nations such as Malawi, where 42% of girls marry before age eighteen. An estimated 1.5 million girls in Malawi are at risk due to climate-exacerbated food insecurity and displacement. This paper, using feminist theories of intersectionality, postcolonial feminism, and feminist political ecology, examines the complex link between climate change and child marriage in Malawi. It critiques existing international, regional, and domestic policies, highlighting their inadequacy …

African Feminist Theories And The Gendered Dimensions Of Climate Change In Africa, Manase Kudzai Chiweshe

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper analyzes how African feminist theories can provide nuanced insights into the gendered dimensions of climate change across the continent. African feminist theories provide essential insights into the everyday lived experiences of women within African spaces, allowing for a contextual analysis of the impacts of climate change. There has also been a growing recognition of the need to identify the gender-differentiated impacts of climate change. The main argument is not only that climate change will be experienced by men and women differently but also that the impacts will hurt women more severely. Yet this theorization must employ theoretical lenses …

Reclaiming Power: Decolonization And Development For Africa And People Of African Descent, Satang Nabaneh

Journal of African Policy Studies

The journey to this special issue has been a long and significant one for me, as an African deeply invested in the multifaceted realities of global Africa. Africa embodies the global. Its people, culture, and histories transcend borders, reflecting a deeply interconnected world. To speak of global Africa is to reject essentialist notions of African identity, recognizing that to be African is to be unbounded by space, place, or fixed definitions. This special issue, “Reclaiming Power: Decolonization and Development for Africa and People of African Descent,” was born out of the convergence of the 2023 Social Practice of Human Rights …

District Impact On State-Wide Charter School Policy: Has Normandy Schools Collaborative Punctuated The Equilibrium? Charter School Policy Analysis Of The Missouri Department Of Elementary And Secondary Education, Tracey L. Cannon

Dissertations

Abstract

Punctuated Equilibrium Theory, as applied by Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) to the study of species evolution, examined the infrequency of morphological change or stasis discontinuity.1 While groundbreaking in the field of Paleontology and the study of fossil change, the theory has been well-fitting to the decision sciences as introduced by Baumgartner and Jones2, in their 1993 and 2010 publications. Recognizing typical, incremental policy change, its use in this research looks at how stasis, stagnant policy can be punctuated by changes in political or societal views. This study examines the impact of heightened problem discussion for agenda …

Osteogenesis Imperfecta And The Family: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Experiences Of Family And Caregivers, Gianna M Colombo, Andrew D Wiese, Amelia E Mercado, Whitney S Shepherd, Michelle Fynan, Kara Ayers, W Conor Rork, Kristin M Kostick-Quenet, Dianne Nguyen, Sophie C Schneider, Julia M Morales, Saniah I Kazimi, Hannah E Cho, Members Of The Bbdc, Chaya N Murali, Marie-Eve Robinson, Brendan Lee, V Reid Sutton, Eric A Storch

Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy Staff Publications

Introduction: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) describes a group of rare, heritable bone disorders causing bone fragility, tendency to fracture with minimal trauma, and chronic pain due to abnormal collagen synthesis. Limited research exists on the psychosocial impact of OI during childhood on caregivers and families.

Purpose: This study aimed to understand caregiver experiences, existing social support provided for families affected by OI, and the impact of OI on family life.

Method: Thirteen caregivers of individuals with OI participated in semistructured interviews. Researchers coded, abstracted, and analyzed qualitative data to develop themes on the psychosocial impact of OI on the family unit. …

Strategic Development Plan – San Pedro Dr. Main Street Corridor, Adrian N. Carver

Student Publications

The San Pedro MainStreet Strategic Development Plan is a place-based, community-driven roadmap for revitalizing the San Pedro Drive corridor in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The corridor sits at the intersection of historical significance and present-day opportunity—bridging the old and new alignments of Route 66 while serving a diverse, working-class population. Drawing from urban planning theory, spatial analysis, and community input, this plan identifies challenges and assets related to land use, infrastructure, business development, housing, and cultural identity. Special attention is given to past and ongoing patterns of racialized disinvestment and displacement, with strategies proposed to ensure equitable reinvestment and climate resilience. …

Enhancing Undergraduate Education Through Social Innovation Projects: The Experience Of A Young University In Singapore, Intan Azura Mokhtar, Yong Lim Foo

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

In this paper, social innovation is used as a catch-all phrase for projects and initiatives by higher education institutions (HEIs) related to community engagement, community-based learning, and service-learning. This paper explores the concept and application of social innovation in higher education, followed by a case study of implementing social innovation projects in a young, applied learning university in Singapore, a discussion of lessons learned, and plans for the near future in enhancing and strengthening its implementation.

The Civic Minded (Post) Graduate: Examining The Long-Range Benefits Of Community-Engaged Service Learning, Catherine Wilkins

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This project seeks to fill gaps in the knowledge about the long-term benefits of undergraduate participation in community-engaged service learning (CESL). A mixed-methods research protocol delivered to graduates of an R1 public university three years after the completion of a CESL senior capstone course observed significant divergences in knowledge and behavioral attributes of civic mindedness. This research methodology could be employed by other scholars to determine if these findings are reproducible.

First-Year Intersections: Professional Preparation And Civic Engagement Across Four New American Colleges And Universities (Nacu) Campuses, Shereen Ilahi, Chastity Blankenship, Andy Morris, Jeffrey Thomas

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Four institutions hypothesized that civic engagement in first-year courses reinforces career readiness by helping students think critically, communicate effectively, and work well with diversity. We measured teamwork skills, the ability to synthesize and apply different perspectives, and the ability to express, listen to, and adapt ideas based on the perspective of others. We compared self-assessments to direct assessment of student-created artifacts and found a positive correlation that encourages further enquiry.

Feasibility Of A Peer-Facilitated Video-Based Mental Health And Substance Use Service-Learning Program, Mara Carmina A. Tamayo, King Filart, Maria Regina Hechanova

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study examined the feasibility of implementing a peer-facilitated mental health and substance use video-based program delivered by psychology students as part of service learning. The program was delivered on-site and online. Findings reveal improvements in knowledge, attitudes, refusal self-efficacy, and adaptive coping among on-site participants. However, there was no effect on online participants given many implementation challenges. Recommendations include delivering the program on-site, strengthening training for facilitators, increasing program duration, and shortening the videos.

The K-12 Education Workforce In Nevada, 2024, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet presents data on the share of workers in the K-12 education workforce in Nevada. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Query System provides data on the amount of employment in all job sectors at the state and metropolitan statistical area (MSA) levels. This fact sheet focuses on employment and wage data for the State of Nevada, the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV MSA, and the Reno, NV MSA as of May 2024.

Du Undergraduate Showcase Abstracts: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Kabe Aberle, Nadia Kako, Kateri Mcrae, Brooke Agulnek, Sky Palmon, Yasmine Ramirez, Francisca Aguirre Beltran, Ashley Juarez, Bridget Kim, Tessa Appel, Sterling Kerr, Spencer Ingley, Gabe Meyer, Robin Tinghitella, Dale Broder, Lily Baeza, Chloe Beers, Julia Coakley, Whitney Kelsey, Sydney Gainforth, Gabi Wing, Audrey Martin, Aaliyah Amore Berry, Brooke Watley, Kiruthika Venkatesan, Rachel Bienstock, Annabella Brotherston, Madison Bryant, Mia Burgener, Emma P. Lieb, Rachel A. Johnson, Jennifer L. Hoffman, Kania Campbell, Kiena Campbell, Courtney Cassidy, Sage Krzyzkowski, Maddox Jones, Skylar Abookire, Luke Hawkins, Sunnah Yoon, Andrea Chu, Yan Qin, Nyah Cubbison, Brian Gearity, Daniel Mcintosh, Mariely Cruz, Edward Garrido, Grady Dionne, Nicole Doris, Lyndsie Salvagio, Ann-Charlotte Granholm-Bentley, Anna Dymov, Hannah Eckert, Gabrielle Welsh, Erica Larson, Charlie Ernst, Anna Zhou, Sarah Watamura, Larissa Fedorovich-Klein, Georgie Fields, Kimberly A. Guevara, Aven Mccall, Ben Peltier, Feruz Yahia, Patrick Flores, Jadyn Floyd, Sophia Forcier, J. Von R. Monteza, Peter Sokol-Hessner, Gwendolyn Geiger, Scott Nichols, Camryn Gunter, Kendal Hengst, Charlie Bednarz, Issy Garside, Addison Baker, Rachel Mina, Brooke Hermanson, Amanda Klingler, William Highfill, Sydney Jaques, Kerstin Lewey, Allison Grossery, Daniel Linseman, Ethan Lim, Jagger Livengood, Owen Mantelli, Gabby Pappas, Abby Mcdonald, Madeleine Dierking, Eve Miller, Emma Loeber, Anna Marlow, Michael Kerwin, Ella Mathews, Hillary Hamann, Khadija Mohamed, Vivian Nguyen, Gabri Notov, Ifunayachi Ogbonna-Ukuku, Sunil Kumar, Charles Baysah, Sarah Olson, Don Sullivan, Anna Paradiso, Jay Parrish, Mira Pronobis, Alisha Pravasi, Kerstin Haring, Diego Ramirez, Christopher Reardon, Juliana Ramirez, Casey Doherty, Ella Kestner, Teagan Weindel, Cate Billings, Pablo Torre-Walter, Lucy Rand, Samantha Reynolds, Mark Siemens, Khadeeja Rashid, Laine Satterlee, Piper Heilbronner, Lily Pound, Ben Whitehurst, Anna Respet, Lizzie Lesoing, Sydney Hertel, Aya Saad-Masri, Brooke Ballenger, Max Proske, Hannah Rosenberg, Ellia Nakahara, Sophia Espinoza, Ivan Woolhouse, Simon Ruland, Gorkem Er, Timothy Sweeny, Melaku Saketa, Michela Schenk, Maren Lynch, Madi Hamm, Grace Schroeder, Michelle Rozenman, Rana Seif, Jackson Hall, Marisela Simental, Daniel Paredes, Aaron Mena, Preston Spaan, Evelyn Stovin, David Andrew Swartz, Anh Tran, Daniel Pittman, Luke Farchione, Emily Boyer, Ukari Verner, Lacey Conrad, Jonathan Velotta, James Weiner, Jagger Gossett, Noah Sherry, Sam Proud, Ben Block, Avi Narayana, Zoey Weiss, Alyssa Wilson, Gabrielle Walsh, David Zonana, Keely Wright, Kena Riveria, Lillybelle Deer, Jena Doom, Elysia Davis, Isabelle Yaremenko, Caitlyn Young

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Abstracts from the DU Undergraduate Research Showcase.

Planetary Thinking: Hellbenders As Emissaries Of Appalachia, Tierra R. Curry

Critical Humanities

Hellbenders are prehistoric salamanders that have thrived in cold rivers since before the continents divided. Once found throughout Appalachian watersheds, due to exploitation and habitat degradation only a few dozen healthy populations survive. Monstrous yet fascinating, hellbenders were often reviled historically, but in recent decades they have gained iconic status and are now celebrated as charismatic indicators for clean rivers. Hellbenders are symbols of the wild because of their ancient history, elusive nature, and contribution to ecosystem resilience. The same forces that drove the decline of these amphibian sentinels have sacrificed public health in Appalachia. Their demise echoes the struggle …

This Is Why We Do It: Faculty Motivations For Embracing Community-Engaged Pedagogy, Magdalena Denham, Lee M. Miller, Joyce K. Mccauley, Danica Schieber, Taylor L. Morrison, Chuck Drumm

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Institutions of higher education are increasingly highlighting community engagement activities to make the benefits of higher education more visible. The most transformational community engagement is linked to curriculum, so it is faculty who must incorporate community-engaged pedagogy. This content analysis of faculty narratives about community engagement reveals motivations for faculty to engage in this work. These findings connect to social capital theory and suggest a new direction for faculty development efforts to promote community engagement.

Community Engagement In Music Therapy: Reflections From The Field, Jess Rushing, Denise M. Cumberland

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper reflects on a music therapy community engagement project that incorporates clinical training, service learning, and community music therapy. Two faculty members and a practicum student in a Midwestern university engaged community members connected to Parkinson’s disease to create a music-based program. We offer a conceptual framework that connects approaches situated within community music therapy (CoMT) qualities and community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles. We share project processes, findings, and recommendations, emphasizing all as equal stakeholders.

Positively Impacting Traffic Safety Culture For Indigenous Youth: A Heritage-Focused Approach, Jacob Steven Pehrson, Ahmed Abdel-Rahim, Logan Prescott

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This paper presents the development of heritage-focused outreach materials with the objectives of positively impacting traffic safety culture for Indigenous youth to reduce the number and severity of traffic crashes impacting these communities. The approach presented in this paper includes involving local community leaders in traffic safety education and incorporating culturally based material in outreach education. This could empower Tribal communities to preserve their cultural identities while acquiring the expertise needed to promote traffic safety.

A Father-Friendliness Survey: How Do Community Organizations Report Engaging Fathers?, Kyle Miller, Jordan A. Arellanes

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This community-based project explored levels of father-friendliness across local organizations, agencies, and schools. A community coalition of individuals from diverse backgrounds and roles created a community survey to gather quantitative and qualitative information from individuals who worked with children or families. An analysis of survey responses (N=122) led to descriptive and thematic results of how the community served or marginalized fathers. Results were used to guide efforts in father engagement across various professional sectors.

Incorporating Community-Engaged Pedagogy In Online Classes: Benefits, Challenges, And Strong Practices, Emmy Price, Margaret Thomas-Evans

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Community-engagement in virtual classrooms comes with unique benefits and challenges. Between 2018-2021, technical writing e-service-learning students from Indiana University East (Richmond, Indiana) raised a total of $149,239 through grant writing projects. This e-servicelearning project gave students real-world experiences and opportunity to connect with local organizations, prompting one student to choose grant writing as a career. Many students were able to successfully obtain funding for their chosen nonprofits, giving students a sense of social responsibility.

Community-Engaged Learning In Liberal Arts Colleges: Developing Engaged Citizens, Vicki L. Baker, Carrie Booth Walling

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Employing an institutional case study approach, this manuscript features two high-impact learning opportunities open to Albion College students who seek to contribute to solving real-world problems in collaboration with local and surrounding communities: Albion College Community Collaborative (AC3) and Human Rights Lab. The programmatic approach to community-engaged partnerships featured sought to elevate local knowledge, promote engaged citizenship, and advance social, political, and economic change. We describe each program followed by lessons learned and critical considerations to advance the field and to inform the work of others seeking to employ a programmatic approach.

إدارة الازمات بالذكاء الاصطناعي: دراسة تحليلية لبناء نموذج تكاملي, نعيم عطا الله الجهني

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدفت هذه الدراسة التحليلية الى تقديم نموذج تكاملي يحقق التكامل بين نماذج إدارة الأزمات التقليدية وتطبيقات الذكاء الاصطناعي وذلك من خلال استعراض أهم نماذج إدارة الأزمات ومعرفة الفائدة من تكاملها مع الذكاء الاصطناعي وتسليط الضوء على تطبيقات الذكاء الاصطناعي في إدارة الأزمات مع ايضاح المتطلبات الأساسية لتحقيق هذا التكامل وتم الاعتماد على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي من حيث وصف الأبعاد والمتغيرات المتصلة بمشكلة الدراسة وذلك بالرجوع الى الأدبيات النظرية والدراسات السابقة الحديثة التي تناولت موضوع الدراسة.

This analytical study aimed to present an integrative model that achieves integration between traditional crisis management models and artificial intelligence applications. This was achieved by …

An Ambient Nox Reduction Reactor System With And Without Forced Air, Hamid Rahai, Rylan Moffit, Komal Gada, Jeremy Bonifacio

Mineta Transportation Institute

Ambient nitrogen oxide (NOX) is one of the main ingredients involved in the formation of ground-level ozone (smog), which contributes to global warming and the formation of particulates in the atmosphere and causes respiratory illnesses, especially in children, older adults, and people with lung diseases. Investigations on adding titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles to the paint used on concrete surfaces such as buildings and its potential in reducing ambient NOX concentration have provided opportunities for the research and development of methods for passive control and filtration of the ambient NOX. The present research used numerical geometrical optimization to identify an optimized …