Digital Commons Network^™

Numerical Simulation Of Unstable Laser Resonators With A High Gain Medium, Robert L. Lloyd

Theses and Dissertations

This research focused on the numeric simulation of unstable laser resonators with high gain media. In order to accomplish the research, the modes and eigenvalues for various bare cavity resonator were computed followed by modes of a resonator in the presence of gain. Using a Fourier Split Step Method in a Fox and Li iteration scheme, different laser outputs for various laser cavities with gain were computed. Various parameters defining positive branch confocal unstable resonators were chosen corresponding to four studies. The four studies focused on modifying laser cavity Fresnel number, gain medium parameters, gain cell position, and gain cell …

Peptide Nanotube Encapsulated Enzyme Biosensor For Vapor Phase Detection Of Malathion, An Organophosphorus Compound, Christopher W. Edwards, Surachet Duanghathaipornsuk, Mark N. Goltz, Sushil Kanel, Dong-Shik Kim

Faculty Publications

This study explores the use of a butyrylcholinesterase (BChE)-based, reversible reaction biosensor using screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) having a smaller working surface area than the single-use electrodes previously studied. Previous research demonstrated the prospective application of a single-use biosensor fabricated with an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme encapsulated in peptide nanotubes (PNTs) and enhanced with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) to detect organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) in aqueous and gas phases. In the current study, potential improvements to the biosensor are investigated. BChE-based biosensors were fabricated using PNTs, HRP, and Nafion in combination to increase the reactive surface area, enhance sensitivity, and maintain enzyme stability. Cyclic …

Trust And Suspicion As A Function Of Cyber Security In Human Machine Team (Hmt) Of Unmanned Systems, Dhaher M. Alshammari

Theses and Dissertations

The research focuses on cyber-attacks on cyber-physical systems of the unmanned vehicles that are characteristically used in the military, particularly the Air Force. Unmanned systems are exposed to various risks as the capacity of cyber attackers continue to expand, raising the need for speedy and immediate responses. The advances in military technologies form the basis of the research that explores the challenges faced in the timely detection and response to cyber-attacks. The purpose of the research is to study the connections between operator suspicion and the detection and response to cyber-attacks alongside the identification of theory of suspicion as the …

Operational Decision Making Under Uncertainty: Inferential, Sequential, And Adversarial Approaches, Andrew J. Keith

Theses and Dissertations

Modern security threats are characterized by a stochastic, dynamic, partially observable, and ambiguous operational environment. This dissertation addresses such complex security threats using operations research techniques for decision making under uncertainty in operations planning, analysis, and assessment. First, this research develops a new method for robust queue inference with partially observable, stochastic arrival and departure times, motivated by cybersecurity and terrorism applications. In the dynamic setting, this work develops a new variant of Markov decision processes and an algorithm for robust information collection in dynamic, partially observable and ambiguous environments, with an application to a cybersecurity detection problem. In the …

The Potentiality Of Space Enterprise Force Reconstitution: Nationalizing Civilian Satellites During Kinetic Conflicts, Robert A. Bettinger, Sara Schmitt

Faculty Publications

This article will discuss the possibility of employing a policy of civilian satellite nationalization during a space war as a means of US Space Enterprise force re- constitution to ensure continued access to space capabilities necessary for the execution of the national strategy, as well as deterring potential adversaries from initiating counterspace hostilities. In terms of structure, the authors will examine the thesis by answering these questions. First, what historical precedent exists for the rapid military acquisition of civilian assets via nationalization? Second (given the unique nature of space as an operational environment), can that historical precedent be applied to …

2018 Annual Report Of The Graduate School, Air Force Institute Of Technology, Office Of Research And Sponsored Programs, Graduate School Of Engineering And Management, Afit

AFIT Documents

The Annual Report shares information about the activities of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management at AFIT with the Air Force, Department of Defense, and wider public. All images are Air Force, NASA, or AFIT owned or used with permission unless otherwise identified. The DoD, other Federal Government, and non-Government agencies supported the research reported herein but have not reviewed nor endorsed the contents of this publication.

Persuasion, Political Warfare, And Deterrence: Behavioral And Behaviorally Robust Models, William N. Caballero

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines game theory models in the context of persuasion and competition wherein decision-makers are not completely rational by considering two complementary threads of research. The first thread of research pertains to offensive and preemptively defensive behavioral models. Research in this thread makes three notable contributions. First, an offensive modeling framework is created to identify how an entity optimally influences a populace to take a desired course of action. Second, a defensive modeling framework is defined wherein a regulating entity takes action to bound the behavior of multiple adversaries simultaneously attempting to persuade a group of decision-makers. Third, an …

Air Force Institute Of Technology Research Report 2018, Graduate School Of Engineering And Management, Air Force Institute Of Technology

AFIT Documents

This Research Report presents the FY18 research statistics and contributions of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management (EN) at AFIT. AFIT research interests and faculty expertise cover a broad spectrum of technical areas related to USAF needs, as reflected by the range of topics addressed in the faculty and student publications listed in this report. In most cases, the research work reported herein is directly sponsored by one or more USAF or DOD agencies. AFIT welcomes the opportunity to conduct research on additional topics of interest to the USAF, DOD, and other federal organizations when adequate manpower and financial …

Two-On-One Pursuit With A Non-Zero Capture Radius, Patrick J. Wasz

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, we revisit the "Two Cutters and Fugitive Ship" differential game that was addressed by Isaacs, but move away from point capture. We consider a two-on-one pursuit-evasion differential game with simple motion and pursuers endowed with circular capture sets of radius l > 0. The regions in the state space where only one pursuer effects the capture and the region in the state space where both pursuers cooperatively and isochronously capture the evader are characterized, thus solving the Game of Kind. Concerning the Game of Degree, the algorithm for the synthesis of the optimal state feedback strategies of the …

The Effect Of Modeling Simultaneous Events On Simulation Results, John M. Carboni

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the method that governs the prioritizing process for simultaneous events in relation to simulation results for discrete-event simulations. Specifically, it contrasts typical discrete-event simulation (DES) execution algorithms with how events are selected and ordered by the discrete-event system specification (DEVS) formalism. The motivation for this research stems from a desire to understand how the selection of events affects simulation output (i.e., response). As a particular use case, we briefly investigate the processing of simultaneous events by the Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration and Modeling (AFSIM), a military discrete-event combat modeling and simulation package. To facilitate the building …

High Fidelity Satellite Navigation Receiver Front-End For Advanced Signal Quality Monitoring And Authentication, Andrew D. Braun

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last several years, interest in utilizing foreign satellite timing and navigation (satnav) signals to augment GPS has grown. Doing so is not without risks; foreign satnav signals must be vetted and determined to be trustworthy before use in military applications. Advanced signal quality monitoring methods can help to ensure that only authentic and reliable satnav signals are utilized. To effectively monitor and authenticate signals, the front-end must impress as little distortions upon the received signal as possible. The purpose of this study is to design, fabricate, and test the performance of a high-fidelity satnav receiver front-end for advanced …

Serious Game Design Using Mda And Bloom’S Taxonomy, Senobio V. Chavez

Theses and Dissertations

The field of Serious Games (SG) studies the use of games as a learning tool and it has been in existence for over forty years. During this period the primary focus of the field has been designing systems to evaluate the educational efficacy of existing games. This translates to a lack of systems designed to aid in the creation of serious games, but this does not have to remain an issue. The rise in popularity of games means that there is no shortage of ideas on how to methodically create them for commercial production which can just as easily be …

Modeling High-Altitude Nuclear Detonations Using Existing Ionospheric Models, Sophia G. Schwalbe

Theses and Dissertations

One threat to the United States is a nuclear weapon being detonated at high altitude over the country. The resulting electromagnetic pulse (EMP) could devastate the nation. Despite its destructive nature, the response of the ionosphere to such an event is poorly understood. This study assesses if existing ionospheric models, which are used to nowcast and forecast ionospheric changes, can be used to model the response to a high-altitude nuclear detonation (HAND). After comparing five ionosphere models, the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE-GCM) was selected and modified to incorporate an array of F10.7 indices to serve as a proxy for …

Cyber-Attack Drone Payload Development And Geolocation Via Directional Antennae, Clint M. Bramlette

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing capabilities of commercial drones have led to blossoming drone usage in private sector industries ranging from agriculture to mining to cinema. Commercial drones have made amazing improvements in flight time, flight distance, and payload weight. These same features also offer a unique and unprecedented commodity for wireless hackers -- the ability to gain ‘physical’ proximity to a target without personally having to be anywhere near it. This capability is called Remote Physical Proximity (RPP). By their nature, wireless devices are largely susceptible to sniffing and injection attacks, but only if the attacker can interact with the device via …

Imitating Human Responses Via A Dual-Process Model Approach, Matthew A. Grimm

Theses and Dissertations

Human-autonomous system teaming is becoming more prevalent in the Air Force and in society. Often, the concept of a shared mental model is discussed as a means to enhance collaborative work arrangements between a human and an autonomous system. The idea being that when the models are aligned, the team is more productive due to an increase in trust, predictability, and apparent understanding. This research presents the Dual-Process Model using multivariate normal probability density functions (DPM-MN), which is a cognitive architecture algorithm based on the psychological dual-process theory. The dual-process theory proposes a bipartite decision-making process in people. It labels …

Motivating Airmen To Engage With Technical Education: Experimentation And Analysis Using Modern Gamification Techniques, Landon G.M. Tomcho

Theses and Dissertations

The development and integration of computer systems into today’s society and the subsequent growth of cyber as a warfighting domain has led to changes in military and civilian conflict. Several traits unique to cyber, including disruption and fast pace of change, has led to issues never before seen in the military environment, especially with educating and training. A new approach that leverages crowd-sourced content has been proposed. This approach relies on motivating military members to voluntarily engage with technical (cyber) education. The application of gamification, a design practice aimed at increasing user engagement by targeting core motivators in humans, in …

A Stochastic Game Theoretical Model For Cyber Security, Michael T. Larkin

Theses and Dissertations

The resiliency of systems integrated through cyber networks is of utmost importance due to the reliance on these systems for critical services such as industrial control systems, nuclear production, and military weapons systems. Current research in cyber resiliency remains largely limited to methodologies utilizing a singular technique that is predominantly theoretical with limited examples given. This research uses notional data in presenting a novel approach to cyber system analysis and network resource allocation by leveraging multiple techniques including game theory, stochastic processes, and mathematical programming. An operational network security problem consisting of 20 tactical normal form games provides an assessment …

Measuring Human Systems Integration In Directed Energy Weapon Acquisition Programs, Zachary A. Novitske

Theses and Dissertations

Directed energy weapons (DEW) are of interest to the armed forces as they search for more effective ways to deal with evolving threats. The development of these weapons has been ongoing for almost 40 years, despite only one operational fielding by the U.S. Navy in 2014. Some reasons for DEW’s lack of adoption by the services include cost overruns and unclear requirements. Early adoption of human systems integration (HSI) in the military’s acquisition process is shown to provide substantial cost savings over the life of the system. Quantifying the application of HSI within a DEW acquisition program is addressed through …

Women And Stability: A Topological View Of The Relationship Between Women And Armed Conflict In West Africa, Michaela A. Pendergrass

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between women and stability, if any, is a topic of much debate and research. Several large and influential organizations have all researched women's effect on stability. Furthermore, several of these world organizations, the United Nations, in particular, have declared gender equality to be a driving force in promoting stability and conflict prevention. Due to the United States active involvement in conflict prevention in such regions as West Africa, research concerning the relationship between women and stability is of particular interest to the United States Africa Command. As such, this research applied Topological Data Analysis, combined with other machine …

Analysis Of Cross-Cultural Training Efforts, Competencies And Implications, And How Cross-Cultural Competency Affects The Success Of Construction Projects On Air Force Installations Overseas, Katie L. Macgregor

Theses and Dissertations

US Air Force (AF) Civil Engineer (CE) Officers stationed at overseas bases lead and manage construction and engineering efforts for projects totaling billions of dollars annually. Budget overruns in the Department of Defense (DoD) and specifically the AF, have been under stringent investigation by government officials in recent years. 92% of CE Officers overseas work with local nationals (LN) and the host nation weekly or daily, but most receive less than 2 hours of formal cross-cultural training prior to arrival overseas. Host nation partners include foreign military, local contractors, LN workforce and local government agencies. Based on a previous Delphi …

Operations Research Methods For Multi-Domain Campaign Phase Planning, John A. Schlicht

Theses and Dissertations

In "Antiaccess Warfare as Strategy," Tangredi posits the question and need to consider multiple domains and governmental and warfighting functions in various phases of campaign execution. Multi-domain integration within and across various phases of the joint campaign presents a host of non-linear factors that are compounded and amplified by uncertainties. Colonel Blotto is a simple game that is suited to compare traditional force-on-force military engagements where mass wins the day, but have had limited application to more complex military planning. This thesis explores the formulation schema, data-driven parameters, methods of calculation, and scenarios applicable to a generalized Colonel Blotto (General …

United States Air Force Applications Of Unmanned Aerial Systems (Uas): A Delphi Study To Examine Current And Future Uas Autonomous Mission Capabilities, Alberto Sigala

Theses and Dissertations

As UAS technology continues to grow and enable increased autonomous capabilities, acquisition and operational decision makers must determine paths to pursue for existing and emerging mission areas. The DoD has published a number of 25-year unmanned systems integration roadmaps (USIR) to describe future capabilities and challenges. However, these roadmaps have lacked distinguishable stakeholder perspectives. Following the USIRs concept, this research focused on UAS autonomy through the lens of UAS subject matter experts (SMEs). We used the Delphi method with SMEs from USAF communities performing day-to-day operations, acquisitions, and research in UAS domains to forecast mission capabilities over the next 20 …

Limited-Duty-Cycle Satellite Formation Control Via Differential Drag, Talon A. Townley

Theses and Dissertations

As CubeSat formation flying missions relying on differential drag control become increasingly common, additional missions based on this control must be studied. A mission planning tool is investigated to control the relative spacing of a CubeSat formation where differential drag is the sole control mechanism. System performance is investigated under varying perturbations and a range of system parameters, including limiting the control duty cycle. Optimal solutions based on using a pseudo spectral numerical solver, GPOPS-II, to minimize maneuver time. This study includes the development of a mission planning tool to work with the modeled CubeSat mission to calculate optimal maneuvers …

Fuzzy Inference Systems For Risk Appraisal In Military Operational Planning, Curtis B. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Advances in computing and mathematical techniques have given rise to increasingly complex models employed in the management of risk across numerous disciplines. While current military doctrine embraces sound practices for identifying, communicating, and mitigating risk, the complex nature of modern operational environments prevents the enumeration of risk factors and consequences necessary to leverage anything beyond rudimentary risk models. Efforts to model military operational risk in quantitative terms are stymied by the interaction of incomplete, inadequate, and unreliable knowledge. Specifically, it is evident that joint and inter-Service literature on risk are inconsistent, ill-defined, and prescribe imprecise approaches to codifying risk. Notably, …

Self Organized Multi Agent Swarms (Somas) For Network Security Control, Eric M. Holloway

Theses and Dissertations

Computer network security is a very serious concern in many commercial, industrial, and military environments. This paper proposes a new computer network security approach defined by self-organized agent swarms (SOMAS) which provides a novel computer network security management framework based upon desired overall system behaviors. The SOMAS structure evolves based upon the partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) formal model and the more complex Interactive-POMDP and Decentralized-POMDP models, which are augmented with a new F(*-POMDP) model. Example swarm specific and network based behaviors are formalized and simulated. This paper illustrates through various statistical testing techniques, the significance of this proposed …

Evaluation Of Unmanned Aircraft Flying Qualities Using A Stitched Learjet Model, Patrick M. Callaghan

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, military UAVs have taken over missions that were too dull, dirty, or dangerous for manned aircraft. The increased demand has led to a build-fly-fix-fly development mentality, plaguing the early lifecycle with staggering mishap rates. Currently, MIL-STD-1797 lists flying qualities for UAVs as TBD, and the standards for manned fixed wing are inadequate when applied to UAVs. In an effort to expand the database of UAV flying qualities, an analysis was completed on a Simulink model of an LJ-25D developed from Calspans Variable Stability System aircraft at the United States Test Pilot School. Three maneuvers were simulated: (1) …

Developmental Test And Requirements Best Practices Of Successful Information Systems Efforts Using Agile Methods, Jeremy D. Kramer, Torrey J. Wagner

Faculty Publications

This article provides insights into the current state of developmental testing (DT) and requirements management in Department of Defense information systems employing Agile development. The authors describe the study methodology and provide an overview of Agile development and testing. Insights are described for requirements, detailed planning, test execution, and reporting. This work articulates best practices related to DT and requirements management strategies for programs employing modernized Software Development Life Cycle practices.

2018 Faculty Excellence Showcase, Afit Graduate School Of Engineering & Management, Graduate School Of Engineering And Management, Air Force Institute Of Technology

AFIT Documents

Excerpt:

As an academic institution, we strive to meet and exceed the expectations for graduate programs and laud our values and contributions to the academic community. At the same time, we must recognize, appreciate, and promote the unique non-academic values and accomplishments that our faculty team brings to the national defense, which is a priority of the Federal Government. In this respect, through our diverse and multi-faceted contributions, our faculty, as a whole, excel, not only along the metrics of civilian academic expectations, but also along the metrics of military requirements, and national priorities.

Reconstruction Of The 3d Temperature And Species Concentration Spatial Distribution Of A Jet Engine Exhaust Plume Using An Infrared Fourier Transform Spectrometer Hyperspectral Imager, Mason D. Paulec

Theses and Dissertations

The measurement of combustion byproducts is useful for determining pollution of any fuel burning application, efficiency of combustion, and determining detectability of aircraft exhausts. Both intrusive and non-intrusive techniques have been utilized to measure these quantities. For the majority of the non-intrusive techniques, the absorption and emission spectra of the gases are utilized for measurements. For this research, the use of the Telops Infrared Fourier Transform Spectrometer (IFTS) Hyperspectral Imager (HSI) was explored within the scope of combustion diagnostic methods, as an option for remote measurements of a jet turbine to determine concentration of species and temperature of the combustion …

Breaking Down The Barriers To Operator Workload Estimation: Advancing Algorithmic Handling Of Temporal Non-Stationarity And Cross-Participant Differences For Eeg Analysis Using Deep Learning, Ryan G. Hefron

Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on two barriers to using EEG data for workload assessment: day-to-day variability, and cross- participant applicability. Several signal processing techniques and deep learning approaches are evaluated in multi-task environments. These methods account for temporal, spatial, and frequential data dependencies. Variance of frequency- domain power distributions for cross-day workload classification is statistically significant. Skewness and kurtosis are not significant in an environment absent workload transitions, but are salient with transitions present. LSTMs improve day- to-day feature stationarity, decreasing error by 59% compared to previous best results. A multi-path convolutional recurrent model using bi-directional, residual recurrent layers significantly increases …