Digital Commons Network^™

A Qualitative Analysis Of The Elements Required For The Successful Implementation Of The 'Rolling Down-Select Strategy', Brent A. Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

This research explored the elements required for the successful implementation of the 'rolling down-select strategy' Inspired by Lightning Bolt 10, this study investigated five acquisitions which have or are in the process of implementing the 'rolling down-select strategy' The results suggest several elements which appear to contribute to the successful use of the 'rolling down- select strategy' These findings can be used by acquisition planners to aid in determining whether or not the 'rolling down-select strategy' is a viable strategy for their particular acquisition.

Determining Staffing Levels For Contingency Contract Administration Support, Anthony L. Lomelin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate different manpower models used by CONUS contracting offices which may be of use in determining CCAS team personnel requirements. In this research effort I intend to answer the following question: 'which of the most commonly employed CONUS manning model methodologies offers the best practical solution to the problem of staffing a contingency contracting operation?'

An Examination Of The Effects Of The Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act Of 1994 On The Post-Award Debriefing Process And Bid Protest Frequency, David R. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

One of the major tenets of acquisition reform is that government agencies should be as open and forthcoming as possible in dealing with potential contractors. Increased communication is seen as one of the keys to improve the acquisition process. A widely held belief in government acquisition circles is that many protests have been filed simply because unsuccessful offerors have not been fully informed of the facts surrounding the contract award decision. Acquisition reform legislation has attempted to address this problem by mandating more timely and complete post-award debriefings that provide substantive information concerning the basis for the award. The theory …

Pharmaceutical Surge Requirements For The Prime Vendor Program-Europe In Support Of Military Operations Other Than War, James B. Upton

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. military in Europe often provides medical support to military operations other than war due to unstable situations in that region of the world. The increasing support to peace operations and humanitarian assistance have led the military medical units in Europe to reexamine the pharmaceuticals traditionally maintained to support surges. This research was a qualitative, exploratory study using multiple case study strategy to identify the specific pharmaceuticals utilized in the initial stages of military operations other than war primarily peacekeeping, peace enforcement and humanitarian assistance. The operations chosen as the units of analysis were Operation Provide Promise (Croatia), Operation …

Core Values: A History Of Values-Related Initiatives In The Air Force, Gregory J. Dierker

Theses and Dissertations

This research explored the historical Air Force values-related initiatives that have existed since its creation in 1947. The Air Force has long been interested in and conducted values-related initiatives, although sometimes with a different focus and objective than its preceding initiatives. This study specifically examines two of the assumptions made in the current Air Force Core Values initiative against the historic values-related initiatives to identify any differences that have occurred over time. The two assumptions specifically deal with the degree to which the initiatives emphasize character development, and secondly, the role the chaplain plays in these identified initiatives. Other attributes …

Economic Analysis For An F-22 Organic Vs. Contractor Aircraft Battle Damage Repair Ownership Decision, John A. Kitchens

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) is a viable alternative to Combat Logistics Support Squadrons (CLSSs) for providing F-22 Aircraft Battle Damage Repair (ABDR). Legalities, practicalities, and cost-effectiveness were key ownership concerns. United States Code, Office of Management and Budget, Department of Defense (DoD), and United States Air Force (USAF) requirements were reviewed to address legal and policy issues and whether F-22 ABDR is military essential. The Army's Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOCCAP) award fee history was used to assess the potential performance of F-22 ABDR CLS personnel. F-117 ABDR team requirements and …

Support Equipment Deployability: A Delphi Study To Determine The Transportability Characteristics Of Aerospace Ground Equipment (Age), Gavin B. Tovrea

Theses and Dissertations

The issue of mobility is vital to the Air Force as it faces the 2lst century. Operational units must be prepared to quickly deploy anywhere in the world. Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE) is a large portion of any operational unit's mobility requirements. This thesis studies one portion of AGE mobility, the transportability characteristics of the Air Force's current powered AGE. Transportability is defined as the ability to quickly and efficiently prepare an item for transport, load the item on the transportation asset, remove the item from the transportation asset, and reconstitute the item for use. In order to determine AGE …

How The Presence Of A Risk Ladder, Time Interval Comparison, And Smoking Comparison Affect Risk Perception, Steve A. Dinzart

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to increase the knowledge available on the relative effectiveness of risk ladders as a presentation format for explaining risk magnitudes to the public. An experiment was conducted to test the hypotheses that an individual's risk perception varies with the presence of a risk ladder, time interval comparison, and smoking comparison. Subjects were AFIT Professional Continuing Education students, asked to assume a particular level of a health hazard in their homes, to read a brochure explaining the hazard, and then to complete a questionnaire. Results demonstrated that subjects exposed to a graphical risk ladder perceived …

Relationships Between Crda Elements And Benefits To The Government In Technology Transfer, Mark J. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Technology transfer has become an increasingly important mission of federal laboratories over the past decade, with results that benefit the government, private companies, and the nation's economy. Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRDAs) are the most used mechanism to perform technology transfer from our nation's federal laboratories to the private sector. The main objective of this research is to determine important CRDA elements that are associated with higher benefits to the government. Recommendations are provided for technology transfer managers to improve CRDAs by identifying the CRDA elements that are associated with higher or lower benefits to the government. Key findings …

Predicting Mishap Rates At Closing Usaf Maintenance Depots, Douglas E. Mcclain

Theses and Dissertations

It is clear that the Department of Defense and the USAF, in an effort to cut costs, will continue to reduce infrastructure through base closures. This has particular implications to the civilian employee who will likely lose his or her job. The purpose of this study was to review the most recent literature relating to safety and industrial facility closures and develop a theoretical model for predicting accident or mishap rates. From the literature reviewed, a theoretical model is proposed containing five candidate variables intended to measure; perceived adequacy of employee safety training, perceived safety culture, perceived safety climate, self-reported …

Comparison Of Effects Of Change From 8 To 12 Hour Shifts On Air Force Aircraft Maintenance Workers, Daniel W. Overland

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of converting from an 8 hour shift system to a 12 hour system on aircraft maintenance personnel. The squadron had converted its 24 hour operations from an 8 hour shift schedule to a 12 hour shift schedule in stages, changing one group first and then another. A smaller third group of workers remained on 8 hour shifts. Individual differences in job related outcomes and situational constraints were measured for all three groups. Results showed that changing from 8 to 12 hour shifts affected worker well-being and morale, as indicated by an increase in hospital visits …

Modeling Intelligent Control Of Distributed Cooperative Inferencing, Edward M. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to harness different problem-solving methods together into a cooperative system has the potential for significantly improving the performance of systems for solving NP-hard problems. The need exists for an intelligent controller that is able to effectively combine radically different problem-solving techniques with anytime and anywhere properties into a distributed cooperative environment. This controller requires models of the component algorithms in conjunction with feedback from those algorithms during run-time to manage a dynamic combination of tasks effectively. This research develops a domain-independent method for creating these models as well as a model for the controller itself. These models provide …

Reorientations Of Flexible Spacecraft Using Momentum Exchange Devices, Kevin A. Ford

Theses and Dissertations

We study rest-to-rest reorientations of flexible spacecraft using momentum exchange devices. A new and concise form of the equations of motion for a rigid body containing a cluster of gimbaled momentum wheels is developed using the Euler-Newton approach. Special restrictions of the gimbaled momentum wheel equations yield equations of motion for the momentum wheel cluster and the control moment gyroscope cluster. A mathematical model of a free spacecraft with Euler-Bernoulli appendages is developed. Using the assumed modes method, a complete set of equations is developed which describes the dynamics of a spacecraft with flexible appendages and gimbaled momentum wheels. Special …

Extracting Functionally Equivalent Object-Oriented Designs From Legacy Imperative Code, Ricky E. Sward

Theses and Dissertations

This research defines a methodology for automatically extracting functionally equivalent object-oriented designs from legacy imperative programs. The Parameter-Based Object Identification (PBOI) methodology is based on fundamental ideas that relate programs written in imperative languages such as C or COBOL to objects and classes written in object-oriented languages such as Ada 95 or C ++. Transformations have been developed that formalize the PBOI methodology and a formal proof is provided showing the extracted object-oriented design is functionally equivalent to the legacy imperative system. To focus the task of re-engineering, generic models of imperative programming languages and object-oriented programming languages have been …

Improved Load Alleviation Capability For The Kc-135, Adam L. Mortensen

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force will greatly increase its use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in the next century and the latter part of this decade. These UAVs will require refueling like their manned counterparts. The KC-135 and the KC-10 are candidates to provide this refueling task. The KC-10 is equipped with an automatic load alleviation system on its refueling boom which minimizes radial loads at the receiver of the aircraft being refueled. The KC-135 does not have such a system on its boom. Because the boom operator relies on visual cues to tell him when the boom is bending to adjust …

Reducing Cannon Plug Connector Pin Selection Time And Errors Through Enhanced Data Presentation Methods, Robert R. Webb

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of data presentation methods on technician performance when the procedures are presented on a monocular, head mounted display (HMD) in a static maintenance environment. This research used two different methods to present the maintenance task data to the technicians. The first method showed the task as it is typically described in standard technical manuals. It described the task to perform and provided a basic picture of the cannon plug to be tested (unenhanced). The second method provided the same information as the first, but it also modified the information by …

Career Development Of Air Force Officers In Contracting: An Examination Of Perception And Understanding, Martin P. Hamlin

Theses and Dissertations

This research considered five factors deemed necessary for supporting career development, including experience, professionalism, expectations, mentoring, and training. The author studied the perceptions of captains in the contracting career field as a means of better understanding the unique career development challenges faced by contracting officers. This study concluded that captains in contracting do not perceive one best career path, nor one best set of professional and technical skills. Career expectations remain high and mentoring activity low, despite recent institutional emphasis directed at both. The value of current required formal training, as rated by contracting officers, seems to be high.

The Effects Of The New Commercial Marketplace Emphasis On United States Air Force Contract Negotiators, Bryan J. Hudgens

Theses and Dissertations

Acquisition Reform is changing the way the government contracts for needed goods and services. The commercial marketplace is becoming a significant source not only of goods and services, but also of ideas as to how the government can improve its contracting and acquisition functions. This research investigates the impact of this change of focus (to the commercial marketplace) on the GS-1102 series government contract negotiator. This thesis examines whether two theories-boundary spanning and supply management-can help understand the changing the role of the government contract negotiator. This research effort also reviews a list of commercial practices recommended by experts as …

An Analysis Of Tactical Military Airlift, James H. Donoho

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines tactical military airlift operations conducted during three historical battles - Stalingrad, Dien Bien Phu, and Khe Sanh. Aspects of tactical military airlift operations are identified from these scenarios. The list of important issues that results can be considered when employing tactical military airlift in the future. Using inductive reasoning, tactical military airlift operations in each scenario, and their success or failure, are examined to develop a pattern for recognizing and describing similar situations in the future. Experiences at Stalingrad, Dien Bien Phu, and Khe Sanh indicated that there are nine elements that should be considered when employing …

Cost Per Flying Hour Analysis Of The C-141, Christopher J. Omlor

Theses and Dissertations

This paper sought to examine if DoD's current transfer pricing method places AMC in a price competitive position with the government commercial rates and promotes managers to make the best decisions. Attention was paid to the stated customer concerns that current transfer pricing methods incorporate overhead and sunk costs that are not attributable to routine movement of peacetime cargo and could make AMC non price competitive with commercial vendors. The findings are that AMC currently uses full cost transfer pricing, as required by DoD policy, that includes significant overhead and sunk costs associated with its wartime responsibilities. The full cost …

Aerial Port Location Study, Levenchi L. Dingle

Theses and Dissertations

This study performed an investigation on determining the appropriate number and locations of continental United States aerial ports. To accomplish this a linear programming formulation was adapted with the optimizing function based on trading off the cost of shipping cargo against port operating costs. Cargo would travel from CONUS origin, through aerial port of embarkation (APOE), to aerial port of debarkation (APOD) at minimum cost to the DoD. The need for the study was precipitated by continued reductions in the military budget, consolidation of defense depots, and the reduction in the number of personnel stationed overseas. Cargo movement data was …

The Effects Of Extraneous Presentation Graphics On Decision Making, Thomas S. Tingley

Theses and Dissertations

Almost every professional presentation includes some form of graphics. Many previous researchers have analyzed the relative effectiveness of graphical decision aids, such as pie charts or bar graphs. Very little research, however, has been conducted to determine the effects of extraneous graphics, such as pictures and logos, on decision making. This study employed an experiment to determine whether extraneous graphics hinder or enhance a decision maker's ability to obtain the pertinent information from a professional presentation. Other factors such as gender and graphics training were also analyzed for any influence on the results obtained. The results of the study indicated …

A Comparison Of Commercial Express And The Defense Transportation System In The Movement Of Reparable Assets Within Western Pacaf, Corey M. Vickers

Theses and Dissertations

This study was initiated by the assertion that it was taking a greater amount of time to transport assets from Support Center Pacific (SCP) to its Western Pacific Air Forces (WESTPAC) customers (Misawa AB Japan, Yokota AB Japan, Kunsan AB Korea, and Osan AB Korea) than it was taking to transport similar assets to the same locations from a CONUS repair facility. These delivery times include the total time it takes a reparable asset to be transferred from a repair facility (consignor) to the user (consignee). Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) has proposed using commercial express freight carriers to transport reparable …

A Comparison Of The Military's Organic Movement And Commercial Express Carriers, Travis E. Condon, Kirk A. Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

The DoD has begun outsourcing airlift in order to expedite high priority cargo movement. However, are commercial express carriers more expedient in the cargo delivery than the Air Force organic transportation system? Although anecdotal evidence suggests commercial carriers are faster, little empirical research has been conducted on this subject. This study compares the military's organic transportation system with Federal Express in the delivery of high priority cargo to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. The Large Sample Test of Hypothesis was used to determine if there was a significant difference between the cargo transit times of the two. The mean delivery time …

Aerospace Ground Equipment's Impact On Aircraft Availability And Deployment, Jeffrey D. Havlicek

Theses and Dissertations

The first purpose of this thesis was to study the effects of four factors on aircraft availability: the aerospace ground equipment (AGE) design configuration, the mean time between failure (MTBF) of AGE, the mean time to repair (MTTR) AGE, and the travel time to transport the AGE around the flightline. A simulation developed by Carrico (1996) that has its foundation based on the Logistics Composite Model (LCOM) was used. ANOVA results indicated that the present estimates of these factors are too broad for trade studies that include an estimate of aircraft availability to begin. The time it takes AGE to …

Political Culture On The Northern Plains : North Dakota And The Nonpartisan Experience, Thomas P. Shilts

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the history of North Dakota during the era of the Nonpartisan League (roughly 1915 through 1921). A significant body of research on the League exists, but no study has yet specifically addressed itself to exploring the political culture of the League and of its opponents in such a way that the full nature of the Nonpartisan "revolt" is made clear. The League was indeed the result of farmers’ perception of economic exploitation at the hands of big business, yet it was more basically a proactive struggle for inclusion. While employing elements of agrarian ideology, the League was …

An Ac Susceptometer Design And Magnetic Susceptibility Measurements On Nickel Wire, Kazuaki Kamimura

Theses and Dissertations

It is found from the literature that magnetic susceptibility data on nickel (Ni) do not come from direct measurements. Most of the magnetic susceptibility data of Ni come from the calculation of the slope of magnetic moment vs. temperature curves, and the magnetic moment data are measured in air. In modem research, film samples are used very often. Many of metal films are easily oxidized. Oxidation may change the magnetic properties of the magnetic films. To avoid oxidation, magnetic susceptibility measurements should be carried out in high vacuum For this reason we have designed an ac susceptometer which can be …

Costume Designes For Hamlet: A High School Production, Ardith Brooks

Theses and Dissertations

This Thesis is an exploration of the costume design approach to the Red River High School production of Hamlet. presented February 8-11, 1996. Chapter one discusses the differences in production procedures experienced between the author's prior involvement with college and community theatres and those encountered for this high school theatre production, the author's understanding of the director's concept, the author's script analysis, and the development of the costume design concept.

Chapter two examines the author's costume design philosophy, theory behind costume choices as well as costume descriptions and their execution, and technical problems encountered.

Chapter three is an evaluation of …

The Effects Of Attraction To Sexual Aggression: History Of Self-Reported Sexually Aggressive Behavior And Social Disinhibition On The Expression Of Sexually Aggressive Behavior In The Laboratory, Margo R. Norton

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual aggression, defined as an attempt, successful or unsuccessful, to coerce another into sexual acts (Malamuth, Sockloskic, Koss & Tanaka, 1991) may be thought of as a continuum of behaviors, which, at one extreme, is forcible rape. The importance of examining this entire set of related behaviors, and their “cultural normality”, according to feminist and sociocultural theorists has, in recent years, been highlighted in the literature (Burt, 1980; Malamuth, 1986; Malamuth & Dean, 1991). It has also been considered vital to examine the role that situational disinhibitors (i.c., alcohol/drug intoxication, aggressive pornography, momentary anger, the observed behavior of others) play …

Reversing Language Shift: Can Kwak'wala Be Revived?, Stan J. Anonby

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis deals with the subject of reversing language shift, which comes under the rubric of language revival. The particular situation and problems encountered by the endangered Kwak'wala language will be described in chapter one. Each community in which the language is spoken will be examined and individual language revival efforts will be discussed. The second chapter will look at different methods and procedures used in various language projects throughout the world. In particular, it will examine some language projects which are (or were ) in a similar situation to Kwak'wala. It will also come to some conclusions regarding what …