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The Autonomous Attack Aviation Problem, John C. Goodwill

Theses and Dissertations

An autonomous unmanned combat aerial vehicle (AUCAV) performing an air-to-ground attack mission must make sequential targeting and routing decisions under uncertainty. We formulate a Markov decision process model of this autonomous attack aviation problem (A3P) and solve it using an approximate dynamic programming (ADP) approach. We develop an approximate policy iteration algorithm that implements a least squares temporal difference learning mechanism to solve the A3P. Basis functions are developed and tested for application within the ADP algorithm. The ADP policy is compared to a benchmark policy, the DROP policy, which is determined by repeatedly solving a deterministic orienteering problem as …

Utilizing Model Based Systems Engineering To Identify Safety Critical Functions In Airworthiness Certification, Jeffrey C. King

Theses and Dissertations

Modern aircraft are complex systems with numerous interacting hardware and software components. To minimize any safety mishaps during operations, new aircraft designs and modifications must go through an airworthiness certification. The current United States Air Force (USAF) airworthiness certification process, captured in MIL-HDBK-516C, is time-consuming and manpower intensive due to extensive documentation. To minimize inefficiencies of this document-based approach, this thesis examined model-based systems engineering (MBSE) to support Safety Critical Function (SCF) thread analysis against criteria found in Section 15 of MIL-HDBK-516C. Within this scope, the research identified an SCF domain-specific profile and style guide using the Systems Modeling Language …

Automated Find Fix And Track With A Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Aubrey L. Olson

Theses and Dissertations

A limitation in RPA ISR operations is loss of target track if the command link is severed. For an RPA to effectively execute the ISR mission without a command link, it needs the capability to F2T targets autonomously. Automated Find Fix and Track (AFFTRAC) was developed to help solve this problem by demonstrating a proof of concept tactical autopilot. Monocular stereo vision was used to process sequential images acquired during orbit to produce a partial structural point cloud of the original structure. This partial structural point cloud was then exploited to create a holding area density for the aircraft to …

Fluid Dynamics Modeling For Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Removal In Legacy Fire Suppression Systems, Jacob G. Spaulding

Theses and Dissertations

Legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) exist in the form of aqueous film-forming foams within hangar fire suppression systems throughout the country, posing a threat to both surrounding environments as well as local populations. The United States (US) Department of Defense (DoD), in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is investigating best practices to flush out existing contaminants prior to disposal and replacement with a less environmentally harmful replacement. While current procedures dictate a triple rinse of the entire system to yield contaminant levels acceptable to the DoD, the practice has never truly been tested. Designed as a …

The Wargaming Commodity Course Of Action Automated Analysis Method, William T. Deberry

Theses and Dissertations

This research presents the Wargaming Commodity Course of Action Automated Analysis Method (WCCAAM), a novel approach to assist wargame commanders in developing and analyzing courses of action (COAs) through semi-automation of the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). MDMP is a seven-step iterative method that commanders and mission partners follow to build an operational course of action to achieve strategic objectives. MDMP requires time, resources, and coordination – all competing items the commander weighs to make the optimal decision. WCCAAM receives the MDMP's Mission Analysis phase as input, converts the wargame into a directed graph, processes a multi-commodity flow algorithm on …

Exploring Fog Of War Concepts In Wargame Scenarios, Dillon N. Tryhorn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores fog of war concepts through three submitted journal articles. The Department of Defense and U.S. Air Force are attempting to analyze war scenarios to aid the decision-making process; fog modeling improves realism in these wargame scenarios. The first article "Navigating an Enemy Contested Area with a Parallel Search Algorithm" [1] investigates a parallel algorithm's speedup, compared to the sequential implementation, with varying map configurations in a tile-based wargame. The parallel speedup tends to exceed 50 but in certain situations. The sequential algorithm outperforms it depending on the configuration of enemy location and amount on the map. The …

Improving Air Battle Management Target Assignment Processes Via Approximate Dynamic Programming, Joseph M. Liles Iv

Theses and Dissertations

Military air battle managers face many challenges when directing operations in quickly evolving combat scenarios. These scenarios require rapid decisions to engage moving and unpredictable targets. In defensive operations, the success of a sequence of air battle management decisions is reflected by the friendly force's ability to maintain air superiority by defending friendly assets. We develop a Markov decision process (MDP) model of the air battle management (ABM)problem, wherein a set of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) is tasked to defend a central asset from cruise missiles that arrive stochastically over time.

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An International Legal Consideration Of The Issues On Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems Including Nanomachine: A Perspective Of International Law Studies In Japan, Hiroshi Saito

Japanese Society and Culture

This paper aims to explore the legal issues on the use of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). This study is based on the recent research trend in Japan regarding studying the relationships between the international humanitarian law and the international law of human rights. The paper seeks to apply the integration theory to the relationship of both laws. As a result, this idea can pave the way for suppressing the usage of LAWS in future armed conflicts. Since the use of LAWS may lead to immense injury to fundamental human rights, it is necessary to adopt the integration theory to …

Diagrammatics And The Proactive Visualization Of Legal Information, Michael D. Murray

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Civil Warfare: Where U.S. And Russian Policy Meet Civil Society In Eurasia, Robert Q. Carolan

Compass: An Undergraduate Journal of American Political Ideas

Civil society in Eurasia is not always a friend to Washington, and is, at times, an ally to Moscow. This paper reviews select Eurasian civil society organizations and their role in Russian hybrid warfare.

Author information: Robert Quinn Carolan is a master’s student at Sciences Po’s Paris School of Public of Affairs (PSIA) and the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Affairs (MGIMO) (University) and alumnus of Northern Illinois University. He wrote this piece in coordination with the NIU Student Engagement Fund and as a US Gilman Scholar in Ukraine.

The Emergence Of Neurology During The American Civil War: The Delafield Commission's Impact On Military Medicine, Michaela Ahrenholtz

Honors Thesis

In 1855, three high ranking military officers organized as the Delafield Commission traveled across Europe during the Crimean War. They were tasked to consider, report, and upon their return, implement the advancements they observed from the militaries across the European continent. During their travels, the Delafield Commission evaluated changes in artillery, cavalry, and military medicine. Upon their return, the members of the Delafield Commission published their reports, and a year later the Civil War began. As the war continued, innovations from the Crimean War were implemented, including withing the Union Army Medical Department. Major medical reform was facilitated by Dr. …

Native American Research, Jennifer I. Cappa

Sociology Undergraduate Work

This research paper is written by Jennifer Isabella Cappa from Oral Roberts University on Dean Calvin Easterling's behalf. Through this essay, the topics of Native American activism, environmentalism, and spirituality will be addressed.

18 U.S.C. Section 951 And The Non‐Traditional Intelligence Actor Threat From The First World War To The Present Day, David Aaron

Seton Hall Journal of Legislation and Public Policy

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Command And Control Latency During Within-Visual-Range Air-To-Air Combat, David Thirtyacre

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The type of military missions conducted by remotely piloted aircraft continues to expand into all facets of operations including air-to-air combat. While future within-visual-range air-to-air combat will be piloted by artificial intelligence, remotely piloted aircraft will likely first see combat. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of latency on one-versus-one, within-visual-range air-to-air combat success during both high-speed and low-speed engagements. The research employed a repeated-measures experimental design to test the various hypothesis associated with command and control latency. Participants experienced in air-to-air combat were subjected to various latency inputs during one-versus-one simulated combat using a virtual-reality …

Theoretical Analysis Of The Adsorption Of Phosphoric Acid And Model Phosphate Monoesters On Ceo2(111), Suman Bhasker-Ranganath, Chuanlin Zhao, Ye Xu

Faculty Publications

Ceria has been shown to catalyze the dephosphorylation of phosphate monoesters at ambient temperature. As a step toward understanding the reaction mechanism on ceria, first-principles density functional theory calculations in the GGA-PW91+U approach have been carried out to study the adsorption of phosphoric acid and two model phosphate monoesters, methyl phosphate and para-nitrophenyl phosphate, on CeO2(111). Consistent patterns are found in terms of energetic, structural, electronic, and vibrational properties upon adsorption. For the parent molecules, bonding of the phosphorous atom directly to a surface lattice oxygen atom (Olatt) is the only stable molecular adsorption state. Common entities that reduce Ce4+ …

Exploring Attentional And Emotional Biases As A Function Of Trauma And Dissociation Symptomology, Claudia Clinchard

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

There is evidence that threatening facial expressions (e.g., angry faces) direct attention toward the target, and that for facial expressions that are less threatening but still convey negative valence (e.g., fear faces) direct attention outward and to one’s environment, therefore causing a shift in memory performance and attentional bias depending on the level of threat in emotional facial expressions presented. Extant literature provides evidence for attentional biases both towards and away from threat in those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology. The current study aimed to replicate the previous findings of the effects stimulus and emotion have on memory performance …

Mission Leadership Development In The Chinese Adventist Church: Reflections In The Light Of Traditional Chinese Philosophies Of Leadership, E P

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

Different schools of thought have emphasized multiples aspects of leadership, preeminently in the western hemisphere for the last decades (Bennis 1959; Greenleaf 1977; Malphus 2003). As China more decisively steps into the global arena through internationalization of its economy and political influence, scholars are only scratching the surface in exploring the pluralistic styles of Chinese indigenous leadership in both national and international organizations where the Chinese play significant leadership roles (Chen and Lee 2008: xv; Zhang, Chen, and Chen, and Ang 2014).

Contextual leadership is essential for the healthy development of any organization and that is equally true when it …

A Cyber Threat Taxonomy And A Viability Analysis For False Injections In The Tcas, John W. Hannah

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provided background information on the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). Additionally, the thesis developed a threat taxonomy for TCAS, resulting in the determination that a false injection attack presents the most comprehensive risk. Moreover, the thesis presents the development of a program to determine what ranges, altitudes, and relative bearings are most vulnerable to a false injection attack. The program includes test for all requirements of a successful false injection. Furthermore, the thesis presents an analysis of results and creates threat maps as situational awareness tools. Lastly, the thesis discusses potential solutions to the false injection attack, covers …

Application Of Game Theory Based Design To U.S. Space Systems, Benjamin C. Donohoo

Theses and Dissertations

Modern defense systems are designed to static sets of requirements and specifications. This process has worked well in the past but fails to account for the strategic interdependence of design choices made prior to operating systems. However, as the world becomes increasingly competitive, and as the space domain becomes increasingly congested and contested, such interdependence of design can be described using Game Theory. Game Theory is the mathematical study of strategy, actions and payoffs between rational, self-interested actors. Limited extant research has applied Game Theory to system design but focused on a single system being designed cooperatively within a single …

The Obstacles To The Modernization Of Common Support Equipment, J. Erik Ritschard

Theses and Dissertations

The current fleet of Common Support Equipment (CSE) is faced with a $2B funding disconnect that threatens 9 of the 12 USAF Core Functions. This research identifies the barriers to efforts to modernize CSE across the sustainment, acquisition, and maintenance communities. Using a qualitative, grounded theory methodology, the responses are explored of interviewed Support Equipment managers responsible for the sustainment and modernization of CSE. Significant barriers to current modernization efforts were exposed, resulting in expensive, duplicative, and unreliable equipment; concluding that the AF must change the way CSE is administrated, funded, and culturally understood to prevent future mission degradation.

Guidance For Building Motivation In Space Operator Training, Foster E. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Services provided by spacecraft, including communications and global positioning, are integral to small businesses, multinational corporations, and the United States Department of Defense. United States rivals recognize the need to undermine the military advantage provided by the space domain and are exploring ways to degrade these services in their warfare doctrine. In response, the United States will need space systems suited to counter these threats and personnel who are trained to respond to the new reality of a contested space environment. This paper also reviews the academic literature and written guidelines for developing motivation in an interactive environment for improving …

Examining The Impact Of Logistics On Military Strength Among East Asian Nations Using Data Envelopment Analysis, Meaghan E. Crandell

Theses and Dissertations

The current narrative in logistics revolves around modernization and the rapid development and deployment of capabilities, which is a sentiment echoed across the Air Force and the DoD alike. However, the combination of intangible and tangible aspects of logistics can make it challenging to find a foundational place to start the process. The purpose of this study is to evaluate logistical factors to include land area, infrastructure, labor force, and GDP and their relationship to military power. This foundation will provide a baseline of areas for improvement and replication. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and linear regression were leveraged to analyze …

An Analysis Of Application Type, Super Domain, And Productivity In Software Intensive Defense Acquisition, Evan P. Amato

Theses and Dissertations

The productivity of software developers has been an area of interest in the private industry in an endeavor to more appropriately interpret pertinent software development cost drivers. In an effort to better predict the cost of developing software, many have focused on Application Type as an important factor. The Department of Defense (DoD) has recently adopted a similar focus. Studies on categorization schemes of Application Types have shown increasingly relevant cost and productivity driving characteristics recently in the DoD. Identification of factors associated with distinct productivity effects is important for the defense acquisition and software cost estimation domains. Distinct factors …

Evaluation Of Efficient Water Reuse Technologies For Sustainable Forward Operating Bases, Kelsie L. Crouch

Theses and Dissertations

A secure water source is essential to the resiliency and readiness of military installations and contingency operation locations, especially those located in the dry climates the US military operates in today. There are multiple issues of concern when identifying water sources, such as security, cleanliness, accessibility, and sustainability. Water resources pose a potential vulnerability to mission readiness in a remote, agile environment, such as a forward operating base (FOB). Having a secure water resource helps facilitate mission readiness in the contingency environment, offering the opportunity to be more resilient and cost-effective. Current water treatment technologies present the possibility to perform …

A Study Of A Systematic Evangelistic Discipleship Process At The Lighthouse Free Methodist Church, Thomas Michael Doherty

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Lighthouse Free Methodist Church in Barryton, Michigan, lacks a systematic discipleship program that produces disciple-makers. This Doctor of Ministry project purposes to integrate a systematic discipleship program into the Lighthouse Free Methodist Church. The research methodology includes pre-and post-surveys and interviews. Pre- and post-survey data were collected to compare the number of disciplers, salvations, worship attenders, and the number of new systematic evangelistic discipleship groups. Six People participated in the training provided. The Lighthouse FMC is located near a small community of three-hundred people and is in the middle of a ten-mile circumference with thirty thousand. Thirteen people started …

The ‘Spartan Academy’ Shield: How Courts Protect The Leader Development Education Model At Military Colleges, Christopher M. Hartley

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

Military colleges in the United States are essential to the development of the capable leaders our armed forces require to achieve the mission and policy goals of the civilian government. But these education models often give rise to legal issues that cannot be resolved with a simple comparison to the traditional college model. This Article explores the relevant doctrines courts apply to the “Spartan Academy” educational model and reviews decisions concerning the model. While these institutions are generally provided significant legal latitude in their operations, they are not without constraints, and those constraints can vary by the characteristics of each …

Student Veterans: The Transition Process, Andrew Edwin Crane

Theses and Dissertations

Separation from the military and reintegration into civilian life can be a challenging experience for veterans. One opportunity that veterans pursue during this transition process is secondary education. Despite growing rates of student veterans across campuses limited research exists on the psychosocial functioning and reintegration difficulties faced by these individuals. The current study examined the relationship between factors such as deployment experience, perceived social support following deployment, psychological flexibility, academic functioning, as well as student engagement in collegiate activities. Findings from this study highlight the relationship between experiential avoidance and social support with psychological distress and student engagement for student …

Reflections On Reading, The U.S. Naval War College

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Making The Virtual International Maritime Staff Operators Course A Reality, Kenneth M. Sandler

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.