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Articles 1 - 26 of 26
Full-Text Articles in Business
Cost Performance Index Stability: Insights From Environmental Remediation Projects, Denis S. Clayson, Edward D. White, Alfred E. Thal Jr.
Cost Performance Index Stability: Insights From Environmental Remediation Projects, Denis S. Clayson, Edward D. White, Alfred E. Thal Jr.
Faculty Publications
The purpose of this study was to investigate the stability of the cost performance index (CPI) for environmental remediation projects as the topic is not addressed in the literature. CPI is defined as the earned value of work performed divided by the actual cost of the work, and CPI stability represents the point in time in a project after which the CPI varies by less than 20 percent (measured in different ways).
Delineating Operating And Support Costs In Aircraft Platforms, Garrett B. O'Hanlon, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Edward D. White, Gregory E. Brown
Delineating Operating And Support Costs In Aircraft Platforms, Garrett B. O'Hanlon, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Edward D. White, Gregory E. Brown
Faculty Publications
As the costs of Department of Defense (DoD) Weapon Systems increase, the ability to estimate the Operating and Support (O&S) costs accurately for the various weapon systems has become vital to long-term affordability. This research focuses on the O&S costs of the Air Force fixed-wing arsenal (i.e., platforms) for 1996–2016. First, the Cost Element Structure (CES) for 52 aircraft platforms and seven operational mission categories is analyzed to derive the descriptive statistics per aircraft category through examination of actual historical costs. Second, testing to identify statistical differences within the O&S CES construct across various Air Force aircraft categories is conducted. …
Evaluation Of Rsaf Airworthiness And Applicability, Majed M. Altowairqi
Evaluation Of Rsaf Airworthiness And Applicability, Majed M. Altowairqi
Theses and Dissertations
This research focuses on evaluation of Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) airworthiness processes and their applicability. The current RSAF airworthiness process is in accordance with internationally recognized best practice in the area of military aviation, this is achieved by benchmarking against European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. Airworthiness policy for the RSAF is developed on the basis that it will be as civil as possible and as military as necessary. For the purpose of this research, the current RSAF airworthiness process will be benchmarked against the United States Air Force (USAF) airworthiness process. That …
Methods To Support The Project Selection Problem With Non-Linear Portfolio Objectives, Time Sensitive Objectives, Time Sensitive Resource Constraints, And Modeling Inadequacies, Neil C. Ranly
Theses and Dissertations
The United States Air Force relies upon information production activities to gain insight regarding uncertainties affecting important system configuration and in-mission task execution decisions. Constrained resources that prevent the fulfillment of every information production request, multiple information requestors holding different temporal-sensitive objectives, non-constant marginal value preferences, and information-product aging factors that affect the value-of-information complicate the management of these activities. This dissertation reviews project selection research related to these issues and presents novel methods to address these complications. Quantitative experimentation results demonstrate these methods’ significance.
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 …
Cyber War And Deterrence: Applying A General Theoretical Framework, Isaac Nacita [*], Mark Reith
Cyber War And Deterrence: Applying A General Theoretical Framework, Isaac Nacita [*], Mark Reith
Faculty Publications
There is a saying that politicians and generals are always fighting the last war, which is emphasized when the weapons and characteristics of warfare are changing rapidly. However, if this is true, it is often not due to an inability to learn lessons from previous conflicts, but to “overlearn” or overcompensate for the failures and experiences of the past. In reality, this is not a learning problem but one of forming poor implications from historical events, which leads to poor applications of doctrine the next time around. The DOD now acknowledges that warfare has extended into cyberspace, and it is …
Analyzing Operating And Support Costs For Air Force Aircraft, Scott C. Hewitson, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Edward D. White, Gregory Brown
Analyzing Operating And Support Costs For Air Force Aircraft, Scott C. Hewitson, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Edward D. White, Gregory Brown
Faculty Publications
Purpose: Recent legislation resulted in an elevation of operating and support (O&S) costs’ relative importance for decision-making in Department of Defense programs. However, a lack of research in O&S hinders a cost analyst’s abilities to provide accurate sustainment estimates. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate when Air Force aircraft O&S costs stabilize and to what degree. Next, a parametric O&S model is developed to predict median O&S costs for use as a new tool for cost analyst practitioners.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Utilizing the Air Force total ownership cost database, 44 programs consisting of 765 observations from 1996 to 2016 …
Not All Tons Are Created Equal; Analyzing Aerial Port Capability To Define The Working Ton, Casey L. Owens
Not All Tons Are Created Equal; Analyzing Aerial Port Capability To Define The Working Ton, Casey L. Owens
Theses and Dissertations
United States Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) along with Air Mobility Command (AMC) provide airlift assets that accomplish thousands of missions around the world every week for cargo distribution. The current unit of measure is a short ton, which is the primary metric used in decision making. However, the short ton measurement does not adequately predict the amount of work necessary to properly prepare different cargo types for airlift. Utilizing the short ton metric leads to inadequate forecasting times for cargo preparation and aircraft loading, which leads to delayed missions. The root of the problem is that the metric used does not …
Parametric Survival Analysis Of Us Air Force Rated Officer Retention, Jacob R. Lindell
Parametric Survival Analysis Of Us Air Force Rated Officer Retention, Jacob R. Lindell
Theses and Dissertations
Personnel retention is a very important topic in both the private and public sectors. Not only do companies need to make sure they have the right people, they need to have the right amount of people. Within the public sector, specifically the US Air Force, maintaining appropriate manning comes in two phases; bringing in the right amount of people each year, and retaining enough people from year to year. These two aspects go hand in hand; if the Air Force knows how many people they will lose in a given year, they can bring in the exact number of people …
Shop Around: An Experiment On Air Force Vehicle Parts Procurement, Melvin K. Boothe
Shop Around: An Experiment On Air Force Vehicle Parts Procurement, Melvin K. Boothe
Theses and Dissertations
Current procurement processes for vehicle parts vary substantially across the Air Force. Many of these parts are "commercial off-the-shelf" items that are procured through local vendors via a government purchase card. Understanding what guidance dictates various purchasing processes and how that guidance affects the behavior of purchasers is unknown. A mixed method approach of semi-structured interviews of purchasers at multiple bases and an experimental survey testing different sets of guidance are used to understand the effects of guidance, as well as produce recommendations for action and future research for leaders at the local and headquarters levels.
Investigating Capability Development Management For The Air Force Strategic Development Planning And Experimentation (Spde) Office, Sarah M. Pak
Theses and Dissertations
The Air Force provides unique capabilities for the defense of our nation. Capabilities do not come to fruition instantly; they must go through a development process. Managing the development of a capability is a difficult but necessary task. In 2016, a report from the Air Force Studies Board prompted the Air Force to focus on the Capability Development Process and its improvement. In response to the report, the Strategic Development Planning & Experimentation (SDPE) Office was formed. The SDPE Office is tasked to support Enterprise Capability Collaboration Teams (ECCTs), which are, in turn, tasked to research and solve prominent issues …
Evaluating The Air Force Inspection System, Luis D. Rosado-Medina
Evaluating The Air Force Inspection System, Luis D. Rosado-Medina
Theses and Dissertations
SAF/IG implemented the Air Force Inspection System (AFIS) in 2013 following a USAFE pilot study into its potential for implementation across the Air Force. Using responsive constructive evaluation and content analysis of interviews as a methodology, AFIS was evaluated against the objectives laid out in AFPAD13-01. 18 interviews were conducted on 4 stakeholder groups across the inspection enterprise, which resulted in 4 overarching themes: Culture Shifts, Self-Assessment, Higher Headquarters Relationships, and PAD Objectives. This research allows SAF/IG to implement changes to future versions of AFIS that incorporates views from the field.
Analysis Of Influences Of Separation Decisions In The Financial Management Career Field, Shauna Young
Analysis Of Influences Of Separation Decisions In The Financial Management Career Field, Shauna Young
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this research was to analyze influences on separation decisions of active duty Air Force financial management officers. Researchers tested nine variables to determine their separation implications. The tested variables were major command, age, prior enlisted service, spouse, commissioning source, AFIT cost analysis master’s degrees, engagement, crystallization of job alternatives, and exhaustion. Results proved that age, prior enlisted service, having a spouse, and being an Air Force Academy or AFIT graduate correlates to whether a financial management officer will separate from the Air Force. In addition, the engagement level or having a defined list of job alternatives readily …
Band Of Brothers… And Sisters: Developing A Strategy For Integrating Women Into The Combat Rescue Officer Career Field, Samantha R. Bryan
Band Of Brothers… And Sisters: Developing A Strategy For Integrating Women Into The Combat Rescue Officer Career Field, Samantha R. Bryan
Theses and Dissertations
As of 1 January 2016, across the Department of Defense, every combat position was opened to females. Currently, the Combat Rescue Officer (CRO) career field has not had any women attempt the training requirements in order to become fully qualified. To prepare for this integration of women into an all-male career field, leadership needs to understand the current perception of the CROs that are in the field now. This paper presents a foundation for the development of an assimilation strategy, by triangulating the insights from a sample of CROs, historical documents and researcher observations to produce recommendations for success. The …
Improving Personnel Selection Through Value Focused Thinking, Joshua D. Deehr
Improving Personnel Selection Through Value Focused Thinking, Joshua D. Deehr
Theses and Dissertations
Personnel selection has always and will continue to be a challenging endeavor for the military special operations. They want to select the best out of a number of qualified applicants. How an organization determines what makes a successful candidate and how to compare candidates against each other are some of the difficulties that top tier organizations like the special operations face. Value focused thinking (VFT) places criteria in a hierarchal structure and quantifies the values with criteria measurements, known as a decision model. The selection process can be similar to a college selecting their students. This research used college student …
Critical Issues In The Air Force Medical Equipment Procurement Process, Samuel H. Pang
Critical Issues In The Air Force Medical Equipment Procurement Process, Samuel H. Pang
Theses and Dissertations
The Air Force medical logistics community relies on multiple contracting offices to acquire medical equipment for the Air Force Medical Service. The perception is that burdensome regulations contribute to the challenges faced in the procurement process. This research takes a broader examination to understand the factors leading to long lead times and delayed procurements. Process mapping and interviews with the key stakeholders supporting medical equipment procurement determined that the critical issues were a lack of centralized medical equipment contracting authority, insufficient market research and inconsistent local knowledge on contracting processes. This research provides future recommendations for the Air Force Medical …
How A Conducive Environment And Susceptible Followers Influence Toxic Leadership Behaviors In The Air Force: An Examination Of The Toxic Triangle Theory, Rachel S. Beightel
How A Conducive Environment And Susceptible Followers Influence Toxic Leadership Behaviors In The Air Force: An Examination Of The Toxic Triangle Theory, Rachel S. Beightel
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this thesis was to determine what characteristics of the Air Force’s environment and Airmen perpetuate toxic leadership behaviors. This survey study was designed, using the toxic triangle theory, to evaluate the toxic leadership behaviors, susceptible follower traits, and conducive environment characteristics participants have experienced in the Air Force. The study applied ordinary least squares path analysis to determine the influence susceptible followers and characteristics of a conducive environment have on toxic leadership behaviors in the Air Force. Results revealed that collusive followers have a direct influence on toxic leadership. While only two characteristics of a conducive environment …
Resilient Aircraft Maintenance Constructs: Enhancing Repair Network Designs To Effectively Manage Risks And Supply Chain Interruptions, Thomas S. Bihansky
Resilient Aircraft Maintenance Constructs: Enhancing Repair Network Designs To Effectively Manage Risks And Supply Chain Interruptions, Thomas S. Bihansky
Theses and Dissertations
This research aims to extend the understanding of supply chain resiliency by utilizing a simulation model of a U.S. Air Force aircraft engine repair network to evaluate the degree of resiliency built into the system. The study compares the recovery time of the disrupted current system to that of a fully-integrated repair network; the objective being the quantification of resiliency in the current networks design and gauging the effectiveness of various strategies in reducing recovery time. This contributes to current literature by bridging the explicit gap on how to quantify, measure, and compare resilient supply chain strategies and also provides …
Flightline Heroics And The Façade Of A Healthy Common Support Equipment Fleet, Benjamin D. Bobic
Flightline Heroics And The Façade Of A Healthy Common Support Equipment Fleet, Benjamin D. Bobic
Theses and Dissertations
Access to serviceable support equipment enables aircraft maintenance crews the ability to efficiently keep assigned aircraft safe and mission capable. Current Air Force policy does not require formal management and enterprise fleet health reporting of serialized support equipment. As such, articulating funding requirements to replace equipment has been a challenge for equipment managers. To better articulate support equipment requirements, equipment managers need quantifiable support equipment data. A previous study examined the relationship between aircraft availability and support equipment availability. While finding no significant correlation, the author identifies the practices of "Frankensteining" and "Beg-Borrow-Steal" as possible reasons for the absence of …
C-130j Inventory Control Point Location Determination, Joshua P. Casey
C-130j Inventory Control Point Location Determination, Joshua P. Casey
Theses and Dissertations
Since the first C-130J delivery in 1999, Lockheed Martin has managed the USAF’s C-130J “peculiar” parts inventory at Keesler AFB. Now with 193 aircraft assigned to 17 operating locations across the globe, effective supply chain management and recognized cost savings are essential components to mission success and fleet longevity. Previous research within the area of location analysis has shown that minimizing the average weighted distance of shipping products can assist in cost reduction efforts. Due to this, the goal of this study is to determine if alternative CONUS C-130J locations can be utilized as the Inventory Control Point to help …
Supply Chain Financial Analysis In Support Of International Development Objectives, Michael J. Hester
Supply Chain Financial Analysis In Support Of International Development Objectives, Michael J. Hester
Theses and Dissertations
Throughout the 21st century, the Department of Defense has carried the burden in combatting extremist ideologies around the globe, spending an estimated $4.79 trillion fighting wars in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan. A recognition of the unsustainable nature of fighting such long-term, costly wars has led U.S. national security policy to shift in recent years towards combatting extremism through economic development and building capacity in less stable communities around the globe. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is the government agency responsible for achieving this objective, yet USAID acknowledges that many of the supply chains the agency finances are …
Strategic Sourcing Via Category Management: Helping Air Force Installation Contracting Agency Eat One Piece Of The Elephant, Theodore S. Holliger
Strategic Sourcing Via Category Management: Helping Air Force Installation Contracting Agency Eat One Piece Of The Elephant, Theodore S. Holliger
Theses and Dissertations
The United States Air Force can dramatically reduce resource consumption through strategic sourcing initiatives that leverage sensibly-bound pockets of spend via category management. However, category creation is a particularly daunting task due to the sheer magnitude of purchasing data in large organizations. Text mining is one way to identify categories. Specifically, term frequency analysis, term frequency-inverse document frequency analysis, and topic modeling can identify category membership, unique characteristics of categories, and thematic natures of the categories. This thesis developed an empirical, generalizable, reproducible methodology to analyze historical contract text descriptions to uncover the data’s hidden structure. A sample case was …
Flexibility – Designing For Optionality On Warehouse Modernization Projects, Stephen T. Lane
Flexibility – Designing For Optionality On Warehouse Modernization Projects, Stephen T. Lane
Theses and Dissertations
The Department of Defense relies upon a vast network logistics facilities and capabilities across the planet. Assets are largely sourced from the Defense Logistics Agency, which is considering a modernization project for their Eastern Distribution Center (EDC). It handles 25% of all materials that DLA supplies, and the facility is antiquated. In order to maximize their investment, flexible options for the modernization should be considered. This research was conducted as a case study of the EDC in order to develop a framework of flexibility for DoD decision makers going forward. This case study gathers subject matter expert knowledge from government …
A Study Of Military Health Care Costs: Direct Versus Purchased Care In A Geographical Region, Lindsey N. Mcevoy
A Study Of Military Health Care Costs: Direct Versus Purchased Care In A Geographical Region, Lindsey N. Mcevoy
Theses and Dissertations
Health care expenses are one of the largest contributing factors to increased personnel costs, the fastest-rising component of the Department of Defense's budget. This research examines the cost implications of developing a new military treatment facility in a specified geographical region, in an effort to reduce military health care spending. Care received at a military treatment facility is referred to as direct care, while care received in the private sector is referred to as purchased care. This research leverages existing information on direct and purchased medical care to gain insights into the workload costs for medical care in a geographical …
Cultivating Agile Organizational Culture: Addressing Resistance To Change In Bureaucratic Government Organizations, Michael P. Mclane
Cultivating Agile Organizational Culture: Addressing Resistance To Change In Bureaucratic Government Organizations, Michael P. Mclane
Theses and Dissertations
Resistance to change is a phenomenon that affects organizations almost universally. All organizations large and small are continuously challenged to adjust, evolve and innovate to gain or maintain competitive advantage and mission effectiveness. Alarmingly high failure rates are reported: 30-70% of change initiatives falling short of their prescribed intent or never attain the desired results. This research investigates how bureaucratic governmental organizations can address this truth, and how leadership can cultivate a flexible, agile culture that is more adaptable to the demands of constant change. This study uses case study methodology and qualitative research methods aid in the understanding of …
Unmasking Cost Growth Behavior: A Longitudinal Study, Cory N. D'Amico, Edward D. White, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Scott R. Kozlak
Unmasking Cost Growth Behavior: A Longitudinal Study, Cory N. D'Amico, Edward D. White, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Scott R. Kozlak
Faculty Publications
This article examines how cost growth factors (CGF) change over a program’s acquisition life cycle for 36 Department of Defense aircraft programs. Starting from Milestone B, the authors examine CGFs at five gateways: Critical Design Review, First Flight (FF), the end of Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E), Initial Operational Capability, and Full Operational Capability. Each CGF is assigned a color rating based upon the program’s cost growth: Green (low), Amber (moderate), or Red (high). Significant findings include dependencies among similar CGF color ratings and cost growth occurring primarily between FF and the end of DT&E during a program’s life cycle.