Military and Veterans Studies Commons^™

Geographic Trends Of Terrorist Attacks And Active Shooter Scenarios Perpetrated Inside U.S. Military Installations And Facilities, 1970-2019, Aaron James Ebbenga

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In recent years, a variety of devastating terrorist attacks have been perpetrated against American military installations, spurring not only national outrage but also global public upheaval. Our public preconception of considering military bases as impenetrable to the dangers of active shooter scenarios and bomb threats has since become widely scrutinized by worldwide media sources. For this reason, the people of the U.S. have expressed concerns about the safety of the nation’s military personnel. The diverse nature of the attacks, committed both by domestic and foreign terrorist organizations, illustrates vulnerabilities of American military installations and support facilities. These types of attacks …

Women In Combat Boots: U.S. Servicewomen’S Collective Self-Esteem And Adherence To Weight Regulations, Latavia Monét Ford

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Women’s bodies are scrutinized and objectified in western societies broadly. For servicewomen however, the military is a specific site where women’s bodies receive close examination and scrutiny. Military members must adhere to height-based weight standards to remain in compliance. For servicewomen, the military is an important part of their life, and as such, it has a pivotal role in shaping their identity. The purpose of this study is to examine women’s experiences of managing and responding to the weigh-ins, particularly the ways it shapes their collective self-esteem. Data for this study consist of ten qualitative interviews conducted with servicewomen. Findings …

Supporting Resilience In Reserve Component Spouses During Deployment: The Impact Of Family Life Cycle Phase And Deployment History On Social Support Needs, Jennifer L. Ceminsky

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This exploratory study used a researcher developed survey to examine the relative value of instrumental, emotional, and informational support for Reserve Component spouses during deployment. Although all types of support were valued by nearly all study participants, significant differences were found between ratings of helpfulness for each type of support. Emotional support was the support type most valued by 73.1% of spouses in this study. Instrumental support was most valued by21.1%, and only 2.8% of spouses valued informational support most. Regression analyses were used to identify factors that were predictive of value placed on each type of social support. The …

Time To Stand Up For Female Vets: Improving Access To Vegerans Administration Health Services For Female Veterans Who Experience Military Sexual Trauma, Rhonda Haugstad, Dana Miller, Michelle Remold

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Military Sexual Trauma (MST), is defined as sexual assault and/or sexual harassment experienced while serving in the United States military. The process of obtaining Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits are difficult for individuals that suffer from MST. MST survivors are faced with delays and numerous barriers in accessing services, including discrimination in seeking compensation. Statistical data from the Department of Defense (DOD) is reviewed highlighting the high rates of sexual assault in the military and addresses concerns about the long-term implications for survivors of MST.

Many female veteran survivors of MST are struggling to access needed services covered by …

Expatriate Adjustment Of U.S. Military On Foreign Assignment:The Role Of Personality And Cultural Intelligence In Adjustment, Jennifer Pauline Stockert

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The present study explored the relationships between personality, cultural intelligence, and adjustment to expatriate assignments. More narrowly, this study explored which facets of cultural intelligence are related to United States Air Force (USAF) members' adjustment to international assignments in Germany. The study also aimed to clarify the relationship between Big Five personality factors and adjustment in USAF expatriates. Expatriate adjustment was measured using the Expatriate Adjustment Scale by Black and Stephens (1989). Cultural Intelligence was measured using the Extended Cultural Intelligence Scale by Van Dyne, Ang, Ng, Rockstuhl, Tan, and Koh (2012). Big Five personality factors were measured using the …

The State Partnership Program: States As Global Actors: The Implications Of Nonaggressive National Forces, Ellen Ahlness

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States sought to increase its influence in Western Europe and Central Asia. The primary military mechanism used to increase presence and ideological influence was the State Partnership Program. This program, modeled heavily after the Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange, used reserve forces instead of active duty forces to lessen the aggression levels perceived by Russian command. This use of reserve forces gave individual American states a greater degree of involvement in international military operations. Since the creation of the State Partnership Program, 65 state/country partnerships have been established. The goals have also …

Recent Documents From The Department Of Defense, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Democracy/Government

Bibliography and photographs of a display of government documents from Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The Emotionally Supportive Sister-Soldier: How The United States Military Values Normative Femininity And Devalues Nonconformist Servicewomen, Kristal Marie Gray

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Women need to be vigilant about the rights and strides they have gained to be sure they are not circling back to feed an oppressive system. Women may be serving in the military but they are filling specific roles as the feminine presence within the ranks. Women are gendered and sexualized from the day they swear in. My research gives valuable insight into the world of the military and how much emphasis is placed on conforming. I explain how servicewomen are expected to act and then interview eleven servicewomen to see if they are behaving according to the military (and …

Manning Up: A Look At Women In The Military And Their Sense Of Self, Kari Elizabeth Davis

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study is to uncover identity shaping in women of the military. I interviewed eleven women from various branches of the military to uncover changes in their sense of self, emotion management, and role person merge. Six of these my respondents were deployed to combat zones. The women of this study went to basic training and learned how to be a soldier. They go through a process of "manning up" where they leave behind prior behaviors and beliefs and display a masculine front in order to be successful in their military careers. They also demonstrate a role …

Needs Assessment To Explore Support For Spouses Affected By Military Life, Erika Sletten

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Service members and family members currently have more challenging life situations due to multiple wartime deployments (Bowen & Martin, 2011). Spouses of military personnel suffer from problems at home when their loved ones are deployed. Problems may include intermittent single parenting, financial strain, and limited access to resources. These problems can lead to domestic violence, child abuse or neglect, and children’s social or academic decline (Lincoln & Sweeten, 2010).

Evaluating Changes In Families With Members On Military Deployment, Jill Brink

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

With ongoing operations in the Middle East, military families face a large amount of stress surrounding deployment. While many studies have been conducted on soldier mental health, few have been published on the health of their families and even less on their children. The present case studies examine the mental health of military children, the change in family environment, and the social supports dependent spouses use during deployment. Two families are presented in this study. One family represents an Army Reserve family and the other an Air Force family. By comparing scores to standardized scores, it was shown that mental …

Evidence-Based Strategies For Working With Veterans, Bethany Fopma

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

According to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), 3.3 million veterans (41%) live in rural areas. Due to geographical barriers, these veterans often lack access to needed services and providers. This research project analyzed studies that utilized telehealth in delivering services to veterans with PTSD. While more research in this area needs to be conducted, telehealth technology shows promising results for improving veterans’ symptoms and providing veterans with satisfactory services. Research Question: Is telehealth medicine an effective intervention in treating veterans with PTSD?

Training Collaboration In A Network-Assisted Environment, Brooke Schaab, J. Douglas Dressel, Mark A. Sabol, Andrea L. Lassiter

Psychology Department Publications

Technology enabled non-face-to-face collaboration has the potential to enhance information sharing and shared situational awareness (SSA) by providing near real-time information to a wide audience. Collaborators require an awareness of what critical information should be shared to develop this SSA. Previous research suggested that participants, while reporting that they shared relevant information, in actuality did not. To explore this issue, the previous research was repeated with the addition of having half of the participants exposed to a short training video on how to collaborate. Participants who received training on how to collaborate located significantly more SCUDs during each of the …

The Pentagon, Augustana College - Sioux Falls

Democracy/Government

Bibliography and photograph of a display of government documents from Augustana College, South Dakota.

Performance In Non-Face-To-Face Collaborative Information Environments, Brooke Schaab, J. Douglas Dressel, Mark A. Sabol, Andrea L. Lassiter

Psychology Department Publications

Using technology to obtain and process information requires training not only in human-computer interaction but also in human-human-computer (collaborative) interaction. Warfighters must not only develop their own situational awareness (SA), they must understand each others’ SA (Pew, 1995). This common ground is what each collaboration participant assumes about the others to ensure effective interactions (Ross, 2003; Wellons, 1993). Communication is key. Collaborators must coordinate and share information. Collaboration influences military operations at all levels. Technical interoperability is not enough to produce the synchronization required.