Public Policy Commons^™

From Sparta To Hostomel: The Enduring Role Of Joint Forcible Entry Operations, Jonathan Maxwell Cohen

Joint Force Quarterly

This article argues that joint forcible entry operations remain relevant despite the growing threat posed by antiaccess/area-denial networks. Using the Russian assault on Hostomel Airport during the opening phase of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine as a case study, the author contends that the operation failed not because forcible entry had become obsolete, but because Russian forces were unable to isolate and expand the lodgment, protect access for follow-on forces, and integrate maneuver and supporting fires effectively. The article traces the historical development of forcible entry from ancient amphibious operations through airborne and air assault doctrine, then applies lessons from …

Better In Pairs: Divide The Indo-Pacific Theater In Half, Tim Devine

Joint Force Quarterly

This article argues that the Department of Defense should reconsider the current geographic organization of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and create a second geographic combatant command in the region. The author contends that USINDOPACOM’s vast area of responsibility, expanding subordinate structure, growing operational demands, and increasing strategic competition with China are placing excessive strain on a single theater headquarters. Drawing on the U.S. experience in the Pacific during World War II, when separate commands under Admiral Chester Nimitz and General Douglas MacArthur divided responsibilities across the theater, the article presents a dual-command model as a historically proven way to improve span …

The Need For U.S. Stability Policing, John F. Hussey

Joint Force Quarterly

This article argues that the U.S. military needs a dedicated stability policing capability to establish public order, protect civilians, uphold the rule of law, and consolidate gains during the transition from combat operations to postconflict stability. Drawing on U.S. experiences in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the author contends that military forces have often been ill prepared to perform civilian policing or train indigenous police forces, leading to overly militarized approaches that can undermine legitimacy and public trust. The article emphasizes that stability policing requires personnel with civilian law enforcement expertise, particularly during the critical period immediately following major combat operations. …

The Profession Of Arms: What Scholars, Practitioners, And Others Of Note Have Had To Say, Gregory D. Foster

Joint Force Quarterly

This article brings together foundational and contemporary perspectives on the profession of arms to consider what defines military professionalism and whether that concept remains sufficient for today’s security environment. Beginning with the officer’s commission, oath of office, and joint doctrine, the author emphasizes that military service rests on constitutional loyalty, character, competence, expertise, responsibility, ethical conduct, and public trust. The article then presents influential views from figures such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Alexis de Tocqueville, Samuel Huntington, Morris Janowitz, Sir John Winthrop Hackett, Charles Moskos, Douglas MacArthur, and Martin Dempsey, highlighting recurring themes of civilian control, selfless service, professional …

Ethical Leadership Development: Highlights From The Past And A Glimpse Of The Future, Elias Ursitti, Eric J. Weis, Donald P. Loren

Joint Force Quarterly

This article traces the development of ethical leadership in the U.S. military over the past century and argues that character, integrity, and ethical judgment remain essential to the profession of arms. Using the Eisenhower School’s centennial as a framework, the authors review how military ethics have adapted to changing forms of warfare, technology, law, civil-military relations, and social expectations from the interwar period through the post–Cold War era. They highlight recurring challenges involving civilian protection, command responsibility, nuclear weapons, counterinsurgency, autonomous systems, private military contractors, diversity and inclusion, toxic leadership, and the psychological effects of war. Looking ahead, the article …

One Hundredth Anniversary Of The Eisenhower School For National Security And Resource Strategy: A Tribute In Three Verses, Gregory D. Foster

Joint Force Quarterly

This article commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy and places the school’s development within the broader history of U.S. national security, professional military education, and the profession of arms. Founded in 1924 as the Army Industrial College in response to mobilization challenges revealed by World War I, the institution later became the Industrial College of the Armed Forces before adopting its current name in 2012. The article traces this evolution alongside major changes in U.S. defense organization, strategy, civil-military relations, and the international security environment. It also introduces a Joint …

Stop Talking To Yourself: Military Recruiting In The Modern Age, Richard R. Bell, Elizabeth Goldsmith, Robert Martinez, Donghyun Lee

Joint Force Quarterly

This article explores the Department of Defense’s military recruiting challenges and argues that outdated communication strategies are limiting its ability to connect with Generation Z. The authors contend that young people’s perceptions of military service are shaped by concerns about physical and psychological risk, separation from family and friends, career opportunities, and the military lifestyle, as well as by misinformation and selective information-sharing on digital platforms. At the same time, DOD has struggled to adapt its recruiting efforts to the new media environment and to communicate the benefits of service in ways that are relevant and credible to younger audiences. …

Considering The Utility Of Modern Blockade In A Protracted Conflict With China, Thomas A. Krasnicki

Joint Force Quarterly

This article evaluates the potential use of maritime blockade as part of a U.S. strategy for ending a protracted conflict with China. Drawing on historical examples from the American Civil War, World War I, and World War II, the author argues that blockade remains relevant because China depends heavily on seaborne energy imports and maritime trade. The article proposes a modernized approach that combines close and distant blockade operations to pressure China’s economy while reducing risk to U.S. and allied forces. Close blockade elements would focus on neutralizing Chinese shipping near contested waters, while distant blockade forces would help identify …

Winners Of The 2024 Essay Competitions, National Defense University Press

Joint Force Quarterly

This article announces the winners of the 2024 National Defense University Press essay competitions and highlights the role of joint professional military education in advancing national security research and strategic thought. Twenty-eight faculty judges from 17 professional military education institutions evaluated 97 submissions across three categories: the Secretary of Defense National Security Essay Competition, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Strategic Research Paper Competition, and the Chairman’s Strategy Article Competition. Winning papers addressed contested logistics in a potential conflict with China, changes in the character of war, defense industrial base resilience, blockade strategy, Arctic and European security, nuclear-powered …

Cbrn Defense Readiness Reporting, Jeffrey A. French-Lujan, Taylor Harrington, Ron Fizer, Domah Diggs

Joint Force Quarterly

This article argues that the Department of Defense lacks a sufficiently standardized system for assessing and reporting chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense readiness across the joint force. Although the Defense Readiness Reporting System provides common measures for personnel, equipment, materiel condition, and training, current CBRN reporting requirements rely too heavily on subjective assessments and can overstate a unit’s actual ability to operate in a contaminated environment. Using the Marine Corps as a case study, the authors show how standardized training and equipment metrics can provide commanders with a more accurate picture of CBRN preparedness and operational risk. They contend …

The Implications Of The New Security Environment On The National Health Systems Enterprise, Martin Charles Bricknell, Derek Licina

Joint Force Quarterly

This article argues that the changing global security environment requires the United States to treat the military health system and the broader national health systems enterprise as strategic national capabilities rather than primarily as peacetime healthcare services. Drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and growing risks of large-scale conflict, the authors contend that future crises could produce military and civilian casualty levels that exceed the capacity of existing military medical systems. They emphasize the need for military health services to operate as part of an integrated civil-military health system capable of supporting deployed forces, receiving …

The Key To Arctic Dominance: Establishing An Arctic-Focused Subordinate Unified Command, Joseph R. Blume, Nathan L. Golike, Geoffrey R. Latimer, Michael Stanski

Joint Force Quarterly

This article argues that the United States should establish an Arctic-focused subordinate unified command under U.S. Northern Command to improve unity of command, resource management, and coordination in a region of growing strategic importance. The authors contend that current responsibility for Arctic operations, divided among U.S. Northern Command, U.S. European Command, and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, complicates command and control and weakens unity of effort. They trace how reduced sea ice, expanding shipping and resource access, Russia’s military modernization, and China’s growing Arctic activity are increasing competition and security demands in the region. After comparing subordinate unified commands, joint task forces, …

Executive Summary, William T. Eliason

Joint Force Quarterly

This executive summary introduces Joint Force Quarterly 115 against a backdrop of ongoing global conflict, strategic competition, and an approaching U.S. presidential election. William T. Eliason emphasizes the importance of aligning national interests, strategy, policy, and the instruments of national power while recognizing the difficulty of deterring war, ending conflict, and adapting to changing security conditions. The issue features articles on Arctic security, military health systems, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear readiness, contested logistics in the Pacific, blockade strategy in a potential conflict with China, and military recruiting. It also highlights joint professional military education, including the annual Secretary of …

Joint Force Quarterly, Issue 115, 4th Quarter 2024, National Defense University Press

Joint Force Quarterly

This JFQ issue highlights a range of military and security issues, including Arctic defense, health system impacts, and military readiness, while celebrating the achievements of joint professional military education and student essays on national security topics.

Failure To Implement Decentralization In Haiti As A Constitution Mandate, Alann Fils-Aime

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As of 2023, after 36 years, Haiti has yet to implement decentralization successfully per its 1987 Constitution mandate. The situation that prompted this research literature is to fill the literature gap to investigate the elites' responsibilities and their neglectfulness to implement decentralization as mandated by the Constitution. The generic qualitative methodology was the selected design to better understand the reasons for Haiti, as of 2023, and after 36 years, to remain unable to implement decentralization per its 1987 Constitution mandate successfully. Policy feedback theory served as the theoretical foundation for this study. Data were collected from semistructured Zoom or telephone …

Influence Of Incomplete And Unverified Vote-By-Mail Ballots On Mail-In Voting, Susanne Lynne Timmons

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots that were returned inaccurately during past general elections contributed to votes that were not counted in Florida. Since 2016, more than 600,000 mail ballots were not counted in the state; 73,000 were not counted in Broward County, Florida. The problem was that VBM ballots were returned as incomplete due to missing or mismatched signatures and not counted during the election processes. However, it was not known if this issue impacted voter perceptions of VBM voting. The public choice theory was the theoretical framework. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of voter perceptions …

How Does The Reauthorization Of The Farm Bill Impact Snap?, Colleen Heflin, Camille Barbin

Center for Policy Research

From 2021 to 2023, food insecurity in the United States increased from 10.2% to 13.5%, and food inflation rose to nearly 20%. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - the largest food assistance program, in the U.S. is funded and governed by the Farm Bill – a multi-year federal omnibus bill that provides agriculture and nutrition program funding. The 2018 Farm Bill expired on September 30, 2024, and while funding for SNAP has been extended through a Continuing Resolution, program reauthorization is needed. Negotiations on a new Farm Bill have included SNAP proposals to limit state discretion on work requirements …

Student Loan Policies And Payments During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Closing The Gap Or Widening Inequalities?, Jason Jabbari, Takeshi Terada, Haotian Zheng, Stephen Roll

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Student debt was specifically addressed in the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic through forbearance polices. However, not all individuals were eligible for forbearance, and it is possible that forbearance would leave some feeling further behind. Yet, little is known about student loan debt over the course of the pandemic, especially in relationship to forbearance policies, loan payments, and household financial stability. Leveraging a representative longitudinal survey of households during the pandemic, we use descriptive regression techniques to explore changes in loan balances throughout the pandemic, as well as the relationships among student loan policies, payments, and measures of …

An Update To The October 2015 Working Draft On Drogheda – Ireland’S Emerging Sixth City, Using 2022 Census Data, Brian Hughes Dr, Brian Hughes Dr

Reports

This research update of author’s earlier Paper of October 2015 ‘Greater Drogheda: Emerging Demographic Evidence Base for Ireland’s Sixth City’ by reviewing and updating the growth of the Greater Drogheda Area (GDrA). It includes an examination of the fusion of its two largest settlements, Drogheda and fast-growing Laytown, Bettystown, Mornington and Donacarney (LBMD) towns. The scale of Drogheda’s growth is evidenced as a city and not that of the National Planning Framework’s Regional Growth Towns, as the evidence of this Paper will show. My 2015 paper and also my 2010 PhD are published in [email protected], under Brian Hughes.

State-To-State Migration In Nevada, 2017-2022, Ayda Atici, Reese Howard, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet examines data on state-to-state migration patterns of people moving from other states to Nevada, as well as individuals leaving Nevada and moving to other states between 2017 and 2022. Data for all 50 states are found in the United States Census Bureau’s report, “State-to-State Migration Flows."

Federal Election Commission And Indiana Secretary Of State Campaign Finance Information Resoures, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This presentation covers campaign finance information resources produced by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and Indiana Secretary of State. It describes how these agencies began, details how they oversee and regulate U.S. federal and Indiana state elections, and documents contributions made by individuals, organizations, political parties, and political action committees to individual candidates and organizations. Reporting documentation on these election races is also included.

A Qualitative Examination Of Factors Potentially Impacting Displacement Of Historically Black Communities, Daffney Moore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically, Black communities have often been discussed in the context of crime and poverty; however, most Black communities were flourishing neighborhoods with businesses, churches, and schools. Most of the literature related to gentrification and displacement does not address the root causes of the disappearance of Black communities, which generally centers on policies, legislation, force-outs, economic development, and racial disparities. This case study aimed to explore the displacement of a suburban historically Black community in St. Louis County, Missouri. Scholars have scarcely examined or written about the history of Black communities. The research question sought to explore the impact of displacement …

Contextualized Transitional Justice Policy Development In Uganda: Differentiating Between Normativity Types In Evidence-Based Problem Analysis, Saghar Shahidi Birjandian

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

This article discusses the fundamental impact of normativity on producing evidence-based guidance for context-sensitive transitional justice policy. It draws on lessons learned from Uganda’s complex transitional justice context and extensive fieldwork to demonstrate the necessity and the means to differentiate between belief-based normativity and evidence-based normativity in conducting problem analysis as a crucial site that determines the integrity of evidence-based guidance. It also establishes that evidence-based normativity guiding problem analysis must include empirical evidence of societal dynamics and views of affected communities or there is a significantly higher risk of belief-based normativity decontextualizing strategy development. Findings establish significant substantive differences …

Construction Contracting In The Zero Emission Transportation Sector: Evidence From Underrepresented Businesses, Gökçe Soydemir, Orestis P. Panagopoulos

Mineta Transportation Institute

This study investigates the degree to which underrepresented construction contractors face challenges in California's zero-emission transportation sector to devise a simpler and more efficient bonding structure. Using a survey dispersed over underrepresented businesses across the state, the study provides several suggestions for a statewide bonding program that caters to the needs of contractors. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used in the study. The survey data are evaluated using econometric tools to analyze whether there are any statistically significant associations between contractors' characteristics and their industry experiences. Focus groups and focused interviews are conducted to identify those perspectives the survey …

Are California’S Local Jurisdictions Disproportionately Directing Growth Toward Existing Disadvantaged Communities? Evidence From The Southern California And San Francisco Bay Area Regions, Shishir Mathur, Christopher Ferrell

Mineta Transportation Institute

Communities across the United States are striving to promote smart urban growth through compact urban infill residential development. They are doing so to mitigate sprawl's negative fiscal, environmental, social, and physical impacts, strengthen land use-housing-transportation linkages, and develop at densities needed for well-functioning public transit. Some states, such as California, have gone a step further by linking compact urban infill development as critical to meeting greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. Anecdotal evidence suggests some California local jurisdictions are planning disproportionately large amounts of new urban development in disadvantaged communities (DACs). However, empirical evidence is lacking. This study aims to fill …

Raising The Bar: Improving How To Assess Evidence Quality In Evaluating Systems-Change Efforts, Marina Apgar, Thomas Aston, Mieke Snijder, Tom Zwollo

The Foundation Review

Facing the great scale of societal challenges, philanthropic organizations are increasingly calling for systems change. Evaluating systems change requires innovative approaches that respond to the complexities of such change in ways that support equity and multiracial democracy rather than undermining them.

A key concern in evaluating systems change is how to do so rigorously. Rigor has traditionally been equated with evaluative criteria such as independence and objectivity, and experimental methods and evidence hierarchies which sit uncomfortably with both complexity and equity. Yet when taking an alternative approach, many philanthropic organizations fear that without these standards, there are no standards at …

Zero Textbook Cost Syllabus For Paf 9140 (Budget And Financial Analysis), Rahul Pathak

Open Educational Resources

Managing available resources effectively and undertaking appropriate financial analysis is central to strategic decision-making. This course provides an overview of public finance, budgeting, and fiscal decision-making in the public sector and nonprofit sector. The course covers key topics in public finance and budgeting, and aims to provide students an opportunity to learn some essential skills for financial analysis, which are central to becoming good managers. Expertise over the course material should be advantageous to anyone who is aiming for positions such as a budget analyst in a government, bond rating/credit analyst in the private firm, and various other consulting roles …

Forest For The Trees: Collective Accountability And Trust As Groundwork For Systems Change, Shaady Salehi, Pia Infante

The Foundation Review

Since 2020, trust-based philanthropy has gained momentum as a strategy to alleviate inherent power imbalances between funders, nonprofits, and the communities they serve. The cornerstone of the approach is a set of grantmaking practices, such as multiyear unrestricted funding and streamlined paperwork, that support nonprofit self-determination toward achieving impact goals.

At a deeper level, trust-based philanthropy is driven by core values that position funders as collaborators and supporters working alongside nonprofits to advance a more just and equitable society. This requires a radically different stance on accountability from conventional philanthropic norms. Rather than reinforcing a sense of one-way transactional accountability, …

Tfr 16.2 Full Issue

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Executive Summaries

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.