Military and Veterans Studies Commons^™

The Offense-Defense Balance And The Modern System In Ukraine, Daniel Hogestyn

Master in Public Policy Theses

This thesis evaluates whether the Russo Ukrainian war represents a revolution in military affairs (RMA) by testing Stephen Biddle’s "modern system" theory of battlefield outcomes against recent combat operations. Applying Biddle’s formal model to the 2023 Ukrainian offensive in Zaporizhia, the thesis finds that the offensive's failure conforms closely to Biddle’s causal logic, with force employment variables drawn from 20th century combat sufficient to account for the outcome. Biddle's model in military power argues that force employment has explained victory and defeat since World War I, rather than technology or numerical preponderance alone. Many commentators claim that proliferation of small …

Uneven Ranks: Geographic Deepening Of The All-Volunteer Force, Christine Hogestyn

Master in Public Policy Theses

Who is enlisting in Fiscal Year 2025, and what state-level characteristics are associated with military enlistment rates, service selection, and recruit quality? This study documents the geographic landscape of U.S. military accessions during a period of recruiting recovery, filling a gap in the literature by providing a current, empirical description of who enlists and from where in today’s All-Volunteer Force. Drawing on personnel data from the Department of War, the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates, and a federal dataset of military installations, I analyze 203,987 new accessions across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps from …

Book Review: Nothing But Courage: The 82nd Airborne's Daring D-Day Mission—And Their Heroic Charge Across The La Fière Bridge, Wylie W. Johnson

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: James Donovan

Reviewed by: Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, chaplain, US Army War College class of 2010

In this riveting account, James Donovan tells the dramatic story of the 82nd Airborne Division’s mission to seize and hold the La Fière bridge—an unassuming but vital link in the success of the D-Day invasion. Dropped behind enemy lines hours before the beach landings, these paratroopers faced overwhelming odds in a brutal three-day battle that culminated in a near-suicidal charge across a narrow causeway. Blending firsthand accounts, archival research, and battlefield visits, Donovan honors the courage and sacrifice that helped turn the tide …

The Employment Situation Of Veterans: April 2026, Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

The April 2026 employment report shows veteran unemployment declined to 3.6%, down from 3.9% in March, with post‑9/11 veterans improving to 4.0%. Overall U.S. unemployment remained stable at 4.3%, while job growth occurred in healthcare, transportation, and retail. Younger veterans faced higher unemployment, especially ages 18–24 (12.8%) and 25–34 (8.1%), compared to older groups with lower rates. Female veteran unemployment fell significantly, while male rates rose slightly. Racial and ethnic trends varied, with decreases for Black and Asian veterans but increases for Hispanic veterans. Long-term unemployment remained prevalent among veterans.

The Coast Guard’S Budget & Its Impact On Operational Efficiency, Jory R. Cardoza

Honors Projects

The United States Coast Guard is constitutionally charged to carry out eleven core missions. This project examines the impact that the Coast Guard’s budget has on its ability to perform those different missions. This is done by using the statistical software program SPSS to analyze the statistical significance of budget related independent variables on multiple mission performance related dependent variables. Mission performance is based on the metrics that the Coast Guard uses to measure each of their missions. These metrics, along with the budgetary variables are published annually in documents such as Posture Statements, Performance Reports, and Budgetary Requests by …

"It's A Book You Grab And Squeeze, And Blood Comes Out.” Modernization Of The Colombian Army's Training During U.S.- Funded Plan Colombia And Security Policies: Falsos Positivos And Bodies As Merchandise (2002–2008), Maria Isabel Palacio Cano

ELIN Graduate Theses

No abstract provided.

An Alternative To Armageddon: O.P. Weyland And The Development Of Tactical Air Power, Paul Wells

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Theorists and advocates of air power argued that aircraft, not ground forces, would become the dominant platform for victory in war. They promoted the concept of strategic bombing, using aircraft to bypass ground forces and directly attack a nation's industrial capacity to wage war, hoping to ensure quick victory and avoid a repeat of the prolonged slaughter in the trenches of WWI. In 1947, led by advocates of strategic bombing, the United States Air Force (USAF) became an independent and equal branch of the U.S. military. The USAF developed the Strategic Air Command (SAC) to meet the requirements of the …

A Phenomenological Study: Examining Organizational Change Initiatives Within The U.S. Army To Influence Racial Climate, Reginald Gerald Dash Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study was aimed at examining organizational change initiatives influencing the racial climate among African American soldiers in the United States (U.S.) Army. African Americans comprise a significant portion of the U.S. Army. However, African Americans’ significant contributions do not readily translate into “equal treatment”, which includes proportional representation at the highest levels of leadership. African Americans in the U.S. Army face career navigation challenges rooted in systemic racial division. The goal of this qualitative phenomenological study was to add African American soldiers’ voices to the existing literature by interviewing African American soldiers with at least five years of …

Changing U.S. Military Force Structure: Rebuilding Confidence In Public Institutions By Bridging The Civil-Military Gap, Corri Zoli, Linda Euto

The Lender Center for Social Justice

This research brief assesses a changing U.S. military force structure in an era of waning trust in public institutions and new security pressures, both domestic and global. While many U.S. public institutions are facing declining trust, one key aspect in the case of the military is lack of understanding between U.S. veterans and nonveterans—often termed the civil-military gap. Understanding this gap is necessary to forge connections across military-connected communities and those without service experience. Bridging this gap is a timely model to restore baseline confidence in many institutions that serve all members of the public.

Building A Coordinated Care Network For New Mexico Veterans: A Roadmap For Statewide Implementation, Nosa Akol, Zachary M. Bridgewater, Vincent R. Delsignore, Emily Graham, Mary Rachel Keville

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

With the support of the New Mexico State Legislature, the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) is leading a multi-phase project to design a coordinated care system for New Mexican service members, veterans, and their families. In the project’s first phase, the IVMF conducted a landscape assessment to understand the needs of the military-connected community and examined the viability of a coordinated care system for the state. We found that veteran-serving organizations that participated felt that a coordinated care network would be of value to New Mexico veterans, but questions on how best to implement such a network …

The Military Officer's Oath To Disobey Lawful But Unethical Orders, Joshua Braver

Northwestern University Law Review

How should a military officer respond to a lawful yet unethical order, unethical in the sense that it conflicts with their professional responsibilities? Army culture, scholarship, and doctrine regard officers as professionals, akin to doctors and lawyers, with expertise in the management of violence and a shared commitment to an ethical code. This code demands obedience to lawful orders to uphold civilian control of the military. But to protect against civilian misuse of the military, the code requires disobedience to unethical orders. Faced with a lawful but unethical order, the military officer is mired in a contradiction in which their …

Resource Navigator Passport: From "Resource Lists" To Trackable Next Steps For Veterans, Amanda Keeler, Seth M. Owens, Elizabeth Kubala, Ken Marfilius

Voices of Service Symposium

Veterans participating in the Veteran's Legal Clinic (VLC) in partnership with Altamont often face a familiar challenge at program exit: knowing exactly which supports to contact next, how to reach them, and how to follow through-especially when needs are specialized (e.g., financial planning/credit building, transportation, behavioral health supports) and enrollment pathways are complex. Altamont staff and the VA social worker identified a need for a practical, targeted resource list prior to discharge, while VLC law students requested a resource guide that is usable without overwhelming clients.

To address this gap, we developed the Resource Navigator Passport, a personalized, living document …

Pain Catastrophizing As A Distinct Predictor Of Pain Interference Among Veterans, Annie Zusin, Emily Rabinowitz, Victoria E. Carlin, Qiuxi Huang, Joseph W. Ditre

Voices of Service Symposium

Introduction: Pain catastrophizing, defined as a cognitive distortion that magnifies threat of pain, is a strong predictor of pain interference. However, the construct of pain catastrophizing has been criticized for potentially reflecting underlying psychopathology rather than a distinct pain-specific process. The present study examined whether pain catastrophizing uniquely predicts pain interference after accounting for symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Clarifying this distinction is critical for understanding whether the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) captures a construct that is meaningfully distinct from general psychological distress or if the measure is conceptually and statistically redundant with psychopathology Method: A sample of 266 …

Co-Occurring Hallucinogen Use And Mental Health Symptoms, Emerson Hoagland, Grant H. Ripley, Joseph W. Ditre, Dessa Bergen-Cico

Voices of Service Symposium

Introduction: Mental health concerns, including depression and psychological distress, remain highly prevalent among U.S. military veterans and are associated with elevated functional impairment, suicide risk, and barriers to care. Public discourse increasingly suggests the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelic substances in treating mental illness. However, population-level data examining associations between psychedelic use and mental health burden among U.S. military veterans remain limited. The present study examined associations between past-year hallucinogen use and past-year major depressive episode (MDE) and serious psychological distress (SPD) among veterans. Method: Data were drawn from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2021-2024). Analyses were …

Associations Between Psychological Distress And Benzodiazepine Use And Misuse Among U.S. Veterans, Joshua Soh, Victoria E. Carlin, Joon Kyung Nam, Joseph W. Ditre

Voices of Service Symposium

Introduction: Psychological distress, defined as a generalized state of emotional suffering characterized by depressive and anxiety symptoms, is common among U.S. military veterans. The use of benzodiazepines, which are central nervous system depressants often used to treat symptoms of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and insomnia, is also prevalent in this population despite ongoing concerns regarding dependence, misuse, and potential adverse mental health outcomes. Although benzodiazepines may provide short-term symptom relief, both their use and misuse may contribute to increases in symptoms of psychological distress. As such, this study examines the relationship between psychological distress and BZD use and misuse among …

Citations, Accounting, And Accountability: Citing Sources And Building Connections At The Defense Comptrollership Program New Student Orientation, Winn W. Wasson

Voices of Service Symposium

By student request, the Defense Comptrollership Program at Syracuse University integrates focused instruction on citing sources, avoiding plagiarism, and using citation management software into its orientation. The session uses "humor in uniform", in the form of a World-War-II-era cartoon, to convey the "why":of citing sources to a military-connected audience--particularly those studying accounting--namely that using citations not only provides proper credit to one's sources; it also helps track down the source of incorrect information, rectify past mistakes, and safeguard against future errors.

"Out Of Step": How Executive Department Must March Together In Recognizing "Honorable" Service, Brent Filbert, Elizabeth Kubala, Seth M. Owens

Voices of Service Symposium

This article examines how veterans with less-than-honorable discharges must navigate two separate systems--the VA's Character of Discharge (COD) process and the Department of War's discharge upgrade system--despite both addressing similar underlying issues. These systems apply different legal standards and priorities, leading to inconsistent outcomes, delays, and duplicative proceedings. The lack of coordination between the agencies creates an administrative burden that can prevent eligible veterans from accessing benefits and health care. The article argues that recent expansions in VA COD regulations have made the systems functionally similar, but without shared legal effect between their decisions. To address this, it proposes a …

Bridging The Gap: How My Internship In The Veterans Legal Clinic Helps To Narrow The Civilian-Military Divide, Anna Lupardo, Elizabeth Kubala

Voices of Service Symposium

Anna Lupardo, an undergraduate student at Syracuse University, describes how her internship in the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic has helped bridge the civilian-military divide on campus. Her work has included coordinating the AFCCA outreach visit, observing the Onondaga County Veteran Treatment Court, and conducting weekly visits to support homeless veterans at Altamont. She has taken on a leadership role as the VLC's Volunteer Coordinator, working to expand undergraduate involvement in veteran and military community events. Additionally, she was named a Veteran and Military Learning Scholar through the Center for Health Behavior Research and Innovation, allowing her …

Designed For Those Who Served: Universal Design Principles In The National Veterans Resource Center, Emily Jalbert, Elizabeth Kubala, Ken Marfilius

Voices of Service Symposium

The National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at the Daniel and Gayle D'Aniello Building exemplifies a holistic approach towards accessibility tailored to the specific needs of veterans on Syracuse University's campus with an emphasis on universal design. The purpose of the building is to further the social, economic, and wellness concerns of veterans while providing resources through the military focused offices in the building. The accommodations at the NVRC go above and beyond standard requirements and are a part of the universal design of the NVRC, making the building a hub of accessibility for veterans.

Enhancing Student Development In Social Work Through Military Culture And Mental Health Practice, Ken Marfilius, Allyson Donovan

Voices of Service Symposium

The Introduction to Military Culture and Mental Health Practice course refines students' clinical skill sets through therapeutic frameworks tailored to the lived experiences of active-duty service members and veterans. By addressing a population often overlooked in social work education, the course strengthens both professional identity and ethically grounded practice. It stands as a practically relevant and essential component of MSW training.