This report is a fact-based, data-driven journalistic presentation of how the 1033 military surplus program operates in Texas. The program transfers excess U.S. Department of Defense supplies to federal, state and local law enforcement at little to no cost to the agencies. Congress created the surplus program in the 1990s to repurpose taxpayer-bought equipment. Supplies available to agencies range from clothes to electronics to weapons and armored vehicles. Initially, only agencies with an anti-drug and counterterrorism mission participated. After 9/11 and the War on Terror, the equipment surplus grew, and the program expanded. Today, the 1033 is a multi-billion dollar surplus program that has transferred an estimated $4.2 billion worth of equipment to more than 13,000 law enforcement agencies throughout the country. In Texas, more than 700 agencies are currently participating in the program. They have received $181.99 million in equipment between 2006 and 2013. An in-depth look into the 1033 program--specifically in Texas--found that it lacks adequate oversight at both the federal and state levels and has suffered from abuse. Some of the program's critics say its mass distribution of weapons and armored vehicles contributes to police militarization. The content in this report was produced using information gathered from federal and state documents, various publications, news reports and numerous interviews. The tables, figures, illustrations and story show the types of military supplies available through the program, how many items Texas agencies have received, how much it costs and how some local police departments are using the program. / text

Since 1990, at the direction of Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has been developing the Legacy Resource Management Program to enhance DoD's stewardship of cultural and natural resources for which it has responsibilities. The Legacy Program is designed to go beyond compliance with various host nation, Federal, tribal, state, and local historic preservation, religious freedom, and natural resource protection laws, policies, regulations, and guidance. The original Legacy legislation specifically directed the Program to assess the adequacy of DoD's stewardship of Native American resources, for which it may have conservation or management responsibilities either as a major landholder or as a Federal agency whose activities affect traditional Native American values and practices. This report is about Native Americans and their cultural resource relationships with the Department of Defense. This study does not consider the Native American relationships of all 16 Defense agencies that report to the Department of Defense. Instead, the study was restricted to the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. / This thesis discusses risk in Department of Defense (DoD) weapon systems acquisition. It uses the Marine Corps' Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV) as a case study in risk management strategy and techniques. The AAAV will provide the Marine Corps with a fast deploying, over-the-horizon, waterborne insertion capability. The AAAV's improvements over the currently fielded Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV) will provide Marines with a highly survivable and lethal weapon system ashore. Risk is the possibility of damage, inj ury or loss. The severity of a risk is determined by a combination of both the probability of an unfavorable event occurring and the severity of the event's occurrence. Risks are present in virtually all DoD developmental programs. Programs suffer from risks in technical challenges, unstable system requirements, missing schedule milestones, unpredictable funding and cost overruns. The DoD currently uses techniques to mitigate risks inherent in advanced system development. This thesis analyzes the AAAV's Program Definition and Risk Reduction (PDRR) acquisition phase risk management strategy. The thesis concludes by drawing from the lessons learned in the AAAV program during PDRR and analyzing the application of the lessons learned during the AAAV's cu rrent acquisition phase, System Development and Demonstration (SDD) / Captain, United States Marine Corps

When Department of Defense (DoD) personnel receive orders to relocate to a new duty installation, nearly one third abandon their companion animals, which negatively affects the local shelters' costs, personnel, and capabilities to provide quality care for shelter animals. There is a lack of research on relevant policies among local government policy makers, installation commanders, directors of animal shelters, and animal rights advocates about the abandonment of companion animals by DoD personnel. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to investigate the relationship between the influx of abandoned DoD companion animals and the management and logistical (including financial) operations of 2 publicly funded animal shelters near a Midwest DoD installation. The theoretical framework was Merton's theory of unintended consequences. Data were collected through interviews with 2 shelter directors, 10 surveys completed by shelter personnel, and a review of the shelters' logistical and financial documents spanning fiscal years 2013 - 2014. Data were analyzed after coding for themes and patterns. According to study findings, the abandonment of companion animals by DoD personnel has a negative impact on the shelters' finances, shelter personnel workload and stress, and the quality of life for incoming animals as well as those already in the shelters. The implications for positive social change are to inform policy makers of the importance of implementing policies to keep DoD companion animals with families, thereby easing transitions for those at risk, which helps to maintain the financial solvency of animal shelters, reduce stress for shelter personnel, and help companion animals to adjust as they are adopted into new homes.

The Department of Defense's (DoD's) budgetary and personnel challenges are affecting readiness, thus encouraging the use of effective teams to improve efficiency. This qualitative, descriptive case study examined how public sector DoD members experienced characteristics of high-performing teams (HPTs), defined by their members' shared sense of purpose, interdependent commitment, and exceptional team effectiveness. The documentation of these experiences may aid other DoD teams seeking to improve performance. Lewin and Sherif's theories on group dynamics, Johnson and Johnson's theory on groups, Katzenbach and Smith's theory of HPTs, and Edmondson's work on teams comprised the theoretical framework. Thirty-nine public sector DoD members provided responses to semistructured questions that were developed to seek insights into DoD members' team experiences and practices. Data were analyzed and categorized based on codes derived from the literature. Emergent themes from participant responses confirmed that public sector DoD team members experienced some characteristics of HPTs. Study participants perceived that these teams made positive organizational impacts, but transferring knowledge about these teams' best practices was inconsistent. These findings may contribute to positive social change by improving awareness among DoD practitioners about related HPT benefits and practices; informing public policy makers and practitioners about the value of HPTs in increasing financial and operational efficiencies; improving managerial quality and team experiences; encouraging innovation, openness, and action; and fostering an high-quality DoD workforce exemplifying long-term commitment to excellence and continuous improvement.

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing segments of information technology. The Commonwealth of Virginia has 30,000 cyber-related jobs open because of the lack of skilled candidates. The study is necessary because some business managers lack strategies for hiring cybersecurity professionals for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contracts. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies business managers in DoD contracting companies used to fill cybersecurity positions. The conceptual framework used for this study was the organizational learning theory. A purposeful sample of 8 successful business managers with cybersecurity responsibilities working for U.S. DoD contracting companies that successfully hired cybersecurity professionals in Hampton Roads, VA participated in the study. Data collection included semistructured interviews and a review of job postings from the companies represented by the participants. Coding, content, and thematic analysis were the methods used to analyze data. Within-methods triangulation was used to add accuracy to the analysis. At the conclusion of the data analysis, two main themes emerged: maintaining contractual requirements and a strong recruiting process. Contractual requirements guided how hiring managers hired cybersecurity personnel and executed the contract. A strong hiring process added efficiency to the hiring process. The findings of the study may contribute to positive social change by encouraging the recruitment and retention of cybersecurity professionals. Skilled cybersecurity professionals may safeguard businesses and society from Internet crime, thereby encouraging the safe exchange and containment of data.

Between 1953 and 1963, during the administrations of President Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy, the United States government transformed the way it formulated and executed foreign and defense policies. These changes gave the White House its own foreign policy staff, in the form of the National Security Council, and increased the powers of the Secretary of Defense. Most of these changes began under Eisenhower in the 1950s. Eisenhower, however, delayed making several key reforms despite the recommendations of his staff. He believed some reforms were unnecessary and remained ambivalent about others. Moreover, he wanted to avoid sending complex reorganization legislation through Congress, which Eisenhower feared would allow legislators to interfere in matters of the Executive Branch. Democrats in the 1960 presidential election capitalized on the failure to push through these reforms. The Democratic attacks proved remarkably compelling to a bipartisan audience. Kennedy used this bipartisan agreement to enact many of the reforms Eisenhower had ignored. The motivating factor for many of these decisions was not merely an attempt by either President to concentrate power in the White House, it was a belief that the post-1945 world was so unstable that only giving the White House unfettered access and oversight of the levers of power could ensure the safety of the nation. This work merges Diplomatic History with the field of American Political Development to examine these dramatic changes to the structure of the US government. Historians traditionally have examined these Kennedy era administrative changes in isolation. Studying them together with those that took place under Eisenhower yields a more complete picture of how the national security state developed. Despite Eisenhower’s reluctance to adopt some of the reforms embraced by Kennedy, both presidents believed that major reforms were necessary. Any sound analysis of the ways the contemporary United States makes its foreign and defense policies requires understanding momentous changes that took place during the transformational period of the early Cold War

No description available.

This paper focuses on the importance of effective software development processes and a foundational understanding of success factors in the public sector. Although there has been significant investment in information technology, not all public sector software projects result in a successful return on investment. This study explores the crucial factors, referred to as Critical Success Factors (CSFs), that enable the success of public sector software development projects. Additionally, this study aims to discover if the CSFs, the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), or its methodologies are more impactful for the success of software projects. This study aims to also identify the challenges public sector developers face during their efforts. By analyzing empirical data collected from a US Department of Defense Research and Development organization, this research aims to provide essential information for improving the likelihood of successful software project outcomes. Ultimately, this research can enable decision-makers to create better training opportunities, standard operating procedures, and hiring processes for public sector software projects.

An evaluation of aged hot-mix asphalt (HMA) pavements was accomplished to develop a method for improving the prediction of remaining fatigue life of aged HMA surfaces. This is important for both planning Department of Defense airfield maintenance funds and for predicting the performance of operating surfaces in the theater of operation. This study involved the evaluation of HMA at several military airfields. After field inspections and field testing, slab samples were carried to the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center for laboratory testing. Laboratory testing included the determination of mixture and binder properties, indirect tensile strength tests on cored specimens, and beam fatigue tests. The results from this study were used to develop improved fatigue performance predictions for field-aged HMA pavements.