published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Soldiers for hire are not a new phenomenon of the twenty-first century; they are as old as war itself. However, in the present day these modern day soldiers for hire are part of well-organized and competently run Private Military Companies (PMC). These companies have proven themselves to be both highly effective and economically efficient. The purpose of this thesis is to identify any functions the Government could outsource to PMC's. This thesis finds that the best types of operation in which to use PMC's are in support of security operations, in small-scale conflicts, and in situations where human rights violations are occurring, yet the rest of the world decides not to intervene. This outsourcing would allow the government to realize cost savings and allow the military to focus on what it does best, its core competencies. Additionally, this thesis outlines potential problems that arise with privatizing warfare and offers proposals to overcome those shortfalls. Finally, this thesis finds that the best way to structure a contract between the United States Government and a PMC is to have built-in incentives to ensure that a PMC not only completes the mission quickly, but also controls costs to the maximum extent possible.

This thesis documents the findings of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) research team's efforts on the initial phase of the Iraqi Enrollment via Voice Authentication Project (IEVAP). The IEVAP is an Office of the Secretary of Defense sponsored research project commissioned to study the feasibility of speaker verification technology in support of the Global War on Terrorism security requirements. The intent of this project is to contribute toward the future employment of speech technologies in a variety of coalition military operations by developing a pilot proof-of-concept system that integrates speaker verification and automated speech recognition technology into a mobile platform to enhance warfighting capabilities. In this first phase of the IEVAP, NPS developed with the assistance of Nuance Communications, Inc. and the Defense Language Institute, a bilingual (English and Jordanian-Arabic) speech application that demonstrates the viability of speaker verification technology for use in operations in Iraq. Additionally, NPS conducted a test to assess the accuracy claim of Nuance's packaged speaker verification application, Nuance Caller Authentication 1.0 (for North American English). The NPS test consisted of 68 speaker enrollments and 411 speaker verification attempts. Upon completion of the test, NPS conducted a single data-point analysis yielding a system accuracy of 95.87%.

This thesis explores how E-3 Air Battle Managers train for and perform their duties on board the Airborne Warning and Control System. The study focuses on how E-3 training is driven by the maintenance of a set of battle management core competencies rooted in the basics of aircraft tactical fluid control, force accountability and aerial refueling. The advent of a revolution in Information Management technology in the form of the 40/45 weapons system upgrade for the E-3 will drive the Air Force to rethink how training is accomplished with new capabilities and emerging missions in the battlespace. The current approach to block will not allow the Air Force to exploit the capabilities of the 40/45 airframe. Lessons from emerging areas such as knowledge management and sensemaking need to be assimilated into the way the Air Force trains E-3 Air Battle Managers to ensure future combat capability of aircrews in the increasingly technical and complex battlespace of future military operations. Existing core competencies need to be considered individual skill sets, and knowledge management and sensemaking introduced to better prepare battle managers to effectively and efficiently interpret inputs in the battlespace and place information where it needs to be.

Since January 2005 Pakistan's Baluchistan province has been embroiled in a rash of violence that threatens to deteriorate into civil war. Is this recent violence yet another recurrence of state-periphery tensions, or is it a qualitatively new phenomenon which threatens U.S. and Pakistan interests in the region? This thesis analyzes the historical causes of Baluch political violence in order to determine why Baluchistan is again enmeshed in bloody conflict. Violence in Baluchistan historically has been the product of several factors: a fiercely independent Baluch people that eschew outside interference; the lasting legacy of British policy; mismanagement by ruling Pakistani regimes; and historical grievances that have allowed Baluch leaders to mobilize support for their nationalist cause. The argument of this thesis, however, is that the particular timing of the most recent surge of violence in Baluchistan is a result of a change in the relationship between the central government and Baluchistan brought about by the province's growing strategic significance. While the United States currently views the conflict in Baluchistan as an internal matter, growing violence and continued instability in a region where the presence of the Taliban and Al Qaeda is widespread makes this a crisis worthy of U.S. attention. / US Marine Corps (USMC) author.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / Company officers at the United States Naval Academy are responsible for the leadership development of midshipmen. To attract higher quality officers to serve as company officers for the Brigade of Midshipmen and to provide officers with an opportunity for an advanced degree, the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program was established in 1997. This program allows Navy and Marine Corps officers to receive a Master of Science in Leadership and Human Resource Development from the Naval Postgraduate School. After the first year, the program graduates serve two years as company officers and work closely with the midshipmen of the brigade. This research uses data obtained from semi-structured interviews and self-administered questionnaires of 27 LEAD program graduates. It focuses on the perceptions of graduates concerning the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the program, and makes recommendations for change and improvement. This research adds to the body of knowledge and recommendations that exist and serves as a five-year retrospective on the perceptions of the effectiveness of the program and whether or not the program is perceived to be meeting its goals. / Major, United States Marine Corps

Revision of the translator's thesis (Ph.D.--Oxford University, 1960). / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 4 mai 2009). TRAITEMENT SOMMAIRE. Comprend des réf. bibliogr. and index.

Thesis (M.S. in Defense Analysis)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Tucker, David. Second Reader: Greenshields, Brian. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 27, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Airpower, Irregular Warfare, Unconventional Warfare, Counterinsurgency, Special Operations, Yugoslavia, Partisans, Laos, Royal Laotian Air Force, Tibet, Forward Air Controller. Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-59). Also available in print.

Revision of the editor's thesis--Oxford University. / Bibliography: p. [187]-192.