Analyzing the Air Operations Center Air Tasking Order Process Using Theory Of Constraints
This thesis examined the Air Operations Center (AOC) Air Tasking Order (ATO) development process using the Theory of Constraints (TOC). TOC defines a constraint as the variable in production in which a local innovation causes significant global improvement. The overall goal of this research was to identify constraints that exist in this development process, both within a single ATO cycle and across five concurrent overlapped cycles. There has been little documented research on the process of ATO development; much of what is available is either ad hoc, contradictory, or both. Despite this, it is widely agreed that up to five ATOs are concurrently in development at any one time. It is also widely acknowledged that a given ATO from initial conceptualization to execution takes 72 hours, with a daily ATO release occurring every 24 hours. What has not carefully been examined is the lateral interaction between processes within one ATO cycle, nor the vertical interaction between concurrent ATOs under development. Identifying these interactions for possible constraints will focus improvements in this complex command and control process. Using our model we identified specific locations of lateral constraints that often result in information chokepoints, and therefore reduced quality and/or late delivery of the ATO. We also pioneered identification of non-obvious vertical interaction between ATO cycles. Identification of these constraints will allow AOCs to more effectively plan and control ATO development to ensure accurate and on-time delivery of Air Tasking Orders.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Soundtrack of Leadership
The Soundtrack of Leadership: What Music Teaches Us About Leadership and Culture explores our deep connection with music and how music shapes our leadership values and our relationships. It parallels the evolution of a band-from preparing yourself as a leader, to choosing your bandmates, to writing music, to playing stadiums, and to managing stardom-with the leadership and cultural evolution of an organization. Each stage of the evolution combines music storytelling with practical insights on how to be a better leader, build a better culture, and navigate the inevitable challenges along the way. As you evolve as a leader, you'll learn to keep your team focused and aligned with your organization's mission, values, and purpose, ultimately creating a soundtrack that keeps everyone in tune. Music is one of the greatest gifts we have in this world-it not only brings us together, it can make us better leaders too.
The Potato Eaters Van Gogh Note Book
HARDCOVER NOTEBOOK featuring Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting The Potato Eaters on the cover.SIZE: A5 with 150 lightly lined, dot grid, and vintage paper style blank pages.USEFUL FOR note taking, journaling, recipes, or planning at your home, office, or school.PERFECT TO USE this writing journal with pencils, pens, and colored pencils.MAKES A GREAT GIFT IDEA for a writer, artist, student or any creative person.ACCENT any coffee table or bookshelf with this beautiful notebook.WE MAKE JOURNALS for women, men, artists, and writers of all ages.
Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Costing
The Air Force has struggled to completely understand the costs associated with its operations. The issue of understanding cost is complex, involving many perspectives, methods and techniques. When examined from a broad standpoint, total supply chain costs can include a firm's costs plus upstream and downstream costs. This perspective takes vendors, suppliers and end customers into consideration. From this broad standpoint, the Air Force does not know its total supply chain cost. Since the Air Force's supply chain is too broad to be a focus of this study, a smaller segment was chosen for a closer look. Specifically, air cargo carriers were selected as a type of commercial organization that could be sufficiently similar to the Air Force in some respects and possibly offer information to address the investigative questions. The purpose of this research is to determine what costing issues exist in the air cargo arena and what costing methods or techniques are utilized to address those issues. Air cargo carriers were contacted and a telephone interview was administered to strategic key informants.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Fiscal Mirror Theory
Fiscal Mirror Theory is a visionary framework redefining fiscal governance by viewing taxation, expenditure, and financial reporting as reflective tools of economic health and ethical integrity. It addresses global challenges like debt crises, institutional weakness, and fiscal opacity by promoting transparency, accountability, and resilience. The book introduces four models-TaxMirror, ExpenMirror, ReportMirror, and InstiShield-each linking fiscal mechanisms to national stability. Across eleven parts, it explores digital taxation, participatory budgeting, AI-driven dashboards, and ethical standards like IPSAS. It critiques outdated fiscal models, advocating dynamic systems that respond to feedback and stakeholder needs. The theory integrates crisis response, inclusivity, and predictive analytics while promoting global adoption through bodies like the IMF, World Bank, and G20. With case studies from nations like Ghana and Estonia, it offers a practical blueprint for sustainable, reflective, and future-ready fiscal systems.
The National Stenographer
The National Stenographer, Volume 5 offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of late nineteenth-century stenography. This volume provides instruction and insights into the art of shorthand, a crucial skill for business professionals and secretaries of the era. Readers will discover detailed explanations of stenographic techniques, practical exercises, and discussions on the latest advancements in shorthand systems. This historical text provides valuable context for understanding the evolution of business communication and the role of stenographers in shaping the modern office. For anyone interested in the history of writing, business practices, or secretarial science, "The National Stenographer" offers a unique and informative resource. Preserving the original language and style, this edition ensures that readers can experience the text as it was originally intended, capturing the nuances and conventions of the period.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Systems Analysis and Management Decision-making
"Systems Analysis and Management Decision-Making" presents a foundational approach to understanding complex organizational structures and applying analytical techniques to improve managerial effectiveness. Leon S. White explores the core principles of systems analysis and their practical application in decision-making processes.The book examines various methodologies for evaluating systems, identifying critical leverage points, and implementing strategic changes. Aimed at students and professionals in business, management science, and related fields, this work offers valuable insights into optimizing organizational performance through a systematic, data-driven approach. It provides a historical perspective on the development of systems thinking and its enduring relevance in contemporary management practices.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Feasibility Study of Variance Reduction in the Logistics Composite Model
The Logistics Composite Model (LCOM) is a stochastic, discrete-event simulation that relies on probabilities and random number generators to model scenarios in a maintenance unit and estimate optimal manpower levels through an iterative process. Models such as LCOM involving pseudo-random numbers inevitably have a variance associated with the output of the model for each run, and the output is actually a range of estimates. The reduction of the variance in the results of the model can be costly in the form of time for multiple replications. The alternative is a range of estimates that is too wide to realistically apply to real-world maintenance units. This research explores the application of three different methods for reducing the variance of the model's output. The methods include Common Random Numbers (CRN), Control Variates, and Antithetic Variates. The differences in the 95% confidence intervals were compared between the variance reduction techniques and the original model to determine the degree of variance reduction. The result is a successful variance reduction in the primary output statistics of interest using the application of the Control Variates technique, as well as a methodology for the implementation of Control Variates in LCOM.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Improving Performance Analysis of the Distribution Segment of the Air Force Logistic Pipeline
Agile Combat Support is focused on providing fast, flexible, responsive, and reliable support as the foundation of all Air Force operations. Combined with the current Air Force focus on ensuring Time Definite Delivery (TDD) and reducing Customer Wait Time (CWT), this new mind-set will place ever-increasing emphasis on supply chain performance as a determining factor in overall campaign effectiveness of future conflicts. An improved methodology for the systematic performance analysis of the distribution segment of the logistics pipeline may aid AFMC transportation personnel (AFMC/LSO) in the quick identification of system bottlenecks, identification of root causes of performance shortfalls, and the recommendation of corrective actions, resulting in improved material flow times, reduced Customer Wait Times, more accurate Time Definite Delivery. Recommendations offered by this thesis are designed to provide the basis for developing the current methodology and to identify future research areas. The recommendations offered include the development of the current methodology across all AFMC logistics functional areas, the development of a more pro-active analysis procedure to identify problems before they affect TDD and CWT, modification of the current analyses procedure to derive more relevant performance information and present the results in a more digestible format, the automation of the pipeline analyses process, and the initiation of an AFMC-wide logistics pipeline analysis cell staffed by the various functional specialists.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Developing an Excel Decision Support System Using In-Transit Visibility to Decrease DoD Transportation Delays
The United States Air Force's Air Mobility Command (AMC) is responsible for efficiently transporting military personnel and cargo throughout the world. Organizations throughout the transportation system search for ways to decrease cargo transportation time as part of their ongoing mission to provide timely airlift services to the DoD. Decreasing the average time pallets wait for a transportation aircraft, called the port hold time (PHT), is a difficult problem which is currently receiving attention. The DoD has invested in radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to provide in-transit visibility (ITV) of all cargo moving through the transportation system. In many ways ITV has made cargo transportation much more efficient but its capability to measure and characterize cargo flow through the system has not been fully exploited. The purpose of this research is to create a Microsoft Excel application which utilizes RFID data to quantify and analyze cargo velocity in the Iraqi theater. The transportation system is analyzed at the pallet level to reveal which specific air bases and transportation methods cause lengthy cargo delays. Pallet PHT data is processed and reported using Statistical Process Control (SPC) methods including control and Pareto charts.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Adaptive Intelligence
Emotion Informs, but Behavior Transforms. Emotional intelligence was groundbreaking in its time, offering valuable tools for self-awareness and managing emotions. However, while EI is crucial, it often doesn't address the root causes of performance challenges. People may take action based on emotional awareness, but they frequently don't achieve the intended results because they don't truly understand the deeper factors driving behavior and performance. This gap can lead to frustration, as even well-intentioned actions fall short of producing lasting change. Adaptive Intelligence builds on the foundation of emotional intelligence by going deeper-focusing not just on emotions, but on understanding why we and others do the things we do, and why we often fail to take effective action when it's needed. Grounded in the science of behavior and evolutionary theory, Adaptive Intelligence provides a practical, evidence-based framework for aligning behavior with core values, overcoming obstacles, creating lasting change, and producing measurable results. In this book, behavior analysts Dr. Paul Gavoni, USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, and Dr. Adam Ventura introduce the Behavior Alignment Compass, a powerful tool designed to help you navigate both self and organizational leadership. By understanding the true drivers behind your actions and aligning them with your values, you can break through personal and professional barriers, accelerate growth, and achieve the results you've been striving for.What sets Adaptive Intelligence apart is how these scientific principles are brought to life through compelling, real-world stories. These stories help you apply the framework to real-life challenges, translating theory into action. With decades of combined experience, the authors provide actionable strategies, proven tools, and a clear roadmap to help you overcome challenges, bounce back from setbacks, and inspire meaningful change in yourself and others. If you are looking to overcome performance roadblocks, improve personal and team effectiveness, or create lasting change in your leadership style, Adaptive Intelligence offers the tools and insights you need to achieve measurable results. Unlock your potential to lead with purpose, drive growth, and make every decision count with the Behavior Alignment Compass and Adaptive Intelligence.
Economic lot Size Determination in Multistage Assembly Systems
This study focuses on the problem of economic lot size determination within multistage assembly systems. It explores methodologies for optimizing production quantities at each stage of the assembly process to minimize costs while meeting demand. The work examines various mathematical models and algorithms applicable to complex industrial environments. This book is a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in operations management and industrial engineering.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
An Integer Programming Procedure for Assembly System Design Problems
This technical report details an integer programming procedure designed for solving assembly system design problems. It presents a methodology for optimizing the configuration of assembly lines and related systems, focusing on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The study by Stephen C. Graves and Bruce William Lamar explores mathematical models and algorithms applicable to complex industrial settings, providing insights into enhancing productivity and resource allocation.This research is of interest to operations managers, industrial engineers, and researchers in the field of optimization and supply chain management.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Sizing Mobility Readiness Spares Packages for Today's Warfighting Units
As the Air Force transforms from a garrisoned force into a light expeditionary force, one area for restructuring is the manner in which mobility readiness spares packages (MRSPs) are managed and stocked. For a war tasking, thirty days supply is typically deployed in a MRSP as it is assumed that there will be no re-supply for thirty days. Studies of combat operations from the past decade suggest that thirty days without re-supply is an outdated assumption. The objective of this thesis is to economically build a robust MRSP that is flexible enough to provide adequate support for a variety of squadron sizes at least through day 20 of a war. Faster establishment of a reliable resupply pipeline is the key to successfully implementing such a MRSP. This research focused on three different weapon-systems; the A-10, F-15E, and F-16C. Through use of the Aircraft Sustainability Model, smaller MRSPs are constructed which have the ability to adequately support squadron sizes of 12, 18, and 24 aircraft based on their ability to maintain aircraft availability goals without generating excessive amounts of expected backorders.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A System Dynamics Approach for Information Technology Implementation and Sustainment
The goal of this research is to bring a new, dynamic modeling perspective to organizational information technology (IT) implementation systems (using the Air Force GeoBase initiative as a real-world example) without compromising principles from the research literature. Undesired behavior patterns, from historically poor IT implementation performance, versus desired behavior patterns are incorporated into the model structure. Using a system dynamics approach, multiple simulation runs under various initial conditions and organizational contexts are performed and compared over a short-term versus a long-term period of time. Based on these simulation runs, various mixes of management interventions, under varying conditions, are recommended to improve IT implementation performance based on manager and organizational goals. Generally, for better long-term system performance, learning management, with a focus on team learning, is the best single IT implementation tool. With a low level of organizational buy-in at the beginning of the IT implementation effort, change process management should be the initial focus of management effort. Reward system management provides a short-term spark, but its implementation effects are not carried over for long-term sustainment as readily as learning management or change process management. Continuity management, though beneficial, does not provide as much "bang for the buck" as the other management interventions.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Modeling the Pre-Positioning of Air Force Precision Guided Munitions
The Air Force's ability to deploy, employ, and sustain operations in forward locations is a key to mission success. An integral part of this strategy is equipment prepositioning, to include: vehicles, aircraft support, consumable inventory, and munitions. This research focuses on defining and developing a model to aid decision makers with the afloat pre-positioning and deployment of munitions in an effort to ensure that the right weapons are available when, and where needed. This research places a particular focus on the strategic, global pre-positioning of the Afloat Pre-positioning Fleet (APF) in an effort to minimize the overall response time involved with offloading these ships and transporting their cargo to the intended point of use. The model developed in this study is a mixed integer program that was implemented using the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS). The model considers the various aspects of pre-positioning (forward operating locations, Standard Air Munitions Packages, and the APF) in order to optimally locate and configure each APF ship. The methodology for this model was tested and verified using precision guided munitions data for a number of scenarios.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Impact of the Defense Industry Consolidation on the Aerospace Industry
The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of the defense industry consolidation on the aerospace industry. The defense industry is comprised of twelve sectors that impact different industries. This research focused on the formal aspects of the aerospace industry which supports six of the twelve defense sectors. The aerospace industry is identified by six North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) or Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes. Using the structure-conduct-performance paradigm, a method in industrial organization, this thesis analyzed how the defense consolidation affected the structure and behavior of the aerospace industry. For structure, this study examined the industry concentration, buyers and sellers, vertical integration, and product differentiation. Barriers to entry, asset specificity, capital investment, and research and development intensity were analyzed for conduct. Profitability ratios, returns to scale, and impact on cost overruns of government contracts were analyzed for the area of performance. Finally, this study identified trends by comparing the aerospace industry to the total manufacturing industry, and by comparing the large surviving downstream firms to both the aerospace industry and total manufacturing industry.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Forecasting Expeditionary Training for Company Grade Logistics Readiness Officers
Since the development of the Expeditionary Airman concept and the start of combat operations in the Global War on Terrorism, the Logistics Readiness Officer's (LRO) duty environment has expanded beyond traditional garrison-based duties. This expansion can arguably incorporate current topics of joint operations, irregular warfare, and cultural intelligence. The intent of this study is to determine what training, if any, future company grade LROs will require on these three topics. The research uses Delphi methodology, utilizing an expert panel of twelve LROs with experience in joint operations within a deployed environment, and interactions with foreign nationals. The study applies two rounds of surveys; the first seeks the participant's recommendations on training statements on the three different topics. The second round survey consists of consolidated responses from the first survey, which panel members ranked for likelihood of implementation and impact using a 5-point Likert scale. The mean and standard deviation for these rankings describe the differences in participant's observations. A scatter plot graph for each of the three topics represents the relationship between the means of likelihood of implementation and impact for each statement. Finally, a 3x3 matrix corresponding with each scatter plot graph categorizes the findings to provide a graphic representation of the expeditionary training panel members recommend for future LROs.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
An Analysis of Time Series Forecasting Methods for the Airlift of Palletized Sustainment Cargo
In the Department of Defense (DOD) supply chain for sustainment cargo, over 45,000 pallets were transloaded at Incirlik AB, Turkey in from April 2008 to December 2009 with ultimate destinations in the USCENTCOM AOR, making Incirlik the largest transshipment node for airlift in the DOD by over two-fold. Current methods of forecasting follow-on transportation requirements are based on the amount of pallets on hand at the aerial port as well as short-term visibility of pallets currently in the channel system destined for Incirlik AB. This process yields a forecast horizon of only 2-3 days for planning subsequent airlift missions. An analysis several time series forecasting methods using post-sample pallet data from the Global Air Transportation Execution System (GATES) was accomplished to examine their ability to forecast different sustainment scenarios at least 7 days in advance of arrival at Incirlik AB, Turkey.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Using Future Value Analysis to Select an Optimal Portfolio of Force Protection Initiatives
With the recent increase in terrorist activity, force protection has become a key issue for the Department of Defense. Leading the research for new ideas and concepts in force protection for the US Air Force is the Air Force Force Protection Battlelab (FPB). The FPB is charged with searching out force protection ideas and selecting those most worthy for future consideration. In 2002, a Value-Focused Thinking (VFT) hierarchy was created to help the FPB select those ideas that provided the most value to the Air Force and it's force protection goals. This research effort uses the Future Value Analysis (FVA) approach, a decision-making methodology, to provide a more accurate project selection tool to the FPB. FVA incorporates the ideals of multi-attribute utility theory, specifically using the VFT process, as well as linear programming optimization techniques, to provide an optimal portfolio of initiatives for the FPB to pursue. FVA provides a solution that optimizes the value of initiatives selected, while remaining within the organizational constraints of the FPB.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Supply Chain Synchronization
A 2009 Air Mobility Command and Defense Logistics Agency Supply Chain Management initiative seeks to increase cargo velocity to the Iraq Theatre of operations by synchronizing the picking, packing, and shipping of cargo from Defense Distribution Centers with the flow of scheduled airlift through aerial ports of embarkation (APOE) on the east coast of the United States. If this initiative is successful, not only will the port hold time be reduced at the APOEs, but the potential exists for larger groups of pallets to be aggregated at APOEs for onward movement. This research investigated the relationship between pallet group size and pallet velocity for cargo movement from Susquehanna, PA to various locations in Iraq. No evidence of a significant relationship between pallet group size and pallet velocity was identified. Port hold time at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey demonstrated the greatest influence on pallet velocity. Improvements to information sharing and collaborative planning were recommended to improve the initiative.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Feasibility Study of Variance Reduction in the Logistics Composite Model
The Logistics Composite Model (LCOM) is a stochastic, discrete-event simulation that relies on probabilities and random number generators to model scenarios in a maintenance unit and estimate optimal manpower levels through an iterative process. Models such as LCOM involving pseudo-random numbers inevitably have a variance associated with the output of the model for each run, and the output is actually a range of estimates. The reduction of the variance in the results of the model can be costly in the form of time for multiple replications. The alternative is a range of estimates that is too wide to realistically apply to real-world maintenance units. This research explores the application of three different methods for reducing the variance of the model's output. The methods include Common Random Numbers (CRN), Control Variates, and Antithetic Variates. The differences in the 95% confidence intervals were compared between the variance reduction techniques and the original model to determine the degree of variance reduction. The result is a successful variance reduction in the primary output statistics of interest using the application of the Control Variates technique, as well as a methodology for the implementation of Control Variates in LCOM.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Skeleton of a Skull with a Cigarette Van Gogh Note Book
HARDCOVER NOTEBOOK featuring Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting Skeleton of a Skull with a Cigarette on the cover.SIZE: A5 with 150 lightly lined, dot grid, and vintage paper style blank pages.USEFUL FOR note taking, journaling, recipes, or planning at your home, office, or school.PERFECT TO USE this writing journal with pencils, pens, and colored pencils.MAKES A GREAT GIFT IDEA for a writer, artist, student or any creative person.ACCENT any coffee table or bookshelf with this beautiful notebook.WE MAKE JOURNALS for women, men, artists, and writers of all ages.
Responsible Industry 4.0
The growth of digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to increase global wealth and tackle some of the world's most serious problems, including economic marginalization. In contrast, these innovations may contribute to widening economic gaps and potentially threaten the stability of democratic governments. Changes in economic growth and distribution are occurring in both developed and developing countries due to the impact that new technologies are having on businesses and the workplace. This book provides answers to the question of whether the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as AI, will lead to greater economic uncertainty, environmental collapse, and social unrest or whether they will help achieve shared prosperity and sustainable development, and successively the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).This book focuses on Human-centred AI and the responsible deployment of diverse technologies for achieving sustainable development. It examines why the human-centred approach is so crucial to long-term success. It underlines the definition of human-centred AI and its importance in creating sustainability and resilience. This book begins with a comprehensive history of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, details how to produce AI that is centred on humans in order to accomplish sustainable development in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and then goes on to discuss the need for proper management and governance of emerging technologies. The book ends by presenting a framework that will assist stakeholders in employing AI in a human-centred manner to achieve the SDGs set for 2030.This book will appeal to scholars, academics, and researchers interested in information linked to the SDGs, AI, and Industry 4.0.
The Distributor's Three-Dimensional Pallet-Packing Problem
It is through practice and experience Air Force loadmasters are able to pack the Air Force standard HCU-6/E (463L) pallets efficiently. Although the loadmasters perform their jobs exceptionally well, the Air Force is in search of a model that will more efficiently pack the pallets. We have developed a mathematical formulation of the three-dimensional pallet-packing problem which minimizes the amount of unused space on a pallet. The formulation ensures each box is packed with the correct volume and dimensions, and ensures the volume of all the boxes packed is less than the available pallet volume. Additionally, the formulation ensures that each box has a foundation on which to be placed and allows, at most, one box to be placed in each location on the pallet. The three-dimensional pallet-packing problem is a NP-hard problem. Thus, for large problems, the optimal solution can not be found in a reasonable amount of time. Therefore a heuristic solution approach is required to solve these large problems. This research observes the performance of a genetic algorithm on the three-dimensional pallet-packing problem using single-point crossover.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Sizing Mobility Readiness Spares Packages for Today's Warfighting Units
As the Air Force transforms from a garrisoned force into a light expeditionary force, one area for restructuring is the manner in which mobility readiness spares packages (MRSPs) are managed and stocked. For a war tasking, thirty days supply is typically deployed in a MRSP as it is assumed that there will be no re-supply for thirty days. Studies of combat operations from the past decade suggest that thirty days without re-supply is an outdated assumption. The objective of this thesis is to economically build a robust MRSP that is flexible enough to provide adequate support for a variety of squadron sizes at least through day 20 of a war. Faster establishment of a reliable resupply pipeline is the key to successfully implementing such a MRSP. This research focused on three different weapon-systems; the A-10, F-15E, and F-16C. Through use of the Aircraft Sustainability Model, smaller MRSPs are constructed which have the ability to adequately support squadron sizes of 12, 18, and 24 aircraft based on their ability to maintain aircraft availability goals without generating excessive amounts of expected backorders.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Distributer's Three-Dimensional Pallet-Packing Problem
The Distributor's Pallet Packing Problem is to load a set of distinct boxes with given dimensions on pallets or in containers to maximize volume utilization. This problem is still in its early stages of research, but there is a high level of interest in developing effective models to solve this NP-hard problem to reduce the time, energy and other resources spent in packing pallets. In its search to improve operations, the Air Force is also making an effort to solve this problem. Building an analytical model and developing a genetic algorithm approach have been tried, but the problem requires additional research and there is a need to produce realistic solutions in a reasonable amount of time. We develop a special heuristic algorithm and code it in the C programming language. In our model, we used powerful heuristic tools and dynamic data structure to mimic human intelligence, providing a new solution approach to pallet packing. We created another program to visualize packing results. Tests on hundreds of problems show that our model makes the most of volume utilization in minimal time making it a leader among presented and published works.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Group Decision Support Systems and Influence Modes
This study examined the effect of Group Decision Support System (GDSS) technology on perceived influence modes. The researcher measured perceived influence modes in two group treatments: GDSS groups and non-GDSS (N-GDSS) mediated groups. Actual groups in both treatments performed judgmental tasks of their own choosing. Group members then completed a survey that measures their perceptions regarding five influence sources: expert influence, influence from legitimate authority, referent influence, reward influence, and coercive influence. The survey also measured the extent to which members perceived an "opportunity to influence" other group members. For each variable measured in both treatment groups, mean scores were calculated from respondents' ratings. Analysis indicated that GDSS technology significantly reduces the amount of influence perceived by group members when compared to members in N-GDSS groups. Results also indicated that there was no significant difference between treatment groups regarding members' perceived "opportunity to influence" other group members.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Data Envelopment Analysis to Assess Productivity in the United States Air Force Medical Supply Chain
Utilizing a DEA model created by Dr. Paul Jensen, of the University of Texas, each of 73 AF MTFs was assigned baseline efficiency rating in the current medical supply chain network structure. Efficiency was calculated based on the facility's capability to process input(s) to output(s). Effectiveness, operationalized as application of the appropriate strategy "to get the job done," was assessed as a function of lead time using average delivery days. Contract specifications and manpower authorizations for FY11 in addition to sales, receipts, order lines, and lead times for the previous two years were inputs and analyzed. Through a combination of contract and user-defined constraints, the model indicated several optimal locations for aggregate ordering centers by region, ultimately suggesting multiple virtual hub-and-spoke networks.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Distributer's Three-Dimensional Pallet-Packing Problem
The Distributor's Pallet Packing Problem is to load a set of distinct boxes with given dimensions on pallets or in containers to maximize volume utilization. This problem is still in its early stages of research, but there is a high level of interest in developing effective models to solve this NP-hard problem to reduce the time, energy and other resources spent in packing pallets. In its search to improve operations, the Air Force is also making an effort to solve this problem. Building an analytical model and developing a genetic algorithm approach have been tried, but the problem requires additional research and there is a need to produce realistic solutions in a reasonable amount of time. We develop a special heuristic algorithm and code it in the C programming language. In our model, we used powerful heuristic tools and dynamic data structure to mimic human intelligence, providing a new solution approach to pallet packing. We created another program to visualize packing results. Tests on hundreds of problems show that our model makes the most of volume utilization in minimal time making it a leader among presented and published works.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Spare Parts Storage and Shipping
The goal of this paper was to improve the supply of spare parts by employing sound storage. Topics include storage layout, bulk and bin storage, receiving, location activity, order assembly and shipping, inventories, and procedures and training.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Development of Measures to Assess Product Modularity and Reconfigurability
This dissertation outlines a method and measures for assessing product modularity in terms of coupling, reusability, and flexibility. A five-step analysis process is developed and used to guide the modularity assessment. Defining and decomposing products are performed first. Using the resultant functional model from the first step, the identified functions are mapped to modules in a product in the second step. In the third and fourth steps, module-to-module interfaces are identified and captured in design structure matrices or a tensor plot. Finally, using results from steps 1-4, the Vector Modularity Measure that includes a reconfigurability measure can be calculated. The measures and analysis process are demonstrated using two precision guided munitions in the United States Air Force inventory. After this demonstration, the research focuses on extending the approach to a modular satellite design problem, namely AFRL's Plug-and-Play Satellite (PnPSat) concept for Operationally Responsive Space. Using the resulting analysis, recommendations to the existing PnPSat design to further increase modularity and its derived benefits are given. Lastly, the modularity analysis process and applications are used to draw conclusions and make recommendations for future research to include identifying factors that influence both modularity and the timeline to perform product assembly and check-out.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Finance and Economics Discussion Series
The slope of the Treasury yield curve has often been cited as a leading economic indicator, with inversion of the curve being thought of as a harbinger of a recession. In this paper, I consider a number of probit models using the yield curve to forecast recessions. Models that use both the level of the federal funds rate and the term spread give better in-sample fit, and better out-of-sample predictive performance, than models with the term spread alone. There is some evidence that controlling for a term premium proxy as well may also help. I discuss the implications of the current shape of the yield curve in the light of these results, and report results of some tests for structural stability and an evaluation of out-of-sample predictive performance.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Distributor's Three-Dimensional Pallet-Packing Problem
It is through practice and experience Air Force loadmasters are able to pack the Air Force standard HCU-6/E (463L) pallets efficiently. Although the loadmasters perform their jobs exceptionally well, the Air Force is in search of a model that will more efficiently pack the pallets. We have developed a mathematical formulation of the three-dimensional pallet-packing problem which minimizes the amount of unused space on a pallet. The formulation ensures each box is packed with the correct volume and dimensions, and ensures the volume of all the boxes packed is less than the available pallet volume. Additionally, the formulation ensures that each box has a foundation on which to be placed and allows, at most, one box to be placed in each location on the pallet. The three-dimensional pallet-packing problem is a NP-hard problem. Thus, for large problems, the optimal solution can not be found in a reasonable amount of time. Therefore a heuristic solution approach is required to solve these large problems. This research observes the performance of a genetic algorithm on the three-dimensional pallet-packing problem using single-point crossover.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
The Impact of the Defense Industry Consolidation on the Aerospace Industry
The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of the defense industry consolidation on the aerospace industry. The defense industry is comprised of twelve sectors that impact different industries. This research focused on the formal aspects of the aerospace industry which supports six of the twelve defense sectors. The aerospace industry is identified by six North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) or Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes. Using the structure-conduct-performance paradigm, a method in industrial organization, this thesis analyzed how the defense consolidation affected the structure and behavior of the aerospace industry. For structure, this study examined the industry concentration, buyers and sellers, vertical integration, and product differentiation. Barriers to entry, asset specificity, capital investment, and research and development intensity were analyzed for conduct. Profitability ratios, returns to scale, and impact on cost overruns of government contracts were analyzed for the area of performance. Finally, this study identified trends by comparing the aerospace industry to the total manufacturing industry, and by comparing the large surviving downstream firms to both the aerospace industry and total manufacturing industry.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Forecasting Flying Hour Costs of the B-1, B-2, and the B-52 Bomber Aircraft
This thesis both evaluates, and presents improvements to, the current method of forecasting flying costs of Air Force aircraft. It uses depot level repairable (DRL) and consumable (CONS) data for the Air FOrce's bomber platforms: B-1B, B-2, and B-52H. The current forecasting method assumes a proportional relationship between costs and flying hours such that 1) when no hours are flown costs are zero, and 2) a 1% increase in flying hours will increase costs by 1%. The findings of this research indicate that applying log-linear ordinary least squares regression techniques may be an improved fit of flying cost data over the current proportional model; the actual data indicate a non-zero intercept and a less than proportional relationship between costs and flying hours. This research also found that models including factors other than fklying hours as independent variables, such as sorties, lagged costs, and fiscal trends, may be more useful than models based solely on flying hours. Finally, this research found that estimating quarterly costs at the base-level may yield more accurate estimates than estimating at the monthly level, or mission design series level.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
An Objective Decision Tool for Use in Considering Air Force Specialty Code Pairs for Consolidation
Throughout its history, the Air Force has experienced a growth in the diversity of the jobs it has been asked to perform, as well as a reduction in the number of personnel it has as a resource to fulfill these requirements. As a result, Air Force leadership has periodically had to review the set of required skills and consolidate similar specialties in order to complete its mission under these more restrictive manpower numbers.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Quality Function Deployment From an Operations Research Perspective
The methodology of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is compared to operations analysis standards. Of special concern is how Air Combat Command (ACC) uses QFD for the Modernization Planning Process (MPP). ACC digresses from the traditional use of QFD for incorporating quality into manufacturing processes to use it as a planning tool. ACC's goal in implementing QFD is to incorporate the demands of the Air Force mission into the modernization planning effort. ACC's use of QFD to identify and quantify current deficiencies and quantify the value of alternative future solutions has led to the investigation of inconsistencies with QFD, both generally and with how ACC employs it. In short, the purpose of this thesis is to improve ACC's current method for optimizing combat capability through both near-term and far-term modifications.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A Heuristic Decision Making Model to Mitigate Adverse Consequences in a Network-Centric Warfare / Sense and Respond System
The general premise of this research is that decision making will increase in importance based on the transformation of the military towards Network Centric Warfare (NCW) / Sense and Respond logistical, informational, command / control systems. Additionally, this may result in an increase of adverse consequences, potentially resulting in an increase of accidents, major mishaps or, in general, system interruptions. Being able to quickly identify and mitigate adverse consequences in decision making will be more valuable and needed for managers and leaders in the near future. In the Legacy / cold war military, the need for information and decision making was mitigated by the large excess capacities, inventories, and redundant sub-systems and personnel or resources in general. Potentially in a NCW / Sense and Respond military there is a greater need for information and for decision makers to act or use the information, resulting in an increase in decision-making requirements. These may not increase in frequencies but rather increase in importance and impact, as available resources are lessened and the information flow and amount increases, putting further demands on the decision makers. Also if the need to make decisions increases and, additionally, adverse consequences increase, the impact will be larger on the system with more implications, accidents, and system interruptions. It may be possible to mitigate or avoid the potentially negative impact of system interruptions and adverse consequences that stem from decision making in a NCW / Sense and Respond system. A model is suggested for considering decision consequences.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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Development of Measures to Assess Product Modularity and Reconfigurability
This dissertation outlines a method and measures for assessing product modularity in terms of coupling, reusability, and flexibility. A five-step analysis process is developed and used to guide the modularity assessment. Defining and decomposing products are performed first. Using the resultant functional model from the first step, the identified functions are mapped to modules in a product in the second step. In the third and fourth steps, module-to-module interfaces are identified and captured in design structure matrices or a tensor plot. Finally, using results from steps 1-4, the Vector Modularity Measure that includes a reconfigurability measure can be calculated. The measures and analysis process are demonstrated using two precision guided munitions in the United States Air Force inventory. After this demonstration, the research focuses on extending the approach to a modular satellite design problem, namely AFRL's Plug-and-Play Satellite (PnPSat) concept for Operationally Responsive Space. Using the resulting analysis, recommendations to the existing PnPSat design to further increase modularity and its derived benefits are given. Lastly, the modularity analysis process and applications are used to draw conclusions and make recommendations for future research to include identifying factors that influence both modularity and the timeline to perform product assembly and check-out.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A System Dynamics Approach to Modeling Aircraft System Production Break Costs
This research effort employs a System Dynamics methodology to model Air Force aircraft production break costs. The Air Force currently used the Anderlohr, Modified Anderlohr, and Retrograde methods for the estimation of aircraft production breaks. These methods offer little insight into the dynamic behavior of an aircraft production break. System Dynamics offers a unique way of capturing expert opinions in this area and dynamically presenting behaviors of an Air Force aircraft production line during a production break. Development of this model followed a four-step process of conceptualization, formulation, testing, and implementation.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A Study of Possible Logistics Paradigm Changes to Better Meet Warfighter's Needs
Currently, some Air Force logistics leaders have stated that even though the Air Logistics Centers (ALC) have been consolidated, they are still not as effective, as measured by time savings, cost savings, or system reliability as they can be. JV2020 even alludes to this need for change as a requirement for the future of our forces. Therefore, this research proposes to identify and evaluate possible substitutes to some of the current logistics programs that affect aircraft availability including alternatives to depot maintenance and also, how to better move repair parts through the system to meet the warfighting vision of JV2020. This will be accomplished by looking at AFSOC's Depot Agile Repair Team (DART) program on the MH-53 helicopter, the Navy's H-60 helicopter, C-5 Lean Logistics concept, and the Army's Accelerated Logistics concept. The study found a common thread among all these programs - a paradigmbreaking change in how to meet warfighters' needs and maintain cost effectiveness. The two helicopter programs both point to the need for keeping aircraft more operationally available and this is done by performing some depot-level tasks at the unit level. The DART concept has proven highly effective in increasing aircraft availability while also reducing costs. Also, by looking at the Lean Logistics and Accelerated Logistics concepts, these demonstrated another way to increase aircraft availability by moving replacement parts through the system more effectively.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Solving the Multidimensional Multiple Knapsack Problem With Packing Constraints Using Tabu Search
This paper presents a methodology for solving military aircraft load- scheduling problems modeled as a multidimensional multiple knapsack problem, Because of the computational time associated with applying conventional algorithms to this type of problem, we employ tabu search to determine how much cargo a heterogeneous group of aircraft can carry. This study extends the previous work of Chocolaad in two areas. First, we modify Chocolaad's algorithms to solve the multiple (rather than the single) knapsack problem under the constraints he defmed for the Airlift Loading Problem. Second, we drop his assumption of a homogeneous group of aircraft. We validate our model by confirming its solutions with cargo loadmasters, and comparing the performance of our algorithm with the benchmark ALM.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A System Dynamics Approach for Information Technology Implementation and Sustainment
The goal of this research is to bring a new, dynamic modeling perspective to organizational information technology (IT) implementation systems (using the Air Force GeoBase initiative as a real-world example) without compromising principles from the research literature. Undesired behavior patterns, from historically poor IT implementation performance, versus desired behavior patterns are incorporated into the model structure. Using a system dynamics approach, multiple simulation runs under various initial conditions and organizational contexts are performed and compared over a short-term versus a long-term period of time. Based on these simulation runs, various mixes of management interventions, under varying conditions, are recommended to improve IT implementation performance based on manager and organizational goals. Generally, for better long-term system performance, learning management, with a focus on team learning, is the best single IT implementation tool. With a low level of organizational buy-in at the beginning of the IT implementation effort, change process management should be the initial focus of management effort. Reward system management provides a short-term spark, but its implementation effects are not carried over for long-term sustainment as readily as learning management or change process management. Continuity management, though beneficial, does not provide as much "bang for the buck" as the other management interventions.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Analyzing the Air Operations Center Air Tasking Order Process Using Theory Of Constraints
This thesis examined the Air Operations Center (AOC) Air Tasking Order (ATO) development process using the Theory of Constraints (TOC). TOC defines a constraint as the variable in production in which a local innovation causes significant global improvement. The overall goal of this research was to identify constraints that exist in this development process, both within a single ATO cycle and across five concurrent overlapped cycles. There has been little documented research on the process of ATO development; much of what is available is either ad hoc, contradictory, or both. Despite this, it is widely agreed that up to five ATOs are concurrently in development at any one time. It is also widely acknowledged that a given ATO from initial conceptualization to execution takes 72 hours, with a daily ATO release occurring every 24 hours. What has not carefully been examined is the lateral interaction between processes within one ATO cycle, nor the vertical interaction between concurrent ATOs under development. Identifying these interactions for possible constraints will focus improvements in this complex command and control process. Using our model we identified specific locations of lateral constraints that often result in information chokepoints, and therefore reduced quality and/or late delivery of the ATO. We also pioneered identification of non-obvious vertical interaction between ATO cycles. Identification of these constraints will allow AOCs to more effectively plan and control ATO development to ensure accurate and on-time delivery of Air Tasking Orders.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Covalidation of Dissimilarly Structured Models
A methodology is presented which allows comparison between models constructed under different modeling paradigms. Consider two models that exist to study different aspects of the same system, namely Air Mobility Command's strategic airlift system. One model simulates a fleet of aircraft moving a given combination of cargo and passengers from an onload point to an offload point. The second model is a linear program that optimizes aircraft and route selection given cargo and passenger requirements in order to minimize late- and non-deliveries. Further, the optimization model represents a more aggregated view of the airlift system than does the simulation. The two models do not have immediately comparable input or output structures, which complicates comparisons between the two models. I develop a methodology to structure this comparison and use it to compare the two large-scale models described above. Models that compare favorably using this methodology are deemed covalid. Models that perform similarly under approximately the same input conditions are considered covalid in a narrow sense. Models that are covalid (in this narrow sense) may hold the potential to be used in an iterative fashion to improve the input (and thus, the output) of one another. I prove that, under certain regularity conditions, this method of output/input crossflow converges, and if the convergence is to a valid representation of the real-world system, the models are considered covalid in a wide sense. Further, if one of the models has been independently validated (in the traditional meaning), then a validation by association of the other model may be effected through this process.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
A Heuristic Decision Making Model to Mitigate Adverse Consequences in a Network-Centric Warfare / Sense and Respond System
The general premise of this research is that decision making will increase in importance based on the transformation of the military towards Network Centric Warfare (NCW) / Sense and Respond logistical, informational, command / control systems. Additionally, this may result in an increase of adverse consequences, potentially resulting in an increase of accidents, major mishaps or, in general, system interruptions. Being able to quickly identify and mitigate adverse consequences in decision making will be more valuable and needed for managers and leaders in the near future. In the Legacy / cold war military, the need for information and decision making was mitigated by the large excess capacities, inventories, and redundant sub-systems and personnel or resources in general. Potentially in a NCW / Sense and Respond military there is a greater need for information and for decision makers to act or use the information, resulting in an increase in decision-making requirements. These may not increase in frequencies but rather increase in importance and impact, as available resources are lessened and the information flow and amount increases, putting further demands on the decision makers. Also if the need to make decisions increases and, additionally, adverse consequences increase, the impact will be larger on the system with more implications, accidents, and system interruptions. It may be possible to mitigate or avoid the potentially negative impact of system interruptions and adverse consequences that stem from decision making in a NCW / Sense and Respond system. A model is suggested for considering decision consequences.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
