Understanding Mass Killing in America: A System Dynamics Approach

This study explores the replication effect of mass killings across the United States. Often news outlets sensationalize emotional stories, such as mass killings, because they increase readership. Increased readership perpetuates the spread of the ideation to commit a mass killing through imitation, with each new incident having the possibility to spark several more throughout the country through increased exposure. This study places greatest focus on the imitation and does not analyze feedback mechanisms that affect other influences of violence. System dynamics modeling provides the framework for examining imitation incidents as an effect of increased exposure via the media

A Value Model Approach to Reduce PM Cargo’s Costs for the CH-47F Chinook Helicopter

The CH-47F is a multifaceted system incorporating a series of technological improvements that aim to improve flight crews’ performance. The new Chinook model marks a transition away from platforms with steam gauge based cockpits, federated mission systems equipment, and analog flight control augmentation systems. The aircraft has a highly integrated glass cockpit and digital flight control augmentation system reducing the crew’s workload and improving other capabilities, such as auto-hovering. This allows pilots to focus on aspects essential for mission success while operating in challenging environments. PM Cargo is responsible for maintaining the CH-47F to meet these demands, however, this has significant financial challenges to consider. PM Cargo asked us to produce courses of action that will reduce costs while also adding value to the CH-47F program. This will ensure the CH-47F, through PM Cargo’s stewardship, remains a staple of the United States Army into the future

Developing a Solution to the TRADOC Analysis Center’s Big Data Problem: A Big Data Opportunity

As data production, collection, and analytic techniques grow, emerging issues surrounding data management and storage challenge businesses and organizations around the globe. The US Army Training and Doctrine Command’s Analysis Center (TRAC) is no exception. For example, among TRAC's many tasks is the evaluation of new materiel solutions for the Army, which typically necessitates the use of computer simulation models such as COMBAT XXI. These models are computationally expensive, and they generate copious amounts of data, straining TRAC's current resources and forcing difficult, suboptimal decisions regarding data retention and analysis. This paper addresses this issue directly by developing "big data" solutions for TRAC and evaluating them using its organizational values. Framed in the context of a use case that prescribes system requirements, we leverage Monte Carlo simulation to account for inherent uncertainty and, ultimately, focus TRAC on several high potential alternatives

Modeling Diffusion of Information in an Increasingly Complex Digital Domain

Offering entertainment, discussion, and information, social media provides users with a stimulating online experience. Within the last five years, it has also become an increasingly popular medium for the consumption of news. News outlets publish articles and reports through social media, and by doing so influence their users in a way that corresponds with the outlet’s political leaning. Because social media outlets provide users with tailored content, the prevalence of biased news reporting reinforces the user’s political values and polarizes their beliefs. This thesis attempts to examine the relationships that give rise to this political polarization in social media and discusses possible opportunities to mitigate it

Optimal Supply Chain Network with Multi-Echelon

The study of the effect of redistribution strategy and aggregation, on a multi-echelon supply chain network by managing demand volatility is discussed in this research. For this an operational supply chain design is considered. Multi-echelon network consisting of manufacturing plants, distribution centers, warehouses, and retailers is used to develop the case study. Aggregation strategy was analyzed in the context of single product and multi-product for a multi-period production problem under demand uncertainty. Product sourcing between echelons and distribution strategies are considered for the study. Objective was to use the redistribution strategy to optimize the objective functions for the network. The objective functions include minimization of total cost, minimization of overage and stock-out conditions, and maximization of the customer service level. The total cost function includes product flow, transportation cost and distance cost. The mathematical formulation is carried out in Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) with the help of Generic Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS). Problem formulation considers three type of demand based on volatility and uncertainty cases as high, medium, and low. The research is divided into three main phases to discuss an optimal multi-echelon supply chain network for single product using aggregation strategy

Describing Success by Gender Through the U.S. Army Officer Evaluation System

The United States Army uses both subjective and objective evaluation methods when assessing the performance of duties and potential for future service in the Officer Evaluation Report (OER). Males and females proportionally receive the same objective ratings, but on the surface, it is difficult to determine whether subjective ratings are equal. This paper seeks to examine the different ways success is described in each gender and how the OER follows or deviates from these trends. Upon examination of narratives written on the evaluation reports, many of the same words are used to describe success of males and females in the narratives written by their raters. The similarities amongst the reports suggest that the narratives follow a standardized format which may devalue their purpose of providing individualized feedback to the officer and to promotion boards

Utility to the Nation: An Investment Strategy for our Inland Waterways

USACE Institute for Water Resources (IWR) supplies forward-looking research and analysis to the Civil Works program. IWR investigates navigation of inland waterways across the United States and collects data. The data produced by the Navigation Investment Model (NIM) is not extensively used as an institutionally accepted norm to facilitate evaluation and decision making of infrastructure work packages. This research will present a new method for assessing work packages using a Utility to the Region and Nation (U2RN) metric which complements existing heuristic approaches with predictive data analysis techniques. Application of the new methodology will show how prioritization of work packages would significantly change when using data, and when applying a Monte Carlo simulation to determine future states. This paper provides a framework for waterborne investment that can be applied to the entire inland waterway and deep-sea infrastructure

Redesigning the Senior Leader Engagement Program of the United States Africa Command

AFRICOM conducts hundreds of senior leader engagements (SLEs) each year throughout the African continent in order to create strategic partnerships and military relationships that preserve American interests abroad. While AFRICOM has been planning and executing these engagements since the inception of the organization in 2008, it lacks a well-defined method to systemize its SLE process. As a result, SLE development is largely ad hoc, potentially decreasing the strategic effectiveness of the engagements and increasing their cost. This paper delineates a decision-making framework to redesign and enhance AFRICOM’s SLE program. In particular, it posits a multiple objective decision analysis model that quantifies key stakeholder values and develops several alternatives for future evaluation. Of note, potential solutions imagine a more expansive system where subsets of Senior Leaders (SLs) are assigned to clusters of African countries based on the SLs’ similarity to countries within each cluster, providing a basis for relationship ownership and mutual trust

A Cost-Based Allocation of Inspection Efforts in Quality Control of a Multistage Assembly Line: A Case Study of an Electronics Assembly Line

Firms within the electronics manufacturing industry is often a high-volume high-mix product manufacturing industry. This study presents a cost-based allocation of inspection efforts in quality control of a sequential multi-stage electronic assembly line, considering all relevant costs and proposes the optimum inspection strategy. A dynamic sampling plan is incorporated in the model to maintain the desired quality levels. Monte-Carlo simulation is used to obtain the solution of this complex model. The model is created based on an actual electronics packaging company. This approach provides the ability to minimize the costs and does not sacrifice the quality of the products. The input factors that significantly affect the costs are identified so that they can be optimized for performance improvement and decision-making

Improving the Efficiency of Military Vehicle Outload and Deployment

The United States military must maintain the ability to rapidly deploy, world-wide, under severe time constraints. As a result, units and organizations have developed standardized, documented processes and procedures to quickly deploy personnel, equipment, and supplies. This research examines a typical military vehicle outload process, models the process with a discrete-event simulation, and identifies opportunities to increase process efficiency. The recommended improvements are incorporated within the simulation to identify the impacts of the changes. Model analysis reveals that an increase in a critical resource (i.e. vehicle inspection teams) can significantly reduce the time required to process a 350-vehicle fleet. Additionally, automating the hazardous material (HAZMAT) documentation and vehicle weight and center of balance computations resulted in time savings, although less significant. It is possible to implement these two automated activities across all installations, further improving deployment operations. With only minor modifications, the presented model can be adjusted to replicate other installation deployment processes and can have significant impacts on how the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force deploy equipment