DRILL AND DEPART: UNCOVERING THE EXIT TRENDS OF ACTIVE DUTY DENTAL CORPS OFFICERS

Attrition within the Military Dental Corps has increased in recent years, posing challenges to meet force readiness across the Department of Defense (DoD). This thesis analyzes personnel data from 2016 to 2023 to identify factors associated with attrition among dentists in the Navy, Army, and Air Force Dental Corps. Using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and regression models, findings indicate that general (non-specialized) dentists experienced the highest attrition rates across all services, with an 87% relative increase when compared to specialist dentists, with most attrition occurring between seven and 12 years of service. Oral surgeons had a 76% relative increase in attrition when compared to specialist dentists predominately occurring between 13 and 19 years of service. Air Force dentists notably attrite at lower rates compared to Navy and Army dentists. Female and minority dentists attrite at lower rates; however, being assigned in the Pacific and South Atlantic regions are associated with increased attrition. These findings highlight the need for targeted, service-specific retention strategies—especially for general dentists—to preserve the military's investment in its dental workforce and maintain operational and force readiness.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant Commander, United States Nav

MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES AND PRACTICES FOR TELEWORK AND IN-OFFICE WORK WITHIN THE NAVAL EDUCATIONAL AND TRAINING COMMAND (NETC)

This study identifies management impacts on telework (TW) and return-to-office (RTO) transitions. The literature review identifies factors that support effective management of distributed workforces and transitions from TW to onsite work. These include managerial character traits, communication tools and technology, relationship management, collaboration and engagement, agile responses to evolving policies, and mitigation of RTO challenges. Responding to the U.S. Navy’s shift in January 2025 from TW to full-time in-office work and a redistributed workforce, the study documents supervisors’ assessments of the benefits and challenges associated with the change. The applications focus on supervisors within the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), where most people teleworked until they were required to work onsite. The Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) data collected in the summer of 2024 indicated that trust, communication, and accountability were strong at NETC; however, the transition created challenges. This capstone presents three literature-informed conceptual models that depict effective management for hybrid teams, in-office management challenges, and best practices for transitioning back to in-office work. The recommendations build on managers’ responses to the NETC-RTO survey, offering practical strategies to enhance management practices and optimize hybrid and in-office work environments within NETC’s evolving operational landscape.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisCivilian, Department of the Nav

MULTI-AGENT FLIGHT PLANNING IN A THREE-DIMENSIONAL THREAT ENVIRONMENT USING CROSS-ENTROPY SEARCH

The multi-agent cross-entropy (CE) search method effectively optimizes flight routes in dynamic, contested three-dimensional (3D) environments where multiple aircraft must cooperate. Traditional military flight planning relies on pilots using complex and cumbersome software that lacks a comprehensive view of the operating environment. Surface-to-air threat weapon engagement zones (WEZs) are critical considerations in route planning, as excessive exposure can lead to mission failure, aircraft loss, or personnel endangerment. This thesis introduces a multi-agent CE-based path-finding approach that efficiently generates coordinated flight routes while optimizing factors such as route length and altitude and its deviations. For single-aircraft scenarios, where the path-finding problem satisfies the optimal substructure property (OSP), fast and optimal dynamic programming (DP) algorithms such as A* can be applied. However, multi-agent coordination violates OSP, making DP methods unsuitable. This research demonstrates that the CE search method can effectively navigate this complex problem space, producing near-optimal flight routes that balance the collective needs and objectives of multiple aircraft. Additionally, a novel evaluation framework is presented to assess the quality of CE-generated routes relative to the unattainable optimal solution.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Major, United States Marine Corp

HARNESSING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR HUMAN INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS

The thesis investigates the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence (HUMINT), analyzing how AI can support and transform HUMINT operations. It reviews AI's benefits and explores opportunities and challenges of AI integration in intelligence collection. Examining the agent recruitment cycle, this research highlights how AI technologies like behavioral analytics and generative modeling can enhance traditional and cyber HUMINT operations. This thesis presents a typology of human-AI interaction interfaces, from traditional input devices to advanced modalities like voice-controlled systems and brain-computer interfaces (BCI), assessing their practicality for HUMINT applications with military and law enforcement contexts. Methodologically, comprehensive research combines qualitative analysis of open-source doctrinal material and technology reports, framed within intelligence practitioners' operational needs. Key findings show that AI can increase operational efficiency, accelerate source handling, and reduce cognitive load by providing real-time support. The research concludes that AI is best positioned as a force multiplier for HUMINT rather than as a replacement, and it offers strategic recommendations for defense and intelligence agencies regarding responsible implementation. This work contributes to a growing field of AI-HUMINT integration focusing on adaptive training and secure AI integration for mission success in the modern threat landscape.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant Colonel, Hungarian Ground Force

SEEKING REFUGE: INNOVATIVE IMMIGRATION PROCESSING IN RESPONSE TO MASS MIGRATION FROM HUMANITARIAN DISASTERS

The United States (U.S.) prides itself on being a nation of immigrants and a leader in the global refugee regime. However, recent conflicts have swelled migration flows to untenable volumes for the immigration system. This thesis identifies opportunities to maximize U.S. federal immigration response to acute humanitarian mass migration crises. The research uses case studies and comparative policy analysis, supplemented by interviews of leaders in the field, to develop a toolkit approach to improve U.S. immigration response to rapid-onset migration. Preparation for acute crises and inter-departmental collaboration are critical for effective response. Safe, orderly, and regular migration is a goal that aligns with U.S. law, humanitarian mandate, and national security goals. Accurate and timely background and security vetting upholds the legitimacy of the immigration system and protects the American public. U.S. immigration reform will increase the dexterity and effectiveness of humanitarian emergency response, reduce pressure on currently overburdened systems, increase the veracity of security vetting, advance the goals of the Homeland Security Enterprise, and save more vulnerable migrants’ lives.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Civilian, Department of Homeland Securit

THE INDONESIAN NAVY'S PARTICIPATION IN MULTINATIONAL NAVAL EXERCISES (2012–2024)

Since 2012, the Indonesian Navy has increasingly participated in multinational naval exercises, marking a shift in its defense diplomacy approach. However, there is a limited understanding of how this participation has evolved and its driving factors. This research examines the evolution of the Indonesian Navy’s participation in multinational naval exercises from 2012 to 2024 and identifies the external and internal factors behind these changes. Using comparative analysis of data from official documents, media reports, and academic journals, this study focuses on shifts in participation patterns over three distinct periods. The findings indicate that the Indonesian Navy has expanded its involvement geographically, progressed from participant to exercise host, and balanced its participation in exercises with competing powers, demonstrating its strategic use of naval exercises as a tool for defense diplomacy. These changes were driven by external factors (great power relations, maritime security conditions, ASEAN architecture evolution) and internal factors (strategic policy changes and naval organizational development). The Indonesian Navy should maintain balanced relations with major powers through naval exercises, develop maritime operation procedures, enhance exercise planning capabilities, and strengthen professional cooperation while respecting each country’s sensitivities.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Outstanding ThesisLieutenant Commander, Indonesian Nav

Fact Sheet 2025

VER: 09.11.2

COLD SPRAY ALUMINUM 7075 FUNCTIONALLY GRADED COATING REINFORCED WITH BORON NITRIDE NANOPLATELETS AND VARYING VOLUMETRIC BORON CARBIDE LOADS

Cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM) is a rapidly growing technology with numerous industrial applications that has yet to be fully utilized in the Department of Defense (DoD). CSAM has been shown to deposit aluminum coatings onto many surfaces including aluminum alloys like AA7075, which the DoD uses extensively. This specific alloy has been used in many of its aerospace applications due to its excellent specific strength, fatigue resistance, and relative light weight, while being cost efficient. However, AA7075 is susceptible to abrasion due to having low wear resistance. Previous studies confirm that one of the most effective strategies to enhance the wear performance is incorporating ceramic reinforcements into the aluminum matrix. Boron carbide has been highly researched as a reinforcement for being one of the hardest materials known and exhibiting high wear resistance. Yet the harmonious effects of combining different ceramic reinforcements together in a cold spray functionally graded coating using nitrogen gas are unexplored. In this work, an AA7075 functionally graded coating was created by incorporating various nanoscopic and microscopic particles, including boron carbide, to enhance the coating’s mechanical properties. By changing the concentrations of boron carbide and boron nitride nanoplatelets throughout the coating layers, the specific wear rate reduced 45.5% and the wear track depth reduced 24%; exemplifying improvements in hardness and wear resistance.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant, United States Nav

Faces of NPS: Maj. Mark Haasdijk, Netherlands Marine Corps

Faces of NPS features interviews spotlighting the students, faculty, staff and alumni of our Nation's premier defense education and research institution