IMPLEMENTATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF BIRD DETECTION RADAR AND BIRD HAZARD ADVISORY INFORMATION FOR MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL AVIATION

Over the past five years, development of mobile bird detection radars for use as real-time aircraft bird strike avoidance systems has moved from research and development into active deployment as an operational technology. The MERLIN™ bird detection radar, with an update rate as frequent as once per second, is currently deployed as production-model technology with 15 systems operating in the U.S., Canada, Scotland, England and The Netherlands. Deployment challenges over the past two years have included “how” and “in what forms” to deliver the real-time and near real-time information to controllers, wildlife control units, pilots and decision makers so that bird hazards can be more reliably detected, strike risk reduced, bird control efficiency increased, and to develop detailed historical resource databases to support long-term management actions. MERLIN systems are currently being used in civil, military and landfill environments using widearea wireless distribution of data displays and products in real-time direct to airfield operations, planners and bird control units. On-going operating experience is helping to define specific concepts-of-operations (CONOPS) for each type of environment as to how the technology can be used and how and in what form bird radar information is integrated into current operational risk management and flight safety programs

IMPLEMENTATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF BIRD DETECTION RADAR AND BIRD HAZARD ADVISORY INFORMATION FOR MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL AVIATION

Over the past five years, development of mobile bird detection radars for use as real-time aircraft bird strike avoidance systems has moved from research and development into active deployment as an operational technology. The MERLIN™ bird detection radar, with an update rate as frequent as once per second, is currently deployed as production-model technology with 15 systems operating in the U.S., Canada, Scotland, England and The Netherlands. Deployment challenges over the past two years have included “how” and “in what forms” to deliver the real-time and near real-time information to controllers, wildlife control units, pilots and decision makers so that bird hazards can be more reliably detected, strike risk reduced, bird control efficiency increased, and to develop detailed historical resource databases to support long-term management actions. MERLIN systems are currently being used in civil, military and landfill environments using widearea wireless distribution of data displays and products in real-time direct to airfield operations, planners and bird control units. On-going operating experience is helping to define specific concepts-of-operations (CONOPS) for each type of environment as to how the technology can be used and how and in what form bird radar information is integrated into current operational risk management and flight safety programs

Environmental management in military activities of the South African National Defence Force

This thesis presents research findings on current environmental management practices used by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Two case studies are presented; the first is the Grahamstown Military Installation (6 South African Infantry Battalion) and the second the South African Army Combat Training Centre (42 Brigade). A combination of three sampling techniques, namely, the stratified, purposive and link-tracing (snowball) samplings were employed and structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with key SANDF officials were used as primary data. In addition, secondary data sources in the form of inter alia the first and second editions of the Environmental Management Plan for Defence (2001 & 2008 respectively); the development and implementation of environmental education and training in the military: a joint United States-Republic of South Africa Environmental Working Group Project (2003); Overarching Strategic Statement for 2011; Integrated Environmental Management Information Series: Linking Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management Systems (2004); The Department of Defence Strategic Plan (2010): Republic of South Africa and the South African Defence Review (2012) were studied. In addition, field observations were also carried out within the two military installations training areas between July, 2011 and November, 2013. Primary data on the conditions of training areas, waste removal after training exercises, pollution prevention measures, and rehabilitation efforts to restore degraded training ranges were collected. Furthermore, composite surface sediment samples and water samples were collected for analysis. A total of fifty-six surface sediments and thirty water samples were analysed for the concentrations of heavy metals using the ICP-MS. These attitudes and perceptions are predominantly positive. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) did not reveal any significant differences in responses, especially, between military ranks. However, sporadic significant differences were found in five of the statements in the questionnaire from respondents with different service periods. Furthermore, the emphasis placed on environmental protection within defence force activities worldwide has compelled the South African Department of Defence and Military Veterans (DoDMV) to regulate the management of the environment within its properties. Yet, these efforts have faced numerous challenges ranging from financial to human resource deficiencies. It was found that environmental management practices and programmes at different military installations vary significantly. Consequently, six environmental management programmes were identified at South African Army Combat Training Centre, while only one environmental management programme was identified at Grahamstown Military Installation. This programme is a collaborative effort between the SANDF/DoDMV and the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation to eradicate invasive alien plant species. In the light of the analysis of official documents and interviews with respondents, it was established that the DoDMV does not have a budget for environmental management services and environmental management is yet to be incorporated into formal military training programmes. There is a severe shortage of environmentally qualified and knowledgeable personnel within the SANDF. Subsequently, all these drawbacks lead to the failure of the implementation of the Defence Force’s Environmental Management System (EMS) and inadequate management of the environment at military installations of the SANDF. Consequently, these challenges have severely compromised the commitment of the SANDF to honour its environmental management obligations. Such deficiencies tend to undermine the sustainable utilisation of the national assets entrusted to the Defence Force. Therefore, this thesis argues that environmental management programmes for the SANDF are based on a very weak foundation. This thesis proposes an ideal model for the successful implementation of the EMS and management of the environment at SANDF military installations. The analysis of water and soil samples led to the identification and quantification of heavy mental pollutants. The concentrations of heavy metals in water samples were varying between <0.01 to <0.05mg/l, but generally constant. Thus, no significant or meaningful statistical results were obtained. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to analyse the concentrations of heavy metals obtained in the sediment samples

Post-Westgate SWAT : C4ISTAR Architectural Framework for Autonomous Network Integrated Multifaceted Warfighting Solutions Version 1.0 : A Peer-Reviewed Monograph

Police SWAT teams and Military Special Forces face mounting pressure and challenges from adversaries that can only be resolved by way of ever more sophisticated inputs into tactical operations. Lethal Autonomy provides constrained military/security forces with a viable option, but only if implementation has got proper empirically supported foundations. Autonomous weapon systems can be designed and developed to conduct ground, air and naval operations. This monograph offers some insights into the challenges of developing legal, reliable and ethical forms of autonomous weapons, that address the gap between Police or Law Enforcement and Military operations that is growing exponentially small. National adversaries are today in many instances hybrid threats, that manifest criminal and military traits, these often require deployment of hybrid-capability autonomous weapons imbued with the capability to taken on both Military and/or Security objectives. The Westgate Terrorist Attack of 21st September 2013 in the Westlands suburb of Nairobi, Kenya is a very clear manifestation of the hybrid combat scenario that required military response and police investigations against a fighting cell of the Somalia based globally networked Al Shabaab terrorist group.Comment: 52 pages, 6 Figures, over 40 references, reviewed by a reade

Challenges to Career Development in Uniformed Services of Lithuania

Purpose. HRM in uniformed services is researched significantly less than in the civil service which in turn is under researched in comparison to businesses. Recent studies of public employment (e.g. Demmke & Moilanen, 2012) show that due to variety of factors public employment is becoming less attractive in the labour market. However, there is little data that this is the case in the uniformed services in particular. This study aims to evaluate career development experiences of military and statutory servicemembers in Lithuania to collect and interpret data about their understanding of management of the career development and career perspectives both within their services and the broader labor market. Design/methodology/approach. The purpose of this study was to analyze career development mechanisms in the uniformed services (statutory and military services), by identifying advantages, disadvantages of career development systems in the context of emerging challenges to these services, identify connections between successful career development and the sense of social security among servicemembers. The career development analysis was based on 3 career development stages regulated by both statutory and military regulations. 16 experts – all servicemembers were interviewed for the purposes of this study. Based on the interview analysis of how the career development is applied in the respective services a set of comparative criteria were developed to expand the three stages in the initial regulation overview. Findings. Research data showed that two distinct uniformed services in Lithuania are coping very differently with the challenges. This study revealed several important weaknesses of career development mechanism as they are applied in Lithuanian statutory service: lack of sense of social security by servicemembers, insufficient initial training, no clear objective setting mechanisms. In military service lack of information about career opportunities and competition among members for access to qualification courses were found to be important issues. However, the military service career development was found to be more advanced and successful than that of statutory service. So fundamental conclusion of this study is that the military service achieves better outcomes through means of career development than statutory service. Research limitations/implications. Two main groups of factors (internal and external) affect career development process. This research aimed to view the career development through the career outcomes from the perspective of service members themselves. That is why a qualitative research method was chosen as a pilot research on challenges. Qualitative research (interview) was used to find similarities, differences, advantages and disadvantages of career development mechanisms in statutory and military services. Experts’ answers to questions on the issues of career development systems advantages and disadvantages of the stages were not sufficiently detailed, so it is hard categorized and did not reveal detailed insights and connections. This disadvantage can be regarded as a restriction on the study, which will be addressed in further studies with other empirical research instruments. However, the survey data were sufficient to distinguish the basic problems of career development in statutory and military services, clearly identified a link between a successful career development and sense of social security. A key implication that we see is that the military service career development instruments are far advanced as opposed to other uniformed services and does demonstrate the benefits of explicit creating career development mechanisms. Practical implications. Comparative analysis of career development mechanisms of the statutory and military services identifies the essential advantages and disadvantages of these systems. For a greater sense of social security, military service has achieved more than other services. Therefore, based on the results of the study suggest that social protection directly determines the success of the career development process, its protection may help to improve the career management system, especially in the statutory service. Originality/Value. There is the lack of research dealing with the career development process specifically in the uniformed services. While career development in terms of legal regulation in statutory and military services justify very similar, in practice, these processes are treated as separate, unlinked elements. This means that best-practices have low chances of being transferred within the public service as whole. As more and more institutions move towards creating career development mechanisms we see a need for more evidence on what predicates success of these mechanisms. That's why such a comparison of two similar councils in terms of career development can help to identify not only individual strengths and weaknesses, but also help in finding solutions to the identified problems, drawing as best practices from each other. Keywords: career development, uniformed services, sense of social security. Research type: research paper JEL classification: M12 – Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation M54 – Labor Managemen

A conceptual framework to assess the impact of training on equipment cost and availability in the military context

Designing military support is challenging and current practices need to be reviewed and improved. This paper gives an overview of the Industry current practices in designing military support under Ministry of Defence/Industry agreements (in particular for Contracting for Availability (CfA)), and identifies challenges and opportunities for improvement. E.g. training delivery was identified as an important opportunity for improving the CfA in-service phase. Thus, an innovative conceptual framework is presented to assess the impact of training on the equipment availability and cost. Additionally, guidelines for improving the current training delivery strategies are presented, which can also be applied to other Industry contexts

An Assessment of Mental Health Services for Veterans in the State of Texas

This report describes the complex challenges faced by veterans and their families in seeking, navigating, and attaining adequate mental health care in Texas. There are 1.7 million veterans in Texas, comprising 8.6 percent of the adult population. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), the number of veterans requiring mental health services has grown dramatically and will continue to increase, making veterans’ mental health care an urgent issue in Texas. The federal agencies responsible for military and veterans mental health care, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the VA, have created new programs and invested significant financial and staff resources. Despite barriers to addressing veterans mental health needs. Texas state agencies have increased funding and instituted new mental health programs supporting returning veterans. Nonprofit agencies focused on veteran’s mental health have multiplied across Texas and the U.S. over the past decade to fill gaps in care. While these organizations provide a growing and increasingly diverse set of resources for veterans to extend the scope of support, volunteer efforts can suffer from fragmentation and overlap. The report identifies current practices, challenges, and opportunities within and across each group of service providers. The report draws on government reports, scholarly literature, and agency websites, as well as interviews with counselors, Veteran Service Officers, nonprofit providers, state officials, and veterans themselves. This report offers five recommendations toward the goal that veterans’ mental health care in Texas become comprehensive, inclusive, effective, and efficient. First, there is a need for greater inter-agency communication across organizations, improved outreach efforts, and increased services for hard-to-reach populations, such as homeless veterans. Second, federal agencies ought to address staff shortages, improve the transition from DoD to VA care, and increase feedback. Third, at the state level, specialized services are needed to address unique veterans’ needs concentrated in cities across Texas as well as those dispersed in rural areas. Fourth, providers can improve mental health care by integrating social services and law enforcement. Fifth, both veterans and providers can benefit if they recognize opportunities for cooperation and coordination and work towards long-term goals that emphasize outcomes that improve the lives of returning veterans. This research was funded in part by the Jack S. Blanton Research Fellowship and the George A. Roberts Research Fellowship of the IC² Institute.IC2 Institut

Artificial Intelligence, International Competition, and the Balance of Power (May 2018)

World leaders, CEOs, and academics have suggested that a revolution in artificial intelligence is upon us. Are they right, and what will advances in artificial intelligence mean for international competition and the balance of power? This article evaluates how developments in artificial intelligence (AI) — advanced, narrow applications in particular — are poised to influence military power and international politics. It describes how AI more closely resembles “enabling” technologies such as the combustion engine or electricity than a specific weapon. AI’s still-emerging developments make it harder to assess than many technological changes, especially since many of the organizational decisions about the adoption and uses of new technology that generally shape the impact of that technology are in their infancy. The article then explores the possibility that key drivers of AI development in the private sector could cause the rapid diffusion of military applications of AI, limiting first-mover advantages for innovators. Alternatively, given uncertainty about the technological trajectory of AI, it is also possible that military uses of AI will be harder to develop based on private-sector AI technologies than many expect, generating more potential first-mover advantages for existing powers such as China and the United States, as well as larger consequences for relative power if a country fails to adapt. Finally, the article discusses the extent to which U.S. military rhetoric about the importance of AI matches the reality of U.S. investments.LBJ School of Public Affair

A survey of simulation techniques in commerce and defence

Despite the developments in Modelling and Simulation (M&S) tools and techniques over the past years, there has been a gap in the M&S research and practice in healthcare on developing a toolkit to assist the modellers and simulation practitioners with selecting an appropriate set of techniques. This study is a preliminary step towards this goal. This paper presents some results from a systematic literature survey on applications of M&S in the commerce and defence domains that could inspire some improvements in the healthcare. Interim results show that in the commercial sector Discrete-Event Simulation (DES) has been the most widely used technique with System Dynamics (SD) in second place. However in the defence sector, SD has gained relatively more attention. SD has been found quite useful for qualitative and soft factors analysis. From both the surveys it becomes clear that there is a growing trend towards using hybrid M&S approaches