The Effects of the New Commercial Marketplace Emphasis on United States Air Force Contract Negotiators

Acquisition Reform is changing the way the government contracts for needed goods and services. The commercial marketplace is becoming a significant source not only of goods and services, but also of ideas as to how the government can improve its contracting and acquisition functions. This research investigates the impact of this change of focus (to the commercial marketplace) on the GS-1102 series government contract negotiator. This thesis examines whether two theories-boundary spanning and supply management-can help understand the changing the role of the government contract negotiator. This research effort also reviews a list of commercial practices recommended by experts as practices government contract negotiators should adopt. This study investigates whether the theories and expert-recommended activities are consistent with each other and with the current duties of the government contract negotiator. Results are tentative, as befits a preliminary research effort. Nevertheless, both the theories and the expert-recommended activities initially appear consistent with each other and with the current job responsibilities of the government negotiator. This apparent consistency suggests the theories could be helpful in understanding the changes taking place in the job of the government contract negotiator

The Quiet Rise of the Far-Left.

Throughout the past year, the political commentary has focused on the rise of right-wing populism and the success of conservative and alt-right parties. In their fascination with the Right, many in Europe have dismissed the Left as a dying breed, a social movement that once held sway, but has failed to offer an alternative to unfettered capitalism. This paper will examine the electoral successes of Die Linke in Germany, SYRIZA in Greece, and Unidos Podemos in Spain, to push back against this narrative. I will contrast these successes with the poor performances of traditional center left parties, such as the Social Democrats in Germany and the Spanish Socialist Workers Party. Lastly, I will compare certain strategies that have worked well for SYRIZA, Die Linke, and Unidos Podemos and compare these to the reactions of center left parties such as the SPD and the UK Labour Party

Condition-Based Maintenance Implementation and Potential in USMC Ground Transport

NPS NRP Technical ReportCondition-Based Maintenance (CBM) has been successfully implemented in private-sector operations to reduce maintenance costs and asset downtime. USMC is currently transitioning to a CBM+ approach to maintenance, addressing its unique organizational and operating environment. This project identifies private-sector best practices and lessons learned most applicable to USMC as well as important hurdles for USMC adoption. It identifies maintenance and readiness metrics changes that may be relevant in future USMC and joint sustainment operations, taking into account both CBM and maintenance in an expeditionary environment.HQMC Installations and Logistics (I&L)This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Condition-Based Maintenance Implementation and Potential in USMC Ground Transport

NPS NRP Project PosterCondition-Based Maintenance (CBM) has been successfully implemented in private-sector operations to reduce maintenance costs and asset downtime. USMC is currently transitioning to a CBM+ approach to maintenance, addressing its unique organizational and operating environment. This project identifies private-sector best practices and lessons learned most applicable to USMC as well as important hurdles for USMC adoption. It identifies maintenance and readiness metrics changes that may be relevant in future USMC and joint sustainment operations, taking into account both CBM and maintenance in an expeditionary environment.HQMC Installations and Logistics (I&L)This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Condition-Based Maintenance Implementation and Potential in USMC Ground Transport

NPS NRP Executive SummaryCondition-Based Maintenance (CBM) has been successfully implemented in private-sector operations to reduce maintenance costs and asset downtime. USMC is currently transitioning to a CBM+ approach to maintenance, addressing its unique organizational and operating environment. This project identifies private-sector best practices and lessons learned most applicable to USMC as well as important hurdles for USMC adoption. It identifies maintenance and readiness metrics changes that may be relevant in future USMC and joint sustainment operations, taking into account both CBM and maintenance in an expeditionary environment.HQMC Installations and Logistics (I&L)This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Minitrack Introduction: Decision Analytics, Machine Learning, and Field Experimentation for Defense and Emergency Response

Proceedings of the 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2021The article of record as published may be found at http://http://hdl.handle.net/10125/70746Defense and emergency first responders must make rapid, consequential decisions and machine learning can aid analytics to support these decisions. Machine learning offers enormous promise, yet well publicized struggles reveal the need for better datasets and for opportunities to learn in challenging settings. Field experimentation offers the potential to meet these needs through iterative interactions in complex scenarios. Field experimentation can provide live action to facilitate high fidelity datasets that can support machine learning and artificial/augmented intelligence applications. These experiments may incorporate participants from academia; government agencies; militaries; first responders at all levels; and global industry partners. This minitrack explores the interplay between machine learning, field experimentation, and optimization analytics, whether exploratory, theoretical, experimental, in such critical areas as Defense and Emergency Response

Advanced study of coastal zone oceanographic requirements for ERTS E and F

Earth Resources Technology Satellites E and F orbits and remote sensor instruments for coastal oceanographic data collectio

Development of Course Modules for Powder Processing Education

Professors and students at Iowa State University are developing a unique flexible modular concept for promoting undergraduate education in powder processing. The approach consists of developing computer-based course modules in specialized processes, which emphasize application and industrial practice before designing model experiments and exploring fundamental concepts. Several such modules are being developed with emphasis on ceramic and metal powder processing

Powder Processing Education for the Year 2000

Powder processing education and engineering education, in general, are in need of significant changes in order to make future engineers better equipped to handle the needs of rapidly changing technology and global competition. The views of P/M experts from industry, academia and national laboratories were sought in a recent TMS symposium in an attempt to define some of these needs. Consistent with some of the critical needs emphasized, professors and students at Iowa State University are developing a unique flexible modular concept for promoting undergraduate education in powder processing. The approach consists of developing computer based course modules in specialized processes that emphasize application and industrial practice before designing model experiments and exploring fundamental concepts. Several such modules are being developed with emphasis on ceramic and metal powder processing

Sensitivity Analysis for the Assessment of Causal Vaccine Effects on Viral Load in HIV Vaccine Trials

Vaccines with limited ability to prevent HIV infection may positively impact the HIV/AIDS pandemic by preventing secondary transmission and disease in vaccine recipients who become infected. To evaluate the impact of vaccination on secondary transmission and disease, efficacy trials assess vaccine effects on HIV viral load and other surrogate endpoints measured after infection. A standard test that compares the distribution of viral load between the infected subgroups of vaccine and placebo recipients does not assess a causal effect of vaccine, because the comparison groups are selected after randomization. To address this problem, we formulate clinically relevant causal estimands using the principal stratification framework developed by Frangakis and Rubin (2002), and propose a class of logistic selection bias models whose members identify the estimands. Given a selection model in the class, procedures are developed for testing and estimation of the causal effect of vaccination on viral load in the principal stratum of subjects who would be infected regardless of randomization assignment. We show how the procedures can be used for a sensitivity analysis that quantifies how the causal effect of vaccination varies with the presumed magnitude of selection bias