Navy Nexus

Shortly after the article that follows was drafted, I was notified that I had been nominated for promotion to vice admiral and assignment as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. This unexpected set of orders will cause me to depart the Naval War College after only one year as its President. Still, and although much remains to be done to keep the college at the top of its game, the organizational and administrative changes its faculty and staff have accomplished over the past twelve months have refined its educational and research programs in significant ways. The article (which collects and elaborates on material that, in some cases, has already appeared in print, including the “President’s Forums” of the Spring and Summer 2014 issues of the Review) serves as evidence of what dedicated professionals can do when motivated by an unrelenting commitment to excellence. If it’s important to the Navy, it is on the agenda at the Naval War College! This is a bold statement, but it is one that can be rather quickly substantiated by even a casual review of what is happening on the busiest educational and research complex in the Navy—the Newport, Rhode Island, campus of the U.S. Naval War College (NWC). Since 1884, the Naval War College has existed as a place to study conflict and to produce leaders who are critical thinkers. As it celebrates its 130th anniversary, the college continues to refine its educational and research programs to meet the demands of the Navy and the national security community. While some of our more traditional offerings, such as our highly regarded Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) programs, are fairly well-known, other programs and initiatives are regaining their intended direct linkage to and support to the fleet. The primary purpose of this article is to highlight the ways in which the Naval War College is helping to prepare and shape the Navy of Tomorrow and how it is significantly supporting the Navy of Today without forgetting the lessons of history

Job Creation, Destruction and Transition in Poland, 1988-1998: Panel Evidence

Longitudinal data from interviews with Poles of working age conducted in 1988, 1993 and 1998 present a detailed view of the transition from a state dominated to a market economy. Job loss in state firms and job creation in new private firms are the dominant employment change, other than retirements from the labor force. In the Polish case, a significant proportion of this movement over the 1988 to 1998 period involves a period of unemployment or exit from the labor force before obtaining a private sector job. A second feature of the Polish transition is considerable job competition between workers leaving the state sector and those who were out of the labor force at the beginning of the transition. The likelihood of moving to the private sector was higher for the better educated and for residents of regions with a robust de novo economy, suggesting that the supply of jobs in the private sector combined with higher levels of human capital lead to faster and smoother transitions. Lastly, wage differences between the state sector and the de novo sector appear to have little association with mobility, suggesting that movement is not strongly related to the opportunity to find a higher paying job.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39887/3/wp502.pd

Data catalog series for space science and applications flight missions. Volume 3B: Descriptions of data sets from low- and medium-altitude scientific spacecraft and investigations

The main purpose of the data catalog series is to provide descriptive references to data generated by space science flight missions. The data sets described include all of the actual holdings of the Space Science Data Center (NSSDC), all data sets for which direct contact information is available, and some data collections held and serviced by foreign investigators, NASA and other U.S. government agencies. This volume contains narrative descriptions of data sets from low and medium altitude scientific spacecraft and investigations. The following spacecraft series are included: Mariner, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus, Venera, Viking, Voyager, and Helios. Separate indexes to the planetary and interplanetary missions are also provided

Job Creation, Destruction and Transition in Poland, 1988-1998: Panel Evidence

Longitudinal data from interviews with Poles of working age conducted in 1988, 1993 and 1998 present a detailed view of the transition from a state dominated to a market economy. Job loss in state firms and job creation in new private firms are the dominant employment change, other than retirements from the labor force. In the Polish case, a significant proportion of this movement over the 1988 to 1998 period involves a period of unemployment or exit from the labor force before obtaining a private sector job. A second feature of the Polish transition is considerable job competition between workers leaving the state sector and those who were out of the labor force at the beginning of the transition. The likelihood of moving to the private sector was higher for the better educated and for residents of regions with a robust de novo economy, suggesting that the supply of jobs in the private sector combined with higher levels of human capital lead to faster and smoother transitions. Lastly, wage differences between the state sector and the de novo sector appear to have little association with mobility, suggesting that movement is not strongly related to the opportunity to find a higher paying job.Transition Economics, Labor Mobility, Poland

Evaluation of some scale effects in the response and failure of composite beams

The feasibility of using scale model testing for predicting full-scale behavior of composite beams loaded in tension and flexure was investigated. Classical laws of similitude were applied to fabricate and test replica model beams to identify scaling effects in the load response, strength, and mode of failure. Experiments were conducted using graphite-epoxy composite beams having different laminate stacking sequences and a range of scaled sizes. Results indicated that the elastic response of scaled composite beams was independent of specimen size. However, a significant scale effect in strength was observed. In addition, a transition in failure mode was observed among scaled beams of certain laminate stacking sequences. Weibull statistical and fracture mechanics based models were applied to predict the strength scale effect since standard failure criteria cannot account for the influence of absolute specimen size in failure

Economic Transition and Elections in Poland

Poland's economic and political transition, one of the most successful transitions, has depended very heavily on the job creation in new firms to replace the jobs lost in the formerly state-owned enterprises. This uses evidence from both survey and aggregate data to analyze four Polish elections during the transition. These analyses indicate that these de novo firms, the individuals they employ, and the residents in the local areas where they exist become an important constituency supporting pro-reform political parties and constraining the actions of parties less sympathetic to the reforms. The creation of this political constituency helps explain how countries can successfully pursue both economic and political reforms.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39775/3/wp391.pd

Reflections on Reading

In late February 2017, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) launched his more comprehensive and digitally focused CNO Professional Reading Program (CNO- PRP). The revised program comprises over 140 books, which are arranged in categories that align with the “Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority.

Reflections on Reading

On the Navy Professional Reading Program (NPRP) website, www .navyreading.navy.mil, you will find a complete list of the sixty titles in the primary library, as well as a brief synopsis of each book. The program includes works by some of the most celebrated authors in the world, as well as excellent books by less-well-known writers. Among the authors of note are these

Reflections on Reading

Nearly two centuries ago, Samuel Southard, the Secretary of the Navy, ordered that every ship in the fledgling U.S. Navy be provided with a professional library of thirty-seven books on topics including mathematics, history, and phi- losophy. It was recognized in the earliest days of our Navy that a robust reading program could greatly improve the quality of the force. This is no less true to- day. In October 2012, in conjunction with the Navy’s 237th birthday, the Navy launched the new Chief of Naval Operations’ Professional Reading Program (CNO-PRP)