Finding Opportunities for Commonality Across Complex Systems: A Study of Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Student research poster, LAI Annual Meeting, Dana Point, C

Brown Field System Architecting: Driving Commonality Across Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Student research poste

Consolidated Space Test Center Capability to Support Small Satellites

No analysis of small satellite programs is complete without thorough consideration of the operational concept that will support them. It is not uncommon today that a space system\u27s lifecycle cost will show that operating costs exceeded development and production costs. This is particularly true for programs that hope to reduce spacecraft expense by transferring, to the ground, as much of the on-board processing requirements as operationally feasible. Facility, hardware, software, maintenance, manning, training, communications, on-orbit operations and launch costs all factor into the total operations spending and must be prudently considered

Space Test Program Activities and Lessons Learned

The Space Test Program (STP) was established in 1966 to provide space flight for Department of Defense (DOD) space experiments which had no other means of space flight. This paper discusses STP\u27s capabilities and achievements as a provider of space services. STP is now part of a new organization with expanded capabilities to include on-orbit support, launch operations and planning, and sub-orbital launches. With extensive experience acquiring, launching, and operating small satellites, lessons learned from recent missions are presented

On Contending with Unruly Neighbors in the Global Village: Viewing Information Systems as Both Weapon and Target

While information technologies we employ in business, government, and society have dramatically enhanced our ability to conduct commerce, the vulnerabilities of these systems create potential dangers not often fully apprehended. As an example, criminal and terrorist groups have demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of how to adapt organizational forms and information technologies to advance their agendas, regardless of how contemptible these may be. In this article, we consider how these groups may view information technology and systems both as means by which they may more effectively organize themselves and as potential targets as they subvert the underlying societal assumptions regarding the technology itself. Topics such as these have implications for both IS research and practice because the changing nature of warfare means entities that may have until recently been seen as “non-combatant” are no longer viewed as such; any organization’s online resources may be regarded and serviced as legitimate targets. This fact, coupled with the interconnectedness of the global economy, makes it imperative to understand the potential threat—whether this is acted on by criminals, terrorists, or even by hostile nation states—and place greater emphasis on defending vital systems against such attacks

Mishap Trends in Several Air Force Aircraft: Implications for CRM Training

Human factors trends in C-130, F-16, and A-10 mishaps were reviewed for relevance to cockpit/crew resource management (CRM) course content. The current Air Force Safety Center human factors taxonomy includes about 360 detailed human factors elements. About sixty of these taxonomy elements map directly into the six CRM core areas identified in Air Force Flying Operations publications (communication, risk management/decision making, situational awareness, task management, crew coordination/flight integrity, and mission preparation/ debriefing). This small fraction of human factors elements accounted for well over half of the causal and strongly contributing factors cited in each platform. The relative contributions of specific CRM core areas varied across applications. Tactical airlift mishap CRM factors were fairly uniformly distributed across all six traditional CRM areas. In F-16 and A-10 mishaps, task management and situational awareness were particularly frequent causal and major contributing factors. Planning, flight integrity, and communication were rarely cited. We describe the mishap data that are available from the Air Force Safety Center, our analytic approach, trends identified, and implications for CRM training. We anticipate that these analyses will contribute to better focused CRM training objectives and course content that will, in turn, enable CRM training to be a major contributor to the success of recent Department of Defense efforts to reduce preventable mishaps

The ISCIP Analyst, Volume IX, Issue 3

This repository item contains a single issue of The ISCIP Analyst, an analytical review journal published from 1996 to 2010 by the Boston University Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy

The ISCIP Analyst, Volume IX, Issue 4

This repository item contains a single issue of The ISCIP Analyst, an analytical review journal published from 1996 to 2010 by the Boston University Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy

The ISCIP Analyst, Volume VIII, Issue 20

This repository item contains a single issue of The ISCIP Analyst, an analytical review journal published from 1996 to 2010 by the Boston University Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy

The ISCIP Analyst, Volume VIII, Issue 16

This repository item contains a single issue of The ISCIP Analyst, an analytical review journal published from 1996 to 2010 by the Boston University Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy