Coalitions in Space: Where Networks are Power

This study begins with the widely recognized problem of 21st century space vulnerabilities. To address this challenge, it proposes the new concept of an “allied space network” as a possible means of both reducing risks and enhancing space power. Such a concept would move beyond realist, Cold War “balancing” in space, and instead would require new forms of technical and political cooperation in the military sector among participating states. In thinking about future space security this study argues that trans-national networks and alliances offer considerable untapped potential, with possibly significant benefits particularly for the United States, which—unlike China and Russia— already has established military alliances with a number of countries possessing or now developing advanced space capabilities

Preferences for Employment in the Government Workforce

Why do people choose to work for government vs. private business? Addressing this question is necessary to address emerging concerns among public management scholars and practitioners alike about attracting, selecting, and retaining the most qualified people for government employment. The extant literature related to this topic is mostly concerned with attitudes of those who are already employed by government. Less attention is given to those who want to work for government (regardless of current employment circumstances). Furthermore, the literature, with few exceptions, only considers this topic within the context of single-nation studies. Relatively few studies examine the topic in a cross-national setting. To address these concerns, this study examines preferences for public employment across 31 national samples from the 2005 International Social Survey Programme’s Work Orientation III survey. The dependent variable is a measure of whether an individual wants to work for government or private business. My findings indicate that employment preferences are a function of both individual attitudes and national context. Several individual correlates are associated with a preference for public employment, including a mixture of both intrinsic and extrinsic work motives, preferences for work-life balance, and several socio-demographic characteristics. At the national-level, the analysis reveals a relationship between a preference for government employment and national economic health and public institutional quality. The multilevel analysis conducted in this study contributes significant findings to the existing public personnel management literature

Russia’s Strategic Recalibration After the Ukraine Conflict: Implications for the Two Near-Peer Competitors Strategic Environment (Part 1)

Prepared for: OPNAV/N514. This research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). NRP Project ID: NPS-23-N068-AThis research examines the evolving strategic partnership between Russia and China as near-peer, nuclear-armed adversaries for the U.S. in the wake of the war in Ukraine. It focuses on Russia’s new security situation after the conflict in Ukraine, particularly how it might attempt to compensate for its depleted strategic capabilities and resources by partnering with China. The research is organized along two parallel tracks. The first track, contained in this part of the technical report, analyzes how Russia’s nuclear posture has evolved as result of the War in Ukraine, and assesses the impact of the Sino-Russian cooperation on Russia’s space program. The second track of this research, contained in Part 2 of the technical report, examines the cooperation between Russia and China in the nuclear realm, as well as its implications. This research was conducted through a combined team effort of subject-matter experts on Russian strategic doctrines, capabilities, and behavior. The researchers performed a rigorous analysis of the debates in the Russian literature, complementing and contextualizing this information through discussions with subject-matter experts in Washington, the U.S. Strategic Command, and the U.S. Space Command.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098)Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program OPNAV/N51

A proposed search for dark-matter axions in the 0.6-16 micro-eV range

A proposed experiment is described to search for dark matter axions in the mass range 0.6 to 16 micro-eV. The method is based on the Primakoff conversion of axions into monochromatic microwave photons inside a tunable microwave cavity in a large volume high field magnet, as described by Sikivie. This proposal capitalizes on the availability of two Axicell magnets from the decommissioned Mirror Fusion Test Facility (MFTF-B) fusion machine at LLNL. Assuming a local dark matter density in axions of rho = 0.3 GeV/cu cm, the axion would be found or ruled out at the 97 pct. c.l. in the above mass range in 48 months

Proceeding of the exotic nuclei symposium

This report contains viewgraphs of papers from the proceedings of the Erotic Nuclei Symposium