Going To War with Defense Contractors: a Case Study Analysis of Battlefield Acquisition

The escalating use of contractors on the battlefield in highly critical operational areas is a trend that is increasing across the DoD. Contractors have a vital role supporting CONUS missions, but they are also on the battlefield in defense of our nation, supporting the warfighter and their weapon systems. As the use of contractors on the battlefield continues to gain favor within the DoD, and as contractor s roles continue to expand and become more critical, it is imperative to improve the current way that the DoD, and specifically Air Force acquisition professionals, procure such services. This research analyzes inputs from DoD Policy Experts, Contractor Policy Experts, Army Policy Experts, Air Force Policy Experts, and 13 Air Force Program Offices that use contractors on the battlefield to support, maintain, and/or troubleshoot their weapon systems. Content analysis and pattern matching were used to determine the current status of battlefield acquisition, draw conclusions, and make recommendations. Several problem areas in this area of acquisition were identified as well as best practices and lessons learned

Zoning Control of Abortion Clinics

This note will address some of the issues involved when communities propose to use the zoning power to limit the exercise of the constitutionally protected abortion decision, focusing on abortion clinic regulations in Cleveland, Ohio, and comparing them to ordinances in three other cities

Challenging Industry to Innovate! How the Government Can Apply Transparency, Collaboration, Unencumbered Communication, and Dynamic Engagement Through Challenge-Based Acquisition

Symposium PresentationApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Challenging Industry to Innovate! How the Government Can Apply Transparency, Collaboration, Unencumbered Communication, and Dynamic Engagement Through Challenge-Based Acquisition

Excerpt from the Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Acquisition Research SymposiumThe Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Telecommunications Advanced Research and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing Systems (TARDyS3) program demanded new ideas and novel approaches for sharing electromagnetic spectrum between the Department of Defense and commercial industry. To solve this problem, DISA created an acquisition structure that focused on building transparency, collaborating, and actively communicating with industry across the entire acquisition. This focus on dynamically engaging vendors and encouraging innovation allowed DISA to rapidly deploy high-quality and user-approved capabilities. Dynamic engagement involves a two-way exchange of ideas, listening to industry by seeking input, and conveying the government’s ideas and motivations to potential vendors, while innovation centricity consists of encouraging vendors to solve problems with unique solutions, providing a framework for future acquisitions. Dynamic engagement, coupled with innovation centricity, powerfully engages the vendor community to solve hard problems. Combining innovation with communication creates a vendor community that is motivated to meet the government’s needs, and it accelerates risk mitigation. Furthermore, it can improve product quality and shortens delivery time lines at a reasonable price. For these reasons, future programs should consider incorporating dynamic engagement and innovation-centric approaches at the core of their acquisition strategies.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Predicting College Completion Among Students with Learning Disabilities

The authors analyzed National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) data to examine the role of high school academic preparation and receipt of postsecondary academic support services (PASS) in predicting college completion among students with learning disabilities. Logistic regression analyses revealed that students who earned a 3.0 GPA in a college prep curriculum were more than twice as likely to complete college than those with a similar GPA who did not complete a college prep curriculum. Furthermore, among students who completed a college prep curriculum, earning a higher GPA and accessing PASS both dramatically increased the likelihood that they would complete college. Results underscore the importance of incorporating a college prep curriculum into transition planning for college-bound students with learning disabilities

Genetic diversity of clinical isolates of Bacillus cereus using multilocus sequence typing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Bacillus cereus </it>is most commonly associated with foodborne illness (diarrheal and emetic) but is also an opportunistic pathogen that can cause severe and fatal infections. Several multilocus sequence typing (MLST) schemes have recently been developed to genotype <it>B. cereus </it>and analysis has suggested a clonal or weakly clonal population structure for <it>B. cereus </it>and its close relatives <it>B. anthracis </it>and <it>B. thuringiensis</it>. In this study we used MLST to determine if <it>B. cereus </it>isolates associated with illnesses of varying severity (e.g., severe, systemic vs. gastrointestinal (GI) illness) were clonal or formed clonal complexes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A retrospective analysis of 55 clinical <it>B. cereus </it>isolates submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1954 and 2004 was conducted. Clinical isolates from severe infections (n = 27), gastrointestinal (GI) illness (n = 18), and associated isolates from food (n = 10) were selected for analysis using MLST. The 55 isolates were diverse and comprised 38 sequence types (ST) in two distinct clades. Of the 27 isolates associated with serious illness, 13 clustered in clade 1 while 14 were in clade 2. Isolates associated with GI illness were also found throughout clades 1 and 2, while no isolates in this study belonged to clade 3. All the isolates from this study belonging to the clade 1/cereus III lineage were associated with severe disease while isolates belonging to clade1/cereus II contained isolates primarily associated with severe disease and emetic illness. Only three STs were observed more than once for epidemiologically distinct isolates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>STs of clinical <it>B. cereus </it>isolates were phylogenetically diverse and distributed among two of three previously described clades. Greater numbers of strains will need to be analyzed to confirm if specific lineages or clonal complexes are more likely to contain clinical isolates or be associated with specific illness, similar to <it>B. anthracis </it>and emetic <it>B. cereus </it>isolates.</p

Recovery of a Burkholderia thailandensis-like isolate from an Australian water source

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Burkholderia thailandensis</it>, a close relative of <it>Burkholderia pseudomallei</it>, has previously been reported only from Southeast Asia and North America. It is biochemically differentiated from <it>B. pseudomallei </it>by the ability to utilize arabinose. During the course of environmental sampling for <it>B. pseudomallei </it>in the Northern Territory of Australia, an isolate, MSMB 43, was recovered that is arabinose positive.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Genetic analysis using 16S rDNA sequencing and DNA/DNA hybridization indicates that MSMB 43 is most similar to <it>B. thailandensis </it>although multi-locus sequence typing indicates that this isolate is divergent from both <it>B. pseudomallei </it>and other described <it>B. thailandensis</it>.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We report the isolation and initial characterization of strain MSMB 43, which is a <it>B. thailandensis</it>-like isolate recovered in Australia.</p

West Nile Virus Detection in American Crows

A dipstick immunochromatographic assay used for West Nile virus (WNV) detection in mosquitoes was investigated for application to testing of fecal, saliva, and tissue samples from dead American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos). Results suggest that VecTest may be an efficient method for WNV detection in field-collected, dead American Crows, although confirmation of results and further investigation are warranted

Infrared On-Orbit RCC Inspection With the EVA IR Camera: Development of Flight Hardware From a COTS System

In November 2004, NASA's Space Shuttle Program approved the development of the Extravehicular (EVA) Infrared (IR) Camera to test the application of infrared thermography to on-orbit reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) damage detection. A multi-center team composed of members from NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), Langley Research Center (LaRC), and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) was formed to develop the camera system and plan a flight test. The initial development schedule called for the delivery of the system in time to support STS-115 in late 2005. At the request of Shuttle Program managers and the flight crews, the team accelerated its schedule and delivered a certified EVA IR Camera system in time to support STS-114 in July 2005 as a contingency. The development of the camera system, led by LaRC, was based on the Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) FLIR S65 handheld infrared camera. An assessment of the S65 system in regards to space-flight operation was critical to the project. This paper discusses the space-flight assessment and describes the significant modifications required for EVA use by the astronaut crew. The on-orbit inspection technique will be demonstrated during the third EVA of STS-121 in September 2005 by imaging damaged RCC samples mounted in a box in the Shuttle's cargo bay

West Nile Virus Detection in American Crows

A dipstick immunochromatographic assay used for West Nile virus (WNV) detection in mosquitoes was investigated for application to testing of fecal, saliva, and tissue samples from dead American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos). Results suggest that VecTest may be an efficient method for WNV detection in field-collected, dead American Crows, although confirmation of results and further investigation are warranted