ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND PUBLIC POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF INCREASED COAL USE

Environmental Economics and Policy,

EDUCATIONAL SPECIAL OPERATIONS WARGAME

The role of special operations is becoming increasingly more critical within Multi-domain Operations (MDO). Special operations forces (SOF) are the predominant persistent military presence globally. SOF will continue to facilitate an accurate understanding of the operational environment for decision makers, shaping the environment to prevent armed conflict and, when necessary, providing a marked advantage for the general-purpose force over an adversary to return to competition quickly. In addition, SOF remains the force of choice for the DOD for countering violent extremist organizations and must balance that responsibility with their role in competition with near-peer adversaries. Currently, U.S. Army Special Warfare and School is modernizing and optimizing each Qualification Course. The Army Special Operations (ARSOF) Captains Career Course (CCC) has recently modified its curriculum to include SOF-specific training to best prepare future ARSOF leaders to employ Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations within the MDO construct. This wargame is designed for the new ARSOF officers who attend the ARSOF CCC. The wargame allows the students to work within a simulated multi-domain environment applying the course curriculum and SOF doctrine within the constraints of the course that has limit time, resources, and personnel. The goal of the wargame is to assist SOF captains as they prepare to take operational teams overseas in operational and combat deployments.2nd SWTG/ USAJFKSWCSOutstanding ThesisMajor, United States ArmyMajor, United States ArmyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Cultivating Opportunity: Land Transfer Tools to Support Land Access for Beginning Farmers

This is an exciting, but precarious, time for the generational transfer of agricultural land in the US as established farmers are aging and transitioning out of farm ownership. Beginning farmers, however, the next generation of agrarians, face numerous obstacles to land access – finding and purchasing property. Two of the greatest barriers include the high price farm property commands today and the steady loss of agricultural land. Conservation easements are vital tools in the effort to protect agricultural land, and land transfer tools that enhance conservation easements stand to be crucial instruments for supporting beginning farmers’ access to land. There are two land transfer tools in particular that show great promise: conservation buyer programs and the option to purchase at agricultural value (OPAV). Existing research on these tools, though, is severely limited. I sought to address this dearth of research and set out to conduct case studies on two entities that use OPAV and two that use conservation buyer programs to evaluate whether these tools improve access to agricultural land for beginning farmers. Interviews with professionals and beginning farmers that have worked with these tools through the entities of focus informed my case studies. My research found that these tools improve access to agricultural land for beginning farmers under certain circumstances. I also found that these tools are not the only tools in use by the entities of focus, nor have these tools necessarily been more effective at addressing the land access challenge than others in use by the entities

Foreign direct investment and U.S. national security: CFIUS under the Obama Administration

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States review process slowed during the inaugural year of the Obama Administration. The authors examine the origins of this shift and suggest actions that parties can take to facilitate the process