Interdisciplinary Study of Combating Hybrid Threats

NPS NRP Project PosterOur nation and allies are coming under increased attack by states and non-state actors who seek to exploit our vulnerabilities through employ non-attributable actions below the threshold of war in order to weaken our competitive advantage across all domains, steal intellectual property, or undermine the cohesiveness of our alliances. These hybrid threats can be in the form of hacking networks, cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure, disinformation campaigns, electoral interference, etc. These unconventional actions cannot be responsibly answered with conventional military forces and thus require a new set of response options. This research seeks to answer three broad questions on hybrid threats: what are the current hybrid threat challenges, how should we respond, and what do we need in order to execute such a response? The answers to these questions will achieve the main objectives of this research. First, arrive at a common understanding on the concept of hybrid threats. Second, develop an analytical framework to support designing actions to address and combat hybrid threats. Lastly, identify key issues and capability gaps for further research. The research methodology will begin with understanding the current depth of knowledge on hybrid threats, then developing case states to expand this knowledge, and lastly developing an analytical framework to combat hybrid threats. The analytical framework will help assess the actor, domain(s), methods, and desired intentions and objectives.N7 - Warfighting DevelopmentThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Interdisciplinary Study of Combating Hybrid Threats

NPS NRP Executive SummaryOur nation and allies are coming under increased attack by states and non-state actors who seek to exploit our vulnerabilities through employ non-attributable actions below the threshold of war in order to weaken our competitive advantage across all domains, steal intellectual property, or undermine the cohesiveness of our alliances. These hybrid threats can be in the form of hacking networks, cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure, disinformation campaigns, electoral interference, etc. These unconventional actions cannot be responsibly answered with conventional military forces and thus require a new set of response options. This research seeks to answer three broad questions on hybrid threats: what are the current hybrid threat challenges, how should we respond, and what do we need in order to execute such a response? The answers to these questions will achieve the main objectives of this research. First, arrive at a common understanding on the concept of hybrid threats. Second, develop an analytical framework to support designing actions to address and combat hybrid threats. Lastly, identify key issues and capability gaps for further research. The research methodology will begin with understanding the current depth of knowledge on hybrid threats, then developing case states to expand this knowledge, and lastly developing an analytical framework to combat hybrid threats. The analytical framework will help assess the actor, domain(s), methods, and desired intentions and objectives.N7 - Warfighting DevelopmentThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Tocotrienols are good adjuvants for developing cancer vaccines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dendritic cells (DCs) have the potential for cancer immunotherapy due to their ability to process and present antigens to T-cells and also in stimulating immune responses. However, DC-based vaccines have only exhibited minimal effectiveness against established tumours in mice and humans. The use of appropriate adjuvant enhances the efficacy of DC based cancer vaccines in treating tumours.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study we have used tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF), a non-toxic natural compound, as an adjuvant to enhance the effectiveness of DC vaccines in treating mouse mammary cancers. In the mouse model, six-week-old female BALB/c mice were injected subcutaneously with DC and supplemented with oral TRF daily (DC+TRF) and DC pulsed with tumour lysate from 4T1 cells (DC+TL). Experimental mice were also injected with DC pulsed with tumour lysate and supplemented daily with oral TRF (DC+TL+TRF) while two groups of animal which were supplemented daily with carrier oil (control) and with TRF (TRF). After three times vaccination, mice were inoculated with 4T1 cells in the mammary breast pad to induce tumour.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our study showed that TRF in combination with DC pulsed with tumour lysate (DC+TL+TRF) injected subcutaneously significantly inhibited the growth of 4T1 mammary tumour cells as compared to control group. Analysis of cytokines production from murine splenocytes showed significant increased productions of IFN-γ and IL-12 in experimental mice (DC+TL+TRF) compared to control, mice injected with DC without TRF, mice injected with DC pulsed with tumour lysate and mice supplemented with TRF alone. Higher numbers of cytotoxic T cells (CD8) and natural killer cells (NK) were observed in the peripheral blood of TRF adjuvanted DC pulsed tumour lysate mice.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our study show that TRF has the potential to be an adjuvant to augment DC based immunotherapy.</p

Comparative Analysis of Acinetobacters: Three Genomes for Three Lifestyles

Acinetobacter baumannii is the source of numerous nosocomial infections in humans and therefore deserves close attention as multidrug or even pandrug resistant strains are increasingly being identified worldwide. Here we report the comparison of two newly sequenced genomes of A. baumannii. The human isolate A. baumannii AYE is multidrug resistant whereas strain SDF, which was isolated from body lice, is antibiotic susceptible. As reference for comparison in this analysis, the genome of the soil-living bacterium A. baylyi strain ADP1 was used. The most interesting dissimilarities we observed were that i) whereas strain AYE and A. baylyi genomes harbored very few Insertion Sequence elements which could promote expression of downstream genes, strain SDF sequence contains several hundred of them that have played a crucial role in its genome reduction (gene disruptions and simple DNA loss); ii) strain SDF has low catabolic capacities compared to strain AYE. Interestingly, the latter has even higher catabolic capacities than A. baylyi which has already been reported as a very nutritionally versatile organism. This metabolic performance could explain the persistence of A. baumannii nosocomial strains in environments where nutrients are scarce; iii) several processes known to play a key role during host infection (biofilm formation, iron uptake, quorum sensing, virulence factors) were either different or absent, the best example of which is iron uptake. Indeed, strain AYE and A. baylyi use siderophore-based systems to scavenge iron from the environment whereas strain SDF uses an alternate system similar to the Haem Acquisition System (HAS). Taken together, all these observations suggest that the genome contents of the 3 Acinetobacters compared are partly shaped by life in distinct ecological niches: human (and more largely hospital environment), louse, soil

The Underlying Structure of Ethical Beliefs toward War

Behavioralists have tended to neglect the study of ethics as unimportant to an understanding of political behavior and its various manifestations, such as international conflict. In our analysis we examine the attitudes of a sample of retired American military officers toward war and war waging issues in order to infer the more fundamental nature of the ethical constraints that are embedded within the decision making of these individuals. Three fundamental dimensions of ethical thinking are apparent. These concern constraints on the use of force as a policy tool, the legitimacy of force and force planning, and the sensitivity of individuals to the risks present in the international system. In order to justify our interpretations, we present a detailed question by question analysis of the factor weights of each survey item. Finally, we speculate on the types of ethical tensions that will arise within the military when these three fundamental factors of ethical evaluation come into conflict.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline