LOGISTICS IN CONTESTED ENVIRONMENTS

This report examines the transport and delivery of logistics in contested environments within the context of great-power competition (GPC). Across the Department of Defense (DOD), it is believed that GPC will strain our current supply lines beyond their capacity to maintain required warfighting capability. Current DOD efforts are underway to determine an appropriate range of platforms, platform quantities, and delivery tactics to meet the projected logistics demand in future conflicts. This report explores the effectiveness of various platforms and delivery methods through analysis in developed survivability, circulation, and network optimization models. Among other factors, platforms are discriminated by their radar cross-section (RCS), noise level, speed, cargo capacity, and self-defense capability. To maximize supply delivered and minimize the cost of losses, the results of this analysis indicate preference for utilization of well-defended convoys on supply routes where bulk supply is appropriate and smaller, and widely dispersed assets on shorter, more contested routes with less demand. Sensitivity analysis on these results indicates system survivability can be improved by applying RCS and noise-reduction measures to logistics assets.Director, Warfare Integration (OPNAV N9I)Major, Israel Defence ForcesCivilian, Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd, SingaporeCommander, Republic of Singapore NavyCommander, United States NavyCaptain, Singapore ArmyLieutenant, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyMajor, Republic of Singapore Air ForceCaptain, United States Marine CorpsLieutenant, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyCaptain, Singapore ArmyLieutenant Junior Grade, United States NavyCaptain, Singapore ArmyLieutenant Colonel, Republic of Singapore Air ForceApproved for public release. distribution is unlimite

A SYSTEMS ANALYSIS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HYPER-VELOCITY GUN SYSTEM (HVPGS) FOR GROUND-BASED AIR AND MISSILE DEFENSE

This thesis investigates the employment of Hyper Velocity Projectiles (HVPs) as interceptors for the Army's Air and Missile Defense (AMD) enterprise in the 2030'2035 timeline. The research recommends a proposed systems architecture for the incorporation of an HVP Gun System (HVPGS) to an AMD enterprise operating in a contested environment, with emphasis on the operating characteristics of the HVPs and their integration onto the firing platform. The study then develops a realistic operational scenario and models it using the ExtendSim modeling tool. Through the systems engineering process, the study traced the Army's AMD requirements and functions throughout the Requirement and Functional Analysis efforts up to the generation of an alternative concept of operation for the AMD enterprise. The analysis method enables the conduct of a quantitative comparison of HVP characteristics that influence the operational success of the AMD enterprise against an enemy in a missile defense engagement. The objective of this thesis is to design an alternative system architecture and concept of operation for the Army's AMD enterprise to employ HVPGS to better defend key U.S. and allied bases in the Western Pacific. Such a system would capitalize on the versatile and cost-effective HVP interceptors to address a potential salvo attack's ability to overwhelm existing missile defenses as well as improve overall cost exchanges for enhanced operational sustainability in the longer term.Outstanding ThesisCaptain, Singapore ArmyApproved for public release. distribution is unlimite

Two species into one: bottleneck history of Helicoverpa zea from Helicoverpa armigera revealed by DNA barcoding

The use of mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome Oxidase I (mtDNA COI) gene in species identification has gained popularity in recent years, with its effectiveness in identifying cryptic and new species demonstrated in birds and Lepidoptera. The noctuid moths of the genus Helicoverpa include two of the most devastating agricultural pest species: H. armigera of the old world, and H. zea found exclusively in the north and south American continents. Both of these species are polyphagous targeting >150 crop species. Phylogenies of H. armigera and H. zea have to-date been constructed based on coding nuclear DNA sequences and morphological characters, but a mtDNA phylogeny of H. zea and H. armigera has been lacking. Differentiating H. zea and H. armigera based on morphological characters relies almost exclusively on characters of the male genitalia, although accurate identification has remained problematic due to over-lapping ranges in character measurements. H. zea and H. armigera are presently recognised as two separate species despite successful bi-directional, ‘inter-specific’, mating experiments that gave rise to viable offspring, and the trapping of H. zea males when using H. armigera sex pheromones in the North American continent. Using a 511 base pair sequence of a partial mtDNA COI gene, we analysed the phylogenetic relationships amongst 228 H. armigera individuals sampled from China, Australia, Africa, India and Pakistan, plus 14 H. zea from North America, H. punctigera from Australia and H. assulta from India, using Heliothis virescens as an outgroup. Our mtDNA COI phylogeny of Helicoverpa species indicates that H. punctigera is ancestral to H. assulta which is in turn ancestral to H. armigera and H. zea. Furthermore, the long branch-length of H. zea from the H. armigera clade suggests a recent bottleneck event in H. zea’s separation from H. armigera. H. zea and H. armigera show an intermediate level of nucleotide diversity, lying between expected values for intra-specific and inter-specific sequence comparisons, possibly suggesting rapid nucleotide divergence in H. zea due to selection pressures imposed on movement by agricultural practices

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of field populations of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and of its relationship to H. zea

Background: Helicoverpa armigera and H. zea are amongst the most significant polyphagous pest lepidopteran species in the Old and New Worlds respectively. Separation of H. armigera and H. zea is difficult and is usually only achieved through morphological differences in the genitalia. They are capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring. The single species status of H. armigera has been doubted, due to its wide distribution and plant host range across the Old World. This study explores the global genetic diversity of H. armigera and its evolutionary relationship to H zea. Results: We obtained partial (511 bp) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Cytochrome Oxidase-I(COI) sequences for 249 individuals of H. armigera sampled from Australia, Burkina Faso, Uganda, China, India and Pakistan which were associated with various host plants. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the partial COI gene differentiated H. armigera populations into 33 mtDNA haplotypes. Shared haplotypes between continents, low F-statistic values and low nucleotide diversity between countries (0.0017 – 0.0038) suggests high mobility in this pest. Phylogenetic analysis of four major Helicoverpa pest species indicates that H. punctigera is basal to H. assulta, which is in turn basal to H. armigera and H. zea. Samples from North and South America suggest that H. zea is also a single species across its distribution. Our data reveal short genetic distances between H. armigera and H. zea which seem to have been established via a founder event from H. armigera stock at around 1.5 million years ago.Conclusion: Our mitochondrial DNA sequence data supports the single species status of H. armigera across Africa, Asia and Australia. The evidence for inter-continental gene flow observed in this study is consistent with published evidence of the capacity of this species to migrate over long distances. The finding of high genetic similarity between Old World H. armigera and New World H. zea emphasises the need to consider work on both pests when building pest management strategies for either

Maximum Likelihood (ML) tree of (Harm-1 to Harm-31), (Hzea-1, Hzea-2), and based on partial COI haplotypes sequences

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Mitochondrial DNA analysis of field populations of (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and of its relationship to "</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/7/117</p><p>BMC Evolutionary Biology 2007;7():117-117.</p><p>Published online 14 Jul 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC1934911.</p><p></p> Numbers above the nodes indicate bootstrap support. The outgroup used was . The inclusion of additional haplotypes Harm-32, Harm-33, and Hzea-3 to Hzea-11 did not alter the overall topology, and bootstrap values of the ML tree after 1,000 bootstrap replications remained high, with all haplotypes confidently clustered (bootstrap value = 96) within the clade. remained basal to (bootstrap value = 99), and the /clade (bootstrap value = 78) shared a most common ancestor with (bootstrap value = 97) (data not shown)

Haplotype network based on partial mtDNA COI (511 bp) of , sampled from Australia, Burkina Faso, Uganda, China, India and Pakistan

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Mitochondrial DNA analysis of field populations of (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and of its relationship to "</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/7/117</p><p>BMC Evolutionary Biology 2007;7():117-117.</p><p>Published online 14 Jul 2007</p><p>PMCID:PMC1934911.</p><p></p> Each haplotype is represented by a circle, and is identified by a number 1–33. Haplotype 1 included 156 individuals; haplotypes 2, 3, 5 and 10 have 17, 15, 5 and 10 individuals respectively. Haplotypes 6, 32 and 33 each have 4 individuals. Haplotypes 13 and 17 each has 3 individuals, and Haplotype 4, 11, 14, 15 and 19 each have 2 individuals. All remaining haplotypes have 1 individual each. Each base change involved in the differentiation between haplotypes is represented by a solid circle