Experimental Combat-Stress Model in Rats: Histological Examination of Effects of Amelogenesis-A Possible Measure of Diminished Vagal Tone Episodes

Developmental defects of enamel-stress histomarker rings (accentuated striae) may be a potential measure of diminished vagal tone in research on extreme stress such as exposure to combat. To develop an animal model of this measure, we examined the enamel of rat incisors which erupt continuously. We examined incisors from 15 stressed-colony rats and 7 control-rats for these histomarkers using the Visible Burrow System (VBS). VBS was developed to study combat stress in rats. No stress rings were found in any of the rat incisors examined. In contrast to humans, rats have likely evolved to prioritize incisor strength during combat stress. Studies of amelogenesis during combat stress in other rodents with continuously growing incisors are warranted. Laboratory animals such as rabbits or marmosets may be especially suitable, since they less frequently use their incisors for self defense

Bounding the Global War on Terrorism

The author examines three features of the war on terrorism as currently defined and conducted: (1) the administration\u27s postulation of the terrorist threat, (2) the scope and feasibility of U.S. war aims, and (3) the war\u27s political, fiscal, and military sustainability. He believes that the war on terrorism--as opposed to the campaign against al-Qaeda--lacks strategic clarity, embraces unrealistic objectives, and may not be sustainable over the long haul. He calls for downsizing the scope of the war on terrorism to reflect concrete U.S. security interests and the limits of American military power.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1780/thumbnail.jp

Appeasement Reconsidered: Investigating the Mythology of the 1930s

U.S. use of force since 1945 has been significantly influenced by the perceived consequences of appeasing Hitler in the 1930s, and from the mid-1970s to 2001 by the chilling effect of the Vietnam War. As the United States approached its second war with Iraq, proponents cited the Munich analogy to justify the war, whereas opponents argued that the United States was risking another Vietnam. Though reasoning by historical analogies is inherently dangerous, an examination of the threat parallels between Hitler and Saddam Hussein, and between the Vietnam War and the situation the United States has confronted in post-Baathist Iraq, reveals that the Munich analogy was misused as an argument for war, whereas the American dilemma in Iraq bears some important analogies to the Vietnam conflict, especially with respect to the challenges state-building and sustaining domestic public support for an unpopular protracted war.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1735/thumbnail.jp

RELIABILITY AND STABILITY OF THE SIX QUESTION DISABILITY MEASURE IN THE CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY: WHAT THE DATA CAN AND CANNOT TELL US ABOUT DISABILITY AND LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION

The Current Population Survey (CPS) has been a major source of disability data for public policy and research. The aim of this study was two-fold. First, the study examined the six disability measures added to the CPS in 2008 to determine if they are both a reliable and stable method of describing disability over a period of two survey administrations in a 12-month period. Second, this study then assessed the impact of disability upon labor force participation. This research used a subset of the respondents to the longitudinal CPS Annual Social and Economic Supplement; it included (N=11,721) respondents who indicated a positive answer to the disability questions in both survey months that the disability variables were measured. Descriptive analysis of expected demographic variable distributions supported the construct reliability of the measures. Correlation analysis utilizing Kappa coefficients demonstrated that all six measures of types of disability in the CPS are stable across time, and Fisher Z transformations show that, among the six, measures of physical and mobility difficulties were the most stable. Measures of visual difficulties, while stable, are significantly less stable than the other disability measures. Logistic regression analysis indicated that all six disability measures have a significant predictive effect on the likelihood of employment of persons with disabilities, and a fully-controlled model including contextual variables supported the conclusion that four of the six types of disability (physical disability and difficulties with remembering, mobility and vision) have independent statistically significant effects on employment

Iraq and Vietnam: Differences, Similarities, and Insights

U.S. political and military difficulties in Iraq have prompted comparisons to the American war in Vietnam. The authors conclude that the military dimensions of the two conflicts bear little comparison. Among other things, the sheer scale of the Vietnam War in terms of forces committed and losses incurred dwarfs that of the Iraq War. They also conclude, however, that failed U.S. state-building in Vietnam and the impact of declining domestic political support for U.S. war aims in Vietnam are issues pertinent to current U.S. policy in Iraq.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1769/thumbnail.jp

Applying management science methods to health care diagnostics

The purpose is to encourage the growth of data analytics, total quality management and computer methods including artificial intelligence in the growth of procedures to diagnose and treat those inflicted with disease or indications of the spread of infectious diseases. With the rapid advances in machine intelligence, we have seen the development of the application of machine learning in business forecasting, analyzing treatment data and the results of analytic and diagnostic tests. This is important especially because of the world wide pandemic and the severe Covid-19 pandemic in the United States

Jihadist Cells and IED Capabilities in Europe: Assessing the Present and Future Threat to the West

The first of two interrelated security threats is multifaceted inasmuch as it stems from a complex combination of religious, political, historical, cultural, social, and economic motivational factors caused by the growing predilection for carrying out mass casualty terrorist attacks inside the territories of “infidel” Western countries by clandestine operational cells that are inspired by, and sometimes linked to, various jihadist networks with a global agenda. The second threat is more narrowly technical: the widespread fabrication of increasingly sophisticated and destructive improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by those very same jihadist groups. These devices, if properly constructed, are capable of causing extensive human casualties and significant amounts of physical destruction within the radius of their respective blasts. These dual intersecting threats within the recent European context are examined in an effort to assess what they might portend for the future, including within the U.S. homeland.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1536/thumbnail.jp

Transition Needs of Young Veterans in Central Minnesota

This report details a study conducted to identify the needs of young veterans in central Minnesota related to their transition to civilian life. Twenty-four veterans participated in focus group interviews during which they were asked about their needs related to career, employment, health, family, finances, and the law as well as resources they used, could have used, or would recommend. Four themes emerged from the findings: needs for individualized service, camaraderie, assistance in learning how to interact with civilians, and more mental health support. Additionally, six types of programming were recommended for the future

Campus Incivility and Free Speech: A Contemporary Dilemma

The issue of free speech on college campuses is as old as education itself and as current as today\u27s news. Institutions of higher education often find themselves torn between their desire to create environments where students and professors remain physically safe and their mission to protect academic freedom and the right of free speech. This interactive presentation will provide academic leaders with the skill set to increase the likelihood that constructive conflicts between ideas don\u27t escalate into destructive, violent acts