Research for Research Contributions

Data on Navy, Marine Corps, and Army officers who were retired because of disability are investigated to enable inferences regarding the benefits and costs of alternative periodic health examination strategies. The periodic health screening program is treated on one level as a production function whose output is the ability of the program to detect illness and whose inputs are the frequency of the examinations and the scope of an examination. The parameters of this function are estimated. Then, at a second level, the respective effects of variations in age and variations in the ability of the periodic health screening program to detect illness, upon the rate of serious morbidity in the population, are examined. While the cost differences are substantial between a frequent, thorough program and one with examinations of low frequency and scope, the differences in serious morbidity between the two extremes appear to be negligible for all age groups studied (ages 24 through 48).

The roles of time and money cost in the demand for air travel are analyzed. The first step is to construct the theory of consumer demand under a time constraint and to deduce its theorems. These theorems are applied to air travel through use of a total price demand function. This analysis considers the effects for fare, trip time, airport delay, schedule frequency, trip distance, traveler's wage rates, and non-wage income on the demand for air travel. Many results concerning elasticities are obtained, including a necessary relationship between the time, price, and total price elasticities of demand. Tests of the theorems are performed, the various elasticities are estimates, and the relationship between the elasticities required by the theory is used to obtain an estimate of the value of time in air travel.

The relationships between aircraft inputs (airplanes, spare parts, men, etc.) and the outputs of sorties or aircraft ready hours can be approximated reasonably well by a production function type model. It is the initial intent of this research effort to construct and evaluate such an aircraft carrier production function. This model will then permit defense managers to have better understanding of the actual input-output process of operating sea-based tactical aircraft.

In light of subsequent implementation by the executive branch and interpretation by the judicial branch, this research contribution examines the influence upon Naval operations of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and of existing and pending federal air, water, and noise legislation. In so doing, this paper suggests procedures which will better insure that the letter and the spirit of such legislation are manifested throughout the Navy in decisions concerning environmental matters.