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Enlisted Career Paths for Top Snipes

/analyses/2014/enlisted-career-paths-for-top-snipes

The Navy consistently strives to achieve the goal of providing highly trained and qualified sailors to the fleet to fulfill missions. Often these sailors are expected to possess critical technical skills in numerous positions and expertise to mentor junior sailors. Commander, Naval Surface Forces (COMNAVSURFOR), recently noted proficiency problems with sailors in senior positions at sea. This observation led to a message that set development and career management of sailors as a top priority. The proposed solution is to create a career path that gives sailors meaningful experience at sea, reinforced by knowledge-enriching shore tours—a clear statement that simply earning an NEC through a training course is not adequate to be proficient at these key senior positions at sea. A new standard relies on giving sailors experience throughout their careers to prepare them for these key senior positions at sea. The Navy remains confident in the capabilities of the sailors selected for these key senior positions at sea. At the heart of the proficiency issue is lack of opportunities through consistent experience, not competency of sailors.

The Quality Volume Relationship: Comparing Civilian and MHS Practice

/analyses/2014/the-quality-volume-relationship-comparing-civilian-and-mhs-practice

The literature shows that the best outcomes occur when patients get their health care in high-volume settings. High-volume surgeons are more proficient. High volume hospitals are safer. These findings have changed how civilian health care is delivered. Civilian hospitals, insurance companies, governments, and institutions all focus on volume as an indicator of quality. The Military Health System (MHS) lags by comparison. Fewer MHS patients have their procedures in high-volume settings. MHS also misses opportunities to consolidate low-volume hospitals into higher-volume regional facilities. For many product lines, most operations are done by surgeons who perform the procedure infrequently. There are nearly 10 million TRICARE beneficiaries, and thus ample opportunities for MHS to set up high-volume "center of excellence" programs to meet existing beneficiary demand for services. Such initiatives could improve average patient outcomes while supporting clinical currency for MHS physicians.

CNAs Integrated Ship Database

/analyses/2014/cnas-integrated-ship-database

This document describes CNA’s Intergrated Ship Database, which was previously available on the CNA website.

Malaysia and Brunei Claims in SCS

/analyses/2014/malaysia-and-brunei-claims-in-scs

This is the second of three legal analyses commissioned as part of a project entitled, “U.S. Policy Options in the South China Sea.” The objective in asking experienced U.S international lawyers, such as Captain J. Ashley Roach, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, USN (ret.), the author of this analysis, is to provide U.S. policy makers access to work that tests the legal arguments that Vietnam, China, Malaysia and Brunei and the Philippines make in support of their claims, weigh them against the body of international case law associated with maritime disputes of this sort, and if possible, reach a judgment on which country’s claim is superior.

South China Sea US Policy Options

/analyses/2014/south-china-sea-us-policy-options

The aim of this report is to propose additional policy options that the United States might pursue in the South China Sea. To this end it provides a detailed recounting of existing U.S. policy toward the South China Sea. It concludes by recommending additional policy approaches aimed toward generating a more peaceful, stable, non- confrontational, law abiding environment in the South China Sea. Along the way it will address the U.S. interests that are involved in the South China Sea. It will briefly explain what international laws apply to the South China Sea, and detail the “rules” that Washington’s policy insists all parties follow. It will then provide an overview of the legal merits of the respective claims to the islands and features in the South China Sea. The legal overview is presented not to argue for a change to existing U.S. policy of not taking a position on sovereignty claims, but to provide policy-makers with some understanding of the legal complexity of the claims issue.

Philippine Claims in South China Sea

/analyses/2014/philippine-claims-in-south-china-sea

This is the third of three legal analyses commissioned as part of a project entitled “U.S. Policy Options in the South China Sea.” Experienced U.S. international lawyers, such as Captain Mark Rosen, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, USN (ret.),1 the author of this analysis, were asked to test the various legal arguments that Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines make in support of their claims, weigh them against the body of international case law associated with maritime disputes of this sort, and, if possible, reach a judgment on which country’s claim is superior. Importantly, this analysis of Philippine claims to Scarborough Shoal and features in the Spratly archipelago was not undertaken as a prelude to a recommendation that the United States depart from its long-held position of not taking a position on competing sovereignty claims in the South China Sea. That is not the intent of the project; nor is it one of the recommendations.

Impacts of EPA’s Clean Power Plan on Electricity Generation and Water Use in Texas

/analyses/2014/impacts-of-epas-clean-power-plan-on-electricity-generation-and-water-use-in-texas

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a new rule under the Clean Air Act—the Clean Power Plan (CPP)—to control carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing stationary electric power plants. In order to better understand the potential impacts of the rule for water consumption and withdrawals in Texas, a state that is experiencing on-going drought, we apply a power generation policy model to evaluate water use along with other economic and environmental indicators. We explore two scenarios: a Baseline scenario and the implementation of the CPP. We find that the state will save water under the CPP be able to meet the final and interim targets with modest incremental effort.

Veteran Unemployment of Transitioning Marines

/analyses/2013/veteran-unemployment-of-transitioning-marines

This study was motivated by the need to meet President Obama’s commitment to help servicemembers make a successful transition to civilian and veteran life.

Understanding an Adversarys Strategic Calculus

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Insights into the strategic and operational calculus of a 21st century adversary – like Iran -- can be gained by examining similar cases. One such case is the evolution in the U.S. understanding of the Soviet Union’s strategic and operational calculus regarding the wartime employment of its navy during the last two decades of the Cold War.

US India Security Burden Sharing

/analyses/2013/us-india-security-burden-sharing

Building a partnership with India is central to U.S. security interests in the Indian Ocean (IO). The United States seeks to work with India to promote stability in a region of rising commercial and strategic importance. U.S. policymakers view India as an “anchor” or “pillar” of stability in the Asia-Pacific. Given declining defense budgets, however, the United States will have fewer resources for its forces and partner capacity-building in this vast region. Envisioning India as a “provider of security in the broader Indian Ocean region,” the United States is naturally eager to pursue burden-sharing opportunities with India as a means to this end. India for its part understands that the United States expects it to assume a greater leadership role in the IO and appreciates the importance of its growing economic and naval capabilities. In 2010, then-Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao spoke about the growing view that “a robust Indian naval presence is seen as a necessary contribution to a cooperative regional security order” and discussed “the cooperative burden-sharing of naval forces to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia” as an example of India’s contributions to IO security.