Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2009, History

This thesis examines the German Air Force Monograph Project, also known as the Karlsruhe Project, through which the United States Air Force employed former Luftwaffe generals to record the history of World War II from the German perspective. Historians have explored parallel programs in the U.S. Army and Navy, but the Karlsruhe Project has received little attention; however, the Air Force monographs have proven useful to historians because of their high quality. This paper attributes the Karlsruhe monographs' strength as works of history primarily to the Air Force's limited interest in them, which insulated the writers from outside pressure to produce studies of immediate utility to the military. Whereas policy needs drove the Army and Navy programs and often caused them to search for convenient tactical “lessons” in German history, the German Air Force Monograph Project was effectively autonomous, but this was a mixed blessing. Chronically undermanned and inadequately funded, the project ended with most studies still unfinished. The Air Force ignored the monographs and failed to benefit from the experience of the Luftwaffe. This paper illustrates the inherent tensions in writing official military history and utilizes the Karlsruhe Project as a lense to examine problems plaguing the Air Force during the early Cold War. Still, cooperative historical work proved to be an inexpensive and unexpected way of cementing the critical West German-American military alliance, and both air forces came to value this aspect of the project more than the historical studies it produced.

Committee: John Guilmartin Jr. (Advisor); Alan Beyerchen (Committee Member); Peter Mansoor (Committee Member) Subjects: Armed Forces; European History; History; Military History

Master of Arts, University of Toledo, 2012, Geography

The typical approach to mapping groundwater contaminant plumes involves drawing plume contours out to each contaminant's site-specific cleanup criterion. Cleanup criteria differ between contaminants, sites and U.S. states. For this reason, it is difficult to determine which monitoring wells, plumes and sites are most contaminated within a given area or region. For the same reason, it is also difficult to determine which individual contaminant is most concentrated within a single monitoring well. The Contaminant Exceedance Rating System (CERS) was developed to address these issues by normalizing groundwater contaminant data against their site-specific cleanup criteria. Each contaminant's laboratory analytical result is divided by its respective site-specific cleanup criterion and the result is a unitless ratio which is then compared against other CERS Values. The CERS Values are then ranked into a set of CERS Ranking Categories for data grouping purposes and ease of mapping. The CERS was successfully implemented utilizing data from the Former Wurtsmith Air Force Base (WAFB) in Oscoda, Michigan (provided by the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment[AFCEE]). Basewide groundwater volatile organic compound (VOC) data from Summer/Fall 2009 was utilized. ESRI¿¿ ArcGIS Version 10.0 was used to map the resultant CERS Values, symbolized by their Ranking Categories. By implementing the CERS, the following were successfully determined for this data: the most concentrated contaminant in each sample, the most contaminated well(s) within each site, the most contaminated wells on the entire base, and the most contaminated plumes on the base. It is recommended that the CERS be further implemented using additional temporal data from the Former WAFB. It is also recommended that the CERS be implemented using contaminant data from other Department of Defense (DoD) installations. The CERS could allow for comparison of maximum degree of contamination between entire installa (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Patrick Lawrence PhD (Committee Chair); Peter Lindquist PhD (Committee Member); Robert Beckwith PG (Committee Member) Subjects: Chemistry; Environmental Economics; Environmental Management; Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Geochemistry; Geographic Information Science; Geography; Hydrologic Sciences; Hydrology; Information Science; Information Systems; Natural Resource Management; Water Resource Management

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2023, History

From 1938 until the end of World War II, the Curtiss P-40 fighter participated in the European, North Africa, and Pacific theaters of war. An aircraft's success depends primarily upon the pilot's expertise. Without skilled pilots, technology alone cannot win a war. Technological innovation still plays a crucial role in the success of a nation's air force. Relative to technological developments, how impactful is a pilot's skill on a fighter plane's performance? My thesis structure is a deep look into each pilot's experience and how victory was achieved with a plane that most military writings say is inferior. I investigate the narrative of the aircraft from development based on a pre-war U.S. air doctrine, its exposure and adaptation against enemy aircraft, and the period when piston-driven aircraft performance reached the pinnacle of performance. My analysis shows that due to the adaptability of tactics by fighter pilots, the Curtiss P-40 met Allied needs and aided in the overall contribution to changes in aerial combat. This write-up goes on to show a pilot's expertise plays a crucial role in an aircraft's success, regardless of statistical data or the purpose for which the plane was intended. Technological innovation causes an impact on the success of a nation's air force, but without skilled pilots, technology alone cannot win a war.

Committee: Jonathan Winkler Ph.D. (Advisor); Kathryn Meyer Ph.D. (Committee Member); Paul Lockhart Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; American Studies; Armed Forces; Asian Studies; Black History; European History; European Studies; Higher Education; History; Military History; Modern History; Museum Studies; Russian History; Technology; World History

BA, Kent State University, 2014, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

The United States Air Force Security Service (USAFSS), created in 1948, was the first signals intelligence organization to be created post-World War II and played an integral role in Cold War intelligence gathering. Indeed, despite its relatively young age compared to its Army and Navy counterparts, the USAFSS soon became the premier agency for signals intelligence in the early Cold War and was responsible for hundreds of secret listening posts around the world. This thesis argues that the USAFSS was able to have such a large impact on the post-World War II intelligence community due to a high level of technological proficiency, dedication, and a close working relationship with the National Security Agency (NSA) after its establishment in 1952. Using oral history interviews and declassified government documents, this thesis explores how the USAFSS was established and how it grew to leave a lasting impact for both contemporary Cold War intelligence agencies and the modern incarnation of Air Force intelligence.

Committee: Elizabeth Smith-Pryor Ph.D (Advisor); Timothy Scarnecchia Ph.D (Committee Member); Fred Endres Ph.D (Committee Member); Leslie Heaphy Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Armed Forces; Computer Science; Engineering; European History; History; Information Science; Information Technology; International Relations; Mass Communications; Military History; Military Studies; Modern History; Political Science; Russian History; Science History; Technical Communication; Technology; World History

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Franklin University, 2024, Business Administration

The United States Air Force (USAF) purchases billions in arms, equipment, and services to support the Department of Defense and its mission to defend the public from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Program Managers (PM) are the leaders appointed to develop, deliver, and sustain a solution for the capability gaps identified by operational leaders. PMs oversee programs of all sizes across many domains. A substantial proportion of programs fail to meet the triple constraint of cost, schedule, and performance. It is in the interest of the public who funds these purchases to identify the skills that can help PMs deliver programs within the triple constraint. PMs require skills to lead an effective program. The researcher used Katz's (1955) framework to identify the technical, human, and conceptual skills PMs need. The researcher interviewed nine retired USAF acquisition members and identified seventeen PM skills required to deliver programs within the triple constraint alongside other observations about the acquisition field. The seventeen skills include (1) General Military Knowledge, (2) Programmatic Knowledge, (3) Functional Knowledge, (4) Program-specific Knowledge, (5) Technological Proficiency, (6) Leadership, (7) Mentorship, (8) Communication, (9) Relationship Management, (10) Emotional Intelligence, (11) Political Skills, (12) Stakeholder Management, (13) Requirement Management, (14) Problem-solving, (15) Critical Thinking, (16) Outlook, and (17) Continuity. PMs can use the seventeen skills from this study as possible competencies to identify where they excel and need improvement and create a plan of action to improve performance at their current job and prepare for the next. Career managers can use the skill set as criteria to consider in selecting, developing, and retaining PMs to meet today's and tomorrow's needs. Additionally, the USAF should incorporate the seventeen skills into professional development, education, and training. The study further se (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Leo Sedlmeyer (Committee Chair); Charles Fenner (Committee Member); David McCurry (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

The present study analyzes the relationship of Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery assessment (ASVAB) in relationship to academic success in Air Force Public Health Apprentice (PHA) technical training. Classification into the PHA career field is based upon a cutoff score of the General composite ASVAB assessment. The ASVAB assessment has four components to the assessment. The PHA course tests students on eight blocks of instruction, running four courses a year. This study looked at two consecutive years of student records, (N=202), and ASVAB scores prior to classification of the PHA career field. The problem being analyzed is to find if there is a correlation between ASVAB scores and success on PHA exams. The results of this study identified a correlation between higher ASVAB General Composite scores and a higher PHA block exam score. Additionally, this study identified a correlation among higher ASVAB Administrative, Electrical, and Mechanical Composite scores and PHA block exam scores. Implications of this study have identified the need for further research to be conducted to analyze further correlations with the ASVAB composites and PHA exam success

Committee: Kevin Kelly (Committee Chair); Brenda Morgan (Committee Member); Meredith Wronowski (Committee Member) Subjects: Adult Education; Military Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1963, Sociology

Committee: Samuel H. Lowrie (Advisor) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1958, Sociology

Committee: Frank F. Miles (Advisor) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1957, Higher Education Administration

Committee: Frank C. Arnold (Advisor) Subjects: Higher Education

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1958, Sociology

Committee: Frank F. Miles (Advisor) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1957, Higher Education Administration

Committee: Frank C. Arnold (Advisor) Subjects: Higher Education

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.), Franklin University, 2021, Health Programs

Preventable medical errors may now be the third leading cause of death in the United States, following only heart disease and cancer as the Nation's biggest killers (Makary & Daniel, 2016). If that weren't bad enough, it is estimated that the incidence of preventable medical errors that lead to serious patient harm may be 10 to 20 times higher than those that cause death (James, 2013). The vast majority of people across the globe will, at some point in their lives, require the services of a healthcare organization. During each of these encounters with an industry dedicated solely to improving health, they will be at significant risk for unintended harm and even death. In the United States, this healthcare issue was first presented to the public consciousness more than two decades ago when the Institute of Medicine published its report, To Err is Human Building a Safer Health System (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2000). Today, after more than 20 years of industry focus, vast numbers of studies, and quality improvement recommendations, preventable medical errors still occur every day across the U.S. and around the world. Many healthcare organizations are trying to improve patient safety by adopting the principles of high reliability, including a preoccupation with failure, resiliency, and organizational mindfulness. The setting for this research is at a U.S. Air Force Tier-1 outpatient clinic. The high-reliability program that the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) rolled out to all Medical Treatment Facilities (MTF) is called Trusted Care. This study sought to examine and reveal relational evidence between the principles of high reliability, preventable medical errors and perceived organizational patient safety culture through retrospective data analysis. Utilizing safety reporting data and the results of organizational culture surveys, the results of this study indicated that there is evidence linking the Trusted Care high reliability program to improvements in patient (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: George Velez (Committee Chair); David Meckstroth (Committee Member); JoAnn Jordan (Committee Member) Subjects: Armed Forces; Health Care; Health Care Management; Medicine

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wright State University, 2019, Biomedical Sciences PhD

This study evaluated the combined effects of an exercise intervention and nutritional supplement on biomarkers of stress and resilience, and the relationships of those markers with physical and cognitive performance. 130 healthy Active-Duty Air Force (AF) personnel were recruited to participate in a double-blind, placebo controlled 12-week exercise and nutritional intervention. Serum was collected at basal and high stress conditions pre- and post-intervention to track the following biomarkers: cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S), norepinephrine (NE), neuropeptide Y (NPY), and serotonin. The exercise intervention significantly attenuated the cortisol response and peak stress cortisol levels. The nutritional intervention decreased peak stress NE. The selected biomarkers were not universally correlated with performance measures. NPY, NE, and cortisol levels showed strong relationships with several dimensions of physical performance during stress, though resting NPY and NE levels did not. Few correlations were observed between biomarkers and cognitive performance. We conclude that these interventions had mixed and modest effects on biomarker levels of stress and resilience and that their relationships with performance is dependent on task type and stress condition. For future research, we recommend measuring additional biomarkers and tailoring interventions to the individual subject for greater efficacy.

Committee: Erica M. Johnson Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Christopher N. Wyatt Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Lynn Hartzler Ph.D. (Committee Member); David R. Cool Ph.D. (Committee Member); Assaf Harel Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Neurosciences; Physiology

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2018, Leadership and Change

On the surface, caring and the military appear to be opposites. The stereotypical image of the military giving and obeying orders does not conjure up images of leaders caring for their subordinates. In reality, caring for subordinates and caring for the mission could help leaders form stronger relationships with subordinates, because subordinates may have confidence that their leaders will not recklessly send them into harm's way. Subordinates may develop confidence in their leaders based on their leaders' care during non-combat environments. Yet, empirical studies of caring in the military are sparse. This study investigates how Air Force retirees characterize “great bosses” care for them and care for the mission. A mixed method study of 12 qualitative interviews with Air Force retirees, followed by a quantitative survey study of 226 Air Force retirees revealed that caring actions cluster into four themes: Caring for Subordinates Personally, Caring for Subordinates Professionally, Caring for the Mission with a Focus on Mission Execution, and Caring for the Mission with a Focus on Empowering the Unit. This study also examined how these subordinates responded to those bosses that cared for them through Stronger Job Performance and Stronger Relationship with the Boss. The dissertation findings operationalize caring, demonstrate correlations between caring actions and self-reported increases in performance and boss-subordinate relationship quality, and detail actions that an authentic, caring leader can take to pursue the flourishing of subordinates and mission success simultaneously. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohiolink ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/

Committee: Laura Roberts Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Carol Baron Ph.D. (Committee Member); William Davis Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Military Studies

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2017, Physics

Atmospheric turbulence has afflicted accurate observations of celestial bodies since man first gazed upon the stars. In this past century, the technology of adaptive optics was invented to help compensate for the optical distortions that atmospheric turbulence causes. As part of that technology, artificial guide stars, wave front sensors, deformable mirrors, and other optical components were developed to correct these wave aberrations. The purpose of this study focuses on the modeling and configuration of an adaptive optics system that is appropriate for the John Bryan Observatory Quad Axis Telescope System (JBO-Q), which is funded by the United States Air Force. Scaling law modeling of site-specific atmospheric parameters using numerical weather data and laser propagation theory was used determination and optimization of some critical system specifications and threshold parameters for this baseline model.

Committee: Jerry Clark Ph.D. (Advisor); Jason Schmidt Ph.D. (Committee Member); Elizabeth Beecher Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Astronomy; Atmosphere; Atmospheric Sciences; Engineering; Optics; Physics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1975, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, History

This study examines the establishment of the United States Air Force as an independent service, through the lens of General Laurence Kuter. Covering from his birth through the end of the Second World War, it yields five observations. First, Laurence “Larry” Kuter played an unappreciated role in shaping the United States Air Force and its antecedents. Second, the Air Corps Tactical School's impact on its students was likely minimal, but the school's impact on its faculty—particularly its most junior members—was almost inestimable. Third, fighter pilots dominated the senior ranks of the Air Force and its antecedents from the Interwar Period through well into the 1950s. Fourth, the Army's interwar personnel policies had disproportionately negative impacts on Air Corps development, but very positive impacts on Kuter's career. The effects of those policies, combined with the massive army air corps/army air forces expansion from 1939 through 1944, provided a greater justification for service independence than strategic bombing did. Finally, the first major war that the Air Force fought, wherein it had reasonably full control over the selection and professional development of its people, all the way up to its senior leaders, was the First Gulf War in 1991.

Committee: Peter Mansoor (Advisor); Paula Baker (Committee Member); Mark Grimsley (Committee Member) Subjects: Biographies; Military History

MA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

This thesis explores the early history of the U.S. Air Force Security Service (USAFSS), an early Cold War military communications intelligence (COMINT) agency established by the Air Force on October 20, 1948. Using bureaucracy theory, the study seeks to understand why the U.S. Air Force was motivated to create a separate COMINT capability at this point in time, how the capability would be organized, and what functions the organization was expected to provide. Drawing upon a number of declassified Air Force and Executive Branch documents, congressional testimony, official historical studies and oral history materials, this study argues that the Air Force developed the USAFSS to resist dependence upon other military intelligence efforts and that the organization successfully accomplished Air Force objectives for a separate, communications intelligence capability.

Committee: Ann Heiss Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: American History; Armed Forces; History; Information Technology; International Relations; Military History; Military Studies; Modern History; Technical Communication; Technology

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2014, History (Arts and Sciences)

The American military fully realized a third dimension of warfare in World War II that sparked a post-war discussion on the development and employment of air power. Officers of the Army Air Forces lobbied for an independent service devoted to this third dimension and agreed on basic principles for its application. By the time the Truman administration awarded the Air Force its autonomy, the strategic bombing mission had achieved primacy among its counterparts as well as a rising position in national defense planning. Because of the emphasis on the Air Force's Strategic Air Command, Tactical Air Command found itself in jeopardy of becoming an irrelevant organization in possession of technology and hardware that American defense planners would no longer deem necessary. In order to thwart irrelevancy Tactical Air Command underwent a modernization process to align it with national defense policy, but in the process, developed systems ill-suited to meet the challenges of limited, conventional war.

Committee: Ingo Trauschweizer (Advisor) Subjects: History

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2013, Psychology, General

Previous research has found that performance is sometimes affected by transitions in workload. For some tasks and occupations, this type of change in demand can severely impact performance, which makes this a topic of interest for further research. The previous research conducted used a variety of tasks and methods, but few of the results obtained have been consistent. This study sought to determine the effect of workload transitions in a multi-tasking environment, which is an under-represented area in research on this topic. The use of subjective questionnaires to assess perceived workload and task-related stress has also been limited in previous research. Therefore, this study used the Air Force Multi-Attribute Task Battery (AF-MATB), which is a multi-tasking environment, the NASA Task Load Index, which is a measure of subjective workload, and the shortened Dundee Stress State Questionnaire, which a subjective measure of task-related stress. During testing, all participants completed AF-MATB trials that transitioned from an easy level to a difficult level or from a difficult level to an easy level. Also, they all completed easy and difficult control trials. Analyses of the performance data principally supported the success of the task difficulty manipulation, with significant differences only occurring between the easy and difficult portions of trials. However, the results of several AF-MATB subtasks indicated that the transition in task difficulty from difficult to easy had a negative impact on performance compared to performance in the easy control condition. The significant differences in two of these performance measures, however, may reflect trends in the data of the easy control condition as opposed to transition-related decrements in the difficult-easy condition, thereby making conclusions about the presence of transition effects in these instances somewhat difficult. The analysis of both the NASA Task Load Index and of the shortened Dundee State Questionna (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: F. Thomas Eggemeier Ph.D. (Advisor); James Christensen Ph.D. (Committee Member); Susan Davis Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Experimental Psychology; Psychology