Countering weapons of mass destruction: a preliminary field study in improving collaboration
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Authors
Lothringer, Derek W.
McGraw, Matthew S.
Rautio, Matthew D.
Thaxton, Leif H.K.
Subjects
counterproliferation
weapons of mass destruction
collaboration
disruptive innovation
lean thinking
additive manufacturing
opportunity analysis
technology diffusion
embassy
weapons of mass destruction
collaboration
disruptive innovation
lean thinking
additive manufacturing
opportunity analysis
technology diffusion
embassy
Advisors
Blanken, Leo
Davis, Zachary
Date of Issue
2016-03
Date
Mar-16
Publisher
Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
The proliferation of emerging and disruptive technologies such as additive manufacturing continues unabated. Such trends vastly increase the likelihood of a pernicious non-state actor acquiring weapons of mass destruction in the near future. In addition, these emerging novel threats have proved particularly vexing for the existing U.S. bureaucracies. Absent the major restructuring of the government, significantly higher levels of proactive inter-agency collaboration will be required to successfully respond to these grave challenges. In this project, we first operationalized a concept of collaboration in terms of increases in transparency, resource sharing, and interdependence across inter-agency actors. In other words, actors are deemed to be collaborating when they share information, make assets available to one another, and become jointly invested in (and responsible for) the resulting decisions. Second, we explored if the use of a formal collaborative process and the choice of venue would have significant impacts on the degree of collaboration observed. A preliminary field study conducted at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore confirmed our intuitions regarding increased collaboration, and provided the springboard for additional research, as well as for a number of policy recommendations.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Defense Analysis
Graduate School of Business and Public Policy (GSBPP)
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Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.