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Hmong American immigrants first came to the United States as refugees of the Vietnam War. Forty years on, they have made a notable impact in American political life. They have voter participation rates higher than most other Asian American ethnic groups, and they have won seats in local and state legislative bodies. Yet the average level of education among Hmong Americans still lags behind that of the general U.S. population and high rates of poverty persist in their community, highlighting a curious disparity across the typical benchmarks of immigrant incorporation. Carolyn Wong analyzes how the Hmong came to pursue politics as a key path to advancement and inclusion in the United States. Drawing on interviews with community leaders, refugees, and the second-generation children of immigrants, Wong shows that intergenerational mechanisms of social voting underlie the political participation of Hmong Americans. Younger Hmong Americans engage older community residents in grassroots elections and conversation about public affairs. And in turn, within families and communities, elders often transmit stories that draw connections between ancient Hmong aspirations for freedom and contemporary American egalitarian projects.

Congressional concern with cost overruns, or breaches of Nunn-McCurdy thresholds, in several major defense acquisition programs led the authors, in a partnership with the Performance Assessments and Root Cause Analysis Office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, to develop a methodology to investigate root causes of six programs, including Excalibur and the Navy’s ERP.

The roles and responsibilities of defense acquisition officers and Department of Defense (DoD) chief information officers are governed by U.S. laws and specified in more detail by a growing and complex body of DoD policy. The authors identify policy governing the design, acquisition, and integration of information technology (IT) and national security systems (NSS) that could lead to potential conflicts among these executives when they exercise their duties in the defense acquisition system. They examine the sources of these conflicts, and find that conflicts in the DoD acquisition process have occurred in the areas of setting IT standards and developing an IT architecture. Recent changes in DoD policy have reduced the potential for conflict in IT architecture development; however, the potential for conflict remains in the DoD standard-setting process. The authors recommend changes to DoD policy that can resolve these conflicts. --From publisher description.

During the last 202 years, the Army has employed three basic organizational management constructs to conduct its research and development (R & D): the independent operation of the laboratories, the Laboratory Command construct, and the Army Research Laboratory construct. Once again, it is looking to solve the same R & D problems that have persisted through these many decades and constructs. Four major R & D issues have emerged as key elements for the Army1s next move: how it defines the money stream, working relationships, the transition time between research and fielded equipment, and improving R & D visibility. The Army needs an R & D construct that can quickly adapt to changes in research agendas, budget levels, response times, personnel levels, and stakeholders. In short, history directs the Army to design and implement a new R & D construct that addresses its key R & D issues and is adaptive.

The Department of Defense has developed new sensor technologies to support military forces operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. These new capabilities may be useful in counterdrug operations along the southern U.S. border. DoD has held technology demonstrations to test and demonstrate new technologies along the southern border, because the field conditions along the border closely resemble those in current military theaters of operation and because they can also reveal whether new technologies are useful for CD operations led by domestic law enforcement agencies. However, there are legal questions about whether such technology demonstrations fully comply with U.S. law and whether advanced DoD sensors can legally be used in domestic CD operations when they are operated by U.S. military forces. In this report, the authors examine federal law and DoD policy to answer these questions. Some parts of U.S. law mandate information sharing among federal departments and agencies for national security purposes and direct DoD to play a key role in domestic CD operations in support of U.S. law enforcement agencies, while other parts of the law place restrictions on when the U.S. military may participate in law enforcement operations. Reviewing relevant federal law and DoD policy, the authors conclude that there is no legal reason why a DoD sensor should be excluded from use in an interagency technology demonstration or in an actual CD operation as long as a valid request for support is made by an appropriate law enforcement official and so long as no personally identifiable or private information is collected. The authors recommend DoD policy on domestic CD operations be formally clarified and that an approval process should be established for technology demonstrationswith a CD nexus.

Presents an approach to determine what parties have authority to issue interoperability policy, the legal and policy origins and implementation paths of the authority, and the scope of that authority, shown in a roles and responsibilities network.

A geospatial software tool-evaluation study assessed 14 recent tool developments funded by the National Institute of Justice. The study integrates input from tool developers and tool users with RAND's independent tool assessments.

Millions of Americans are or will be amateur caregivers for ill spouses, parents, or friends. Caregivers today, more than ever, use technology to help manage schedules, medication routines and pharmacy reminders, legal and financial affairs, as well as travel and expenses. Yet recent insurance options and health care’s emerging digital world make for an overwhelming, complex process. If you are one of the 64 million current caregivers, could you access your parents’ critical documents in an emergency, using their user IDs and passwords? Do you know how often your parents or parents-in-law are taking medications, how often your loved one goes to the doctor, and how to be involved in medical and life decisions? Statistics show 85 percent of caregivers are not trained in caregiving, so many people are likely winging it, picking up pieces of information here and advice there. The Caregiver’s Toolbox is your guide to cool apps and online tools, insider tips on how to reduce your medical bills, your privacy rights as a caregiver, where to go for free and low-cost help, and much more. It clearly shows which tools will relieve your stress, and those that may add stress. The authors dedicate much of their professional lives to helping people navigate the health care matrix. For updates on tools, applications, and emerging technology, visit the authors’ website, www.caregivers-toolbox.com.