The U.S. Department of Defense and Its Torture Program

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-213
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Grimm Arsenault ◽  
Catherine Chiang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Department Of Defense ◽  
Standard Operating Procedures ◽  
Organizational Decision Making ◽  
Structural Environment ◽  
Standard Operating ◽  
Study Process ◽  
The U.S

How did the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) develop its torture program and, in so doing, stray so significantly from its existing standard operating procedures (SOPs) around humane prisoner treatment? This model of organizational decision-making examines both the ambiguous structural environment that interrogators faced after 9/11 and the ways in which actors used their agency to challenge the procedures and rules that had governed DoD decision-making and actions for more than six decades. By building off the work on organizational theorizing pioneered by Graham Allison and James March, this study process traces the ways in which the DoD’s institutional procedures protecting detainees were developed, challenged, and then ultimately reaffirmed. This research helps organizations ultimately understand the power—and the weaknesses—of their SOPs.

scholarly journals A Study on the Development of Training Content Scenarios for On-Site Commanders Engaged in Firefighting Activities

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-146
Author(s):  
Woo-Young Chun ◽  
Ji-Hee Lee ◽  
Hyung-Jun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Standard Operating Procedures ◽  
Training Content ◽  
Standard Operating

This study examines the development of content scenarios to facilitate the training of on-site commanders in firefighting activities. To establish the training content scenario system, the three core competencies of the on-site commanders were set as situation judgment, communication, and decision-making. A system of scenarios was established to actively reflect these three core competencies when designing the scenarios. All the contents of these scenarios are based on Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). The scenarios comprise 14 stages that are divided into four steps with the exception of stages 1 and 14, which mark the beginning and end of the training. It consists of the situation setting stage and the first, second, and third decision-making stages. Specifically, situation judgment and communication are important factors in each stage.

A Dialogue-Centric Approach to Environmental-Remediation Decision-Making

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel Boucher ◽  
James F. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Department Of Defense ◽  
Environmental Remediation ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Remediation Plan ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S ◽  
Poor Management ◽  
Responsible Party

This paper outlines a multi-step approach to streamline and enhance the decision-making process that guides environmental remediation. The inability of the responsible party and the various stakeholders to reach agreement on the remediation plan can delay the remediation, result in financial penalties, and lead to the development of an adversarial stance that inhibits the ability of the parties to work together in a creative and constructive manner. The approach presented by the authors is designed to expand dialogue in a way that moves it beyond technical or fiscal matters by addressing what the authors describe as the “hidden barriers” to productive dialogue. These “hidden barriers” include: self-interests, the perception as to how people are being treated, a lack of clarity or poor management of responsibilities and accountabilities, unclear or convoluted communication protocols, and an underlying tone of conflict and cynicism. A key element of the multi-step approach outlined in this paper is the process of uncovering these “hidden barriers” and addressing them in a way that turns discourse into collaboration. The paper describes a model the authors have used to streamline and enhance the process of creating sustainable agreements both for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management as well as the U.S. Department of Defense for a variety of environmental remediation projects. The results of this approach include the acceleration of an environmental clean-up from a projected 19 years to 11 years, the development of innovative technical strategies, the reduction of a major backlog of environmental proposals requiring review and comment, and the distinction accorded one group of being recognized as a model of effective partnering. The approach described has widespread implications not only because its use can be expanded to include a multitude of decision-making applications but also because of the impact it creates by expanding both the management and leadership skills of those who use it.

Mobile Computing at the Department of Defense

2011 ◽  
pp. 192-209
Author(s):  
James A. Rodger ◽  
Parag C. Pendharkar ◽  
Mehdi Khosrow-Pour
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Mobile Computing ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Department Of Defense ◽  
Medical Management ◽  
Situational Awareness ◽  
Medical Data ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Strategic Decision Making ◽  
The U.S

This chapter is designed to relate the rationale used by the Department of Defense, to utilize Telemedicine, to meet increasing global crises, and for the U.S. military to find ways to more effectively manage manpower and time. A mobile Telemedicine package has been developed by the Department of Defense (DOD) to collect and transmit near-real-time, far-forward medical data and to assess how this improved capability enhances medical management of the battlespace. Telemedicine has been successful in resolving uncertain organizational and technological military deficiencies and in improving medical communications and information management. The deployable, mobile Teams are the centerpieces of this Telemedicine package. These teams have the capability of inserting essential networking and communications capabilities into austere theaters and establishing an immediate means for enhancing health protection, collaborative planning, situational awareness, and strategic decision-making.

Impact of Adverse Weather on Commercial Helicopter Pilot Decision-Making and Standard Operating Procedures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Speirs ◽  
Coline Ramée ◽  
Alexia P. Payan ◽  
Dimitri Mavris ◽  
Karen M. Feigh
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Standard Operating Procedures ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Standard Operating

scholarly journals Decision Making Within and Outside Standard Operating Procedures: Paradoxical Use of Operational Discretion in Firefighters

2021 ◽  
pp. 001872082110418
Author(s):  
Philip C. Butler ◽  
Andy Bowers ◽  
Andrew P. Smith ◽  
Sabrina R. Cohen-Hatton ◽  
Robert C. Honey
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Standard Operating Procedures ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Video Footage ◽  
Standard Operating ◽  
Personal Resilience ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Operational Guidance

Objective To understand how firefighters’ use of rules (i.e., standard operating procedures [SOPs]) and deliberative decision making (i.e., operational discretion [OD]) interacts with acute stress. Background Current operational guidance for UK firefighters combines the provision of SOPs, for routine incidents, with the use of OD, under prescribed conditions (e.g., when there is a risk to human life). However, our understanding of the use of SOPs and OD is limited. Methods Incident commanders (ICs; n = 43) responded to simulated emergency incidents, which either licensed the use of OD or required use of a SOP. Video footage of IC behavior was used to code their response as involving a SOP or OD, while levels of acute stress were assessed using a blood-based measure and self-report. Results ICs were less likely to use OD selectively in the simulated emergency incident that licensed its use than in the one for which use of an SOP was appropriate; IC command level did not affect this pattern of results; and the incident that licensed OD resulted in more acute stress than the incident that required use of a SOP. Conclusion SOPs and OD were not used in the manner prescribed by current operational guidance in simulated emergency incidents. Application These results suggest that firefighter training in SOPs and OD should be augmented alongside personal resilience training, given the impact of stress on health and wellbeing, but also to improve the deployment of SOPs and OD under stress.

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