Thermoplastic Material Selection: A Practical Guide presents current information on how proper material selection is a critical component of any manufactured product. The text is a practical guide to a difficult process, giving the reader a fundamental grounding in thermoplastic materials and providing the tools they need to save time, money, and frustration. The book provides an overview of the most commonly used thermoplastic materials, including discussions of the different chemical families, plastics categories, and material grades - and the implications of these differences on the material selection process. It provides fresh insights on the traditional methods of material selection based on performance and cost, and also discusses the use of non-traditional methods based on subjective evaluation. Subsequent sections include references on tools that can be used to conduct further exploration, how to accurately select the most suitable material, writing an effective material specification, and working with material suppliers and distributors.

Technical appendixes for a study that describes American public opinion toward the use of military force in support of the global war on terrorism. This document supplies the technical appendixes for a study that describes American public opinion toward the use of military force in support of the global war on terrorism (GWOT), delineates the sources of support and opposition, and identifies potential fault lines in support.

How does the Army plan to ensure its continued access to potential trouble spots around the world? The authors developed scenarios and conducted political-military games to determine what strategies, tactics, and capabilities potential adversaries might use to complicate U.S. access to key areas and how effective the U.S. counters to these tactics are. They were sanguine about the ability of the U.S. to prevail in the short-term but also identified several conc erns and suggested areas of improvement, including expanding the number of in-theater bases that might be available; enhancing the flexibility and deployability of U.S. forces to more austere bases; and upgrading detection, warning, and force protection measures.

The United States is incrcasingly participating in coalition military operations. Coalition support may be required for successful military operations and in most such operations the United States desires to share the burden. U.S. allies recognize the increased security that coalition operations can bring. Because interoperability is a key element in coalitions, RAND undertook research to help the Air Force identify potential interoperability problems that may arise in coalition air operations and to suggest nonmateriel and technology-based solutions. The research focus is on command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C3ISR) systems in out-of-NATO-area operations. The authors' review of recent coalition air operations found that interoperability problems arose because of differences in doctrine, incompatible communications, different planning and execution systems, and different weapon system capabilities. For example, allies may lack sufficient all-weather, day and night precision-guided weapons. The authors suggest the following to increase interoperability in coalition operations: (1) common or harmonized doctrine for combined joint task force operations, from planning through assessment, (2) compatible or adaptable concepts of operation for airborne surveillance and control, (3) common information-sharing standards and compatible tactical communication systems, and (4) expert, experienced personnel who understand the capabilities of coalition partners. From a technology perspective and cost considerations, C3ISR initiatives appear to offer the best opportunities for interoperability enhancements.