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This report describes the key elements of a nuclear weapons program; explains the available information regarding cooperation among Iran, North Korea, and Syria on ballistic missiles and nuclear technology; and discusses some specific issues for Congress. Enhanced with text analytics by PageKicker Robot Jellicoe, including word cloud, keywords, and programmatic summary.

The authors present a prognostic cost model that is shown to provide significantly more accurate estimates of life cycle costs for DoD programs. Unlike current cost estimation approaches, this model does not rely on the assumption of a fixed program baseline. Instead, the model presented here adopts a stochastic approach to program uncertainty, seeking to identify and incorporate top-level (i.e., "macro") drivers of estimating error to produce a cost estimate that is likely to be more accurate in the real world of shifting program baselines. The predicted improvement in estimating accuracy provided by this macro-stochastic cost model translates to hundreds of billions of dollars across the DoD portfolio. Furthermore, improved cost estimate accuracy could reduce life cycle costs and/or allow defense acquisition officials the ability to make better decisions on the basis of more accurate assessments of value and affordability. Enhanced with text analytics by PageKicker robot Jellicoe.

The nations involved in the South China Sea dispute have amplified their military expenditures and confrontations at sea have become increasingly common. The People's Republic of China and the United States are the two largest regional powers and, as such, this discussion focuses on their respective policies and implementation strategies. China claims much of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory based on historical occupation and their interpretation of international law. The fear of encirclement and China's increasing dependence on sea trade further drive Chinese policy. Additionally, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines lay claim to parts of the South China Sea and fear China may seek to control the area in the future. Full color interior enhanced with word cloud, key terms, and automatic summarization.