RAND conducts a broad array of national security research for the U.S. Department of Defense and allied ministries of defense. RAND's three U.S. federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) explore topics from acquisition and technology to personnel and readiness.
REPORT
A presentation of papers fundamental to the study of aerial reconnaissance. Because the concepts presented in these papers are considered still valid, they are a basis for current research and development in the field.
REPORT
This documented briefing presents the results of a rapid review of the funding landscape for complex trauma research in the UK. Recommendations are made about how to strengthen this niche and orphan area of research.
REPORT
This companion to Toward Affordable Systems: Portfolio Analysis and Management for Army Science and Technology Programs (Brian G. Chow, Richard Silberglitt, and Scott Hiromoto, Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, MG-761-A, 2009) describes the continued development and demonstration of a method and model to incorporate lifecycle cost into the portfolio analysis and management process for U.S. Army Science and Technology programs.
REPORT
To meet the demands of the past decade of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has adopted a rotational strategy based on the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) model, but equipping policies have not yet been adapted to the model. This report analyzes how the Army might reduce equipment in early phases of the ARFORGEN cycle, how changes might be applied across Army units and equipment, and how changes might affect near- and far-term…
REPORT
Passwords are proving less and less capable of protecting computer systems from abuse. Multifactor authentication (MFA) — which combines something you know (e.g., a PIN), something you have (e.g., a token), and/or something you are (e.g., a fingerprint) — is increasingly being required. This report investigates why organizations choose to adopt or not adopt MFA — and where they choose to use it.
COMMENTARY
The long-term objective of a train-and-equip program for the Libyan revolutionary government would be to create a professional military force in a post-Qaddafi Libya that could support democratic institutions free of extremist elements, writes Angel Rabasa.
REPORT
There are no plans to discontinue the use of whole-body image scanning machines and pat downs in airports around the country. In light of concerns about the cost, safety, effectiveness, and privacy of these procedures, the author explores air travel security performance since 9/11, identifies missed opportunities and innovations, and considers potential next steps.
COMMENTARY
What has been happening in North Africa this year, in what seems to be the leading edge of a great wind of change sweeping the Arab world, will require the Europeans (along with the U.S. and others) to be deeply and durably engaged there — economically, politically and in humanitarian terms, writes Robert E. Hunter.
REPORT
Can military forces get their messages across more effectively? RAND Europe examines NATO's new Strategic Communication concept.
REPORT
Unstable and violent political environments often give rise to a range of complex problems for peaceful development. RAND Europe reviewed the state of the art in monitoring and evaluation in stabilization environments and found ways to improve practice.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Reviews the state of the art in monitoring and evaluation of stabilisation operations and suggests ways forward.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Shares results of a study assessing the broad array of challenges that returning veterans face at the state level, including a range of mental health concerns, problems finding jobs commensurate with their skills, and complicated health care systems.
REPORT
Cloud computing is a model for enabling on-demand network access to a shared pool of computing resources—such as storage and applications—that can be rapidly provisioned with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. RAND Europe explored the security, privacy, and trust challenges that cloud computing poses.
REPORT
Army children whose parents have deployed 19 months or more since 2001 score lower on standardized tests than other Army children whose parents have deployed for shorter periods of time.
NEWS RELEASE
Army children whose parents have deployed 19 months or more since 2001 score lower on standardized tests than other Army children whose parents have deployed for shorter periods of time.
COMMENTARY
Afghans in general are much more optimistic about their future than we Americans are about ours, write James Dobbins and Craig Charney.
REPORT
Examines "reachback" -- the use of contracting capability outside of the theater of operations to accomplish contracting tasks for customers in-theater -- as a potential means for reducing the deployment burden on military contracting personnel. The authors find that reachback might improve performance in some areas and has the potential to reduce deployments, but other issues also need to be addressed to reduce stress on the contracting…
REPORT
Some recent shipbuilding programs in the United States and Europe have involved multiple shipyards constructing major modules of each ship for final integration and testing at one shipyard. The Navy needs to decide what it wants from a shared-build strategy, then monitor and manage the program to ensure that it delivers the required outcome, as well as the vessels called for in the program.
REPORT
A discontinuity in U.S. defense planning may be looming because of diffusion of inexpensive military technology, geostrategic changes, and the need to prepare forces for diverse adversary types. The way ahead is not yet clear, and economic constraints are a problem. It also seems that the nation needs a comprehensive rebalancing of national security strategy, not just of military capabilities.
REPORT
The Secretary of Defense's plans to shift Navy aircraft carrier acquisition to every five years should have little impact on force structure and the industrial base in the next decade—but after that, the force structure shrinks, as does the chance of meeting goals for the number of deployed aircraft carriers.
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