Focus on the Well-Being of the Military, Veterans, and Their Families
Maintaining an effective military largely depends on ensuring the well-being of its service members, veterans, and their families. Uncertainty surrounding deployments, long work hours, and family separation causes significant stress on military personnel and has negative effects on retention. RAND is a resource for research and policy recommendations that address the challenges faced by military members, spouses, and their children, including readiness for deployment; quality and cost-effective health care; the mental health and cognitive needs of U.S. service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq; the health and employment problems that hinder veterans' reintegration into civilian life; the role of military spouses; and the need for military-sponsored child care.
Resources for Military Members and Families
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Selected Findings
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Iraq Troop Withdrawal
Managing Arab-Kurd Tensions in Northern Iraq After the Withdrawal of U.S. Troops — 2011
Presents options for mitigating the risk of Arab-Kurd conflict after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, including confidence-building measures and other means of alleviating ethnic tensions in northern Iraq.
Security in Iraq: A Framework for Analyzing Emerging Threats as U.S. Forces Leave — 2010
U.S. withdrawal from Iraq could affect Iraq's internal security and stability, which could, in turn, affect U.S. strategic interests and the safety of U.S. troops and civilians in Iraq. The framework provided here can help minimize negative effects.
The Impact of U.S. Military Drawdown in Iraq on Displaced and Other Vulnerable Populations: Analysis and Recommendations — 2010
Assesses the risks and implications of U.S. drawdown and withdrawal from Iraq for vulnerable populations in Iraq and in neighboring states, and makes recommendations for mitigating anticipated problems.
Whither Al-Anbar Province? Five Scenarios Through 2011 — 2010
Presents a discussion of likely scenarios for Iraq's al-Anbar Province over the course of the next three years.
Building Security in the Persian Gulf — 2010
The author makes recommendations for a new security structure for the Persian Gulf region in order to promote long-term security and stability while reducing burdens on the United States imposed by its role as a permanent power there.
Withdrawing from Iraq: Alternative Schedules, Associated Risks, and Mitigating Strategies — 2009
In studying the withdrawal from Iraq, RAND assessed logistical constraints, trends in insurgent activity, and the implications of the readiness of Iraqi security forces on the size of the residual U.S. force and on security in Iraq and the region.
After Saddam: Prewar Planning and the Occupation of Iraq — 2008
Examines prewar planning efforts for postwar Iraq, the role of U.S. military forces after the end of major combat, and civilian efforts at reconstruction.
Commentary
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Military Health Policy Experts
Terri Tanielian
Director of the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research and focuses on the psychological and behavioral effects of combat, terrorism and disasters; public health emergency preparedness; and risk communication. She is co-leader of the study "Invisible Wounds of War."
Anita Chandra
A behavioral scientist focusing on child and adolescent health; community-based participatory research and evaluation; mental health; public health systems and community resilience.
Christine Eibner
An economist whose work in the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research has focused on demand for TRICARE, maintaining the operational readiness of Department of Defense medical providers, and the economic costs of mental illness resulting from exposure to combat.
Carrie Farmer
An associate policy researcher who has studied access to and quality of behavioral health care services and psychological health programs in the Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration.
James Hosek
A senior economist with expertise on defense manpower; he has published studies in the areas of recruiting, retention, compensation, deployment, and personnel quality.
Paul Heaton
An economist and director for research in the RAND Institute for Civil Justice, with expertise in military enlistment, attrition and reenlistment.
Lisa H. Jaycox
A senior behavioral scientist and clinical psychologist with expertise in child and adolescent mental health problems, including depression and reactions to violence exposure, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
David Loughran
A senior economist and associate director of RAND Labor and Population, with expertise on military deployment and earnings, and enlistment and long-term economic well-being.
Grant Marshall
A senior behavioral scientist with expertise in post-traumatic stress disorder, mental health services in disasters, and refugee mental health.
Rajeev Ramchand
A behavioral scientist focusing on military mental health, suicide prevention and substance abuse treatment.
Terry Schell
A behavioral scientist focusing on psychological effects of trauma (including combat), violent behavior, and alcohol and drug use.
Jennifer Steele
An associate policy researcher focusing on education; she is the author of "Service Members in School: Military Veterans' Experiences Using the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Pursuing Postsecondary Education."
Katherine Watkins
A senior natural scientist; she most recently was the lead author on the RAND evaluation of the cost and quality of behavioral health care services for seriously mentally ill patients in the Veterans Health Administration.
Robin Weinick
Associate director of RAND Health and can discuss how the U.S. Military is addressing the mental health needs of service members.
Laura Werber
A management scientist with expertise on the deployment experiences of guard and reserve families.
John Winkler
Director of the Forces and Resources Policy Center within RAND's National Security Research Division; he is an expert in defense manpower and specifically the deployment and reintegration related issues facing Reserve Component members.
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